When over 30 of 300+ women raised their hands because they wanted to call Jesus their Lord and Savior, I was shocked. I’m pretty sure that I verbally exclaimed, “Holy shiiinikeys.” It wasn’t that I doubted it was possible, I had just never seen so many people come to Christ at one time.
The F-Squad women were at the women’s penitentiary in Trujillo, Peru that morning. We were sharing the love of Christ with women who have done everything from murder to smuggling drugs. We danced, performed skits, sang Amazing Grace, and one of my squad mates preached the gospel message. At the end of our time there we prayed, and women came to know Jesus for the first time in their life.
Isn’t it ironic that they were freed from their iniquities by accepting Jesus’ blood as a living sacrifice, but yet they are still stuck behind those four walls? I think about the apostle Paul in prison, singing hymns before the Lord, and I imagine the women who came to know Jesus singing Amazing Grace with shouts of Joy to our living God. They aren’t out of prison yet, but they have a new hope for the rest of their lives.
I wonder where those women would be today, spiritually speaking, if F Squad didn’t visit them. Where would they be if so many of us didn’t have such a passion for what the Lord can do in the lives of others because of our redemption story. God has a way of making things happen regardless, but I like to think that because of the amazing women of faith on my squad, the lives of those women will be just that much more joyful because they allowed the Lord to come alive in their hearts.
And because of the presence of the spirit in all of the women of F squad that day, the warden of the prison told us that we have opened to door for more groups to go into that prison in the future.
God moved mightily in Peru.
The members of F-Squad who went to the prison. Pastor Solomen was our main Peruvian national contact in Peru and set up our day of prison ministry.
The members of Bold Radiance who went to the prison. Me, Courtney Tuttle, Danielle Anchondo, and Esther Gordon.
The prisoners at the penitentiary. I was surprised to see them looking so ordinary in the beginning. According to our contact, prisoners in Peru are responsible for their own clothing needs.
My squad-mates Mary Chandler, Jordan Chepke, and Ashley Owens bringing the Word to the prisoners.
My squad-mate Alicia Doran praying for a woman and her daughter who are in prison. The woman’s daughter will live with her until she turns 5 years old, as is the norm for all women in the prison.
Me and my squad-mate Whitney Connor praying for some of the prisoners.
A fun photo of me with my squad-mates Chrislyn Clermont and Sarah Dooley at the prison.
Please consider partnering with me by helping me to reach my final fundraising goal of $16,252 by 1/1/15.
