Jon Britton Hancock didn’t get a wink of sleep overnight as he awaited the results of negotiations on the fate of 11 pastors and two attorneys of his Christian organization, Mountain Gateway.
The pastors, who worked to spread the Word of God for years in Nicaragua, had been imprisoned by the authoritarian government for over eight months. They were convicted on bogus charges of money laundering and organized crime and sentenced to up to 15 years behind bars.
The prisoners were never allowed to speak to anyone on the outside and were not given a proper trial or documentation explaining the charges. It was a religious persecution case.
All along, Hancock, who was also a pastor and was threatened with prosecution, remained steadfast in his faith.
“Sometimes it’s hard to have patience,” Hancock told 1819 News. “You just want to do something, but there was nothing that we could do.”
“So, we just had to really rely on His grace and his power,” he said.
RELATED: Mountain Gateway pastors released from prison in Nicaragua
He knew God was working throughout Nicaragua. Shortly before the arrests, Mountain Gateway had attracted hundreds of thousands to hear the Word. They held mass evangelical events and were able to reach the people.
Since the arrests, they were unable to preach and witness to others. Concerns grew about their treatment inside the prison. For months, the Hancock family prayed that their brothers and sisters in Christ would survive the horrific conditions they must’ve been facing.
Then, on August 25, Hancock was sitting in church in Austin, Texas, when he received a divine message of hope.
“The Lord spoke to me very clearly, and He told me, ‘I'm going to break the locks,” he remembered.
Eleven days later, God fulfilled His promise.
“He certainly did that,” Hancock said Thursday morning after hearing the news. “He broke the locks open this morning. He did.”
After a bipartisan effort in Washington, D.C., the prisoners were among 135 persecuted for their faith who were released in Nicaragua.
When he received confirmation of the release, Hancock said he knew it was nothing short of a miracle.
“We've just been crying for joy all morning,” he said. “[My wife] Audrey and just kept thinking, ‘Oh, my goodness, they're about to be free and safe.'”
The group was sent to Guatemala on Thursday morning to be processed. Through the Safe Mobility Office initiative, they can apply to rebuild their lives in the United States or other countries.
Hancock hopes to speak with them soon. He said they would be given phones following medical evaluations.
The fight to free the prisoners on humanitarian grounds has been ongoing. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have urged the United States to pressure the Nicaraguan government. Hancock has spoken to hundreds of officials and reporters to garner attention.
“We are just amazed,” he said. “We're overwhelmed, really, that we had such an incredible response and so many people helped.”
Hancock said Republicans and Democrats alike spoke with him face-to-face with concern over the injustice of the religious persecution.
As a pastor, Hancock said he hopes God’s grace will be spread throughout the nations.
“We've tried to be faithful to the Lord and testify of his goodness and bring up Bible verses and things like that,” he told 1819 News. “As a matter of fact, the New York Times reporter asked me for a quote, and she said, ‘Well, that's a little bit heavy on the gospel there.’
“I said, ‘Well, you know I am a preacher,” he added. “ … Our hope is that Jesus and only Jesus gets the glory for this.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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