AWR-Led Campaigns Mark Three Years of Soul-Winning Across Inter-America

Final phase in Chiapas, Mexico, mobilizes speakers ages 17 to 85 across 29 sites, sparking a historic wave of baptisms.

July 27, 2025 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | AWR Staff and IAD News Staff

From April 18–26, the southern state of Chiapas, Mexico, became the focus of a sweeping evangelistic effort that marked the culmination of the Inter-American Division’s quinquennial soul-winning initiative.

This major outreach featured the ongoing involvement of Adventist World Radio (AWR), which for the past three years has collaborated with radio directors and managers across the IAD territory to lead large-scale evangelistic campaigns. These began in 2022 in Cali, Colombia, and continued in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic; Chiquimula, Guatemala; Monterrey, Mexico; and expanded through coordinated efforts at union level in Managua, Nicaragua, and Chiriquí, Panama.

In Chiapas, AWR coordinated 29 preaching sites in and around Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the state’s capital. These were part of a much larger campaign involving approximately 3,350 sites across Chiapas. Over the course of the week, an estimated 25,000 people were baptized, making this one of the most powerful evangelistic efforts in the region’s history.

Pastor Ignacio Navarro, president of the Chiapas Mexican Union, thanked AWR and all who were involved in these meetings, saying, “It has been a tremendous blessing and opportunity for the church in Chiapas to grow in fulfilling its mission, thanks to the leadership and support of so many who came to strengthen our outreach efforts.”

The settings ranged from large, packed venues in city centers to simple, remote gatherings where people walked long distances to hear the message. Included in the speakers’ group was AWR’s director for the Americas, Pastor Eddie Canales, alongside volunteers ranging in age from 17 to 85 years old, representing countries throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and the Dutch Caribbean.

For many of these volunteers, it was their first time preaching an evangelistic series, yet their enthusiasm and reliance on the Holy Spirit produced extraordinary results. Each morning, the group gathered for training sessions led by Canales, where they received encouragement and practical tips they could immediately apply each evening.

Canales said of these meetings, “It is amazing to see how God works in the lives of those who participate in the AWR evangelism events. At the beginning of the series, you can see those who are preaching an evangelistic series for the first time nfeeling insecure, nervous, anxious and at times afraid. But as they start preaching the series, and when they start experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit, their attitude begins to change. They look relaxed and calm, and they act with confidence knowing that as they preach, they are being used by the Spirit of God.”

In the evangelistic series orientation, Canales told the speakers, “So far, no one has died due to preaching an evangelistic campaign, but yet, many will be resurrected as a result of preaching one!”

The effects of these meetings will go far beyond Chiapas. One of the volunteer speakers, Greg Makarchuk, said upon his return home to the UK: “It’s the first time that I have ever participated in and preached during an evangelistic campaign. But through this campaign, God has revealed new truths and understanding I didn’t previously have. I am pleased to share that on my return to London, I’ve worked with the church pastoral team on an evangelistic series focused on teaching Bible prophecy (based on the Unlocking Bible Prophecies sermons we preached in Mexico) to the younger generations here in London. It is time for us Millennials, Gen Zs, etc., to discover these truths, commit our lives more fully to Christ and share this message with our community and the whole world.”

Among the AWR speaking group were seven seniors (including a set of triplets) from Ouachita Hills Academy in Arkansas. Each student was assigned his or her own site and shared a minimum of eight prophecy messages. What might have seemed daunting at first became a spiritual turning point for each of them. Here are just a few of their takeaways:

Micah Powell reflected on the week by saying, “This experience strengthened my faith and helped me get more comfortable with public speaking. Praise God there were decisions for baptism at each site as well!”

For Tommy Gallagher, the experience opened his eyes to the power of mission work: “It was a huge blessing to see so many people interested in Jesus and what His salvation can do for us. God definitely worked powerfully in Chiapas during this mission trip with AWR . . . it has encouraged me to go on more mission trips and do more witnessing for Christ.”

Several students shared stories that highlighted the deep spiritual wrestling taking place in the hearts of their listeners. Donovan Williams recounted one such experience involving a man who wanted to be rebaptized but feared losing his job if he stopped working on the Sabbath.

“So the whole week, the Holy Spirit was working on this man’s heart, convicting him that he needed to talk to his boss. He didn’t have the courage. He was scared that he wouldn’t be able to provide for his family,” Williams said. “The Sabbath that he was to be baptized, he got a call from his boss during the church service. His boss asked him why he wasn’t at work that day. The man calmly told his boss that he wouldn’t be going to work on Sabbaths any longer. He explained how he was about to be baptized into the Adventist Church. His boss replied, ‘Is Saturday the only day you can’t come to work?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘OK. See you tomorrow,’ his boss told him. Just like that, God proved that He makes a way for those who remain faithful to Him.”

Trey Gallagher described the week as “one of my favorite experiences and also one of the biggest blessings I have had in my entire life.” He noted how he and his classmates witnessed the Holy Spirit moving throughout the meetings, despite challenges along the way. The meetings concluded with a massive celebration on the final Sabbath, as thousands gathered for baptisms and testimonies. The joy was contagious, as new believers from all walks of life publicly committed their lives to Christ.

Canales said at the end of the meetings, “If anyone has not had the experience of preaching an evangelistic series, I would like to encourage you to join one of the AWR evangelistic events. It will be a life-changing experience for you!”

Additional collaborative evangelistic efforts between Adventist World Radio (AWR) and the Inter-American Division (IAD) are already being planned at the union level in West Venezuela. Looking ahead to 2026, a special preaching exchange is also in development between the IAD and the South American Division, with coordinated campaigns scheduled to take place in Quito, Ecuador, and Bucaramanga, Colombia.

To learn more about AWR’s global evangelistic initiatives, visit awr.org.