Rewind to last Sunday: first day of prison ministry.
Down a dark hallway. Gate is opened and sunshine hits my face. Suddenly we are standing in a prison yard with a whole crowd of men staring at us. Bright yellow uniforms clashed against their dark skin. There was one guard… without a gun. I didn’t feel uncomfortable though. I felt at peace. Later we asked our translator what the men were in prison for. Theft, murder, pretty much anything and everything.
Fast forward to this Sunday: second day of prison ministry.
Down the dark hallway, the gate was opened and we were ushered into one of the empty buildings. The men were already worshipping. Praises were lifted high as these men praised God through words, dancing, clapping and the few instruments they had. English and Lango, we worshipped as one unit. As we worshiped I took in my surroundings. Three feet to my left was locked gate with a squatty behind it. Smells of this mixed with body odor and Africa filled the air. On the wall penciled under one of the barred windows were the words “In God We Trust”. (Side Note: How much in America do we take these 4 words for granted?)
The presence of God was more real here than churches I have been in at home.
Testimonies were shared, much preaching occurred and then there was an altar call. A number of men came forward to accept Christ as their Savior and many sick came up for prayers of healing. As I stood with my hands on the shoulders of men who were in need of healing I felt a strange sense of passion within me. I prayed more passionately than I have prayed since I’ve been here. By the end my eyes had welled up with tears. As I looked into the faces of these men, some younger than me, I saw them differently. These men can’t be defined by what they may have done. They aren’t “bad men”, convicts, prisoners or whatever you want to call them. As much as I desire justice I found a new sense of mercy for these men.
They are humans, like me and you.
They have made mistakes, like me and you.
And they are loved and forgiven by our Creator, like all of us.
