Luis correctly points out: “Marxist revolutions in Latin America and elsewhere have never transformed lives for the better. As Rosario’s story illustrates, the only revolution that works occurs every time someone becomes a new creation in Christ. He alone changes lives for good here and now—and for all eternity.”

Throughout Luis Palau’s long, fruitful career as an eminent worldwide evangelist, he saw many instances of people’s lives being dramatically transformed by Christ and the Christian Gospel of salvation. Here’s one of those amazing true stories.

Late in 1970 Luis Palau and his team were making advance preparations for a large evangelistic campaign to be held in Lima, the capital of Peru, the following year. At that time Peru was not a safe, stable country. A military dictatorship had seized control of the nation, and communist rebels were trying to overthrow the government. Many rebels were carrying out guerilla warfare. Bloodshed was common in parts of the country.

Luis was invited to preach at some pre-crusade rallies in Lima in December 1970. At one of those meetings, a communist revolutionary named Rosario came with the intention of attacking him or perhaps ending his life!

Rosario was born out of wedlock in the slums outside Lima. She grew up full of anger at the lack of food and water as well as the poverty she saw all around her.

Although she did not finish her formal education, she became an avid reader. By age thirteen she was reading the works of Marx and Lenin. By the time she was eighteen she had become a militant communist.

She hated the upper classes and anyone else whom she thought stood in the way of communist ideals being set up in society. More than once on her missions, she had violently attacked or even killed her perceived opponents. She also hated anything having to do with God or Christianity.

Rosario happened to hear one of Luis’s Spanish radio programs and learned that he would be speaking live at a theater in Lima that evening. Though she knew nothing else about him, she was immediately filled with rage and hatred toward him.

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