Back To The Streets
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:16-20 ESV)
This past Sunday, our pastor preached from the Great Commission Text in Matthew. As he preached through the sermon, my mind wanted to drift back and remember the mission team I was a part of about five years ago.
I traveled with Awana Ministries to Angola Prison in Louisiana to with the Returning Hearts Celebration. Returning Hearts is an awarded time of fellowship between Angola inmates and their children, complete with carnival type games, bounce houses, food and devotion. I was there to serve an inmate and his daughter during the time of their special celebration time.
The weekend I served at Angola Prison was one of the most impactful weekends of my life. I experienced so many emotions that weekend. My heart broke for the men who finally seemed to have their head on straight. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary had placed a seminary at the prison where inmates who were now believers were able to pursue a degree in ministry or preaching. As I sat in chapel services and heard these guys preach and lead worship, I wondered why it took permanent separation from society before they “got it”. I wept for the children who would be bussed to the prison to see their daddy’s this one time. There was tremendous joy as families reunited, even if just for the day. I remember being so angry with the dads who managed to get in trouble right before the celebration, in fact so soon that there was no time to notify their children not to come. Those kids, who excitedly came out to be reunited with their father, would uncontrollable cry as they learned their father’s privilege had been revoked. I personally wanted to ring their daddy’s neck! At the same time, I wanted to run up and hug those precious babies and tell them that even though their earthly father had let them down again, their heavenly father still loves them! (As a side note, Awana had something already planned for those kids who this happened to so the day wasn’t a total wash for them).
I expected the emotions. I knew it would be a hard weekend. All the training and meetings had prepared me for what would take place. What I didn’t expect, however, was to be ministered to myself. I’ll never forget walking through the halls at the Prison and seeing inmates who were crying, thanking me personally for taking time away from my family to minister to them. I didn’t expect the powerful words of wisdom that the inmates would share in chapel time. I came to serve them; I didn’t expect to be served by inmates in a prison.
Here were inmates, at one of the most notorious prisons in America, loving God, leading worship, sharing God’s word and desiring to be the dad they cannot be because of choices they made. They were truly seeking to disciple their children the best they can given the horrific situation they had chosen to be in.
While we weren’t allowed to ask what an inmate had done, it was no secret that many had been sentenced because of murder or rape or notorious crimes. If there had been any question as to the severity of the crimes committed, the tour of the death chamber brought it back to reality very quickly. These prisoners were forgotten, sent away to a prison in the nowhere lands of Louisiana. Yet, here they were in relationship with Jesus because someone chose to follow the words of Jesus – Go. He didn’t exclude prisoners in Angola and someone heard the call and took the message of the Gospel to them.
Our Pastor on Sunday made a few powerful statements. Somewhere, someone is waiting for the church to rise up and be the church. Awana Ministries and New Orleans Theological Seminary did this for Angola Prison. They were the church.
Somewhere, someone is waiting on you.
Pastor Tommy’s message renewed my desire to share the good news of Jesus Christ. I have never forgot how powerful my mission trip to Angola was. But it is only a tiny dent in a large mission field. It was a four-day sacrifice to help serve those who could spend an eternity separated from God. It was worth every second away, every penny spent, every tear I shed. Yes, it was even worth the hour flight from Tampa to New Orleans for a girl who had a slight panic attack when the plane lifted off the ground (I am petrified to fly on a plane).
There is someone waiting for us. Will you go? Will you be willing to submit to God’s call, local, national or to the ends of the earth? Will you be the one who brings hope to the hopeless? There is much to do, and in the end you will find that while you think your serving by sharing God’s message, you’re going to be ministered to as well.
In the words of an old Petra song, “We’ve got to take this message…..back to the streets.”
Oh Dana!! This is wonderful!! I went to Honduras with a prison ministry for a week. It was an eye opener. So sad at times and joyful at times. Thank you for the reminder!
Fantastic post.