I walked through the jail, meaning I walked down a rock-filled mountain-side, through a metal gate and here I am. I’m officially in prison. I am sitting closer to a prisoner than most of my teammates. And yet, I’m not terrified, in fact I have more peace than I had the entire past month. God is at work here. Just last week fourteen people accepted Christ as their Savior.
I look around, I see the shards of glass in the tops of the walls. Their use of security. Most of the prisoners have street clothes one, consisting of rubber boots, burgundy sweaters, and some blankets wrapped around their shoulders. These people don’t look like bad people, not like prisoners. And it’s nothing like that TV show “Locked Up Abroad”.
I look around, and my heart is going out to these men. I want nothing more than these guys to accept Jesus, love like Jesus, and get a second chance. My heart is permanently stamped with their faces, young, tired faces. I hear the worn bible’s pages being turned by the 2 men who brought them. Searching for the verses I used, just to read their own version. The respect they used when they stood proudly while reading God’s Word struck me. My heart breaks for these men who did something in their life and are lost, and searching for something.
I got to share about my notecards. These notecards hold truths. Truths that God tells me. I shared that no matter what lies Satan tells me, friends tell me, and the lies I tell myself, God tells me the truths. I have to tell these truths to myself, and I know they are truths because they are based out of God’s Word. I shared 3 truths with the prisoners. And I mean share. I told them once they believe Jesus died for them, and they accepted Him as their personal savior, they could share the truths with me.
The truths are “I am a son/daughter of God and one in Christ.” (Gal 3:26,28) “I am born of God, and the evil one –the devil- cannot touch me.” (1 John 5:18) “I am a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17) Through me sharing, I knew I was here in prison for a reason. I fell in love with sharing and talking with these people.
You see this day could have been one of the worst days on the Race. My little brother turned 13, an official teenager. And if you know anything about me, it’s that I absolutely love Eli. He has an extra special place in my heart. And so missing his birthday is almost like missing Christmas. But (thanks God!) obviously the Lord has more important things for me and my team. My time in prison created the space to witness 3 young men commit their lives to Christ. I was able to welcome 3 new brothers-in-Christ, and that just about beats it all.
