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Saturday, May 3 , 2003
Hello to everyone!
What a busy but fruitful time we have had during our first week here in South Africa ! Stephen and I have led well over 75 South Africans in the sinner's prayer since we arrived! The people over here are so open to the gospel! They listen very attentively! Even in the prison cells, approximately 95% of the 40-65 prisoners in each cell gather around the accordion/harmonica and chalk talk and listen attentively without interruption or distraction. I have rarely seen this kind of alertness and attentiveness in the United States . On Wednesday, James and I went into the prison while Stephen prepared ahead chalk backdrops in the Young's garage. James' voice was still not well so I did all of the preaching. I started out with a few songs on the accordion and harmonica to fire things up a bit, and then was able to preach even without any chalk visuals for almost an hour in each cell with the complete attention and participation of the prisoners!
Since then Stephen and I have been preaching together in the cells. So far, I have felt that our being together is most effective since I can begin with the preaching and a short sermon while Stephen sets up his easel; then I pray while Stephen preaches. I also often provide "accountability" to the rest of the room and periodically run down and invite a couple of the men who tend to stand on the sidelines not completely participating. For example, in one cell today four men/boys were just behind Stephen's easel persisting in a game of dominos. With just a subtle word of encouragement, they pulled away and joined the rest of the men sitting before Stephen. They were not completely attentive during the first half of the drawing, but by the end of the second half, they were fully attentive, and at least one of them accepted Christ!
On Thursday night, we also did a service at the local "Arch of Refuge" (a men's homeless shelter). We had a tremendous response to the gospel there. For the sake of the length of this already somewhat long e-mail, I will have to tell you the details some other time! Here are the "gory details" of the prison you have been waiting to hear about. Let me describe the prison to you in order to calm some of you who have expressed such concern about our safety. Then again, maybe the Lord will prompt you to pray more fervently for the prisoners and us! :-)
We begin at 8:30-9:00 am in the prison, after the prisoners have finished breakfast. We begin by showing our pass at the main gate. We then enter the prison "compound" which is enclosed with high walls that are covered with barbed wire. After entering two additional large barbed wire gates, we finally get to the main office of the prison. Here we are required to sign in. Then, a ten foot high, 3" thick, steel door is opened for us using a very large steel key. We proceed down a couple of hallways to another large exterior steel gate. Inside each of these gates are the large prison cells that house the 15-22 year old prisoners. These cells are organized four to a building. The buildings are like large, one-level brick barns with two sides exposed to the courtyard in each cell. There are barred windows that line the two sides of each cell. You enter the buildings through a large iron gate. The four cells inside open into a hallway that runs the width of the building. These cells are each about 3/4 the size of our church's Fellowship Hall. They usually house around 40-50 prisoners each, but in a few of the cells that we have been in, I have counted over 64 inmates!
Usually there is a few minute wait until a guard is able to open the actual cell door. He then locks us in the cell until we call to let him know that we are finished although it sometimes takes a few shouts over the process of 5-8 minutes in order to get the warden's attention :)! It is amazing how safe one can feel behind all these walls of protection! I guess I now better understand what it means when the Bible says that the Lord is our sure wall of defense! You cannot be in a safer place as a Christian than in the center of the Lord's will for your life!
As soon as we are secure within the cell :-), I introduce Stephen and myself and then begin playing "Nothing but the Blood" on my accordion. This works wonderfully to gather the prisoners from all four corners of the cell and from the adjoining bathroom/shower room. Down either long sidewall, and down the center of these rectangular shaped rooms are steel bunk beds with a simple pad of foam for a mattress. The prisoner's begin sitting around on the bunks at the one end of the room where we are. (The men/boys normally sleep two to a single bunk, so there are about twice as many prisoners in each cell as there are beds.) Usually, of their own accord, the inmates organize the bunks as seats around the front of me and sit four or five to a bed. Normally we preach to 30-60 men/boys per cell, depending on the size of that particular cell. So far, we have found 90%-95% of the prisoners in each cell on average to be flawlessly attentive and alert. Those who do not participate sit quietly at the far backside of the room and do their own thing. I have not "been mouthed off at" by any of the prisoners since we arrived! According to Small Paul, their culture/school system does implant in them a greater respect for authority in general than what our school system in the United States does. This helps to make them open hearers for the gospel! They truly are a "captive audience" as well!
