Key Scripture. Matthew 25:35-40

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Relevance

Well, I’ve had a couple of wins this week—really good ones.

We all have those times when it is clear that the Lord’s hand is involved in what we’re doing. I’ve been trying to set up Zoom calls with two Prison inmates in two different prisons in two different states for months now, to no avail. But we're nearly there. 

Obviously, inmates prefer it when I am home when they call. They use the home phone, as it is horrifically expensive to call a mobile from prison. That’s the only reason I keep the home phone on. However, that means it's somewhat akin to a roulette wheel. They may or may not catch me, depending on whether I'm in or out. Additionally, they only have a 12-minute call time, which quickly runs out. 

When the Vic guy rang this time, it was perfect timing—I had just walked in the door. Some prisons end with particular numbers, so I can always tell when it is them on the other end. 

I picked it up on the third ring, and he was pleased to hear my voice. He needs to hear it and particularly my encouragement.

He’s a believer, but, as you can expect, prison gets him down. He was saved in prison a few years ago and has been trying to follow the Christian path since then. But at times, he finds it hard. We have been friends for several years now. Despite moving prisons, we remained in contact. 

When I send him letters, I always enclose some of my blog material so he has something to read. I ensure my letters are always full of encouragement and whatever wisdom I have at the time—two things that are very important for him to hear. 

It’s different for us out here. We have our struggles, but we can go to our Pastor or look up YouTube for someone inspiring to boost our fortitude. However, inmates can’t escape so easily (no pun intended).

All they can do is retreat to their cell.

After those years of correspondence, we have our first Zoom meeting scheduled for next Wednesday, 21 May. I am looking forward to it as we haven’t officially met yet. 

The second guy is much younger and also a Christian. He saw me speak to a group here in Victoria. A while later, I discovered that he had received a nine-year prison sentence in another state and began writing to him. He had fallen back into bad habits and committed a terrible act.

Like Guy Number 1, he often finds it difficult to express his Christianity in the way he would like. But I believe the Lord is with him and will walk with him through his sentence. We had written letters, but now we're moving it up a notch to a Zoom meeting, which will now happen within a couple of weeks. Please pray for us.

The inmates I speak with don’t ask for much. I rarely get bugged for money. Mostly, it's just friendship, a positive Christian outlook, some wisdom, and a few laughs. 

We’ve all been affected by crime. In my case, I've not only been affected by someone else’s crime, but I am also a criminal whose crime has affected other people. It’s good for churches to be exposed to prison life and its missionary work. Otherwise, we get a distorted view of our role as believers and become judgemental instead of merciful. 

It is our role to love the least of humanity. Some people think inmates are the least. They see prison as a warehouse, and once inmates are locked behind the walls, the key should be thrown away.

However, most of their lives are not that straightforward. I could tell you stories that would not only make your hair curl but also make you weep as you begin to understand what they dealt with as children. 

I would encourage you to get involved with the people society rejects. You might just be the one to provide the love, attention, wisdom, and a few laughs. Small things are huge to some!

Leave the world having helped!

Bless you

Niv.

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you that we are finally at the Zoom stage. A smile, a laugh, or even a tear are difficult to convey in a letter. I pray that you lead us all through the calls and that your will reigns over us all in Jesus' name. 

Photo by Kiy Turk