Juan and I meet together every Thursday while I’m at Monroe to provide pastoral care for inmates through Opening Blind Eyes. I want to share with you the joy Juan shares with me each time we meet.
Juan is thankful that the prison provides him with three meals a day. Let me put this in context for you: When I am enticed by the smell of prison food cooking, I know I must really be hungry. Take the worst school lunch you have ever had, and then think of eating it everyday for the rest of your life. But then, Juan puts this in context for me: He knows that many prisoners in foreign countries often go hungry, unless their family brings them food.
Juan gives thanks for the faithfulness of fellow Christians through the years. On my recommendation, he has been reading books on church history. He has been especially touched by the Romans’ persecution of the early church. Following suit, he remains faithful to Christ in the midst of the persecution he experiences—he has been stabbed twice in prison since leaving his old gang.
Juan is thankful for the change Christ has made in his life. He was a very violent man prior to his conversion, and says he lived like an animal. Juan has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. In an atmosphere where 60% of the prisoners I deal with have been convicted of murder, Juan stands as a beacon of light and hope.
What makes Juan so unusual is the man he has become, and is still becoming. When others disrespect him, Juan pays them back with kindness. When they ask him what he is smiling about, he responds that he is smiling because of Jesus.
I am thankful for the way Juan has responded to the grace of God made manifest in the Messiah, Jesus, by imitating him. It is a privilege to continue to share the good news of Jesus with Juan and as many others as I can.
Will you please prayerfully consider playing a financial role in the ministry to that I may continue? Lately, I’ve been supplementing my income with part time work, in order to make ends meet.
I am thankful for your partnership in the gospel that allows me to minister to men like Juan.