I am sorry I have not blogged in awhile. The truth is I really haven’t had that much to say. It’s not that we haven’t done that much, actually we have been really busy and have had a lot of ministry over the last month and a half. However, I just haven’t had that much to say.
I fell in love with the kids that we worked with at the orphanage in Thailand. The time we spent there was extremely special and I will never forget those kids we made friends with. At the end of the month I also got to see my parents and do ministry with them for a few days. That was really fun and awesome for me to see my parents step into that role of ministry.
I also love El Salvador. The ministry we are working with is amazing and its cool to be able to communicate with the people here a little better because they speak Spanish; even though my Spanish is very limited. But I love Central America. This month we are working with an organization called Sus Hijos. They primarily work with kids who have transitioned out of orphanages and they continue their education and give them life skills while teaching them about Jesus and the Gospel. Our ministry this month has been very diverse which is awesome but one of the main things we have done over the last two weeks has been prison ministry.
Prison ministry has been really powerful for me to see. In El Salvador gang culture is very prevalent. Almost everything is run by the gangs here and the gangs gain influence through acts of violence and organized crime. So pretty much everyone we meet and talk to in the prisons are there for gang affiliated crimes: murder, extortion, etc. We visit 3 prisons: the adult male prison, the woman’s prison, and the boys juvenile prison.
God has really shown up in the prisons. They are always so thankful that we come to simply spend time with them and show them the love of Christ. One of the inmates told us, “We thank you for coming and loving us without judging us. When society looks at us they see bad people. They see scary people who do bad things. We may have messed up but we still have hearts and we still have feelings. We know when you look at us you don’t see our outward appearance. You don’t care about our tattoos but you look at us like people. Thank you for sharing God’s love with us.” God has really been present with us no matter where we have gone this month. He goes before us and He shows His children how much he loves them and desires a relationship with them. It has been really powerful to see the reaction that the inmates have towards the gospel. God has shown them His love for His glory.
However, in every prison I can’t help thinking how unfair and sad it is that the boys and girls are there. Yes they messed up but its not really their fault. These guys and girls have been targeted by the gangs from a young age so that the gangs can continue to have manpower and carry out their agenda. These boys give everything to the gangs. They give their entire lives. They have sacrificed their appearance and covered themselves with tattoos. They have sacrificed their social standing and are seen as outlaws. They have sacrificed their futures and now have few options for work and a life outside of the gangs. They have sacrificed their families and living with them. They have to do whatever the gang says. If they are told to kill someone they have to or the gang may kill them. And if they try to leave the gangs they could be killed. They have been deceived by a lie. They believed the lie that if they did what the gang said they would have protection and their lives would be better.
There situation is not all that different from ours. Everyone of us has been deceived by a lie. It started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when the serpent deceived them and told them they would be like God if they ate the fruit. We have all been deceived by the lies of the enemy and we ended up in a prison. Some of us couldn’t see it until Christ revealed Himself to us. Some of us still cannot see it and still will not believe that we live in a prison. Some of us still cannot see that the sins that make us “happy” are taking away our freedom and keep us in chains.
I am reminded of a song that I used to sing as a child called ‘Spring Up Oh Well’. It goes, “I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me. Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see. Opens prison doors sets the captives free. I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me.” That’s what Jesus has done for us. He has set us free from our chains. He came and opened the door of our prison that we created with our sin and instead took our place and let us go free. He gave us true life and life to the full. Even though free in the physical world, our souls had to be set free to experience true freedom.
The boys in the prisons whom Christ has revealed His love to know true freedom. They may still be in prison, but they are freer than a lot of people I have met because they know where they were and they know where Christ has brought them.
Do you know where you have been? Do you know where you are? Do you know where Christ has taken you? Do you know where Christ is inviting you? Be free. “Spring up oh well, within my soul. Spring up oh well and make me whole. Spring up oh well and give to me, that life abundantly.”
Glory to God!
