So I’m reading this book right now, Daring Greatly by Brené Brown.
If you haven’t read it, put it on your list. For a while I’ve heard the book talked about and recommended, but to be honest I wasn’t so amped about reading a self-help book full of research on shame and identity. One of my teammates had the book lying around so the other day I decided to read the first chapter to see what all the hype was about. Just a few pages in I had a sinking feeling that I was most definitely part of the choir Brown was preaching too. I would say that most of us are part of that choir to some extent.
The choir that wants to be brave, but ends up playing it safe, 90% of the time. The choir that deeply desires to have intimate genuine connections with others. The choir that wants to leave a mark here on the earth but has no idea how to go about doing that.
She starts with this:
I’d say the one thing we have in common is that we’re sick of feeling afraid. We want to dare greatly. We’re tired of the national conversation centering on “What should we fear” and “Who should we blame?” We all want to be brave.
So I want to share with you guys the story of the bravest lady I’ve ever met in my life. Because some people are really truly living their whole lives in the fearless arena and I am overwhelmingly humbled to have been given a chance to be a blip on their journey of daring greatly.
Jeannine Brabon is the kind of gutsy 70-year-old lady that you never forget and deep down probably inspire to be like one day. A lot of her story that I want to share I had to discover by digging on the internet because she is way too humble to admit to many of the incredible things she has accomplished. All of her acts of bravery and accomplishments, she accredits 110% to the Lord. After spending a few mornings with her she told us in her husky, but completely pure voice that if we had more questions, just to look on “the google” for her, pointing us to the article written a few years back titled “A Modern Mother Teresa” as the most accurate.
We first met Jeannine in Medellín at Bella Vista, the all male supermax prison. She is a soft-spoken American woman who grew up living in Colombia with missionary parents. Our team was hoping to do prison ministry on our off days and through a bit of fate our paths crossed with Jeannine, the leader and founder of the Bible Institute inside the prison walls.
In 1989 when Jeannine first felt called to enter the life of prison ministry, Medellín was still seen as the murder capital of the world, and Bella Vista, the prison that held many of these murderers was commonly called “jaws of jell”. Bella Vista was built to house only 1500 inmates and by 1989 it had closer to 7,000. It was one of the most violent prisons in the world averaging 30-60 murders a month within it’s own walls. At times even guards refused to go inside the prison gates.
After petite, American, Jeannine entered into this all-male, literal den of wolves the stories have changed. Since 1991 there have only been 11 murders total. And Jeannine is one of the humble faces behind this insane miracle.
Fearlessly following her calling to do something about the killing culture in Medellín, Jeannine went straight to the source of the problem, the murderers themselves. She knew the only way to regenerate broken souls and transform lives was through the saving power of Jesus and his Holy Spirit.
In 1991 her proposal to start a Bible Training Institute within the prison was approved and since then hundreds have graduated from the two-year degree program, and even more have given their lives to the Lord. She even set the expectation that once you give your life to the Lord you should wake up each day and share the gospel with at least two people before laying your head down to sleep. Through these efforts each wing of the prison now has an inmate leading bible studies and discipleship.
I’m not kidding, this woman isn’t scared of anything. She told our team to always remember, “Safety isn’t found in the absence of danger but in the presence of Jesus Christ.”
And she carries this fearlessness into the ordinary day as well. In the small bits of time we had with her in Medellín we watched her share the gospel with every single person that crossed her path. The first day when we met her at the prison she shared the Gospel with 5 people before we were even through the security lines. This lady doesn’t play around. She truly sees each person as a soul that desperately belongs in the kingdom of heaven and aside from that nothing else matters.
She lives her life interruptible, available, and incredibly bold.
We were able to meet and talk with several people who have had their lives transformed thanks to Jeannine’s commitment of daring greatly.
Colombia practices restorative justice so even if you have a sentence of 100+ years you still run the chance of finding freedom. One man in particular named Andier is a testament to this.
The first day we were at the prison we were unable to go inside the walls because of a last minute guard search that shut down the prison to visitors for a whole day. Andier, a man working at the security gate is a long time friend of Jeannine and he offered to take us on a tour of the grounds instead. Andier had kind twinkling eyes full of life and a loving presence surrounding his soul.
While we were walking, Andier shared bits of his story. At the age of 13 he committed his first murder. Working in the underground tunnels for the Pablo Escobar cartel he was finally able to escape the grips of poverty and life on the streets, and even provide for his mother, brother and sisters. Each murder trapped him deeper into dependency on the money and inescapable commitment to the hitman who were paying him. It was around his 100th murder that landed him in the supermax prison with a life long sentence.
And this is where Jeannie met him, in the midst of this deep darkness.
Through the prison bible studies, Andier gave his life to Christ and experienced the healing power of the Holy Spirit washing away his shame, pain and trauma. He quickly became a leader in the Bible institute going on to disciple other inmates into a relationship with the Lord. He would look out the window of his cell at night, seeing the twinkling lights on the hills of Medellin and pray desperately to God. Andier promised God that if he were ever granted freedom, he would in return serve Him for the rest of his life.
By no small miracle Andier traded in a sentence of 100 years for a sentence of 4 years. And he stayed true to his promise to the Lord. Since winning his freedom he has started his own church. And get this, some of the most powerful mobsters that used to be his gang brothers, are transformed elders in his church. Brothers in Christ. When Andier isn’t spending time at His church he volunteers at the prison as a way to give back. He leads Bible studies and works alongside Jeannine in the Bible Institute.
This is just one story of hundreds. God is truly on the move in Bella Vista.
While we were walking around the grounds we passed by a training facility for newly recruited army members. In Colombia when you turn 18 you are required to serve in the military for at least 1 year. One of the training facilities is at the prison.
Two of the training commanders approached us to introduce themselves. They had seen Jeannine and Andier frequently around the prison and never had the chance to introduce themselves. They were interested to also see why the 6 of us young Americans were wandering around the prison grounds. Within 2 minutes we watched as Jeannine passionately shared the Gospel, double-checking that these two men had heard the good news. Andier shared his story of transformation and the men stood speechless. It turned out they were not so familiar with the saving grace of Jesus, and by the end of the conversation Jeannine had the two of them saying a pray to accept the Lord. I watched before me as these large, tough scary men broke into smiles, and the touch of life broke through their hardened hearts. One of the men even had small tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. He had a proposal. Would it be possible for Jeannine to return and start something crazy?
These two commanders are in charge of over 200, 18-year old boys each year. They watch discouraged as the boys often leave the army with hardened hearts, inclined to a culture of killing. Many of the boys finish their year with the army and begin a life of drugs, gangs, and violence. They were encouraged in our meeting that there are people in their young 20’s who because of a relationship with the Lord are able to live with a fullness of joy and freedom. They asked Jeannine if she would be willing to expand the Bible Institute to the military academy as well. Within 30 seconds Jeannine excitedly agreed.
From now on each boy that enters into the program will be discipled for one year, leaving the military with a certificate of graduation from the Bible Institute.
We walked away from this 10-minute encounter in complete shock. Jeannine however couldn’t have been less surprised. She said casually, “Amen, you just experienced a God moment. It was no mistake that you 6 visited today, and it was in his plan that the circumstances led us to this divine encounter.” And that was it.
Now thousands of young military boys will be hearing the Gospel for years to come.
No mistakes. No surprises.
This is the life of waking up each day, leaving fear at your doorstep, and daring greatly.
