Yesterday's Message in Juarez Jail - Continued from previous post

With the help of Pastor Julio translating into Spanish for me so the men in the jail cell could understand what this gringo was talking to them about, we read two passages of Scripture to them John 1:1-5 and Psalm 46.  (in previous post).

Then I began to share from my heart about this present world we live in, being in darkness,  just as it was in the gospel writer John's day.  I told them that we were not here to talk to them about religion, we were here to tell them about God's love for them.  

How He loved them so much that he not only sent us to them today but that over 2,000 years ago He sent His very own Son Jesus who was and is the light of the world.  I invited them to focus of the highlighted verse in the Psalm that we had read to them..."to be still and know that I am God."  

I asked them to do just that, to be still for a moment, to look inside their hearts and look back over their lives and how they had lived them to have brought them to this moment in their lives.  

I told them that God does not want to be against them but their sins along with everyone elses who ever lived,  is what separates them from Him now.  


I told them that God wanted more for them than sitting behind these bars, that He had a personal plan for each one of them and they didn't have to continue walking in darkness not knowing what it was.

I continued talking and sharing and pointing to Jesus Christ as the answer to all of life's questions that they were looking for and then proceeded to offer them a way out of darkness by personally inviting Christ into their lives to forgive them of their sins, to move away the darkness and to bring light and hope into their lives.

They began to respond by raising their hands and in that moment I noticed an authoritative looking Mexican gentleman dressed in black making his way toward us on our side of the bars. 

At first I was concerned that his presence would somehow stifle what the Holy Spirit was doing in that moment but I continued without stopping to see who he was or what his
desire was.  He paused and began listening and watching what we were doing and as the scene began to settle in with members of our team individually praying for the prisoners who responded to the message I was able to join him in the conversation he was already having with Pastor Julio's other pastor friend.

He lit up as I approached and began to retell me what he had already told my two friends, that he was thrilled at what he was seeing and began to share with me who he was and the position that he held of being the director of all of the jails in Juarez and that he was very pleased in what we were doing and extended with more thanks to us the open door opportunity of visiting his other facilities with his blessings whenever we wished.

I was thrilled, to say the least, not only that we had met with his approval but also the genuine friendship and hospitality that he was now demonstrating to us, especially me, a gringo visitor from the States, not to mention the favor of God in the invitation that had just been extended to us.  He was more than willing to pose with us for a few photos.  We have made an important friend here in the Jail ministry of Juarez.

Feeling a little bolder in that moment than when I was wondering if he was approaching us to shut us down, I offered him the opportunity of personally praying for him in his position which he gladly accepted.  Soon myself and my two pastor friends and brother Marcos were laying hands on his shoulders as I commenced to pray blessings over his life while Pastor Julio interpreted all that the Holy Spirit was saying through me in that moment.

As we left the Jail facility we bumped into him again and he smiled and thanked us all again.  What a great morning and way to spend my 61st birthday.

But the day wasn't over yet.  Later that afternoon we went and worked cleaning up at Pastor Julio's church and stacking lumber that was used to build a roof for his young people's room a couple of months ago for the man who lent the material to us.  He was to pick it up later in the afternoon.

Instead of the man, brother Alfredo is his name, coming by to personally pick it up himself he sent another gentleman with a pick-up truck, someone that Pastor Julio knew.  Pastor Julio also knew that this man was not yet a Christian a fact which he reminded me of as we were loading the lumber onto his truck.

I searched my mind and spirit for what to do and say and how to begin saying it and felt led by God to just begin to share what we had been up to that morning at the jail cell.  It was awesome the way God brought the words to my mouth to speak as I took the opportunity to share with this man God's desire for fellowship with us; first through relationship made possible by accepting Christ as Lord and Savior and then through ongoing fellowship with other believers by regularly meeting in a place like Pastor Julio's church.

It was not easy to keep him focused but in spite of all the distractions, God found a way to bring us to a point where he tearfully accepted our invitation to pray the sinners prayer, which he did as Pastor Julio gave him the words to say as I handed that honor over to him.  I prayed in English as Pastor Julio gave him the words to say in his native Spanish language.  


Another awesome salvation in the same day!

Later that evening we had an official birthday party for me with 6 candles on the cake and one big one in the center except the 6 around the top of the cake were not candles, they were the next best thing since the local store near our homes did not have any.  We used matches instead!  Six matches positioned around the top of the top of the cake and one real candle in the middle that they happened to have on hand.  Happy Birthday was sung in Spanish and we each had a piece of chocolate cake.  A perfect ending to a great day.

Here was my cake...it was good while it lasted. Notice the matches for candles.  We make due down here in Juarez.