Evangelist Franklin Graham held what's being called the largest evangelistic event ever in the eastern European country of Belarus.

The two-day "Festival of Hope" drew tens of thousands to the event in the capital city of Minsk. Graham preached to record-breaking crowds of nearly 31,000, with Chizhovka Arena so full that thousands of people packed into an overflow arena just to hear the gospel. Some people even stood outside to listen to the gospel message. 

"Tonight there's some of you that have come here searching, and I want you to know that God loves you, He made you, He created you. But we have a problem, and that problem is sin," Graham shared.

"Tonight you can experience a new birth, a spiritual rebirth through Jesus Christ," he continued. 

Hundreds stepped forward to commit their lives to Christ as Graham explained the power of Jesus Christ to save us from our sins.

Franklin Graham's outreach in Belarus (Photo Credit: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association)

Nearly 700 evangelical churches participated in the event. Christians across the country fasted, prayed, and invited people to come hear the good news of Jesus Christ. Churches also assembled a choir of 1,300 believers from 43 cities and villages.

The event marks a striking shift for the tightly controlled country.

"It really is a miracle," said Alyona Lazuta, a pastor's wife in the capital of Minsk. "It's a miracle, a miracle that we've prayed for many years."

Photo Credit: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association 

The day before the festival, Graham met with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko. Known as Europe's last dictator, Lukashenko has ruled since the 1994 and is a strong ally of Russia's President Putin. Lukashenko's Press Service reported that he jokingly told Graham, "When you're talking with the Lord about sins, don't forget about mine either."

Graham thanked him for allowing the country's churches to gather for the festival.

"We've never had something like this. We used to maybe be allowed to have 1,000 people come for something. But to have more than 10,000? No, we've had nothing like this," said Leonid Mikhovich, one of the event's coordinators and the general secretary of Belarus's Baptist Union. "The status of this arena is also important. It's one of the largest hockey arenas in the country. We could never ever dream to even rent such a building." 

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The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association gave out more than 2,000 Bibles to people who responded to the Gospel invitation. 

One man who received a Bible shared that he had planned to end his life a few days before the event, but was not successful. He came on Sunday and put his faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior after hearing the Gospel.

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