Into Prison...

On Saturday, 9 of the Prison Fellowship interns went to the James River Correctional Center near Richmond, VA. At security level 2 (out of 6), this prison was filled with men who were on their way out. Reentry was, on average, less than 7 years away for the majority of men housed here. It was our privelege to be able to attend classes with the men who are involved with Prison Fellowship's reentry program at the site.

The reentry program consists of classes 5 days a week (Monday-Thursday, Saturday morning) where the men learn basic life skills needed to survive on the outside. But all of the skills they learn are based upon biblical principles.

When we first arrived, we got a tour of the grounds. As we stood in front of one of the buildings and the guide went on about the number, race, and average crime of the men in the facility, my focus fell from her to the men playing basketball behind her. Her voice faded into the Charlie Brown's teacher type, and I watched them competing on the court. They were playing like any other guys, anywhere else. I thought of my fiancé, who was, at that exact moment, doing exactly the same thing these men were doing. He was playing in a different state, with different men; probably with a better ball, on a better court, and most likely, making more of his shots than these men I was watching. But there was no real difference between them and him when it came right down to it. They are just as "normal" as he is, men just like him. And it gave me an intensely personal view of the prisoners standing in front of me. I thought about their wives and their kids, their lives before prison. And somehow, in the midst of all this thinking, the barbed wire behind them disappeared, the uniform clothing faded away, and they were just men having fun with a ball and a hoop.

After the tour, we joined the men in the program half way through their Saturday morning class. Don Coleman was the guest speaker, focusing on three things: the Kingdom of God (characterized by righteousness, peace, and the joy of the Spirit), humility, and maintaining healthy relationships. Once we joined them, he started talking about race relations, as every one of the men in the program were black, and all the interns, save one, were not. He talked about the need for prayer, the need to provoke Christians past the church and into the Kingdom of God, the need to accept our differences, embrace them even, and still live in community... He was a convincing speaker, in that controversial kind of way.

I think the most powerful part of his lesson was not what he said. It was not what he brought to us in word, or the power of his language, or the persuasion in his voice. It wasnt the yelling, the calling us out, the righteously judging. It was, quite simply, his ushering in of the Spirit.

Yes, what he said made me think. Hard. But the power was brought in through the Presence of the Almighty God entering into that room in a way no one could rightfully ignore or deny. And it is solely because of that Presence that the next part of our visit was as powerful as it was.

Once Pastor Coleman finished, he left, and we stayed in the room with the men as he was brought to the gate and let out. Within minutes, the room was booming with... conversation. Yep, thats it. Just conversation. Nothing special. Just your every day, friendly conversation. Each of us had turned to each other and struck up a topic.

But take a step back, and you can see how powerful it was. You can see how impossible it would have been outside the realm of God's Presence within that room. Heres the picture: 8-10 black men: all dressed alike in their light blue collared shirt and denim pants, labeled with the term "prisoner", sitting inside a classroom with a metal detector right outside the door, and thick barbed wire running outside each window. 9 college students: majority of them white, most never having been inside a prison, seeing the bars and barbed wire that they are by no means used to. And suddenly, each start talking to each other, one on one, like they had known each other long enough to be completely comfortable. Within minutes.

Not something you see every day.

I talked to Mr. Holmes (within the program, everyone is referred to respectfully by their last name). He was 23 years old, in prison for drugs. With just a little over a year left in his sentence, we talked about his plans. His dream is to get a college education in computer science, and to counsel kids in a similar situation he was in before going to prison. He told me of how he grew up in a family with a very strict mother who cared about him. But he fell into peer pressure, and tried to please people any way he could. He told me of his fear when he first entered the prison walls as a 21 year old, told me of his cousin that he is afraid will do the same thing, told me of his determination to make a real life when he gets out. He told me of his fear of public speaking and his intense discomfort in front of people; and he told me of his dreams and visions of God using him in front of groups of people to tell his story and the power of Christ. Through it all, I could see the power Christ had brought to his life. The change Christ had brought.

We were able to finish up the morning by praying with the men: us for them, them for us, all of us for each other. And then we said goodbye. And as I walked out, I knew the face of Mr. Holmes would stay with me. The same way all the other faces do. Andy from my first prison visit in high school. Hope from the prison near school. Richard and Jose and Menor from the prisons in Costa Rica. The faces of precious friends who have made my life better as they passed through. Because they showed me firsthand the power of the God of change.

...

Lesson for Today: A lot of foods you can get sick of pretty easily. Like PBJ sandwiches, peaches, salad. If eaten enough over a small amount of time, it gets pretty old. But some foods will never fit that category. And over the summer, Ive decided pancakes belong on that list.

Oh, and Bran cereal with strawberries is probably one of the best things youll eat - ever.