Jesus Alvarez was one of about 60 people that attended the Being Born Again: Anything Is Possible evangelistic series shared by the Sunnyside, Mabton and Grandview Hispanic churches in eastern Washington.
Alvarez was born in Mexico, but came to Grandview when he was a child. During his time in school, he met a friend who attended church on Saturdays, and it caught his attention. His friend was a very good football player, but he never showed up for Saturday competitions.
For many years, Alvarez had questions. What is wrong with attending games on Saturday? What is the reason for attending church on this day? Despite his curiosity, Alvarez never attended church.
His personal problems and conflicts led him to feel God pulling on his heart. After wondering and wanting to find answers, he finally decided to go. At one of the evangelistic meetings the pastor said, "God will carry your burdens." That spoke directly to Alvarez.
"I felt like I was home," he said. "I experienced release of my sorrows and sadness."
The last night of the evangelistic series, Alvarez answered the call to accept Christ into his life. He was baptized along with three others at the end of the meetings. In addition, many people requested Bible studies.