Real World - Danli Prison: A MUST READ/WATCH

Consider something. We are heading into the shortest days of the year. At the same time, one of the wonders of the season is the warmth and twinkle of Christmas lights and candles and outdoor displays. If not for the darkness, those lights would not bring joy. They'd be dull. 

Less than a month ago on the way home from the airport after Gary and Diane's last trip to Honduras, Gary mentioned a Youtube video on one of the prisons that they had visited. I found it and experienced a new level of respect for what they do and PERHAPS a new level of trust for the mission that God has called my parents to pursue. Below you will find an old travel log entry from their 2016 trip to Danli Prison and then below that, you will find a link a the documentary.

Today we visited the Prison of Danli. It was only in the discussion mode the last time we were here. We left the house at 7 and had a lot of traffic going down the mountain into the city. It took almost 3 hours to get to this prison. The roads were very curvy - which is nothing new - and also they were in much disrepair. At times we had to almost stop to pass over the holes!

We stopped to pick up Pastor Briceno, who has been working tirelessly in Danli and other new facilities. Because of the distance, it is a blessing that he can visit these far away prisons. We witnessed three separate graduations from Train and Multiply, with more to come soon. There were about 180 total men in the T&M Program with about 50 graduating today. It was such a blessing to be there for this blessed event. The men appreciate the fact that we are able to visit them. But we are very blessed by seeing what the Lord is doing in the prisons here. They feel they are forgotten, but new life in Christ gives them strength for today and hope for tomorrow.

As we were leaving the prison, we got to speak with the warden (not the term they use), Erasmo and he have known each other a long time. I noticed a Bible laying open on his desk and that was special in itself. But then he shared his testimony with us. He was an adult when he became a believer and the Lord spoke to him in a dream to get his attention. It was very dramatic. He shared the The Lord called him and then promised him safety in the very dangerous job that he does. So he is very supportive of bringing the Gospel into Danli, and seems to be grateful that the program is changing lives throughout the cell blocks.

It is so moving to see the enthusiasm of these men for the Gospel. They do not have much here on earth, but they have the hope of salvation.

Sadly we have no pictures of this wonderful celebration because cameras and phones are prohibited in the prisons here.

The documentary is 43 minutes but even a quick hop over to take a look at parts of it should be sufficient - although it is quite interesting if you have the time.

Danli Prison Documentary

It is difficult to believe that these two things could be happening side by side in the same prison. And yet very literally, that is the truth. The 2016 documentary and the Train & Multiply program were happening at the same time. And in a prison population of 700 inmates (per the documentary) 25% have been through the training. THESE are the things we miss if we are only watching the regular news and channels like Discovery!! These are the stories that go untold. Jesus is alive and well in the darkest of places.

So the next time you drive past a holiday display at night that makes you smile, offer a prayer that all around the world, Jesus CONTINUES to light up the dark places with HIS SCANDALOUS LOVE and His dedicated hands and feet.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

As we wrap up the first weekend of the official holiday season, we hope that you had an opportunity to gather with family and friends and share a long long list of gratitudes with one another to celebrate Thanksgiving. Gary and Diane got back from Honduras just  a few weeks ago and here is the first of the updates we will share to get you completely caught up with their ministry in time for the holidays. As we share the movement of God they are seeing, would you begin to pray about how God may be moving you to make an end of year gift to their ministry? Prayers are always topping their list of needs.

Monday, November 6

Today we were excited to visit the new prison of Juticalpa! The program has been there for about 6 months. It is very difficult 3 1/2 hour journey from Tegucigalpa! And the last 40 minutes, there is almost no road! We thought many times that we might get stuck and I was wondering who would push us out!! Herasmo did some very skillful driving to keep that from happening. Pastor Briceno is the one who regularly visits Juticalpa . In the initial stages of the training, he visited weekly. Now he visits twice a month. Since he has trainers inside and nearby the prison to monitor the training. He typically comes by bus, and then after the bus drops him off  he travels by cab or motorcycle over the very rough road to get to the prison. We are all blessed by his dedication.

We will be looking forward to seeing many new prisons beginning T&M by the time we come again in a few months from now. We are so blessed that God has answered prayers for more volunteers. 

He did it more than we could every imagine! Amen!🙏

November 7

Today we went to the city of Tamara to visit the National Men's Prison there. There are about 4,000 men housed there. The day was beautiful and cool. We were taken to a very nice open air worship area. There we would participate in the graduation of about 40 men from the Prisoner's Journey Program. This is is 6-8 week program of evangelism and introduction to Jesus. Then immediately following they will be going on to do the Train & Multiply Program, which will train them in discipleship in the coming year. This will prepare them to be mature followers of Jesus. At the graduation they were given a Bible and diploma. Most had never had a Bible before. It was a treasure to them. We were blessed to shake their hands and witness this wonderful celebration.

