JourneyMissions2010

Hola from Chile!

This is Josh B. Rob asked me to write this blog because he wanted you to hear about our trip to the Limache prison from the perspective of a person who had never been. To be honest, when I saw the itinerary of the trip, I was not exactly looking forward to a prison visit. I have never visited a prison in the US and to visit one in a foreign country was intimidating to say the least.

We had to be at the prison early in the morning.
Josh P, Rob, Enrique and I picked up Pastor Tito on the way to the prison. Pastor Tito has a ministry with the prisons in the area, sharing Christ with those incarcerated. This morning was cold and cloudy. However, as soon as we finished the entering process with the guards and were let into the prison, the coldness was contrasted by a warm greeting from the prisoners. We were led into a cell block that contained beds stacked to the ceiling in a tiny space. There had to be at least 20. The thing that made this cell block unique, was the fact that it only contained Christian men.

Upon entering, we were greeted by more men with handshakes and hugs. After everyone found a place to sit, two of the prisoners led us in a couple worship songs. It is hard to describe the passion that I could see on some of the men´s faces as the sung. After singing, Rob and Josh P presented a message separately to the men. As they were talking, you could see the emotion on the faces of the men. Some men were in tears. Enrique and I had an opportunity to share with the men some encouragement. We sang another song and then Rob asked if some of the men would like to share their stories. As they did it was very touching. One of the men had just given his life to Christ two weeks ago. It is amazing that the love of Christ can reach anywhere to touch the lives of others, even in a small prison in Chile.

In retrospect, it is easy to say that we went to the prison and encouraged the men on that cell block. However, it would be short sighted to say that they did not have an effect on us as well. Specifically, that a church service can be held in cell block and that Christian encouragement goes beyond social status, beyond language, and beyond borders.

After we left the prison, we went to Luis and Sara´s home. This is the elder´s home where I have been staying. We had an amazing meal of homemade soup and empanadas de carne. When we were done with lunch we had our very first siesta and got some much needed rest. We are now preparing for our meeting with the church elders. Josh P is calling this one of the most important meetings of the week. I know that God will guide this meeting and the church leadership.

Josh B