Freedom Walkers

Every Tuesday evening we’ll be meeting with a group of ex-inmates to simply love on and encourage them as they readjust to life outside prison walls.  Tomorrow, March 17^th, will be our third gathering.  We spent our first evening getting to know each other and sharing how/why we were led to come to Mossel Bay.  We are working on venues for weekly meetings with these guys, but for our first meeting, we met at the parole officer’s office.  We had no idea what to expect and simply prayed that Holy Spirit would have His way that night.  After drinks and bread were served, the parole officer turned the rest of the time over to us.  We asked the guys some questions, and a few of them opened up, which I guess isn’t common in a group setting since some of them have been or possibly are still involved in different gangs.  We shared our hearts with them in that we’re not meeting with them to try to get them to go to church.  We told them we simply want them to come to know Jesus and how much He loves them.  Sadly, many Christians are more concerned about winning people to their church instead of winning them to Christ!  Have you ever thought about which category you fall into….?  One of the guys said that was the most impactful thing we said all night.  He went on to share how, since being out of prison, people inside churches have judged him and continue to reject him for his past.  He said that’s the hardest thing about doing life outside of prison bars – his past continually being held against him.  Now, I understand that certain decisions we make can have life-long consequences and sometimes trust has to be rebuilt, but it was sad to hear this man talk about the church community the way he did.

We asked if the guys would be interested in meeting weekly to build long term relationships and simply do life together and they said yes!  Josh provided his phone number to the guys and told them to call anytime they want to talk or need help.  A couple of days later, one of the guys called Josh needing to talk.  Josh met with the guy and was able to encourage him, share wisdom with him and provide him with some food – as he claimed that he hadn’t eaten in a couple of days.

Last week we met with the guys at a beach and 2 new guys showed up.  Usually 8-10 parolees are present.  We provided them with dinner – chicken, roasted potatoes and fruit.  Josh and I dished up plates, and then the kids took them to the guys.  I was so proud of them!  One of the guys noticed that our family didn’t have drinks so he asked if he could pour us some.  What a gentleman!  There is one guy in particular that the Lord has highlighted to me.  During our first meeting he was very quiet, but in my spirit I felt like he was wanting to cry out for help!  I decided to sit next to this guy and shared simple conversation with him.  When I first heard his voice I cheered, “He speaks!”  He smiled and some laughed.  I asked him if it made him nervous for me to sit next to him, and he said, “Yes (with a shy smile),” but I knew that he was okay with me continuing conversation with him.  When I asked if he had any siblings, he shared that he was an only child because his parents both died when he was very young.  I do not feel released to share any names at this time, and we have told the guys that we will honor them and not share their stories unless they give us permission, but they are aware that we write about our journey and share it with others so that people (YOU) can be praying.  When I told them that strangers even pray for them and care about them, their faces lit up!!

For those that know me, I like to take pictures, so I asked the guys if we could take a group picture with them.  We assured them that it wouldn’t be published in the newspaper – only in our blog posts.  Now you have faces to the people you will be praying for…..if you feel led!

The parole officer thought it would be wise to come up with a group name for our Tuesday meetings.  Most of these guys are used to associating themselves with gang names, so she thought this might be a good way of making a connection with them.  A few ideas were tossed around, but the final name we came up with was, drum roll please…………..FREEDOM WALKERS!  These guys are free from prison walls, but we want to see them walking FREELY in their HEARTS and MINDS!!  This is a prophetic proclamation over their lives!  There are many in this world that have never been inside prison walls and yet are still in such bondage and captivity because they have created prison walls around their own heart through fear, hatred, bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy, lust, pride, selfishness and so on.  This is our purpose in life – to bring the light of Jesus into the darkness so that all may be set free!  The only way to do this is through the power and love of Jesus spoken and demonstrated in truth.

