Feeding the Lost Sheep in Prison
September 3, 2014
As the population grows in the Philippines and all over the world we now not only face larger numbers of people needing to hear the Gospel of Jesus but also find larger numbers of people falling through the cracks and missing the opportunities of being presented the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is true of the prison population all over the world. Many are in prison because of crimes and living outside the law. Still many are also in prison because of matters of conscience and political and religious persecution. All these folk are still part of the sheep fold of Jesus and need to receive the comfort and salvation He only can provide.
This is one of our motivations for taking our feeding and preaching program for a second time to the prison near where we live. Because of security limitations all the prisoners are not allow in the common area at one time since they number over 300 and there are not enough guards to guarantee safety. This is a low security prison but still maintains a strong discipline since the conditions are very Spartan and often not as secure as they are in the West.
This time we made a meal that could be also taken to the cells for those who could not attend the service. Noemi and Carol made over 500 triple deck sandwiches along with lots of drink mixture. They used over 1,500 pieces of bread, 70 lbs. of fresh chicken breasts and lots of other tasty vegetables and herbs to go in the mixture. The sandwiches filled a large forex jumbo packing box and were individually wrapped for sanitation and flavor. The large bottles of juice were distributed by the staff of the prison taken along with the food to the cells and eating area after the service. This time they requested to pass out the food since the prison is very antiquated and again they are most cautious security wise. They also were somewhat shy about the condition many of these prisoners stay in when not walking around the recreation area which is allowed four times a day for one hour each time.
Darryl saw the sleeping accommodation of most of the male prisoners. They each had a steel bar cage of their own where they could stretch out but not stand up in. They were stacked four high in several large dorms. The women had a dorm to themselves but their numbers were very small compared to the men.
Darryl preached on the “Prodigal Son” and the whole service was upbeat and positive. Noemi led some songs with her niece who is a fourth year student from our Central Philippines Bible College in Cebu. They had some action songs and the prisoners really enjoyed sharing in the song service. We also had prayers of hope and encouragement and Darryl stressed the importance of the Plan of Salvation and the need to repent and let Jesus help us no matter where we are. Some of the prisoners were very young and had to stay there until they had a preliminary hearing. This could be up to several years since the court system is overloaded.
We found the staff very helpful and the Prison Warden attended and encouraged us and thanked the mission as well. We also had some photos taken and they took some photos to share in their national prison magazine of the team and the food. They had a young program director that was part of the prison staff and he invited us along with the warden to come back any time.
Please pray that God will help some of these Lost Sheep come to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Please pray for the people in our region that are now experiencing a rice shortage because of the very late planting of the rice and corn crops owing to the lack of rain.
Please thank God with us for the rain He is currently sending as it is helping people so much following such a long water drought and the damage from Typhoon Yolanda that still plagues many areas around us.
Please pray for Carol and me as we continue to serve the Lord in the Central Philippines of the Pacific Rim! Please pray for our financial needs as our supporters are few but the challenges we face are many.
We thank God for His support and encouragement and for all of you who pray and give so that this work for Jesus can continue to reach the Lost Sheep living in the Pacific Rim!
Serving the Lord in the Central Philippines,
Darryl & Carol Krause
Forwarding Agent:
Mrs. Joanne McKenzie
Pacific Rim Ministries
P.O. Box 323
Weston, Ohio 43569
