My Weekend in Prison

I sat in a gym, surrounded by murderers, drug dealers, mafia members, white supremacists — all of societies worst.

At the end of October, I made my way down to San Diego to participate in a prison ministry event called Kairos—Greek for God’s special time. I flew down there, not knowing what to expect. What would the environment be like? How would the weekend play out?

What did I find?

Love.

Lots and lots of love.

Kairos is an international prison ministry with a mission “to share the transforming love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to impact the hearts and lives of incarcerated men, women and youth, as well as their families, to become loving and productive citizens of their communities.”

Two Kairos weekends are held at this prison in San Diego, stretching across four different prison yards. A team, consisting of Christian brothers on the outside and fellow brother inmates on the inside, minister to 36 inmates, or candidates, for four days. The event consists of talks, fellowship, worship, and lots and lots of Kairos cookies (fresh baked cookies are a beloved treat in prison).

I flew down a week early to partake in the last team meeting before the event. I wanted to meet the rest of the team, and get an idea of the environment and how the week would play out. I must say that I was a little nervous to go inside the prison walls for the first time.

But that quickly vanished.

Most people think, “Prison ministry…that has to be super scary. I could never go and do that.” Somehow, we view the men or women inside those walls as less than human. But each and every person who has ever walked the earth was made by God. And Jesus came to die for the sins of all. Let’s not forget that Paul was a murderer as well, nor forget the redemptive power of God to completely change people.

Jesus said:

“God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s year to act!” (Luke 4:18, Message).

None of these men were born criminals. Each one is just like you and me, minus a few bad decisions. If I had met them outside, I would never had known they were criminals. I’m in no way excusing the crimes they have committed, some are quite egregious. But remember that we have all been called to love, and these men are in desperate need of love.

I heard a story of a former inmate, whose mother was a prostitute. Then, she figured out she could make more money by prostituting her son. No wonder he found his way to prison.

The motto for Kairos is, “Listen. Listen. Love. Love.” These men, like us all, want to be listened to, heard, understood. And for most of the event, I sat quietly and listened to my brothers talk. I answered questions and fostered discussions when necessary, but mostly watched.

I watched as these men came in on the first day, hungry for life change. I watched as men unfolded and opened up day by day, in a way that only Jesus’ love can make happen. I watched as white supremacists and Odinists ripped apart their books of “Mein Kampf” and became sold-out to Jesus. I watched, as one man boldly cut off a speaker mid-talk, and asked “What do I gotta do [to be saved].” And then he walked up in front of everyone and gave his life to Jesus right there, and he cried like he never had before. Heck, I cried.

I expected to not only minister, but to be on the receiving end of this experience. But God gave me more than I ever thought. I was truly inspired by the inmates, the inside team, and my fellow outside team members.

One of the inmates at my table, the table of Matthew, was already a Christian. I never saw him stop smiling the whole weekend. This brother had such joy, and such thankfulness and was such an encourager to those around him. He was a living embodiment of Paul in prison, counting everything joy. He was not upset at his circumstances. Instead, he knew going to prison was what led him to Jesus. And if it took going to prison to saved, he was thankful for it. He was inside the prison walls, but walked with more freedom than those outside.

Another inmate revealed how he went through the process of forgiving another prisoner who’d stabbed him. We’ve all been stabbed in the back figuratively, and probably struggle with forgiveness. This guy was literally stabbed and found a way to forgive.

This is just a snapshot of the amazing weekend I had in prison. I saw love, I gave love and I received love. People ask me to describe it, and there is really no way to adequately express what happens during a Kairos weekend. It really is “God’s Special Time.” I’d like to thank my Uncle Bill for inviting down to the event, and the weekend director Charlie for a life-changing experience. I can’t wait to go back next year.

 “I was in prison and you came to Me…Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me”(Matthew 25:36-37).