NO, NOT FOR YOU
By a former inmate
It’s easy for us to feel guarded towards people who have committed crimes. Prisoners, however, are exactly the type of people who Jesus came to save, as He says,
‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners…’
Behind bars for good reason or not, people in prison are often locked out of experiencing basic human kindnesses – the simple joys of community life.
When I was in prison, many years ago, one of my greatest fears was that people would forget about me. An incredible sense of isolation comes with incarceration: contact with the outside world is minimal and time to think is ample. In prison your mind can become the devil’s playground. He takes your fears, anxieties, regrets, desires, lusts and dreams and spins them out of control. There were a number of things that could stop this spinning cycle of inward turmoil.
The first was visitors: Every time someone came to see me, they grounded me. They slowed the spinning and reminded me that the world was still out there, that people cared and that I wasn’t forgotten.
The second thing was letters – I know this is almost a lost art. One of the things prisoners can’t receive is emails, but they can receive letters. My friend Sally wrote me letters and put little brightly colored spots on them with the message ‘a bright spot for your day’. And believe me, they were bright spots. They shone into my cell and gave me something else to hold on to.
Finally, the third thing: prayer. People prayed long and hard for me, and at my darkest moments I often felt comforted or helped by some unseen force. I would receive an unexpected good night’s sleep or feel better and brighter than usual; moments of hope arose in me that I can only put down to prayer. People prayed, and I knew that I wasn’t forgotten.
In letters, visits or prayer we can help prisoners to know Jesus cares for them as we also remember that famous saying: ‘There but for the grace of God, go I.’
NEXT STEPS FOR YOU?
The options are easy:
- Come with us to visit our inmate partners. The prisons are just now beginning to open. We have 5 dates on the calendar to choose from. With minimal preparations you can come with us. Fearful of that encounter? Here’s what happens. We accompany you at all times and ask that you simply observe.
- Write a simple note of encouragement. Our monthly printed newsletter goes out to over 400 inmates. Your words are the most important part. You are surrounded by infinite amounts of opportunities to inspire other people and bring joy into their lives. Trade places and then imagine.
- Pray for so many things. Here’s a start;
- Peace in the middle of challenging prison culture.
- Encouragement for artists.
- Encouragement for those who sponsor Otino Waa kids.
- Post COVID opening of prisons for visitors and family
- Holy Spirit intervention into inmate lives.
- Holy Sprit intervention into the lives of prison staff.
- Lives changing because of your investment into them.