Doing the Impossible to Share the Gospel — it’s a Family Thing
Meet the Laflin family — a family of illusionists who use their giftings to not only entertain, but to share the gospel message and biblical truth with congregations, ministries, and even corporations around the world!
THE BEGINNING
When David and Teesha Laflin first started performing illusions, it was to help out an overseas missionary. The missionary had invited David’s parents — accomplished illusionists, Duane and Mary Laflin — to come minister at churches in the region and started telling the local hosts the people coming would be performing illusions and magic tricks. When Duane and Mary had to decline the offer, the missionary pivoted to David and Teesha.
Having grown up in the “trade,” David was able to brush up on some of the skills learned in his youth and disaster was avoided as the relatively newly married couple was able to work out some illusions and effectively minister.
Not long after that experience, David and Teesha felt this type of ministry was what the Lord was calling them to do. Unsure of how God was going to work things out financially, they stepped out in faith — a step that has continued the ministry for 24 years.
A FAMILY AFFAIR
A four-sided, fairly large bamboo “basket” rests on a similar sized, but thin platform that is elevated by four metal legs. The Laflins’ daughter, Coralena, age 10, is placed in the basket. She then waves good-bye and disappears into it and David places a lid on top of the basket. The basket appears large enough to hold her if she curled up. But then her brothers, Caden, 17, and Caleb, 15, each hand David a long wooden pole which David slides through the basket at roughly 45-degree angles through two sides, with Caden and Caleb pushing two additional poles through the other two sides. Finally, Colton, 12, brings a fifth pole and plunges that, from top down, through the center of the basket making it look nearly impossible for Coralena to still be in the basket. But David removes the poles and with a few waves of the large cloth, there Coralena is, standing in the basket – perfectly unharmed . . . but what’s this? After David lifts Coralena out of the basket, he begins waving the large cloth in front of the basket again! And now Teesha stands up in the basket . . . no way!
What once was just David and Teesha amazing and ministering to audiences has slowly evolved into a family ministry, with each of their four children now mic’d up along with them. As the children have matured, they’ve been given speaking opportunities and the older boys have been part of increasingly difficult illusions, with the younger two kids now fulfilling roles the two older boys once held.
“My favorite illusion is the Cage Appearance,” says Colton. “We show it empty, and then all four of us kids appear inside. I love it because all of us get to be involved, and it looks completely impossible, making it really fun to perform.”
“When the kids were young — they’ve all been on stage since they were 3 — they did the ‘cute and endearing’ things,” David says, “but the older they get, the more they want to do something big and cool . . . the two older boys are now doing the same escapes Houdini did all those years ago.”
What has caught both David and Teesha’s attention is that when their children are part of the show, kids in the audience who are their peers (elementary, junior high, and high school students) are engaged at an even deeper level.
“Families see us doing things together as a family on stage,” David says, “and that’s impactful. But kids come and see our children, their peers, on stage, performing illusions, and being bold enough to step out and share the gospel in front of so many people . . . I believe it helps kids connect with the message even more . . . and oftentimes they want to come meet and talk with our kids after the show.”
Teesha, who is homeschooling — and at times “road schooling” — all four children, explains that traveling, ministering, teaching, and exploring the world together has enabled her and David to be “deeply present” as their children have grown — not just physically and academically, but spiritually, as they learn about God, discover their own callings, and experience ministry firsthand.
“I feel so incredibly grateful for the gift of time with our children,” Teesha says. “My first and most important ministry is my family.”
She’s also thankful that God has enabled her to fulfill His calling on her life — to share the gospel.
“Getting to reach people in such a creative way — through illusions that leave a lasting impression while sharing the life-changing message of Jesus — is incredibly meaningful to me,” Teesha says. “And being able to do this alongside my family makes it even more special.”
Coralena agrees with her mother.
“I love doing ministry as family,” she says. “It’s really special to be together, especially being on stage and watching Daddy preach the gospel. One of my favorite parts is seeing people pray and invite Jesus into their lives. I also enjoy traveling to camps and meeting new friends.”
GOD AT WORK
For the Laflin family, as masters of illusion, seeing those looks of wide-eyed wonder and heads shaking in disbelief, is rewarding, though far from their ultimate goal.
“The first half-plus of the show is designed to be super-fun and engaging,” David says. “We want people who’ve never come to the church before, who might not walk across the street to the church, but will drive across town to see me cut my wife in half, to realize that people attending church are just normal people — who love laughing and love life.”
“The Laflins bring a combination of excellence and impact to every ministry setting,” says Kelly Presson, National Children’s Ministries director for the Assemblies of God. “They’re incredible as illusionists, engage every member of the family with ease, communicate a clear and compelling biblical message, and are an absolute joy to partner with.”
Lisa Homrich, who has served as children’s pastor at Christian Celebration Center (AG) in Midland, Michigan, for past nine years, agrees with Presson’s assessment.
“We invited David to our FamJam — an event for the community to come enjoy games and activities at the church,” Homrich says. “I love how he weaves the gospel message throughout his illusions . . ., but outside everything he does on stage, he’s very friendly, interacting with parents and playing with the kids before he ever goes on stage. He’s amazing at what he does and is super personable, which I love.”
David explains that as the show progresses, the audience becomes more willing to listen.
