While the US’s southern border has become a hotspot of political battles over immigration reform, one evangelist is focusing on the battle for souls. Tony Suarez has begun “Revival on the Border,” a series of outreach events along the US-Mexico border. The first event took place in El Paso from March 21-23 and another took place in McAllen, TX March 27-29. Speaking to CBN about the event in El Paso, Suarez described the scope of the group’s outreach. “Our street evangelism team set out to reach everyone, everywhere! From bars to city parks to those we could get to come to the tent — when it was all set and done, God gave us a harvest of over 3,000 souls that had an experience with God, in some form or fashion.” In preparation for the next event, a team of prayer warriors worked to cover thousands of miles of borderland in prayer. “Starting in El Paso — and in each city [the prayer warriors have] been to — we’ve driven a stake into the ground claiming that city for the Lord. The prayer army was tasked with speaking the name of Jesus over every single mile of the border between Texas and Mexico, as well as praying in the Spirit, and reaching people along the way,” said Suarez.

Suarez’s “prayer army” consists of five men who say they are following God’s command as they traveled 1,254 miles along the border to pray. The five men are from Sanctuary Church in Costa Mesa and share their passion for healing along the border with Think Eternity News. “There are some things that we are supposed to pray for, right? But in this situation, I said ‘yes’ immediately because I am so passionate about doing this,” said Moses Gonzales of the group. Gonzales has a personal connection with the border, as his own mother crossed the border and was abused by coyotes (people who smuggle migrants over the US-Mexico border). The group’s leader, Javier Amador, said the purpose of their army is spiritual, not political. “It’s not about screaming into the border or seeing the breaches at the border. It’s more about bringing Jesus to the border and allowing the people to see what dwells in this [prayer] army,” he said. “These men have developed intercession prayer, that cry, that hunger for even someone else who we don’t know. We’ve traveled all the way over here and we’re going to continue to travel for the glory of God.”

Suarez stated that Jesus is the only need along the border, not some politician. “The only answer to the issues plaguing our southern border is Jesus. For the last 40 years, our elected officials campaigned on the issue of border security, immigration control and immigration reform. And then, once they’re elected, they do absolutely nothing about the issue,” he said. “So, while we continue to put our hope in them to do something that they haven’t done, the church has to be reawakened. Our hope is not in man. It’s not in a man-made government. It has to be in God.”