off to prison

Well, this week we had quite an experience going to the prison to do Crossroads prison ministry work. There are two prisons that we visit - the main prison in Honiara which is full security, and then a prison farm in the country. It was the first time I (Lauretta writing here) had ever been to a high security prison so it was a bit scary - high walls everywhere with the barbed wire on top and numerous gates with ominous sounding locks you have to pass through.

We go to the Honiara prison to deliver correspondence Bible courses done with CBI. There are a number of different wings in the prison that we go into, collect their completed booklets, hand out the new ones, talk with them and pray with them.
The part we like best is the long term unit. The guys who are in there are there for a while and they have such a strong grasp of the hope they have in Jesus. They have little else to hope in for their future so they keenly look forward to heaven. We sing with them and their singing is amazing - beautiful deep, loud voices, harmonising with each other. It is a blessing to be able to fellowship with them.

One guy was asking us if he could have more lessons and the guy who took us retorted, "what, are you going to be released soon, or something?" They all laughed at that as there is little likelihood of that happening. But the guy just smiled and said, "I'm going to the King soon!" It was a poignant reminder of how all of us may well be going to meet the King very soon. The thing is, for these guys in the prison, it's a daily reminder, where as we tend to forget it quite quickly as we settle into life here on earth.

We are really keen to have small fellowship services with all the CBI inmates - this way, we could meet together, sing together, hear a message and they could get encouragement from meeting with other believers. And it would also have the added bonus for us of saving time in collecting and distributing work. Please pray that the way would be made possible for us to be able to start these small fellowship services.

The other prison we go to is a lot more relaxed. We go there on a Friday afternoon, distribute their work, and then hang out, play volleyball, soccer (in 30 plus degrees!!) and just talk with them a bit. On the half hour trip home, we stop in the river for a quick swim to cool off. It's a nice way to end the week.

On other matters, the guys here have been working really hard and now all the fences are up, so it's a lot more secure here now. A lot of the mud has been heaped up into piles and now grass is starting grow in its place. So it's becoming beautiful here again.