Mansmense in die Tronk
For two years I am involved in Prison Ministry, where I work with men.
I started doing it, to create some balance in working with men and women.
But Prison Ministry brought me so much more!
* In the beginning I was shy. Sometimes I prayed or I shared short. I was always nervous and hoped it was over soon. But over the years I really learned to preach in prison with passion and joy! I was stimulated by my co-workers who were believing in me.
One day, when I stand for a big group, I will share that I learned to preach in prison! :-)
* In my work with the women in prostitution I see they are imprisoned by their addictions, by the lifestyle, by their past. In prison I learn a lot about what it practical means to be 'behind bars', because I can see it and I can ask the guys about it. I learn such a lot. I can better understand now what it means to be 'behind spiritual bars'.
Biblestudy
I sometimes feel really sad we cannot make pictures movies of the times we spend with the guys in prison.
The guys are amazing! Sometimes we have a full band (Guitar, drum, keyboard, guys who are singing over the microphone.) They worship with passion and are very good musicians! Sometimes the worship is better than in church!
Weekly we do Bible Studies with the guys as a team. Sometimes I go in alone as well, when team members need to be somewhere else. I don't mind anymore. The group of guys we minister to is between 10 and 30 people. (different seasons)
We work with a curriculum, so we can go deep into a subject. One curriculum is 'Identity'. We teach the guys what it practically means to have a new identity in Christ. Another curriculum is 'Relationships', where we speak about Love and Respect and how to build better relationships in their lives.
We also get space to prepare an own studies. I love that, because you can really respond on topics that are actual in the group. I like to teach in a way that everyone get something out of it, no matter if someone is christian for 10 years, or was never in church before. (Most of the time we have them both in the group!)
Important is that we always try to make it interactive. The guys share their stories. They ask good questions. (One of them asked me recently the question: Can we loose our salvation? We did a study about that topic as well!) We have beautiful conversations. Sometimes you see a light bulb switches on. Sometimes you really see that someone start thinking for the first time about a certain thought. They enjoy these programs from the outside. It makes their lives a little less boring.
Background of the guys
A lot of guys grew up in broken families, in broken communities, where their father was absent.
From a young age they are on their own and they want to belong somewhere. In Cape Town you have lots of gangs, where I will write more about on this page. They got slowly involved in Drugs Abuse and Crime, to belong by a gang. Often they go in and out of prison.
One guy wanted to give his testimony for this website. You will find it here.
Prayerwalks
Hope Prison Ministries also often organizes Prayerwalks through different Prisons. I was a few times in Pollsmoor Prison. What an experience. With a band in front, we walk through the hallways, while prisoners are stretching their hands through the bars to receive prayers and encouragement. If you are living in Cape Town and you would like to join on one of these Prayerwalks, you can contact me and I will refer you.
Restorative Justice
A special program we do in prison is Restorative Justice. A program where the guys really learn about the consequences of their crime, how it affects the victims and their families. They are forgiven, but how can they deal with these consequences? I am looking forward to get more involved in this program as well. I joined recently one of the meetings and I see the power it has to change lives. And we get coffee and cookies during this program. Nice to really share a meal together.