All over the rest of the prison, programs were being held at the in Train & Multiply and the Prisoner's Journey. A total of 980 men are actively involved in these programs throughout the prison since the program started approximately one year ago. One thing that is very beautiful is that the Catholic Church there at the prison is holding a class in The Prisoner's Journey! This kind of collaboration does not happen often, but as it happens more frequently we as "the Church,"will be able to help fulfill the One Billion Vision that the Lord has given to OMS. We are so blessed to be a small part of what the Lord and His servants are doing in the prisons of Honduras.🙏🙏

Also after the ceremony we were introduced to another group of volunteers who work in the prison of Tamara. One of them spoke English! He had been in prison in the US when he found Jesus! So now he is working here in Honduras to bring the Gospel to the prisoners. He also wants to work together with Prison Fellowship Honduras! So the Lord orchestrates the meetings of His hands and feet! We see this often! The love of our Savior and The Gospel brings us together.

Another special thing happened at the end of the ceremony. They brought us pop and two small chicken burritos to eat. So sweet. Herasmo said we should try to eat it because they want to share this special time with us. So the two of us and Herasmo drinks burritos 🌯 with them. It was their celebration and we were honored to share in it. Herasmo knows I (Diane) sometimes have problems with the foods here, but I knew the Lord would bless this food that they shared with us. Another blessing to end the wonderful morning.

Another PS to this story! As I was writing this I neglected to tell that Gary was able speak a word of encouragement to the graduates. He told them how much of a blessing the success of this program is to us and to OMS and Prison Fellowship International. And that they are in our hearts and prayers.🙏

An update letter from Gary

PRISON MINISTRY - LATIN AMERICA

As you read this, Diane and I will probably be in Honduras on our latest adventure.  It has been some time since we visited in Honduras (more than six months) because from June through October they have to contend with heavy rains and storms. This year was no exception with a hurricane or tropical storm that we in the States never heard about because of its location in the Western Caribbean where it made landfall all along the northern coast of Honduras.  Additionally, there have been several Pacific storms that have affected the southern coast of Honduras.  They have been dealing with flooding and washed out roads and mudslides throughout the country.  

Despite these hardships and the delays resulting from cancelled trips by the local pastors and volunteers, the real "feet on the ground" in our Train and Multiply program in Honduras, the program is still expanding and growing in numbers of participants and prisoners served.  The combination of the PFI program "The Prisoner's Journey" along with followup with the Train & Multiply discipleship program has been spreading steadily throughout the country and the prison system.  

In one recent conversation with Herasmo Ramirez, our coordinator for Honduras, he related a conversation with one of the Honduran prison authorities who had called and talked with him about our program.  He was very complimentary regarding the changes that it was bringing about in the prisons and among the prisoners with decreased behavior problems and violence.  He asked if it might be possible to consider starting a program where the program might be taught to the correctional officers in the various prisons where the program has been started.  This represents a major break through and reinforces how God's presence in Honduras is working miracles.  During this visit, we will be discussing this opportunity and Herasmo will be letting us know how he and the Honduran team are planning to incorporate the correctional officers into their training schedule.  

As the program has grown, God has graciously grown the trainer base with assistance from local pastors from several different denominations.  It has truly become an ecumenical movement with this wide spread participation by so many churches, pastors and denominations. 

During our visit, we expect to visit five or more new prisons that we have never been in before and see how the newest programs are growing.  We will update you all on our observations and a report on the current status upon our return.  

In the meantime, please pray for our safe travel, for Herasmo and his family (father- Erasmo, mother-Nora), for our key trainers and organizers (Pastor Adis, Pastor Briceno), for all of the trainers and student participants, that they will come to know and serve the Lord Jesus each day in their lives and that they will continue to share the hope of salvation with others.

Blessings,

Gary and Diane

March trip to Honduras

As Gary and Diane prepare for the their next trip to Honduras in a few weeks, here are some of the last of Diane's reflections from their last visit. It is so rewarding to see the thread of the work of God from visit to visit.

Tuesday March 7

Today we visited the women's' prison of  Tamara.  There was no service or training being held because of some problems in the men's prison, which is very close by.  

This was the prison that two years ago we went to and the inmate who was also the pastor almost threw us out! That day two years ago they picked us up at the airport and we went straight to Tamara, about 45 minutes away. We met with the pastor and a few other women and one of the supervising leaders who were very interested. That day both of our country coordinators explained our program of Train and Multiply to the women. The pastor was very negative in her body language and attitude. Even in our limited Spanish, we knew she wanted no parts of this! At one point she said, "All you people want to bring is words and we need more than that!" On the way back to our country coordinator's home, Gary and I thought there was not much hope for the program there. But we were told that they had an appointment later in the week to go back and present the first lesson in Train & Multiply to a small group, including the pastor. But The Lord went before us and softened the heart of the pastor. By the time the first lesson was done being presented the pastor was practically in tears, saying, "This is just what I have been praying for. A way to communicate the Gospel and teach discipleship."

