Going to Prison in Cameroon

 

I spent a few days doing Prison Ministry in two different cities. What an eye-opener.  The first prison we went to had men and women together in the general population and that was interesting. The ministers I went with have been doing prison ministry here for many years and they plant churches inside each prison complete with a Pastor who is also an inmate.

This kind of blew my mind because I have done work in jails at home and I know how there is a tendency from the inmates to say what they think you want to hear. This can be for various reasons but usually they know that you can’t come in without providing “stuff” for them and they want whatever you have so they can say or do just about anything to get what you have. 

I was pleasantly surprised when we visited Akonolinga prison. The Pastor inside (Pastor Elam) has been incarcerated for 11 years of a 15 year sentence for murder. During his testimony he said that when he drank he had the strength of 12 lions and was as mean as all of them hungry. He told us that when he first met Pastor Emmanuel and Pastor Patrick, he didn’t believe that they had anything to offer him. Soon after one of their visits, he accepted the Lord in his cell and asked him to take away his taste for alcohol. When he told the other prisoners that he had accepted Christ as his Savior they didn’t believe him and they even tried to provoke him to fight and drink. The other prisoners soon saw a change in him and they could not believe what they saw. I myself could not believe that the man before me who was so humble and peaceful could have behaved this way. When we were leaving the warden called to tell the guards not to allow us to leave until he could make it from a meeting. When we finally were able to talk with him, he told us that he has never hated a man other than Pastor Elam before his life changed. He told us of all the trouble he caused and how he threatened the staff and would fight with anyone. He now loves this man dearly and can see what a difference people are with the Lord. This is a wonderful testament to what God can do in the life of an individual.

We had a “normal” church service. Worship, testimonies, prayer and the Word. When we finished we had 55 new converts. I pray that they made real decisions and have a bright future in the Lord. Pastor Emmanuel and Pastor Patrick come to the prison monthly and in the meantime they disciple the inmate Pastors via mail and the telephone. I was able to pray with women who requested prayer and spend some time hearing the stories of various women who were incarcerated.

After we finished our ministry we dealt with some of the physical needs. We brought soap, feminine hygiene products, rice, oil, bread and a chocolate spread similar to Nutella as a treat. It was well received. Prisoners here are fed one meal a day with the cheapest food available. None of their other basic needs are met by the government. If they don’t have family to bring them necessities, they just have to do without. It’s very different from our penal system in America.

It was a moving day. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed prison ministry. I plan to continue going once a month to work with the women in the future. Men usually go to minister and they can’t talk with the women like we can so there is a great need.

Continue to pray for me here. I have about a month to go. God has blown my mind and continues to do so on a daily basis. I’m so grateful to all of you and for your believing in me to do God’s work around the world. Remember that you are a part of all that is going on here.

Blessings.