I procrastinated on writing the rest of the blogs from the world race, but now I’m back finishing those and updating you on what’s next.
My last blog was an overall view of my time in Albania and how I visited a prison for people who are mentally ill. I want to share about my time at the prison. To paint a picture; we drove through a town in the mountains and as we got closer, it became more and more rural as we drove on a gravel road passing flocks of sheep.
Once we arrived at the gate of the prison, we gave security our passports and waited to be cleared to go inside. Once we got cleared, we met the staff and talked with them in their office for a while. Prison ministry isn’t just about the inmates, but the staff too. It’s a way to build friendships! They shared what they do at the prison, their personal lives, their religion, etc. It was a precious time that we shared!
After we talked, we received a thorough search when we went through security. As we got a tour of the prison there were a couple of staff members and 1 or 2 officers accompanying us. We walked through the halls where the inmates slept which was a room with many bunk beds. They had their personal belongings in their rooms and had the doors open so that they could freely roam the hall. Many inmates came into the hall as we walked by.
We went outside to talk with the inmates in a fenced-in courtyard and the staff would translate. I was talking to an inmate, however, the woman translating told me that he is an impulsive liar; so all the things he is saying are not true. I talked with him for a few minutes; however, just this experience alone was a lot to comprehend.
At this point, we would go inside with some of the inmates in a classroom as the pastor would speak to them. In the classroom, we sat towards the front of the room, then about 20 inmates with no restraints filled the sides and back of the room with a couple of staff members and one security guard. As I observed the interactions that the pastor had with the inmates; I realized that he built trust with the staff and the inmates. The pastor doesn’t just preach at them, but he gets to know them as a person. I realized along my journey that this is a very important step, especially in certain cultures.
After this time in the classroom, we moved to another room where the staff set up a time for some of the inmates to FaceTime with their families while we played the card game UNO with some of the inmates. We took turns playing and talking with the staff about what they do every day.
I had a conversation with some of the staff about how they don’t have much hope for the inmates. They don’t have hope that they could change or be better as the inmates battle with mental illness. As I shared my view on how I do have hope for the inmates, how I know that I couldn’t change them, but the God I believe in can change people from the inside out. Most of the staff is Muslim and they lack faith and hope. In this moment of talking with them and asking them why they don’t believe that the inmates can change; I felt convicted on whether I believe the Lord can heal part of my life; if the Lord can heal things within my family, etc. My friend jumped into this conversation I started to battle in my mind these questions being brought to my attention in the room.
We went back to the office and talked all together a little bit more, but then we had to leave before the security guards switched shifts. We weren’t done talking at this time, so some of the staff left with us and we drove to a coffee shop nearby to continue to talk and build a friendship with them.
ANSWERED PRAYER:
In 2018, I looked into prison ministry when I lived in California. But I was told that it was more for men since they are meeting with male inmates; so I didn’t do it. During that time I didn’t realize that God was still healing parts of my past and how I viewed men. If I did prison ministry with men a few years ago, I think it would have done more damage by preventing healing to take place. So years later as God has worked through my heart, He was preparing me for when I got to go into a prison in Albania! Where I was able to look men in the eye and tell them that they are worth listening to without bitterness or disgust for men who would look at women objectively. This is something that I have praised and will continue to praise the Lord for! I don’t deserve the Lord’s love and favor on me to heal parts of my story but He still chooses to lavish me with his goodness!