These men shared how the community offers no hope for them.  Their past dangles over them like a never-ending nightmare, and they can’t seem to loosen the grips of their past mistakes.  They have little to no support system in place, they feel rejected by “the church”, and they see no hope for their futures.  To put it simply, they haven’t seen or received the power of the Father’s love…..yet!  We all have the call on our lives to love God and then love people out of His overflowing love.  It doesn’t matter where He’s planted you.  Your call and purpose in life is to love God and love people – specifically those that don’t know of His love.  How challenging is it to love someone who gives it back to you?  How challenging is it to love someone whom is kind to you?  None, zip, zero.  Yet, how challenging is it to love day in and day out to those that treat you poorly, take advantage of you, gossip about you behind your back or have nothing to give to you in return?  From a worldly standpoint, very challenging!  BUT, these are the very people that the Lord has asked us to love and reach out to.

Josh spoke on honesty and shared how true freedom will not come until a person allows themselves to be honest in their hearts.  When people walk in fear, they put up a front and pretend as though everything is okay, but in time they explode from the pain that has built up inside.  We’ve never asked these guys about their past, why they were in prison and for how long they were there.  We’ve been told that some have served many years.  In time, it will be wise for us to know a little bit about their background, but for now we want them to know that we care about their “future”.  After our second gathering the parole officer pulled Josh aside and told him that she’s never seen a connection made so quickly with these guys.  They are interested in what we have to say and truly listen when we speak.  She said she wants to share us with all of the “children” in Mossel Bay and that she wishes more people like us would come and help.

God has placed the desire in our hearts to open transition homes for ex-inmates who are adjusting back to life in the real world.  What does this mean?  Josh will explain more about this in a later blog.  We always knew we’d have homes for troubled teens but have also told the Lord we wouldn’t put an age cap on whom He wants us to reach.  It will take a team to fulfill this vision so we ask that anyone reading this blog pray into whether or not the Lord is leading you to join with us in what the Lord is doing here in Africa.  As mentioned in our last blog, we are also pursuing the opportunity to go into the prison on a regular basis to pour into the guys’ lives there.  This hits very close to my own heart, as I have a brother whom is serving a sentence in prison.  When we were praying to the Lord about whether or not He wanted us to move to Africa, my heart hurt with the thought of possibly not being able to stay in contact with my brother in prison.  I told the Lord that if my brother got transferred to the prison in Boise, it would be very difficult for me to move away to Africa but that I’d be obedient to whatever He asked me to do.  Of course, now we are in Africa and my brother still hasn’t been transferred to Boise.  The Lord made it very clear that I was supposed to write him letters while in Africa, and I have been very diligent with doing so at least once a month.  I am so blessed with the fact that I get to stay in touch with him thousands of miles away.  My brother mails letters to a dear friend of mine and then she e-mails the letters to me.  I respond to the letter via e-mail and then she prints it off and mails it to him at the prison.  She also prints off my blog posts and mails them so he can keep up-to-date with what’s going on in our lives.  What a gem she is!  He has been open with me about his struggles and fears.  I was able to pray with him over the phone a few times before leaving the States.  I miss being able to speak directly to him, but I know the Lord hears my prayers lifted up on his behalf.  If it is on your heart to write him letters while he’s in prison, please let me know as he would love to have a “pen-pal”.  Also, if you feel led to simply pray for him and the other inmates and parolees we’ll be interacting with, it would really bless our hearts and the Lords!!

The parole officer has asked us to be official “service providers” for the South African Corrections Department, which means once we’re registered and approved we’ll be able to meet with these guys as often as desired without her needing to be there.

We’ve been asked by some how they can help out with what the Lord is doing here in Mossel Bay.  If you feel led to provide financially, you can check out our page for donation information. In the near future, Josh will be sharing about more specific needs in greater detail.  Needs such as a larger vehicle, land, construction of transition homes, feeding others, etc.

We thank you all for your encouragement and prayers.  We pray that you all experience the power of the Father’s love that truly sets one free!  And when you are set free, all praise and glory be to Him! Psalm 142:7.