by Pricila (an Otino Waa student)
Forward by Dale Russell
We have published multiple essays, poems and comments from our AIC (Adults In Custody) contacts. The glimpses into these lives are important windows of understanding, especially if your impressions of prison have been formed by media. It is important to consider what you know and how it came to be. An easy way to counteract TV and movies is to realize we are all the same in God’s eyes;
God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons.
He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much,
the Son who got us out of the pit we were in,
got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.
Colossians 1:13-14
I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud,
and your sins like a mist.
Return to me,for I have redeemed you.
Isaiah 44:22
We see letters from both sides of the world, and occasionally there are gems! One such example came this week. The author, Pricila, a fairly recent addition to Otino Waa, knew little about Visions of Hope or AIC until our team visited Uganda last April. (Our previous visit was four years prior.) Today, she understands the importance of communication to enhance relationships. Her schedule is very busy, as education is a high priority, but even so young, she understands her words go deep into prison walls. As you read this imagine what your thoughts might be if you were the recipient with a lot of time left on your sentence. We will be sure to include her letter in an upcoming AIC newsletter.
Dear Prisoners,
I am so much glad to write to you this letter. I am known by the name Priscila. I am in grade 7 this year.
I would like to know how you are, but from my side I am OK. I always like to communicate, but sometimes I may be busy and don’t get time, but I thank God because I have made my dream today, I have been thinking of writing a lot.
I want to thank you for what you are doing in Otino Waa. I pray that may the living God bless you so much! I know sometimes life may be difficult to you inside there, but I am encouraging you not to worry about anything because God knows every step we make in life. So, don’t worry. Our God is there and watching over you and taking care of you. Just put your trust in him because he says in Lamentations 3:25, that the Lord is good to everyone who trusts in Him. He also says that He knows the plans he has for us, not to harm us, but to do us good.
Please, please, don’t worry about the situation that you are passing through. Our God is seeing you and loves you. Just pray to him and let him know all your worries. In Lamentations 3:26, He tells us that it is best to wait with patience. If we wait patiently, he will come to save us. It also says it is best for us to learn this patience in our youth.
The Lord is merciful and will not reject us. There may be sorrow but His love for us is sure and strong. He takes no pleasure in our grief and knows when our spirits are crushed. When we are denied the rights He gave to us, or when justice is perverted in the court, He knows. So please, God is in all your life and actions.
Anyway, I love all of you. Just be strong and I know that he is preparing for us some place good for us. The love that He has for us is forever. Amen
Your Friend, Basimura Pricila, Otino Waa Children’s Village