These are almost all black fellows. Many of them have scars and skin disorders that are quite obvious. It is not uncommon to see 16 year old boys who have tattoos on their foreheads, arms, necks and legs. It is even less uncommon to see gross scars across their faces and eyes that are the remnants of past fights and crimes. Almost all of the prisoners are missing their six front teeth! Often they have in past months or years had their gang number tattooed somewhere on their bodies or wrist.
It is amazing how much "order" there appears to be in each cell. This is ultimately due somewhat to the gang domination. The prison has three basic gangs. Those in "gang 28" are the sexually active sodomites/fornicators/rapers, and those in "gang 26" are those not a part of the first gang but who specialize in crimes of all other sorts. They especially pride themselves in thievery. The third gang is "gang 27." James says that he does not know of any at this time who pride themselves in being a part of this gang. They are the gang who specialize in murder.
Then anyone who does not claim part in either of these gangs is called a "Franz". They make up less than 10% of the total prisoners. Aside from this, there are no gang associations by those in the "Christian cells" that are beginning to form.
James is in the process of preparing a video testimony of one of the x-convicts that was saved about six years ago and is now working with the prison ministry. The man has quite a story, and James has a lot of video footage in the prison that will help you to visualize the above scene.
Do you get the picture?
Now, imagine preaching to this crowd of young men, deep inside this prison, all gathered around you, sitting silently in front of you on the floor and bunks giving you their full and usually undivided attention! In light of all the facts that I have just related to you, this may seem like a total contradiction; but it is absolutely true! Many of them have never heard the gospel before. Normally between 5 and 20 of the men respond to the gospel in each cell! The fields are truly white with harvest here in South Africa ! Some of these young men are in prison for months waiting for trial. Yet, on the other hand, one fellow who accepted the Lord on Wednesday, just arrived the previous Monday for steeling a wallet and was released today. It scares me that fellows like this will learn/see more evil in prison than they knew before they came. There is potential for a lot of corruption, especially at night when the prison guards on duty are far less.
Stephen and I have led many prisoners to the Lord, and are always careful to emphasize that the proof of their genuine conversion will be seen in their changed lives before the other prisoners and their families. Jesus said "by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples; if ye bear much fruit." The apostle John also pointed out the necessity of repentance for conversion when he said, "by this we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, 'I know Him,' and keepeth not His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in Him." Small Paul is currently about to finish a revised version of his book on the necessity of repentance for genuine conversion which also should help in this realm.
After leading men in the sinner's prayer, and telling them about the Great White Throne Judgment, I also teach them about the implications of the Judgment Seat of Christ as well and point out the importance of living our lives according to the Word of God and in light of eternal rewards. Just before we leave the cell, we often conclude our time by all singing "Oh When the Saints Go Marching In." They seem really to love this song. Many of you have heard my harmonica rendition of this tune. They love to clap over here with everything they sing, and this song can be made to lend itself well to a form of clapping that is appropriate and fun :)!
There are usually a few Bibles in every cell. I normally ask for those who are already Christians in each cell, and have a Bible, to offer to read their Bibles to others in the cell so that they can all come to a fuller knowledge of God. Please pray for God to give fruits worthy of repentance in the lives of those who have, at least outwardly, responded very openly to the gospel.
On the home front, Mrs. Young is determined to find a way to give us culture shock while we are here! Last night she served us ostrich for the main course, and "snot balls" for dessert! I will describe them to you in a future e-mail. :-). Stephen will also have to tell you about his "demon exorcism" request out at the homeless shelter. We have also seen the light-hearted side of Small Paul since we have been here! He and Mrs. Young can truly be crack-ups and joke tellers at times! They all got quite a laugh out of the way Stephen and I each worded things in an amusingly backward way during our preaching at the homeless shelter last night. It was subtle enough, though, that I do not think that any of the Africans caught on to it (luckily!).
Please Pray for...
1. That they would show signs of genuine repentance to their fellow inmates and the guards. 2. That they would read their Bibles 3. That God would protect those new Christians in the cell from the habits and sins of their fellow inmates. 4. That they would not only admit the evil of their criminal lifestyle to us and the Lord but also to the courts when required to honestly do so. 5. That God would work in the lives of their families at home. In some situations there is no one to provide for their wives and families. 6. That God would protect the younger and weaker boys who are also cell members from having their minds contaminated by gross immorality and evil.
In Christ's Service and Loving it! Charles and Stephen Wesco
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