“For it is written in the Law of Moses: ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.’ Is it about oxen that God is concerned? “- 1 Corinthians 9:9

So heres the game plan. We go to South Africa, we go into prison and we share the good news of Jesus Christ to men who have never heard his story. We will break down barriers, convict hearts, chase the agents of satan back into their shadows and leave the prison filled with the light of our glorious God.

And then I met Mario. Mario is a quiet man, his english is proper but slow. He holds his head high and he looks you in the eye when he speaks to you (a rare trait amongst the prisoners). He speaks openly about his three life-sentences, eager to discuss the peace he has in his heart.

He began by telling me his testimony, a testimony that is his alone to tell. I looked into the eyes of a man who had danced with his demons and then found himself in a cell with them. He had run from God with commendable endurance and encountered the Lord on his death bed. He got out of bed the day after being told that the Lord would heal him, against all explanation from the doctors. He turned his head towards the cross and began to walk. His walk grew into a jog as he began to study theology and distanced himself from his past life. His jog grew into a run as he began to share the Lord in prison. Today, his run is a sprint.

I went into my conversation with Mario with no idea whom I was sitting down with. I expected to share Jesus, and instead had Jesus shared with me. I expected to quote scripture, instead I had it quoted to me. I expected to tell the story of Paul, instead I found Paul himself, sitting in an orange jumpsuit across from me.

So hows the game plan look now? It seems that Jesus has already begun all the things we meant to do. It seems we are not alone, rather sitting down at a table of veterans, ready to learn and ready to serve. The name of Jesus Christ echoes through the halls of the South Africa prisons, barriers have been broken down and hearts have been convicted. So that is where we begin…

Walking ahead, hands in front of us, fingers trembling though they may be.

D.M.