Prison Ministry Trip to Woodman Prison

I have been anxiously waiting for God to give me the words to talk about our experience at the prison on Saturday, April 27th. So much happened that it’s been hard to wrap my mind around it and put it into words and it not come out as a short novel. The truth is though, no words could ever come close to actually being there and experiencing the power of God and the undeniable God moments we experienced. I’ll try my best and I pray that as I write, God will take over my hands and heart and write what He wants you to know.

Our experience really starts on Friday, April 26th. There was a group of nine of us going. Me & Jack, Regina, Debbie, Laci, Ali & Bryan, and Tracy & Paul. Me and Regina had been before, and the rest were all new to the experience of prison ministry. Well, I had only been one other time, so I am still very new as well. To say there were a lot of anxious nerves would be an understatement. If you’ve never been to prison, either as an inmate or doing mission work, you really have no idea what to expect other than movies or tv shows…all of which are not necessarily a good, true depiction of real life. Our minds have a way of blowing things way out of proportion and immediately going to worst-case scenarios. Again…unless you have been there, your mind doesn’t know what to expect.

Leaving our homes was fun. Mother Nature decided to serve up a helping of severe weather, causing tornadoes on the exact route we were all traveling to get to Killeen. I was torn between waiting it out or leaving and trusting God for safety. Well, I trusted God. Come hell or high water…. literally, flash flooding and hail, we were getting to that prison. It poured on us nearly the whole way. The others who had left a little earlier were caught in the middle of it, watching trampolines blow across traffic. We kept going and finally, the storms cleared out and our drive down was uneventful.

After we all made it to the house in Killeen, we went out for dinner, great conversations, and lots of laughs. Once we got back, we sat around the table and I shared a word God had given me about the Samaritan Woman (the woman at the well in John 4:1-47) to prepare us to walk into the prison with nothing but compassion and love as Jesus did for the Samaritan woman, because there are many things inside that go against God’s word. Two of us were able to share our experiences with prison ministry and everyone else got time to ask questions/share concerns. This is the part that gets good. With permission, I get to share a couple of concerns. Ali was concerned about how to respond if someone asked about being gay. The responses we gave was to share what the word says about it, but also follow up with what God says about how we are to treat people. He called us to love and leave the judging to him. We can not deny what the word of God says, but we can love and be the hands, feet, and face of Jesus. Laci shared how she was nervous because she didn’t know what to say or how to start a conversation once she got in there. I assured her she would be in there with me and that when you invite the Holy Spirit in, He will give you everything you need to fulfill the purpose God has you there for. I know this was one of Jack’s concerns too. Being introverted, this experience challenges that to the core. Ali also mentioned she doesn’t pray out loud. I mentioned she could come over to our house sometime and we could practice one on one, then branch out to pray in front of a few more people out loud. Laci also wasn’t comfortable praying out loud. Keep both of those things in mind for a bit later in the story. After we wrapped up chatting, we circled up and I asked everyone to pray out loud.

Saturday morning at the prison we prayed then checked in and were able to sit and talk with two prison guards for a while. They mostly gave us a little breakdown of what to expect, how long they’ve been working there, etc. Some major nerves were going on at this point for some of the newbies, lol. It may not have helped when the check-in guy said he was going to take one of the guys with him to the dungeon 😊. We settled in for the volunteer meeting and then groups. This is where more nerves come in. We all registered to be placed together, but you don’t actually know until you are there and they’re calling names for groups. {Insert anxiety and panic for my introverts and newbies.} Me, Ali, Laci, and Tracy were in one group together and Debbie and Regina were in another group together. All the guys were together in their groups.

Prison time. We parted ways with the guys and left for the Woodman Unit (women) and the Hughes Unit (men). Because we had to line up in alphabetical order, we ended up being split up anyway, but that’s where I met Melissa. Somehow, we started chatting and she said this was her first time and she was a newer believer. We talked about how awesome it would be to attend the baptism service that was going on right then, but they don’t let volunteers attend, because our time is spent inside the pods talking to the ladies there. As we talked, another girl joined us who happened to be at the Hobby Unit back in November when I was there joined in. God began moving and we were able to start ministering right there in line to each other. God immediately connected our spirits and me and Melissa paired up until I found my group.

