Working at the various prisons here in Malawi, I have witnessed many of the challenges that these men and women inmates face on a daily bases. Lack of food & water, overcrowding, sickness and the belief that they have been forgotten by family. At times, it can be overwhelming.
But that is not the whole picture.
Too often there is the draw to focus too much on the negatives and in doing so miss the positives and the reasons to celebrate (disagree??? turn on your nightly news). Recognizing this, I though it would be wise to share some of the ‘good news’ stories happening in the prisons. Here are three ‘highlights’ of the past 2 months… in no particular order…
Christmas Distribution
Thanks to the incredible generosity of Canadians, $10 595 was sent by International Ministries (over $5000 of which was supplied by our home church Paris Presbyterian Church) for the purchase of bed mats, soap and blankets. It was moving to see the excitement and the appreciation of those men and women who received – the photo above are some of the inmates at Chichiri Prison trying them out for the first time. Thank you for the honour of giving your incredible gifts! In my message at each prison I spoke of how hopefully these gifts not only assist in their physical needs but act as a reminder that they are not forgotten. ( I will be blogging more on this in the next week or so when we wrap up the distribution).
Grammy Awards
Not sure if you are planning to watch the Grammy Awards ( Feb 15), but there will be a bit of Malawian flavour this year. A band from Zomba Prison has been nominated in the category of ‘Best World Music’ for their album ‘I have no everything here’. This past December, I had a chance to hear the band live while we were distributing bed mats. Now tell me that is not Good News!!! here is a link to an article http://fusion.net/story/242660/zomba-prison-project-malawi-grammy/
Early Release
The New Year brings the hope of Presidential Pardons. This year, the President pardoned 225 prisoners granting them early release. I happened to be at the prison on the morning when it occurred. One of the inmates that I have had a chance to get to know well was one of the inmates who was released. I saw him 15 minutes after he was told of the good news. He had a few minutes to pack up his stuff and then we cut the Bible Study short so he could bid farewell. It would have been impossible to wipe the smile off his face! What I found really cool, was that all of the other inmates were so happy for him.
‘give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus’
(1 Thessalonians 5:18)
These words written by the Apostle Paul are hard to live out if I only ever focus on the negatives and difficulties in life – so in the midst of the challenges I need to look for the Good News. A lesson that I am continually being reminded of during my time here in Malawi.
-Joel-
Chichiri Prison gathering
Makande Prison
