Prison Alpha running again

The prisons of Africa are bleak. No TVs here. No gyms. No basketball courts. No libraries. No cafeterias. No comfy beds with sheets and blankets. No pillows. No shoes.

Rather...

One meal a day of beans and corn flour, some tea for breakfast. Frequent bouts of malaria...no mosquito nets here. Various sicknesses...typhoid, worms, giardia, etc. One uniform...hand-washed by wearer. Hard physical labor...digging fields, making bricks, hauling 20-litre jerrycans of water, etc.

Yet in that tough situation we found men who hungered and thirsted after God. Men who wanted to put off the old self and put on the new. Men who were ready to leave their lives of sin and follow a new Master.

Or so we thought.

Some of the most promising turned out to be fantastic actors...within two months of their release, they were back with their friends, drinking, doing drugs, the whole bit.

Now that was disappointing.

But there were others who stayed the course, got into local churches, got jobs, and determined to fix their eyes on Jesus. A small harvest, so far, but each one sent the angels celebrating.

A blessed by-product of our work with the prisoners has been the community around the prison, namely the women and children, the wives and families of the prison guards. They live in houses around the prison, and join us on the days we minister to the prisoners.

In Giligili prison, we meet with the guys out under a tree in front, and the women come and sit with us. The children's team ministers to the kids on the other side of a football pitch (soccer field), listening to Bible stories and playing games. It's a whole community deal.

Now we're gearing up to run another Alpha Course with a handful of women, wives of the prison officers, who have been watching us run the course with the prisoners and decided they wanted to do it, too. We'll kickstart that course this Monday, Feb 16.

We would love to run the course with the guards and officers, as well, but are still waiting for the permission letter from Police Headquarters in Kampala. We hope they will grant us permission to continue the Alpha Courses in Giligili prison, and start new ones in the 2 other prisons in Arua...town men and town women's prisons.

I thank God for the leadership of Giligili prison, Mr. Ezonia Isaac (far right in jean jacket), who has always been so supportive of our ministry and opened doors for us to work with the prison community. Please pray for him and his staff, and pray for the people in Kampala who have the authority to grant us permission. We desire to see God's light shine in that community and transform lives, both physically and spiritually.

I also thank God for the outworking of the Body of Christ. Currently the YWAM prison ministry team is working with members of 5 different churches, all who are voluntarily contributing their time, talents and finances to see these Alpha Courses take off. It has been such a unified effort with one goal...to make God known. Please pray for the continued unity of our teams.