My Time in Prison

One of the great gifts of having this much time in Guadeloupe - 3 and a half weeks - is that there is no pressure to fill my days with touristy things.  I am appreciating the beauty of this island everyday, but this sabbatical trip is not about doing but about being, specifically being with my daughter so I can understand what her life is like as a missionary here.  Since one of her primary ministries is prison chaplaincy, I was excited to get the opportunity to go with her to the prison on two separate occasions.  This was only possible because I am a pastor and Bethany's boss, Jean-Pierre, filled out the paperwork to request a special pass for me.

It is not possible to bring a camera inside the prison so I could only take photos outside.

To enter, I had to turn over my passport and my letter granting me permission to visit as a guest chaplain.  They gave me a temporary badge.  Of course, all this was done in French, with Bethany translating for me.  We passed through a metal detector and made our way back to the women's section of the prison.  This prison houses both men and women, but the women are a small minority - usually less than 20 of them.  As a result, there aren't many services available to the women.  The chaplains - both clergy and laypeople - regularly visit the women and try to advocate on their behalf.  There are also chaplains who visit the men, of course, and Bethany has done this in a different prison on the island during her time here.  But presently, she mainly visits with women.

I won't say too much more about her work because she will be itinerating soon - going around to churches on behalf of Global Ministries to share about her experiences - and I hope you'll get a chance to hear her.  But I was able to witness first-hand what it means to these women (some of whom have few family visits) to have someone who comes to see them, to ask how they're doing, to let them know that God will forgive them, to pray with them.  As Bethany prayed for one of the women, asking God to comfort her and to be with her children, tears streamed down the woman's face.  Some of these women come from neighboring English-speaking islands and are unable to speak French to the guards or the other inmates.  It is a great blessing to hear someone say to them, "You are not alone.  Even here, God is with you."

I have a greater understanding now why Jesus specifically mentioned visiting prisoners in his parable of the sheep and goats (Matt 25:31-46).  Of all the people we want to demonize and dismiss as being "other" and "less than" us, prisoners are the obvious and easiest choice.  After all, we KNOW that they are bad people who did bad things, right? We feel that they deserve what they get, including isolation.  It is part of the punishment for their crime.  But even if the criminal justice systems of the world worked perfectly and innocent people were never sent to prison, we must still see the prisoners as children of God, people created in the image of God.

Prison ministry is difficult and draining.  But Jesus will not let us neglect nor ignore those behind bars.  I am grateful for the chaplains of Guadeloupe - and for all prison chaplains - who go to the places we don't want to go and love the people we don't want to love because Christ compels them.