So that is the background story of this prison. Now two years later there are over 100 women in the T&M program and it is still growing. Last year when we came to visit they had outgrown the space that was allotted to them for worship. They showed us that they had land right behind the chapel to enlarge it but only some of the building materials necessary for completion. 

Through the cooperation of many ministries, the rest of the materials were compiled. And today we got to see the finished chapel! It is large enough to accommodate all of the women in the program with room for their numbers to double. We see the Lord's hand of blessing on the Women's Prison of Tamara. We are blessed to be a small part of His hands and feet.

Wednesday March 8

Today started out slow. We got to rest in the morning and work on our Spanish. Herasmo told us we would leave at 2pm to meet with a pastor from The Church Of God who is working in the prisons of Danlee and Comaugua.  Pastor Jose is now doing The Prisoners Journey in these two prison. This is more of an evangelism program. Then in the next two weeks they will graduate and begin the Train and Multiply program. He is a wonderful and enthusiastic man of God who has been called to prison ministry and has been working in the prisons for about four years. It was a pleasure to meet him and to look forward to the next visit in November when we will be able to visit his programs. In The Prison of Danlee there are 10 women and 60 men inmate leaders trained. In Comaugua there are 40 inmate leaders trained.

Along with his prison ministry, Pastor Jose is starting up a church plant in the community of El Samarano. There he is praying that the Lord will provide a building so that he will have a place to train leaders. Pastor Jose is also asking for prayer for his health and strength so he can continue to work for the Lord.

After our meeting, at a coffee shop, we drove Pastor Jose to the Honduras Bible Society. We learned that the Pastor who is in charge there is the one who introduced Herasmo and Pastor Jose. They have also supplied many Bible to the prison programs that are running the T&M program. 

It is so beautiful to see Gods people working together.

God blesses Diane and Gary at the end of language training

If you know Gary well, you might find yourself describing him as organized or motivated or determined. In the last handful of years, his family and close friends have also come to see him humbled by God's design and reflective about what that means to him, his life and his purpose. Here is an example of how that looks in his ministry as they finished up two months in language school.  

The last two days of our visit to Medellin have been amazing! And very much a blessing as they come at the end of two long long months filled with homesickness and bouts with doubt.

We felt discouraged after the eight weeks of school. Diane and I spent time talking with each other and wondering if it was even worth it trying to learn Spanish. But both yesterday and today in Bella Vista and Pedregal Prisons, we were speaking our broken Spanish to the volunteers, pastors, and the inmates. We were quickly reminded that these are the people we came to learn Spanish for. And they are very forgiving and helpful when we make mistakes. Many of them know some English so there is an exchange of both languages that is good for all of us. 

We have been learning about the APAC program during our last two visits here in Medellin. It stands for Association for the Protection and Assistance of Prisoners. We are very impressed with it and how it is used to help reintegrate the prisoners into society. We are still learning the details of how they roll this out in the community, but we understand  that there is a heavy emphasis on Christianity and a belieft that change of heart leads to a changed person. Other strong emphases include work ethics, moral standards, as well as learning a trade to earn money when they are released.  We hope with the help of the Lord we can take this program to Honduras.

Over the last couple of months, we have questioned why we were called to Colombia. This program here has been the model for prison reform with Christianity as the central theme for many years. I find myself thinking there seems to be nothing we can do for them. Then God reminds me that my ways are not His ways. And today, as happens each time we enter a prison here in Colombia, we were thanked profusely for coming. Just being there. Just showing up. Just showing interest and enthusiasm and support. And I am reminded that we didn't get sent here by anyone but God. His plan. His purpose.

It happens in Honduras too. It is hard for us to imagine how important it is to those in prisons that someone from the United States would visit. We now can speak a little bit to them too. And that seems to mean so much. They don't judge us if we use the wrong verb tense. They are just happy we are trying. And honored to host us and share with us.

So in the coming months we will be trying to learn more about the APAC program and praying that the Lord will use us to get it integrated in the prisons of Honduras. It seems like a big project, but we remember that nothing is too big for our God and ALL of this has been His idea from the start.

A look back at January in Colombia

Take a look back with Diane at one of the days on their January trip to Colombia. 

Saturday, January 28

This was an amazing day! As always, we were not sure what we were getting into! Monica, our translator and friend, told us it was a three hour trip and it would be hot there. That's all we knew. We did not know they were distributing Samaritan's Purse gifts until we saw them in the back of the four wheel drive vehicle. We should have had a clue from that!! 

