my prison experience (pt. 2)

We were aware that we were supposed to start playing at about 6 or 6:15 p.m. What we didn't know is that more guys were coming in. Some that were former gang members and others that just didn't care and definitely weren't a part of the ministry team. At 5 p.m. the chaplain and one of the inmates, Jarvis, who was head of the ministry team, came and got us to meet for prayer and such in the head chaplain's office.

While in the office we were offered more water and coffee. We were asked if we had any questions (at that point we didn't anymore), and then we had some prayer time. One of the inmates prayed. It was one of the most reverent, biblically/theologically correct, thoughtful, and heartfelt prayers I have ever heard. Then one of the chaplains suggested that the head chaplain share his testimony with us briefly before we head back out to the gym. He was reluctant, but only because he was put on the spot. What he went on to tell us was more shocking and kind of weird that the whole experience itself. Just to clarify the chaplains aren't inmates. The are regular folks like us that live in the "outside" world.

He is currently on parole for life and can't even leave the state without written consent from the parole officers board of directors. He used to be in prison with a life sentence and two 50 year sentences. Something like that. The details about it are fuzzy to me at this point because the rest of his story was so amazing. He escaped from prison and met up with his wife (she was in the room too) who was a Christian (at the time he was not), she gave him a choice; we can live life on the run (which she didn't really want to do) or you can turn yourself in and suffer the consequences. She told him that she would support him and be praying for him either way but that either way he needed to choose a life in Christ Jesus. He turned himself in and went back to prison. Him escaping earned him 30 more years or something like that. He became a Christian and began praying that there was some way he could get out and be with his wife and impact others in a positive way. Though it hardly happens when you have so many sentences, he became eligible for parole in 2001. He was able to get out. Legally this time. He then began prison ministry and became a chaplain so he could work with actual inmates. I found it interesting that God provided him a way out of prison so he could get right back in, this time a "free" man, being in there by choice to minister to others. He currently spends most of his time in there with those guys. He has spent most of his life in there. He also recently was asked to go to Uganda, Africa to minister to some guys in African prison. He is not allowed to leave the state, because he is on lifetime parole. Through much prayer and faithfulness he was able to go. He said there weren't really words to describe how terrible and inhumane the conditions are over there. His overall theme or point was that God is amazing and faithful. We were blown away.

It was about 6 p.m. so we left the office and began to mingle with some of the inmates. I can't imagine how objectified and inferior they must feel because of the way we are taught by society to treat them. They were so grateful and appreciative that we chose to spend our friday night having church with them. We were flat out blessed to be there with them. Using the word genuine to describe them is an understatement.