Feeling so comfortable in prison

It has been amazing to discover how comfortable I have felt when visiting the prison here in Ocosingo, and the experiences have helped me realize that I have a real soft place in my heart for repentant criminals. You see, because of some especially unusual circumstances of my dad's job, I had an opportunity to "consort with criminals" when I was a child. I know...it sounds odd and not entirely safe, but trust me when I say that it was totally safe and a true blessing in my life.

These criminals had demonstrated exceptionally good behavior and trustworthiness to be allowed to work outside the prison, and I had contact with them almost daily for 4 years. What did I learn from these "criminals?"I learned that any one of us can make a single tragic error that will change our lives forever --- and the lives of others too. I learned that having a gun within your reach in certain circumstances can lead to great tragedy - tragedy that might not have occurred if a deadly weapon weren't so easy to access. I learned that people who have done terrible things are not necessarily terrible people. I learned that I could entrust my life to someone who had taken the life of someone else. I learned that I did not need to be afraid.

Later in my life, I also learned that not all criminals were as repentent and as determined to change their destiny as those I had known as a child. I learned that those who have done bad things may do bad things again. I learned that, just because I had been able to trust some criminals with my life, that didn't mean I should trust anyone who'd done bad things. (Duh!) I learned that, while everyone can be redeemed, it's not my job to do the redeeming. I learned that I can demonstrate acceptance, compassion and kindness while still protecting myself.

Then I worked in the addictions field, and I learned that some people are affected by diseases of the mind that alter their capacity to make good decisions, honor their values/morals/beliefs, and consider others. I learned that, like any person affected by a disease, they need to know what treatment is available, what the course of their disease may be (whether treated or untreated), and what it will take for them to heal.

So it is that I now find myself visiting Mexican prisons. There I find prisoners whose apparent faithfulness is profound, whose repentance oozes from every pore, and whose fear of rejection by the church after they are released saddens me so. While I'm still learning about the Mexican justice system, I do know that it's possible that they could be in prison unjustly if they didn't have bribe money, etc.

I pray that I can apply what I've learned through each of the 3 episodes of life-teaching I described as I encounter these prisoners. I pray that I can get to know the person (not the crime), that I can honor their identity as children of God (not as perpetrators), that I can demonstrate compassion without risking harm to myself or my family, and that I can reassure them that, with their profession of belief in Jesus, they are blessed with God's forgiveness and love - period.

But if I stop there, I will have missed the opportunity to help others learn some of what I have learned. If I cannot help the churches here feel safe to open their arms to these Children of God, then I cannot encourage them to seek out churches upon their release. If I cannot know that they will be received by our churches, I cannot, in good conscience, offer that kind of assurance.

Mission groups are likely to command all my time and attention for the summer, so it will likely be a while before I can go back to the prison, but when I do, I know that I'll feel comfortable, safe and blessed to have the opportunity to demonstrate the love of Jesus in my time there.