“The worst thing about prison was the dementors” – Michael Scott/ Prison Mike
I can tell you first hand that is an accurate statement.
So my team and I went to prison in South Africa. We visited a prison in South Africa. Sorry for the clickbait but seriously this is a dope story so please keep reading.
My team and I went with one of our ministry hosts to do a Sunday service at a prison about 50 minutes from Jbay. I don’t really know how to begin to explain my time in prison so how about a list of some things to know about the prison.
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This is an all-male prison.
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It’s shorter sentences from 2-5 years.
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It does NOT have a maximum security sector. (whew)
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We were instructed to wear pants, dress not cute, cover tattoos, and take out all piercings.
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We had no idea what to expect.
I was terrified at the idea of going to an all-male prison. Every prison show and movie I’ve ever seen flashed through my mind. Our ministry host asked for three people to share a scripture, testimony, or something and the first thing I thought was uh-uh honey.
The night before Avery asked me if I felt a pull to share something and I immediately replied with a no. The idea of even being in a room with these guys scared me, let alone speaking to them.
The next morning I made sure to wear some baggy pants and a shirt with a stain on it. Actually the shirt was an accident but a happy accident. On the long car ride there I was reading some chapters in Psalms and the Lord really began to open my heart to these men.
God views the prisoners the same way He views me.
We are all God’s children and he loves all of us. He died so that our sins would be forgiven, regardless of the sin itself. We got to the prison about an hour early and my attitude in comparison to the night before was a complete 180. I was excited to meet them. I was excited to get to hopefully pour some hope into one of them. I sat in the conference room and I asked God if there was anything He wanted me to share with any of them.
Isaiah
Okay. Isaiah what?
Isaiah
Like the whole book???
Just do it
Whatever you say boss man
I started to read Isaiah from the beginning, not really knowing what to expect. Isaiah 1:18 reads:
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.”
That was it. That was the verse. I had gained a little bit of confidence and I thought:
“Okay God, if you want me to share it, you have to give me the opportunity to share it.”
We were escorted from the conference room and with every step I could feel my stomach tightening. I was gripped with fear of the unknown and excitement for what I knew God would do. We were led through 3-4 lock and key doors before we entered the recreation area. There was a keyboard set up connected to a microphone with speakers. A guard was playing keyboard and two inmates were singing/dancing songs of praise (not in English though so that was kinda fun). The inmates got reallyyyy excited when they saw 9 females enter the room. I mean, can you blame them? There were chairs in the front of the room set up for us and the inmates were sitting on the floor/buckets or standing at least 6 feet away or more. Around the edges of the area were more inmates who were required to stay in their cells, but could still easily hear and see us.
Instantly, my heart was full of joy and love. These men are considered the worst of the worst. Any person who has been to prison is stereotyped in such a way. And here they were singing praises to the same God I sing praises to with as passionate a heart as ever.
I sat with my gals admiring the sight of inmates worshipping. As I began to feel more comfortable I thought: “Okay, fine God.” I leaned over and told Avery: “Hey if you really need a third person (as only 2 people had volunteered) I have a word that might be able to work, but I’m not sure if it will go with the sermon so we’ll just have to see.” Not 5 minutes had passed before our accompanying ministry host told us that we NEEDED a third person. Obviously, God really wanted me to share this.
“FINE, but you have to speak through me because I don’t have a clue what exactly to say.”
Avery got up and shared her word first and then it was my turn. I don’t really remember what I said. I remember yelling though so God did somethin’. I also remember with every step I took while speaking I was convinced my knees would give out from under me.
I could feel my flesh shaking as God spoke boldly and confidently through my spirit.
The rest of the morning was a blur as I was awed by the circumstances I was in. Roughly 20 inmates gave their lives to Christ that morning. They were sad to see us go, as you can imagine. But it was very adorable as they waved frantically and yelled “BYE ABBY”.
Prison ministry was honestly my favorite ministry we’ve done so far on the race. I loved it so much and I desperately hope that I can experience it again. Maybe this time in the states?
Today I am taking a break from packing before I leave ministry at UCSA. I leave in about 40 minutes to go over to GLA (Global Leadership Academy) with 4 other squadmates for the week while the rest of my squad goes to Pretoria to see their parents. I’m absolutely not ready to leave this country, but I am SO excited to be able to take what I have learned here in SA and be able to apply it to life in Thailand and Myanmar.
Thanks for reading!
