Norwegian evangelist visits Czech prisons: “Nothing is lost in life”

At the beginning of March, Norwegian evangelist Jan Eriksen, a former criminal and drug addict, visited Czech prisons, again.

He has been visiting the Czech Republic for more than 20 years, and during that time he has addressed thousands of prisoners.

This time, Jan Eriksen told his life story in prisons in Karviná, Opava, Kuřim, Rapotice and Mírov. During these five visits, about 120 prisoners responded to his call to repent and follow Christ.

All who were interested could also take away from the meeting a copy of the New Testament and Eriksen’s autobiographical book I lived in the underworld (in Czech: Žil jsem v podsvětí, originally Handlager der Unterwelt in Norwegian). In the book, he describes how as a pimp and drug dealer he experienced the bitter reality of a world full of violence, murder, rape and prostitution.

God saved him, put his life back on track and healed him. After his conversion, he joined the Christian organisation Teen Challenge in Norway, where he worked on the streets with drug addicts, pimps and prostitutes.

Under the guidance of David Wilkerson (founder of Teen Challenge and author of The Cross and the Switchblade), Eriksen led the Teen Challenge events on the streets of New York City for six months. Later he led the initiative Street Aid, which gradually became very successful in helping drug addicts and prostitutes in Scandinavia.

Subsequently, he founded Street Ministries International, which works closely with Christian churches in each city.

To the Czech prisons, Eriksen was accompanied by his friend, Swiss police officer Felix Leonardo Ceccato, who shared his story, too. Together they showed the convicts that nothing is lost in life.

Hana Pospíšilová, former executive secretary of the Christian Mission Society (KMS), who accompanied Eriksen as interpreter, said: “The most powerful experience for me was the visit to Opava prison, a specialised ward for former drug addicts. One woman came up to me, thanked me and said: ‘This lecture was the best thing I have ever experienced’. One man also came and said he was moved by the life story. When I see how it affects people, I think it is worth going there”.

This article was translated and adapted from Život víry (Life of Faith) magazine in the Czech Republic.