Crusader to the world

Marie Ekberg

Some call him Latin America’s Billy Graham. For 39 years, he has preached

the gospel to presidents, community leaders and millions of people in the

Spanish-speaking world to make a positive change in the name of the Lord.

Each day, his voice can be heard on more than 1,000 Christian Latino

radio stations across the United States, Latin America and Spain.

Fifty-seven-year-old Huntington Beach resident Alberto Mottesi now turns

part of his focus toward the local Hispanic community.

“I see the beginning of a great spiritual revival here,” Mottesi said

through his English translator Frances Monge.

The Argentina native began his ministry at the age of 12, and six years

later he planted a small Baptist church in his homeland that flourished

during the eleven years he worked as pastor.

While in Argentina, American crusader Hermano Pablo approached Mottesi

and invited him to work in his ministry in Costa Mesa.

“Mottesi’s vision appealed to me,” said Pablo, 78. “He has a way to dig

into people’s hearts in a positive way and make things right.”

Pablo soon realized Mottesi’s power and encouraged him to launch his own

ministry.

In 1977, Mottesi founded the nondenominational Alberto Mottesi

Evangelistic Association in Huntington Beach. He makes more than 12

crusades to Latin America each year, holds an equal number of leadership

seminars, and hosts a daily radio show and a weekly TV show.

In 1990, the National Religious Broadcasters granted Mottesi the Golden

Mike Hispanic Ministry Award, an honor only given on two earlier

occasions in the association’s 54-year history. “I learned a lot from

Hermano Pablo, especially about radio broadcasting,” said Mottesi.

In the past twelve years Mottesi focused his work on Latin America,

because of the “language and his obligation to reach out to his own

people.” Mottesi managed to get permission from Nicaragua’s Sandinista

government to hold the first crusade in that country in ten years.

“Something electrifying happened in front of 15,000 pastors,” Mottesi

said. “I could preach directly to the president of Nicaragua and it

marked the history of that country forever.”

Mottesi experienced his most memorable event during one of his crusades

in Colombia.

“At our last meeting, I received a letter signed by 15 drug cartel

members,” explained Mottesi. “They asked for forgiveness for the drugs

they sold, the crimes they committed and their involvement in the mafia.

They proclaimed they were now in the cartel of Jesus Christ.”

Mottesi works with the international consortium Partnership 2000. Its

goal is to join Christian leaders and plant churches in Latin America.

He is also involved in the “Project 500 Plus,” trying to establish a

national day of prayer in each Latin American nation.

Mottesi maintains a busy lifestyle. “I live in fifth gear, with the

accelerator all the way down and with the gasoline for a jet,” he said.

As a 9-year-old, he said, he dreamed of becoming the pope. He has

certainly come a long way and is continuing to work toward his goal of

saving lives for Christ.