It was 94 degrees on a Thursday
afternoon, with no AC in my vehicle, as I was driving to Baker
County, an hour away from home sweet home. I would be departing for 4
days, which included Father's Day weekend. The reason: to visit a
bunch of inmates at the Baker Correctional Institution with the men
from the Kairos Prison Ministry.
In all honesty, I had my share of
doubts volunteering for this prison ministry. For once, when I
attended the training, I realized that I was the youngest in my team.
Most of them were gray-haired retirees. Being 33 would make that a
compliment. But, not used to it. I even begged my friends to come and
join. Knowing the Lord wanted me there, I just kept showing up.
So, as I kept driving on I-10 West, I
really didn't know what to expect. I got to my hotel and into the
front desk, where I rang the bell.
“Hold on a minute. I'm working on
something here.” said a raspy voice.
“Sure,” I replied.
This tall woman appeared, with a
serious look. “What do you need?”
“I need my room, please. Name is
Mauricio Belgrano with the Kairos Prison team.”
“Oh. That's right.” She handed me
a sheet. “Sign here for me.” I noticed another name under the
same room number.
“I get to room with...John.”
“Yes. Need his key too?”
“No. I don't even know the man.”
She gave me the concerned look. I continued with, “Well, if this man turns out to be a
serial killer, then at least I'll be meeting Jesus this weekend.”
I made her smile. She gave me my key
and I left to my room. The place was no Ritz Carlton or King David's
Citadel in Jerusalem, where I'd stayed at before for business
purposes. The bathroom smelled like mold. I kept smelling myself
after showering in the bathroom, just to make sure it wasn't me. At
least, the bed was quite cozy.
I received a phone call from the
person, who was supposed to take me to the prison. He was running
late, and couldn't take me there anymore. Great, I just took a cool
shower! I have to get back into the mobile sauna, again. I was
prepared with directions in case something like this happened.
When I got there, things just weren't
going according to plan. The name tags weren't made. The leader
didn't show up on time. They seemed to be under a lot of stress. I understood the
pressure of running a ministry with people “volunteering”. I led one, myself. So, I offered to help with the name tags to ease their
burden.
Things moved slowly through out
the rest of the day until we met with the inmates. The Kairos men and
I formed two lines, facing each other to welcome the inmates, as they
entered the chapel with enthusiasm. That's right! Enthusiasm. They
weren't begrudging, serious, bored, nor angry. They were...happy.
They walked in peacefully, acting like...well, brothers in the Lord.
They shook my hand and welcomed me with a hug. Then, we were divided
into our table teams. There I was...sitting in front of 6 inmates:
Willie (Will-I-Am), Rex (T-Rex), David (Cookie Monster), Ryan Word,
Shelton, and Russell.
We put in
about a 12-hr shift. By the time we got done, some of us went
to eat at Ralph Klein's house, a rustic home found in the middle of the woods of Glenn St. Mary, where bears stroll around. Ralph was a 60+
year-old man, very jolly. He reminded me of a short, Santa Claus. The
food was amazing! And, I got to know the men better. They were a
funny mix. Sitting around the large, country-style table, I
looked at their hairy ears, big noses, and balding heads. The whole
scene reminded me of The Hobbit movie. We didn't get to our rooms
until ten and I didn't get to bed to about midnight. The longest hours I slept one day was 6. My energy level
was not the best, but I kept pressing forward.
We spent most of the time learning
from each of the table leaders. My table leader was a very loud, yet
kind-heart man, named Jim Corbett. You can assume that he's been in
the military by his assertive attitude and firmness in leading the
pack. He was quite encouraging. He told me how I was very good at
engaging conversation with the boys, and making them feel
comfortable. With all the crazy dancing during worship, mocking the
old Bishop, who reminded us of the old man in Pixar's “Up”, and
my surfer “Californians” impersonations, I just wonder why they
would?!
“Just keep in mind to lead by
example. They will follow your lead. Not sure if you are doing this, but don't get up during the
sessions, unless you really need to go.” he said.
“I really did needed to go...all 29
times.” Of course, he laughed. I...was serious.
The food in prison was repulsive.
Everyone dreaded to go to lunch and dinner. The place we ate in
smelled like a wet mop that swept over the dirtiest part of the NYC
sewer system. It was hot and humid there, making the smell five
times worse. But, because the inmates thought it to be an honor to
“break bread” with us, we did it. That had to be agape love.
Seriously. The only tasty things were the fruit and vegetables. The
rest of the food looked like processed roadkill-to-go. It's edible,
but without seasoning. So, when Saturday came, and we surprised the
inmates with BBQ meals, they were excited...so was I. After eating a
lot of cookies that the ministry provided and giving us constipation,
it was time for a dietary change. David devoured most of our cookies
on the table (hence: the nickname, Cookie Monster).
“You know how certain smells trigger
your memory?” asked T-Rex. We all nodded our heads nibbling on bones. “From now on, when I'm eating BBQ, this is what I will
remember. Agape Love, that the men of Kairos showed me.” I just
stared at him, really thinking about what he said. Really, think
about it. One common meal just impacted someone for as long as he
lives.
Then, came time to share the letters.
It was time for all the volunteers to exit the room.
I asked myself, “Why?” They just
wanted to give them privacy. In case they needed to cry. I sneaked back
in to see what was going on.
One of the leaders stopped me, “Get
back over there.”
“Just making sure this wasn't a FEMA
camp... That's all.”
When we gathered together again, they were of few words. So, I thought to myself, “The letters were
a bit too much!” Who was I kidding? Near the end of the retreat,
the men had the opportunity to share comments in front of the podium
after receiving their certificate for attending the retreat. The guys
in my team, St. Stephen, went up and talked, followed by the rest of
the men. Most had tears running down their eyes. As I turned around
to look at everyone in the audience, I ran across more tears. They
praised everything we did for them, from the cookies, the BBQ, and,
even, the letters. Yes, the letters. Most of the volunteers brought
their families to experience the transformation that the Lord had
made on that weekend. With 70% of men in prison without a father, it
was no wonder these men felt the power of affirming from the Kairos
men, young or old. The Lord led me to encourage the two younger guys,
Rex and Willie. I walked up to them, and I said, “I'm so proud of
you, guys.” We shook hands and gave a hug. They asked me if I would
be back at the follow up weekend. I gave them the polite Christian
answer, “I'll pray about it.” I then laughed and told them that I
would. So, I'm keeping my word. I will be back in a couple of
weeks.
Sometimes, it does take sacrifice to
be the hands and feet of Jesus. Nevertheless, as I
began to set foot outside of Baker Correctional, I looked back at the
men and saw no difference between us, except for the blue uniforms
they wore. We all laughed...we all learn. We all carried secrets to
confess. As I looked forward, I saw the men at Kairos,
getting into their vehicles.Most of them were fathers, giving of
their time, energy, finances, and talent. Definitely, a sacrifice
that if most Christians did, would impact this city in its entirety.
I challenge you to make that sacrifice.
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