Day 6

Hope for the Hopeless
In all my years of doing missions, today was one of the most challenging days ever. We went to visit three men's prisons and I use the term prison very loosely. They were really more like large cages full to capacity. These are not prisons as we Canadians understand them to be. There are no comforts to speak of. Concrete bunks with two men to a bunk, no mattresses or pillows, absolutely no privacy, and not even the luxury of toilet paper. No exercise yard, no basketball court, no TV to watch. There is nothing to pass the time except making bracelets and counting the days.


The first prison we visited had two cells about 10ft. x 15ft. each and 8 men per cell. This mothers' heart was broken in an instant to see these young men in such despicable conditions. Little did I know that this would be the "best" of the three prisons, but only in terms of light and air circulation. I did not give a moments thought to what these young men had done to be in this horrible place. Somehow I knew that in the eyes of God it did not matter. They are his dearly loved children and it grieves the Fathers' heart to see His children living anything other than the abundant life Jesus came to give them.


As we approached the cell my eyes connected with one of the men and I was drawn to him in a way I cannot explain except that in those eyes I saw such sadness and longing. I later learned that his name is David and he is 40 years old. We asked the men in the cell if any of them were sick or in pain and five of the eight said yes. So we began to pray for them, asking the men in the cell to place their hands on each other and to pray along with us, repeating our prayer as we prayed with the power and authority that we as followers of Jesus have been given. Their physical pains were healed but more importantly these men received a touch from their Heavenly Father that showed them how very much He loves them. There was a deeper, more profound emotional and spiritual healing that took place in that very crowded cell.


When we were praying for David I looked deep into his eyes and watched as the light began to return to his spirit and his soul. His countenance was lifted and he expressed a sense of peace that had not been there before. He reached through the bars and placed a bracelet on my arm that he had made and gently fastened it. I will cherish it. While we were able to reach through the bars and place our hands on these men's hands or arms, I longed to be able to hold them in my arms as I do with my own two sons and love them with a Mothers' love. A simple loving embrace that they perhaps have not experienced for a very long time. While this prison is supposed to be only a holding cell until sentencing one of the men told us he had been there for eleven years.


The second prison was equally as small but even more crowded with over twenty men in one cell sleeping on crudely made wooden bunks, a step up from the concrete ones. However the cell was so dark we could not see into the back of it. Some of the young men here did not look much older than 17 or 18 years old and were proudly sporting their coloured bandanas, an indication that they were members of one of the many gangs in Nicaragua.


We were able to leave 15 mats behind that have been lovingly made by folks in Canada from milk bags. They provide a small amount of cushioning to the hard beds. The mats along with eagerly received bibles were left for those who have been "condemned", the harsh term used by those guarding the prison. The remaining prisoners are still awaiting their sentencing and were therefore not given these gifts as they may not be staying.


The third and final prison was definitely the worst consisting of a long narrow cell with a metal gate at one end. There were 18 prisoners in this cell but we were able to see only the six or seven who were high enough up on the pecking order to rate a position at the front of the cell. One can only imagine what the air was like at the back. The two cell bosses were firmly established in their place of importance seated on the floor with their arms and legs extended out through the bars.


Samuel, our translator read to them "The Father's Heart" which is a collection of scripture passages that speak of the Father's love and how He sees His children. It is very powerful. After he finished reading it one of the cellmates spoke words of thanks to the team and then he spoke of the faith that many of them have and the hope that they have for the future. This is probably in no small way due to the work of Pastor Julio who has a ministry to the men in all three of the prisons we have visited.


And then it struck me that in all three of the prisons, God has placed a mighty man of faith in every cell. A man who knows God's word, who has surrendered his life to Jesus, is a source of encouragement and who is speaking hope into what one could easily see as a hopeless situation.


God has been showing me on this trip His faithfulness and His incredibly, infinite, unconditional love for all of his children. And I have been forever changed. Praise God!!


Elaine Taylor