My Weekend in Prison

6And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Malachi 4:6a ESV

Every time someone from our church has gone on a mission trip they always say that they went on the trip expecting to provide the blessing but in the end were the ones who received the blessing. From my very recent experience, that is so true.

Two weekends ago, I had the honor of serving inmates at the Angola Prison for Awana Lifeline’s Returning Hearts Celebration. I received an incredible blessing from these men.

The Returning Hearts Celebration is an event by Awana Lifeline in which inmates earn the privilege of spending some quality time with their children at a carnival type event on the prison grounds. You may have heard that in the past, Angola Prison was the bloodiest prison in American. Under the leadership and direction of Warden Burl Cain and his moral rehabilitation program, Angola prison has turned around. Warden Cain has built relationships with Awana, the New Orleans Theological Seminary and many others that have programs or classes right on the prison grounds. While most of these inmates will likely die at Angola, Returning Hearts is a rare chance for the dads to minister to their own children – incarceration is no longer an excuse.

As you can probably imagine, the weekend was full of emotion. On Friday, we attended an all day training/tour/worship service. I was in awe of the inmates who greeted us with such gratitude, thanking us for coming to serve them. They genuinely seemed to be excited that the weekend had finally come (following a rescheduling last September due to a hurricane). Returning Hearts was finally here and they could have one day of family fun with their children.

Life behind prison walls is humbling. I found out many trivia facts about Angola. I saw firsthand some of the things the prisoners do. I chatted with inmates who are going through the Malachi Dad program and even watched a graduation at the Worship service. I even stood in the very room, next to the very table where lethal injections are administered. I saw the phone that only Governor Jindhal can call Warden Cain on to stay an execution.

In some ways I was torn. Here we are, in a prison where these men have done horrible things. Yet we were in awe of them – where was the justice in that? In that question I learned a very important answer. Warden Cain shared a story about a former Returning Hearts Celebration where a local newspaper had photographed an inmate playing basketball with his young son. The Warden received a phone call from the son of that inmate’s victim. The victim’s son was telling the Warden it was unfair that the inmate dad was able to play basketball with his son yet this inmate had murdered the caller’s father and because of that he is no longer able to play basketball with his own father. The Warden proceeded to tell the victim’s son how he understands and is sorry that he can’t play basketball with his father. Yet that little boy needs a chance with his own dad, even if his dad is incarcerated. The children of inmates need their fathers to be dads to them. See, the Warden’s story summed up what God had showed me through the entire weekend. It is all about forgiveness. It is all about redemption. It is all about God loving those who society may deem unlovable. After all, isn’t that exactly what Jesus did for us? Before our regeneration, we too were lost in our sin. And he paid the price for us to have eternal life. Yes, these men did awful things yet there is forgiveness through Christ. We have done nothing that is beyond the forgiveness of God. Jesus paid the price for our sins – great and small. Praise God that the blood he shed is powerful enough to redeem a liar to a murderer. That means he loved even me, a sinner once hopelessly lost and dead in sin that was saved by God’s amazing grace.

As the celebration ended and I was walking my family to the balloon release area, I overheard an inmate thanking his family assistant for taking the time to serve him and allowing the opportunity to spend the day with his child. See, most inmates have very limited time with their children. Very limited physical contact and almost never a chance to spend time playing games, having lunch together or just walking around talking and holding hands. Awana sees the need to assist in breaking the cycle of prison life by teaching dad’s how to be a dad, even though they are in prison and cannot be with their children on a daily basis.

I am not sure why in God’s sovereignty he planned for some of these men to become born again Christian’s after a life of crime. There is so many “what if” questions – what if their lives or the lives of their children could have played out differently. One thing is for certain, seeing God change these men is a great example of His forgiveness and amazing grace. The Lord God almighty changing the hearts of men deemed unworthy to live among society. Then seeing these men begin to serve the Lord and live in obedience by sharing His love with their own children. I am so grateful that God’s grace and forgiveness extends beyond the church doors and into the most harden criminal’s hearts locked behind prison walls. Praise God for His never ending mercy, irresistible grace and forgiveness.

I walked away truly blessed. I was blessed to see men, who rightly deserve their punishment, facing the cold hard facts of what their new life in prison entails and yet living righteously now before the Lord. God is still in the business of saving souls and His work isn’t finished yet.

Dear Heavenly Father, I want to thank you for this awesome opportunity to serve those You love – even behind prison walls. I was changed by the outward showing of Your great mercy. Lord, give me a heart of forgiveness for those around me. Let me be more like you every day. I lift these men up to you, those who are saved that they would continue to grow in their Love for you and be a light to their own children. I pray for those who have not received your saving grace yet, that they too will be called to salvation by Your grace. And I pray for the family who I assisted. I don’t know the circumstances but I will never forget them and ask that you continue to work in their lives. Protect that young lady as she goes through the most difficult teen years approaching and have Your hand on her even as her father is in prison. Thank you for your love and amazing grace. In Jesus name, Amen.

If you follow this link, you can view a slideshow of the past weekend. It really explains so much about what Returning Hearts is about.

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