I'm going to jail...

I went to jail last Sunday night to do ministry with a lady, Charlotte, from my church.  She goes a couple times a month to the local jail and teaches them the Word.  I told the Recovery Prison Ministry leader, Arlene, that I would go; she set me up with training and got me going.  She said I could just observe the first time.  On Sunday morning she told me she'd like me to sing, I said 'of course'.  I'm not gonna lie, I was a little nervous...this is way outside my comfort zone and I'm not good with women relationships as it is.  But it was a great experience and I will go back.

We did three sessions with three different pods (groups of ladies), 34 total ladies.  The first group came in and I immediately recognized a young lady, she is probably still a teenager, I remembered her from a couple of youth events held at my church.  I talked to her briefly afterward (we don't get much one-on-one time) and told her I recognized her, she said the same of me and said she would come to church when she got out.  I don't know if she will but I'd like to see her and talk to her again, hopefully on the outside.  I saw women of all ages, the older ladies kind of surprised me, they seemed less engaged than the younger girls...maybe that's because this has been a cycle in their lives for a long time, I'm really not sure.  We don't ask what they're in for, we just show and tell them that Jesus loves them and has a plan for their lives.  Some of them really want change in their lives, one girl asked how to stop going down the same road again once she gets out, she said she will do good for a while and then fall right back into her addiction.  Only Jesus.  Only Jesus can help her get out of this pit of addiction and sin.  That's the same for all of us, He is our only hope, our Redeemer, our Savior.

Some asked questions...of various kinds to which Charlotte would turn to me and say "Christy? You wanna take that?"  It cracked me up and I would try to answer them the best I could, they had questions about mercy and grace, and questions about where we are in Revelation or where would we be if we were on the ark?  Still not sure what she was talking about but it didn't matter.  What mattered was that we showed them we cared about them, we told them about Christ, and how they can have hope.  What a blessing and a privilege to share the Word of God and hope of Jesus with these women.

Recovery Prison Ministries - Dedicated to setting the captives free.