George Bush and Lois Rabey may have both touched down in Australia for the for the first time last month, but the similarity of their visits ends there. While angry crowds at protest marches marked Bush’s visit, fellow American Lois Rabey was greeted with sell-out venues filled with non-Christians eager to hear her story.

Lois Rabey, 58, began her career as an evangelist following the death of her husband and two friends in a hot air ballooning accident 14 years ago. Lois and her two young daughters witnessed the tragedy, and she was soon in demand to share her experience with others.

The US evangelist spoke at nine events across the Diocese, sponsored by Mother’s Union. Each guest has now been followed up and referred onto clergy and women’s ministry teams. At one meeting, 20 people indicated that they wanted to be followed up and 11 put their faith in Christ.

It was a ‘hugely encouraging’ exercise in evangelism, said Ann South of St Paul’s, Emu Plains. Mrs South helped to organise an event at the Joan Sutherland Centre in Penrith where 660 women attended, about 40 per cent of whom were non-Christians.

“People went to a lot of trouble to encourage their friends along,” Mrs South said.

In Bowral, 600 people heard the gospel at a high tea where Lois spoke. Two morning teas hosted by Church of Christ, Figtree and St Thomas’, Narallen, saw 520 and 250 women attend respectively, and at the Illawarra Grammar School 420 people attended a coffee and dessert night.

Lois Rabey remarried ten years after her husband’s death and has two daughters and seven grandchildren. She admitted she was overwhelmed by the numbers of women who came to hear her speak. “I’m very surprised because it’s hard to get people out to events, people are busy,” she said. “I don’t know if that’s an indication of spiritual hunger, I don’t know exactly how God has touched people to get them to come, but you have to say that he’s done something. To have nine events in all different venues to be full, I think that’s unusual.”