Journal Entry 5

So much about today. It’s like where do I begin? I was so scared to go to both prisons. (It should be said that this was the first time a group had ever gone to a prison to perform the redeemer and sketch board). We had to wait for them to let us in. They patted us up and wanded us. The guys were just in reaching space of us. They all had the same outfit one. Same color shirt, pants, flip-flops, and most of them had tattoos. Camilla said that there were two types of Juvie prison. Low things and high things that have been done. We went to one of each. The boys listened. Some talked back and forth but when Mike exclaimed, “I was in prison almost 40 years ago”, they listened. And as he told about Jose in the sketch board it made even more sense to them. Jose was said to be a guy that tried everything to fit in, partying, money, and sex. The only thing that would fill a God shaped hole is Him. At the first meeting, a boy talked with Mike a little. At the second one, the cutest boy came up to Hadassah and asked to talk to Mike. His name was Diego and some Christians had been there a month ago and he had accepted Christ. He is now praying for himself and others. What’s heartbreaking is that he is 4 months into a 3-5 year sentence. No, we didn’t ask what he did. He was just shining out God. He was grinning from ear to ear and I believe that we/Mike had brought him encouragement. As I was looking at the boys in the prison they looked like the boys I know in high school. Cute boys that would be going to school near us. They had just lost their way.

Encouragement, Just like when we did the Redeemer Skit and Bruno did a sketch board right on the beach. There was a government holiday one and we were unable to get to the plaza. There would not have been anyone there anyway. So, Bruno asked us if we wanted to set up on the beach. It was drizzling when we started and had really started raining when Bruno finished. There were only a couple of people that had stopped. And those who had did not stay the whole time. Right when we were almost leaving, two boys came up to Hadassah and Elizabeth. We took the things to the van and waited while they talked to the boys. Picture to come. They came back into the van grinning from ear to ear. The boys had come up and asked what everyone was doing. Hadassah asked, did you see the skit? No. Did you see the sketch board? No. They said that they just saw a crowd and wanted to know what was going on. After sharing the gospel, those two boys prayed and accepted Christ into their hearts. So, we may never know why we did the skits/sketch board. Just to plant the seeds.


Us doing Redeemer on the Beach