ENSINDA PRISON

Yesterday was Monday.  Wednesday early we leave for the USA.  The plan was to use Monday as a day to go inside Ensinda Prison and preach to the inmates.  We were to be "picked" at 8:30 and taken to the facility.  At around 10:00 we finally saw our transportation and began our journey.  Time means something different here than at home.  As we traveled across this small country I was given a sheet of paper comprising what I was asked to include in my sermon.  The sheet made it clear that I was to talk about remembrances of the horrors of the genocide, God's forgiveness, and our response.  The month of April is a national day of remembrance for the genocide and I was to speak to the offenders.  Amazing!

Ensinda is a large facility.  As it turns out it contains the most serious offenders, some from other countries, but mostly genocide offenders from Rwanda.  These are the prisoners I have read about, the ones on the front lines of the unimaginable events of seventeen years ago.  We met in an office with the prison director and his staff for a few moments, then proceeded into the meeting area where I had found myself a year ago.  Change was evident.  The prisoners were now allowed to wear their own clothing; there was a sound system and keyboard together with two microphones.  Guma, my quiet and meek handler for the last two years, took one of the microphones and began to work the crowd.  The next thing I knew he was shouting, waving his arms, and receiving the same response from the crowd.  Many of the exchanges included the words, "amen" and "alleluia" ...so I knew generally what was taking place.  After a few moments, he began to beckon the audience to join him in an area below the stage.  They then began to dance together praising God and shouting together their devotion.  What a sight.  Needless to say this white man learned some new dance steps.

I have thought of myself as a fair communicator.  What was communicated to me yesterday, among other things, is humility and that I have a lot to learn about spiritual communication.  I was not satisfied that I successfully gave a message to my audience.  But perhaps that wasn't important.  I received a lot.  What I was given was an amazing amount of love, appreciation and acceptance.  If I am to communicate with folks like this I really need to be much less focused on the content of what I say and much more on the spiritual happening of which I am only a small part.  In any event, I am very grateful for the experience of being ministered to by these transformed lives.  We had brought a sack full of reading glasses and another with pens.  They gave a cheer when told they would have them to read their Bibles with.  We then began looking into possible places where Bibles could be acquired for them and may have found that the Gideon's society will provide them.

Today we give our goodbys to Pastor Deo, his staff, Aristote, the young lawyer in the Parliament, Steven, the young man who ministers to the women victims of AIDS, and others.  I will be present when the President of Burundi addresses the East African Congress.  It should be an interesting event.  Then we begin the long journey home. 

See you soon!

dlm