El Prision

Let's go back a few weeks...seeing as nothing new has been posted on this blog for a while :(.

On the way to Antigua and Guatemala City....travelling north from here (Guazacapan) there lies a city by the name of Esquintla. It is about one hour or so away from home. On the outskirts of this town is a prision....el prision... by the name of 'Canada'. I wonder who named the prision??

Going back about 7-8 years this place was called 'Little Hell' by the rest of the country. It was known to be the most violent and detestable prision in all of Guatemala. The most violent and dangerous offenders were sent here and many who were on death row lived within its walls. Around this year marker (7-8 yrs ago) a bunch of prisioners escaped. The entire country was shut down to find these men. I am honestly not sure if they were found and if they were they were likely executed.

Because of these events which affected the country at large doors began to open into the prision "Canada". Before this time the prision was quite closed to having a lot of outsiders come in and work with the inmates. The doors sprung open and the prision officials were allowing Christian ministries to come in and minister the life of Jesus Christ to the inmates. I can not imaging what it must have been like walking into "little hell" as some of the first men and women of God went in to share the truth of eternal life with these men.

Fe Viva, the ministry I am working with, is one of the ministries that went in those years ago when the penial system was crying out for help. We went in, preached the truth of Jesus Christ, saw many lives changed and transformed and then a Bible college was established. In the last seven or so years...this place once known as little hell has been transformed. There are still many in the prision that are hardened and want nothing to do with God, but there has been such a change that the prision allows foreign groups, such as us, to come in and minister and work with the prisioners.

A few weeks back - I experienced the prison called Canada. Hey - I had no idea I could get home in one hour :) In all seriousness - knowing what kind of place this used to be and then entering it myself....God is real and He is so powerful that He can change a person's heart who has been sentenced to life for murder into being a sincere servant of God who loves all those who hate him. We experienced this the day we went. We went to share with the Fe Viva Bible College students - of which there are over 100 ranging from inmate to the prision secretary and other top officials. This is only the Lord who can break down such barriers!

We shared our drama, about how Jesus can break every bondage that holds us back....we also lead them in worship in Spirit and truth and had a time of hearing testimonies. I was so blessed to be able to share a message from the Word of God with the students. They were so receptive and eager to learn from the Word. We talked about how God alone can make us new - into creatures that have never existed before. The new life in Jesus Christ - the life of freedom which our past and the devil would want us to forget we have in Christ. It was a powerful time in the Holy Spirit. Some commented that they had steam coming out of their ears by the time we were about to pray together. It was such a blessing and I can say that there is more fire of God in those men then I have seen in many people in Canada. The love of Jesus could be felt among them - it was so refreshing and a great gift to see what God can and wants to do in every one of our lives. These men had more hope than every person I have seen in the world that lives without Jesus Christ in them.

Just want to share with you all that I am honoured to be able to go into a prision, called Canada, to serve the men there with the Word of the Lord and in the love of Christ.

God's love is amazing and real - I want to share it with you all today, so I pray that whatever situation you are in, whatever kind of standard of life you think you live in - I want you to know that without the life of God, found in Jesus Christ you are the poorest person on earth. Truthfully with out a living relationship with Jesus (that does not mean dead religion) you are destined to spend eternity separated from God, in hell. THe reason we deserve hell is because each of us has sinned in our life because of the nature of mankind and God, who is 100% perfect, can not be near sin. God is just, however, and He has given us the choice to choose life or death. Choose life as so many of the prisioners in Canada have - life that is found only in Jesus Christ. Even though they may die physically soon - they have a hope for eternity that will never fail. There is a lesson to be learned from them all.

Let God embrace you, heal you and make you into the man or woman that He has made you to be - ask Him to forgive you and save your soul and change you to be like Him. He will do it, if you ask and believe in Jesus' name. This is the love of God, that while we were yet sinners, God sent His Son into the world to die for us at the right time. Whatever prision you are in today - God can set you free in your heart and that will overflow into all areas of your life. This is my desire for each reader today! That you might know and believe the one and only true God.

With His love,
Allison