I debated whether or not to put down real names in the next few days and I think that would be a bad idea. Our goal with these minors is to help rehabilitate them and one day, turn them out into society as new creations with clean records. The last thing they need is a reminder on the internet of their past. So, for the sake of the story, I’ll call minor #1 “Alex”.
It’s so easy for young kids to be persuaded and get mixed up in the wrong thing at an early age here. We even have kids in our children’s home that have a “past” in the gang world at the tender age of 12. Alex was no exception. Even though he looked so tender and innocent, I could tell by the brand of a tattoo on his forearm that a different influence had reached him first. He spoke enough English to let us know he liked us being around and wanted to change his life, but when the questions started getting more specific, he was easily confused.
Luckily, we had a translator show up just in time. As Alex told us his story, his head hung in shame because he knew what he had done was wrong. While most of the minors we talked with proclaimed their innocence, Alex admitted to his crimes very easily. He was in jail at 16 for murder and frustrated murder along with several other minor crimes. When we asked him why he attacked the other guys, he told us it was just because they were in the rival gang and on the wrong side of the fence. The younger ones are often the ones chosen to do the “dirty work” because they are more impressionable, but also because of their age, it is unlikely they will get heavy sentences. Alex was the lamb that was chosen.
Yesterday, we talked about identity and how through the cross, Jesus has taken who we were and claimed us to be loved and children of God. It was a simple truth, but carried profound weight for them. We also told them that if they were willing to rehabilitate themselves, and hadn’t committed another crime by the time they were 21, their records would be erased. They had never heard this before, and this new information brought great hope into their lives. In the prison walls, they are condemned by their choices, but these boys are all 16 or 17 and still can have a life ahead of them.
Alex has committed the most heinous crime and may be in there longer than most of the boys, but he’s beginning to realize he’s forgiven. He has no formal education and is completely illiterate. However, in the last 3 days, he has made incredible strides and while he is still one of the slowest, you would never know it by his smile. Alex now sees that he has a way out, but until that day comes, he will study. His way out will come when he realizes there is a better influence and choice out there in the Gospel of Jesus.
Just in the couple of weeks I’ve been out here, it has been profound to see the effect education can have on society. Many of the men, women, and minors in prison are illiterate without even a basic elementary education. They truly believe they will never be anything, so they have to find other ways to take charge. But now, there’s a new truth prepped to take over this city, and I praise God for the chance to bring it. Lives are transforming…
