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More than four decades after arriving in America from his native Argentina, Luis Palau lives to bring people hope. A featured speaker at Yakima Valley CityFest, his catchy Argentine accent will snag your attention, and his lively, relevant message of good news will not disappoint.
From an early age, Palau has known the fundamental human need for hope and good news. His father died when Luis was only 10. Becoming the family’s sole breadwinner, Luis entered the banking industry, became a successful executive, and later graduated from school in Portland, Oregon, where he met his wife, Patricia. Today they continue to call Portland "home" where they have 4 sons and 11 grandchildren. And they’re living out their mission to share a single powerful message with an entire hurting world.
Whether on stage speaking to crowds of a quarter million people at one of his world famous festivals; through his radio messages heard daily in 48 countries; or in counsel with leaders from local churches to the White House, Palau has spoken in person to more than 25 million people and consistently remains one of the world’s most effective and compelling spiritual communicators.
Download Luis’ biography as a PDF.
International evangelist Andrew Palau is passionate about the life-changing power of Jesus Christ and is determined to share the Good News wherever God may call him. But it hasn’t always been this way.
Andrew grew up in a strong Christian home, one of four sons of world evangelist and author Luis Palau. Yet he alone did not make an early commitment to Jesus Christ. He attended the University of Oregon where the party life was a large part of his studies. After graduating with a degree in English literature, Andrew moved to Boston where he worked in retail for five years at the May Company.
In 1993, Andrew took vacation time to join his parents for Luis’ evangelistic outreach in Kingston, Jamaica. There he met Wendy Levy, whom he later married. During this time Andrew also embraced his first love — Jesus Christ — and as he says, “came home” to God after 27 years living apart from Him.
Not long after the Jamaica trip, Andrew returned to Portland, Oregon, to serve as Luis’ personal assistant while he determined which direction to take his career. He found he didn’t have far to go — he thrived when involved with his father’s outreach events.
Andrew was instrumental in crafting the content of the first Palau festivals that marked a key shift away from the crusade model for evangelism. The first two festivals were staged in the Palaus’ home base of Portland, Oregon, in 1999 and 2000. Before moving across the country to direct Washington DC’s event on the National Mall in 2005, Andrew directed festivals in Boise, Idaho, and South Florida. Recent outreaches have taken him to Rwanda, Romania, Egypt, Mexico, India, Poland, and again Jamaica where he has shared the Gospel with thousands, demonstrating much of his father’s passion and love for Christ and for evangelism.
“There is power for change in Jesus Christ, the cross, His blood, His burial, and His resurrection,” says Andrew. “I long to see all people embracing His gifts of forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit to empower life, and the assurance of heaven for eternity.”
He and Wendy have three children, Christopher, Jonathan, and Sadie Anne. They live in Portland, Oregon, close to the world headquarters of the Palau ministry.
Download Andrew’s biography as a PDF.
