Change Comes to Bengaluru

A desire for change can move people to turn their lives in a new direction. Thousands upon thousands gathered in Bengaluru in January from all over India and the world to listen to a woman known for inspiring revolutionary change.

For the past many months Bangalore has been preparing for the Festival of Life 2009, featuring Joyce Meyer, Rev. Tommy Barnett, and guest bands Hillsong and Delirious?. The city gathered at the Palace Grounds to attend the four-day event, with 20,000 gathering for three days of seminars and hundreds of thousands of eager participants standing shoulder to shoulder for four nights of inspirational messages and music that rocked the city, moving many to tears as they sang along to familiar tunes.

With her trademark flare, Joyce stood before a vast sea of humanity, sharing her belief in God and how that relationship facilitates change, how every single person is a treasure in God’s eyes and how His unconditional love transforms lives from the inside out.

“She speaks to me as though she has known me all my life,” a conference attendee said. “She keeps it simple and direct. I feel God in this place.”

These grand-scale events are designed to reach as many people as possible in a brief period of time. With the help of thousands of volunteers, the city has been blanketed with a media campaign, organized prayer meetings and church gatherings for months to get the word out in preparation for the event. Partners make these life-changing moments possible. With your support we are able to reach out to the poorest and most vulnerable among us.

As part of the outreach a free medical camp is held over the same four days, in four different parts of the city, reaching thousands in need of a doctor. These medical professionals came from the United States, volunteering their time to help those who cannot afford to go to a doctor or a hospital. Each day hundreds of people were lined up, many with small children, waiting patiently as each individual was first registered and then screened to determine what their need was. The Mobile Medical Unit was on the ground each day with an x-ray machine and blood testing equipment for each doctor making a diagnosis for their patient. These camps are a true blessing to all who come each day. Some come with simple problems, easily addressed with medicine freely provided. Some come with more complicated medical problems. Some come with quiet questions about their children, their nutrition or a dental problem. Every person is given as much time as they need to assess the problem and implement a solution and departs with a word of prayer.

On the last night, electricity filled the air as Darlene led the crowd in worship; the presence of God lay on every person standing before the stage and beyond. The hundreds of thousands became one, singing, praying, crying, repenting and forgiving. It was a night to remember with many on their way to a new beginning in the loving arms of Jesus Christ.