We were told that this village was part of the restoration program that Prison Fellowship is involved in. Many villages were destroyed and people were killed by the guerrillas in the drug wars. Some of that still goes on but things are getting better, especially with programs like these. The church that we were in today was destroyed but built back up by a combined effort of the villagers and Prison Fellowship workers. This village is three hours from Medellin. At least two hours of this travel is not on paved roads. They need to use a four wheel drive and even then it is still very dangerous. These roads were far worse than any we have been on in Honduras. Because of this, a missionary family lives there to minister to the village. Pastor Edward's brother and sister in law and their daughter are those missionaries. They are very far from civilization. They do have electricity, running water, or cable so it is still very rustic. They had to get a cat, because the mice were overrunning their house! They carry a large machete to kill snakes when they go out at night!!

When we got there we drove up an unbelievably steep drive to get to the church. We had to back down that same hill when we left!!! 

While we were there, the pastor and his wife sang songs and read a Bible story to the children and parents. Then they passed out the candy we had brought. Then it was time to distribute the gifts. The children were very excited but there was no pushing or anything. They sat in their seats until the presents were passed out. Then they quietly opened them. They even loved looking at each other's presents and there seemed to be no jealousy at all. It was such a special time. 

Then when we were all done we left, backing down the very steep hill to the pastor's house. They all walked up and down, like it was nothing! Once I realized what we were doing I wished I would have walked. Then the pastor's wife served us lunch. It was amazing. They have so little and yet they were sharing with us.

Many of the people in this place do not have cars. They either walk or use horses or mules. It really was like stepping back in time. But they seemed happy and now that they have Jesus, things will be better for them. This is part of the saturation project - the goal of which is for all of Colombia to be presented the Gospel.

Colombia Catch Up

Gary and Diane are safely home from their two months in language school and getting all manner of things straightened up from being out of the country for two full months! While we wait for some current updates, check out the first of two installments of Diane's entries from her travel journal on their January visit to Colombia.

January 25, 2016

Location: Medellin, Colombia

                          Bella Vista Chapel, Bella Vista Prison -

This morning upon arrival at Bella Vista prison, we were processed through security and quickly led deep into the prison where we entered the Chapel area, up a flight of stairs and into a brightly lit corner office where we sat down with five or six inmates and one volunteer from CCC who were chapel leaders among the inmates at Bella Vista prison.

They each in turn offered their testimony regarding where they had come from and how God and the work of Jesus Christ had changed their lives.  Their stories were all deeply moving and inspiring because faith in Jesus Christ had changed their lives completely.  Each of their stories would be a fascinating tale, but the one story which seemed to stand out was that of Javier Mosquera Mosquera.

Javier was one of the largest and blackest men I have ever seen, with a booming voice and an unquenchable enthusiasm.

Javier, who now oversees the chapel ministry, visits the prison each and every day.  As he walked around the prison yards he greeted each and every inmate and correctional officer by name in that booming voice and a large smile.  As he passed, almost without exception, he left smiles in his wake.

It was only later that we heard that he "was a very bad man " in his youth and was feared by many.  He had spent 22 years in Bella Vista prison before being paroled because of the dramatic change in his behavior and outlook on life.  All of this according to and loudly proclaimed by him to be the result of Jesus Christ filling his heart and changing him from the inside out.

Thursday January 26 afternoon

After a long morning at Pedregal prison we were told we were going back to the Prison Fellowship office. There we met Monica again, who has been a translator for us in the past. She is in charge of the Micro Loan programs. This program is for women whose husband or family member is in prison. This makes it difficult for them to earn a living. Prison Fellowship has partnered with the local government of Medellin to provide this money. It is a low interest loan to help them begin a home based business. This way they can raise their families and still earn a living. 

We went with Jason, the government representative and Monica, and a driver who was capable of driving where we were going because where we went it took special driving expertise. We traveled almost to the very top of the poorest hillside communities of Medellin. The roads are paved, but very steep and narrow. And only single lane!! And there were people walking on the road too! Then big busses and trucks would be coming the other direction! It was very scary! They said not many drivers would even go up where we went. The view was amazing. But it was very scary!

The first woman we saw had a sewing business and was thinking of also  starting a beauty salon business. She was asking for advice on what to do. The government representative was someone who was trained in business so he could advise her. She even asked Gary for some advice. I think people think with age comes wisdom!

The second woman was younger and lived with her parents. She had a baby but wanted to open a beauty salon in an area of her house. We were able to be there when they signed the papers for her loan. We prayed with her at the end. It will be very interesting to follow up with these two cases to see the results. 

This is another aspect of Prison Fellowship's community programs that help people in their everyday lives.