By BosNewsLife’s Stefan J. Bos, with reporting from Mexico
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (BosNewsLife) — At least hundreds of prisoners in Mexico have become Christians after evangelistic shows that included spectacular sports stunts and some preaching, evangelists said in a statement monitored by BosNewsLife, Wednesday, March 4.
The Tom Flaskerud Evangelistic Association and The Freedom Team said they just returned from conducting ‘Prison Power Explosion’ programs in eight Mexico Prisons across Sonora State, with support of the government.
Some 928 prisoners responded to their invitations to receive, or renew, their relationship with Christ, the evangelists added. More than half of the inmates (489) indicated “a first time acceptance of Jesus Christ.”
American Pastor Flaskerud, who founded the association and the Freedom Team, said he was himself a motorcycle gang “outlaw”, but eventually became a Christian at the age of 30 after kidnapping his wife’s little sister.
TEARING PHONE BOOKS
While he preaches, his youngest daughter Joy Flaskerud often joins him as a singer, or helps out tearing phone books, one of several stunts during the evangelistic shows of the muscled men and women.
In Mexico, they gave out “1193 Spanish New Testaments to the respondents as well as 345 Gospels of John and Romans” Bible books, “and the same amount of Spanish Living Water Booklets,” organizers said.
In seven prisons they were able to closely cooperate with prison pastors and churches “to help the new believers.”
“God gave the Team great favor with the Government,” the organization stressed, adding that the official responsible for detention centers ordered all 15 prisons in Sonora State to facilitate the evangelists.
Yet working with key government officials wasn’t always easy, they said. “In the Magdalene de Kino Prison the Director General of Prisons showed up after the program with his swat team who secured the prison just before his arrival.”
They were told “this is normal” due to his “high government position.” Mexican officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
The evangelists said they are “systematically working their way” through “the prisons of Mexico. ” They will be returning to Sonora State on April 24 through May 4 to conduct Prison Power Explosions in the remaining seven prisons of Sonora State. Next fall the evangelists begin in the prisons of Sinaloa State.
