ATTENDANCE SWELLS AT FOURTH NIGHT OF CRUSADE

Tonight

-God and Country Night, "The faith that made America great."

Friday

-Bring a Friend Night, "Why the Gospel is good news for you."

Saturday

-Motivational Night, "Secrets of Happiness and Success."

Sunday

-Final Rally, "From country rock to Christ, Lowell's life story," with special guest, Grand Ole Opry star Billy Walker.

Attendance swelled to nearly 2,600 at the Show Me Center Wednesday as the faithful stood to hear Lowell Lundstrom and his daughter Lisa discuss the false hope of drugs, alcohol and sex.

It was the fourth night of Lundstrom's Impact America crusade, a night devoted to young people. Two adults, Lisa Lundstrom and Errick Redmond, were there to tell their stories.

Redmond, the fifth strongest man in the world in 1985, brought the crowd to its feet with incredible feats of strength. He broke concrete blocks with his hands and elbows, easily curled 220 pounds and blew up a hot water bottle until it exploded.

Redmond attributed his success in weightlifting, and in life, to his devotion to God. At age 12, he made the decision to go to church instead of the gym and responded to an altar call to be saved.

As he aged, Redmond forgot his call and completely devoted his life to weightlifting and football. He became on all-American high school football player and attended East Carolina University on a scholarship. When the New Jersey Generals signed him, then made him sit out a year, Redmond had time to reflect.

He became a pastor in Greenville, S.C., and made his first appearance with Lundstrom on Wednesday.

Lundstrom took the stage following his muscular friend's performance and told youth in the audience they had an important decision to make.

"Who are you going to serve?" he asked. "Is it yourself, the devil or the Lord?"

His own daughter had to make the choice. Lisa Lundstrom's powerful testimony quieted the crowd.

She was born into the ministry, traveling by bus across the country with her father. When the pressure of living up to everyone's standards became too much, she used her scholastic ability to escape and attend a Christian college at age 15.

When Lisa Lundstrom was 17, she met a man who promised to take her away from all the pressure and into a different life. By age 20, she was running one of the most successful escort services on the East Coast and working as a prostitute.

She went up before a grand jury but escaped prosecution. Not long afterward, however, she nearly died at the hands of a serial killer, who laid her out on garbage bags and ran knives over her body, telling her she "would die like everyone else."

Lisa Lundstrom called out to God to save her. The man ended up killing himself instead of making her his 19th murder victim. Still, it wasn't enough to turn her around.

Her nephew's birth was. It reminded her of her commitment to another baby who was born and later died for her, Jesus Christ.

According to crusade chairman Cecil Barham, pastor of the Bethel Assembly of God Church in Cape Girardeau, crusade attendance has grown each night. Offerings help defray the costs of bringing Lundstrom here, a 20-month project.

The crusade cost $88,870. The figure includes advertising expenses, salaries for people who travel with the crusade, Show Me Center rental, travel costs for teachers who came in to provide special instruction, travel costs for Cape Girardeau people who coordinated the event, instruction materials and other costs.

Much of the money was raised in advance, but donations during the crusade will be important, Barham said, and added the costs would be met by Sunday, the last day.

Tonight's topic will be "The Faith That Made America Great." It is God and Country Night, and Lundstrom encouraged all veterans to wear their uniform hats.