Being told our ministry host is involved in a prison ministry is a cool but slightly frightening thing.
On Saturday we got to walk into a prison here in Gaborone with him, my team, local ministers, and other volunteers. Having never been in a prison before I had lots of images in my head of what it would be. I had the opportunity to be fearful, to be afraid, and to think that the people I was going to minister to are beneath me.
But none of these things were my thoughts. I felt a sense of peace. The guards were talking with Nate, our ministry host, and know about his life. They asked about his wife and his kid. This weekly occurrence for them made this first time for me calming.
I walk out into the yard. I see huge gates. Guards and inmates. In the distance I heard singing and clapping. I also heard the same words being repeated.
When humans hear things being repeated we feel a sense of belonging and normality. This could explain why some worship songs and hymns have repetitive lyrics. We get the dual effect of our brain being told one thing and our hearts singing to our Savior. So in the midst of being somewhere foreign we get to be at home.
That’s what I felt as I walked to the inmates. I felt a peace about me. “These are my brothers in the Kingdom of God” I said to myself. They may have done some wrong but they are not forgotten by the Lord of All.
I had the pleasure to sit with them and sing. I was there in the front row with guys that had murdered, stolen cars, were on the run for 10 years, on death row, and who knows what. I was not scared because of the sense of peace I felt from these men and the Holy Spirit put in me.
Then my teammate Claudia got up and spoke about how her brother found Jesus in prison. Then he told her to go and find God for herself. A crazy trickle/circle effect was happening before my eyes. The power that God has to redeem the world through testimony is so great. I have heard it said that Jesus uses crooked sticks to make straight lines to him. He is continually doing that with Claudia’s testimony, the inmates, and I.
I am in a whirlwind of emotion. I thought I was sure about who I was and what I needed to work on in life to grow. But the lord is being up new stuff.
He has shown me that I have a issue with fear. Not of things that seem big on the outside to what others see. But internal matters, that letting people in for me is harder than I thought it was. I was a self proclaimed open book and now it’s harder to let people in.
This journey is not for the faint of heart. I question daily why God wants me here and what my purpose is. But he answers back “My Son, My Son, trust me”.
That is what I am being taught full utter trust in every aspect that The Lord will redeem and he is good.
Go and live from that today.
I still need $1,739. I need to meet the deadline (February 29th) or I will be in danger of not being able to finish this trip. Share this post, partner with me, ask others to help. I want to be apart of more stories like this and have God use me to do then. I hope you can want the same for me and for others.
Grace and peace to you.
