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EXPLO attracted evangelicals ranging from "Brother Andrew," a Dutchman famed for smuggling Bibles into Communist countries, to enthusiasts like former Astronaut James Irwin. Governor Reubin Askew of Florida, who will keynote next month's Democratic National Convention, lent his name and faith to the occasion with a pep talk to a businessmen's seminar in which he called EXPLO "the most exciting event of my lifetime."
The gathering was scheduled to culminate on an uncompleted freeway with a rally featuring singers Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash, which was expected to draw up to 150,000 people. But for many the moment of truth had come earlier. Said Ethiopian Gebrekidan Kassa, 26: "Since I came to Dallas, I feel that I am saved."