Saturday, November 15, 2014

My Time in Prison




I recently spent 3 days in prison. No, I wasn't arrested. It was fully voluntary and an amazing experience. I was part of the team for a Kairos Prison Ministry weekend at Maryland Correctional Institute - Hagerstown. 

What is Kairos? First of all, it is one of two Greek words for time. While chronos refers to the chronological measurement of time, kairos refers to the more subjective aspect of time - the right or opportune time. This is how it is used by Kairos Prison Ministry International (KPMI) – more specifically, a special time with God. According to their website, KPMI “is supported by a staff of 9 and has over 36,000 volunteers donating more than three (3) million hours of service each year. These volunteers serve in over 400 prisons in 35 states and 9 countries: Costa Rica, Australia, Canada, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, South Africa and the United Kingdom.”

In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46 - NIV), Jesus says, "I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. ...Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

On Thursday night, we met the men for the first time.  Some had been trying to attend a Kairos weekend for some time, some came at the recommendation of others, one admitted he only came for the famous Kairos cookies.  Some were on fire for the Lord, some were ambivalent and some felt they were beyond even God's ability to love or forgive.


It was amazing to watch the transformation of so many of these men as they were touched by the Holy Spirit and came to understand that God loves all of us as His children and desperately wants to have a relationship with them.  And that He wants that relationship so much that Jesus allowed Himself to be killed on a cross as payment for all of our sins and all we need to do is accept His free gift of forgiveness.  Black, White or Hispanic, by the end of the weekend they were truly brothers in Christ, ditching the normal prison segregation.


I wish I could share some of the actual testimonies given at our closing ceremony on Sunday afternoon, but the following testimonies from Kairos alumni are typical of what was shared on our weekend...

“I can never repay Kairos for what it has done for me. I came to the Kairos weekend filled with hate, anger and deceit. I only came because I heard that there would be good food, but I didn't want anybody in my face about God. But as I began to hear these volunteers talk about how God loved me so much that he sent Jesus, His own son to die in my place so that I would be free, something started to happen to me. I began to experience a kind of love that I had never seen or felt before. I now understand that it was the love of God, offered to me by His people.
I made a mess of my life and ended up in prison. My family abandoned me and society had written me off. I was worthless, and I felt that way. Life had lost all meaning for me. I was like a balloon with nothing inside. But these Kairos volunteers fed me with the Word of God, and now I hunger after Him. I will be forever grateful to Kairos for showing me that the way to freedom is through the cross of Christ.”  -Anonymous



I truly feel I had a front row seat to God at work on holy ground, but even the more experienced team members thought it was an exceptionally powerful weekend.
"In nearly 20 years in Kairos, this weekend tops them all!  What an outpouring of the Spirit on these men, and on us volunteers!"  -Anonymous
"Saturday God's Holy Spirit took over, kicked Satan's ×%=€ butt :-)! I felt the Spirit moving me to uncontrollable tears, I wasn't alone, many of us say that God 'showed up' on our outside weekends, but wowsers!"  -Anonymous
"Yes, God came to us there in that prison as a mighty wind taking us all on. What He started He will continue. Halleluja. I am still in a daze."  -Anonymous
Starting in the spring, I am planning to volunteer in Jessup (it's just a tad closer) and am praying that some of my friends in the area will prayerfully consider joining me.  Kairos of Maryland holds weekends at both the men's and women's prisons in Jessup.  So, whether you would like to server inside, as part of the support team, with your prayers, monetarily (each weekend costs about $8000), by writing letters or by creating posters, there is a role for anyone who is interested.  

If you live elsewhere and would like to get involved, Kairos is active in 36 states and 10 countries.

2012 award winning documentary, Changed on the Inside, doesn't mention Kairos by name, but the men in the video are Kairos alumni from Ohio.



Finally, some of the folks my team made the following (bilingual) informational video.


With that, I'll close, but even if you think you might want to get involved with Kairos, please let me know and I'll be happy to talk to you more about it and answer any questions I can.

Dave

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