“In a way, we’ve earned the right to speak into their lives,” he says. “They come to the point where they’re saying to themselves, ‘Man, I really like this — it’s really well done. Yeah, I can give them a chance and hear what they have to say.’”
Depending on the audience, different illusions are used as illustrations as the gospel is shared.
“We present the gospel in tandem with the local church,” David says. “We work with them to see how they want to do follow-up with people responding, whether that be through an altar call, a decision card, or however they want to connect back with people.”
And sometimes it’s not just decisions for Christ that reveal the impact God is making through the Laflins’ ministry.
“There have been so many moments where I’ve clearly seen that it was God who brought us exactly where we needed to be,” Teesha says. “I often feel the Lord even guiding the small details — like who we choose to bring up on stage as volunteers.”
Many times a pastor will come up after a show and share how the specific person they chose had just lost a parent to cancer or how the child chosen had been struggling with deep depression. Then they’ll talk about the joy that person experienced by being chosen — laughing, being seen, and simply enjoying the moment on stage.
“Those are the moments that stop me in my tracks,” Teesha says. “They’re gentle reminders that God is orchestrating so much more than we can see.”
Ben Christensen, 38 (son of professional clown and AG minister Randy Christensen), has served as the children’s pastor with his wife, Christine, at Connection Church (AG) in Canton, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit), for the past 10 years. Although long-time friends with the Laflin family, they initially became acquainted through FCM — the Fellowship of Christian Magicians.
Christensen explains the Laflin family joined with him and Connection Church in an Easter outreach organized by the International Friends ministry, which serves around 400 Japanese people each year — most who have never heard the Easter story.
“This event has become an excellent way to share the gospel,” Christensen says. “I have been involved in this particular event for the past four years and the Laflin family definitely added another level of professionalism to what had already been established. David and his family give a visual and clear presentation of the gospel. They are easy to work with, they hold the attention of the people, and they always direct the glory to God.”
The Laflins also make an annual missions visit to Guatemala, which has left a lasting impact not only on the children and families they minister to, but on the Laflins themselves.
“I really love our mission work in Guatemala,” Caden shares. “I enjoy working in the orphanage and playing with the kids there. It’s incredible to see how even small acts of love and attention can impact people’s lives in such a dramatic way.”
ON THE ROAD
Already this year, the Laflins have ministered at a variety of locations in Arizona, Tennessee, South Carolina, Washington, Washington D.C., Georgia, Texas, South Dakota, Michigan, Virginia, India, Singapore, and Colorado (their home state). And by the end of summer, the entire family will have been to their 50th state.
“The hardest part is sometimes the travel,” Caleb confirms. “There can be really early mornings and late nights. But I really love what we do, and the challenges are worth it.”
Many times the family travels by RV while towing a 20-foot trailer of props for their illusions, but they’ve also learned how to reconfigure numerous props in order to fit them into suitcases when air travel is necessary.
However, not every trip is with family as David explains that some trips he does as a solo act.
“We want our kids to be kids,” he says. “We want them to be able to explore the things, the sports, the activities they love, while balancing that with the understanding that our family lives in a different rhythm than the rest of the world.”
That kind of commitment to their children takes intentionality and some sacrifice, whether it be extended drives to make it back in time for an event for one of the kids, taking red-eye or early morning flights, or David taking trips by himself while Teesha “single parents” four active and highly involved children.
“Our kids are hyper-involved,” David says. “Our kids are also in youth groups multiple nights a week.”
But there’s one illusion that the Laflins want to debunk. Despite what people may come to believe from what they see on stage, they are not a perfect family. Although, thankfully, David does have a perfect record when it comes to cutting Teesha in half and then “restoring” her, all families have struggles they go through, including the Laflins.
“We are by no means a perfect family,” David says. “We have done things wrong, but we are a family that is committed to Jesus and doing all we can to tell others about Him — doing what God has called us to do.”
A NEW OPPORTUNITY
Although new illusions are always real possibilities, in recent years, God has placed a new and unexpected ministry opportunity before David.
It began with David being invited to events attended by pastors, missionaries, and/or other church and ministry leaders. There he would weave illusions throughout a message of encouragement and how finding one’s identity leads to a higher sense of purpose.
“People in the corporate world started hearing about this, and suddenly I was getting requests from high-end organizations to come give the same message to their people,” he says. “As I can’t make it an evangelistic service, my message is focused on helping people find who they are so that can find purpose and peace in their work. Of course, along the way, I share where I find my purpose and peace as a person of faith and follower of Jesus and how that shapes the design of my life . . . I have had a lot of conversations with people about that following those events.”
Some of the places he has shared his message include Stanford University, Michael Jordan’s NASCAR racing team, and Paypal centers in Arizona, India, and Singapore.
“I’m grateful for and want to be a part of those things,” David says, “but for me, this is something that is able to further our ministry, opening doors to other opportunities to share the gospel, and the honorariums and fees help pay for our next missions trip to Guatemala.”
For over two decades, across hundreds of thousands of miles, and in locations big and small, the Laflins’ illusions and their ability to share the gospel in an unforgettable manner have impacted the lives of countless individuals. And through it all, their message has remained the same.
“There is a lot of illusion in the world,” David says. “Commercials and social media make promises that are illusions. But Jesus is not an illusion. He gives us purpose, peace, forgiveness, and a relationship with God that will last forever.”
To learn more about the Laflins’ ministry, see their website or Facebook page.
