Something Bigger...

Staff devotions this week were... refreshing. Walking into a mix of people from countries all around the world, united simply by their love for Jesus and their heart for prisoners and their families, is quite the experience. Imagine it. And if you cant, well then, take my word for it.

This week is board meeting week. The board of Prison Fellowship International met during the first half of the week, and today began the meeting of the PFUSA board. This meant that this morning, PFI and PFUSA members were both here, and they took part with the national staff in devotions. Not only did they take part, but the PFI board ran them.

As the board shared what the Lord is doing around the world through prison ministry, I found myself completely drawn. Raymundo Leal from Mexico was especially moving. He described his journey that brought him to this place. It started when he retired, an extremely well-known and successful business man, at age 50. He decided he wanted to spend his life helping the poorest of society. Through a series of events and talking with others about his new dream, he realized that he did not know how to pray. His prayers consisted of less than 5 minutes talkings "to the wall," and he was too bored to ever go farther. So he invested time and effort into learning how to pray. He gradually learned, going from 5 minute arrow prayers, to two hours a week, to multiple hours a day. This was the beginning of his ministry.

As it turns out, he was brought to a man who was fully addicted to drugs. Having never been in such a situation, he told the man, "I do not understand what you are going through. But I can teach you how to pray without getting bored, and it will change your addiction." So the man agreed, Raymundo taught him, and his addiction was completely broken. The man ended up taking a few of his friends to Raymundo, telling him that they wanted to learn how to pray as well. So Raymundo agreed to teach the friends with the man's help. Well, these men, too, were saved from their addictions. Before he knew it, Raymundo was brought to a group of 200 men, taught them all how to pray, and they were healed. He then began his own house to bring these men in and help them.

Soon, a governor in a northern state of Mexico heard of Raymundo and wanted his help to be broken of his own addiction. All done privately, of course, to save face, Raymundo taught him how to pray and God healed the governor. When the governor saw the power in this ministry, he asked Raymundo to start working with the men in his state imprisoned for drug addictions. A whole new ball game, Raymundo took the challenge. The governor watched as the 90% recitivism rate at the prison dwindled down to only 9% of the men in Raymundo's program being reincarcerated. He later became involved with Prison Fellowship, and his ministry continues to expand today, as already 8900 men have gone through the program.

Ian Elliot also spoke. From New Zealand, he talked of the secularism in his country, how leaders can never speak of being religious in anyway if they want a political future, how people on the streets do not profess faith, how privitized religion is. Far different from this country, he says. As he spoke, he portrayed his vision and belief that a revolution is coming. Not from evangelists or Bible scholars, not well known leaders or faces in the media. But from the lowest of the low, the poorest of the poor. The incredible movement he is seeing through prison ministry in his country has him convinced that God is going to bring revival through these men, women, and their families that have been touched while in prison. There are too many transformations and changed lives for him to believe otherwise.

Chuck Colson, a part of the US board, then stood up and reiterated Ian's vision. Talking of the powerful stories we had just heard from ministries around the country, he quietly and humbly said, "This is God. Just like the rest of this ministry - its always been God."

Sitting there, listening to these men of faith describe their experiences with the God of Change, I realized how significant everything really is. In this ministry, I am part of something so much bigger. Bigger than myself, bigger than my own ministry, bigger than the national ministry, even. Its a world ministry. And not only Prison Fellowship. Being part of the body of Christ means being part of something so much bigger than ourselves and our local church. We dont always realize it, but when we do, a significance and meaning that can only come with being part of something so large, sets in. And it all becomes worth so much more.

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Lesson for Today: Apparently, pregnancy pacts are now a part of high school... Who knew?