Once we were in, they let us know that the Warden allowed any of the women to attend the baptism service who wanted to instead of only the ones who had signed up to be baptized. AMAZING because everyone…EVERYONE ended up going, which meant no one was in their pod for us to minister to. So, guess what??? That’s right, God heard and made a way…. we got to attend the baptism service. It was amazing!!! Regina kicked us off by getting out of her seat to love on the ladies as they were coming out of the baptism. She stepped out, praying, and loving. I sat watching Ali looking and looking over there so I finally was like, you can go if you want. I followed, along with Laci. We lined up and hugged wet ladies walking out, congratulating them and wishing them blessings. Some just walked by, most excitedly wanted hugs and some stopped for prayers.

Remember I told you to hold on to something until later in the story…. that time is now. I stood and watched a lady walk up to Ali and ask for prayers. And my girl delivered!!! And then another one, then another one. And one after one, I watched God take over Ali and fill her with boldness, courage, compassion, and love. It was amazing, and I thank God for Him allowing me to witness Him move like that. He took someone who just the night before said she wasn’t someone who prayed out loud to someone who was not only praying out loud but boldly grabbing these ladies up and speaking truth over them! Incredible.  

But GOD. As we stood back at our seats, the lead prison ministry volunteer for Hope City Church came up and asked if we wanted to come baptize the ladies. My chin hit the ground, along with all my things as I just about sprinted up to get some of that! Me and Laci teamed up, Tracy and Ali teamed up, and Regina and Debbie teamed up. Me, Laci, Ali, and Tracy went up first. Ok, this is where things get pretty interesting for me and Laci.

Vulnerable moment here and with the permission of Laci I get to share our amazing God moment.

Everything happened super-fast and it was like rapid-fire baptisms and I got caught up in the moment and completely did not think about asking if the women were saved or think to say “I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”. I guess I just assumed that was being taken care of by the people with mics. I was literally asking them to scoot up if I needed them to and let them know to hold their nose. That’s all I remember saying to them. Well, on the other side of the tank with me is Laci. She and I have never baptized anyone, and she had no idea about the process, let alone what you were supposed to say during it. Once Laci and I got done baptizing our group of ladies, we went over to pray, hug, and love on the ladies as soon as they were baptized. As we were standing there, an inmate came up to be baptized who was deaf. She wanted prayer because a fellow inmate had been prayed for by Mike Barber and was healed of cancer previously, so she was asking for healing over her hearing. We stretched out our hands and all prayed over her, and then she got baptized. Afterward, she and her signer walked right up to Laci and asked for prayer. Remember...Laci also said on Friday night she doesn't pray out loud. Well, as I stood there in awe of God, I intently listened in as she boldly prayed over her. I listened as God filled her with power and courage and all the right words. God moved big. Before I share this next part please hear me when I say this...I am not making light of or making fun of this woman's situation with being deaf. I simply want to share a very personalized God moment Laci had. God not only had her pray out loud, but gave her someone who could not hear if she messed up. He met Laci right where she was, took all she had to offer, and made sure she knew it.

After baptisms we were talking before going into our pod, I realized I did not say any of the things I thought I should have said. I started feeling really bad about it, so I asked the lead ministry volunteer about it. She said it was ok and that God knew my heart. Laci heard us talking about it and was like, “I was repeating what you were saying – Father, Son, Holy Ghost”. Now, remember, she had no idea she was supposed to even say those three things. I told her I didn’t say it and she was like “yes; I was repeating what you were saying.” I asked if it was my voice she was hearing say “Father, Son, Holy Ghost” and she said yes. I asked her that because I thought, well, maybe she heard God telling her to say that you know…He was making sure we had it covered because obviously, I did not have it covered lol. Now, it doesn’t take much to figure out what must have happened here if she did not know to even say Father, Son, Holy Ghost, but heard me in my own voice saying it, even though I have no recollection of saying it. GOD. That’s what happened. There is no logical explanation as to how this happened. Not Christi. Not Laci. BUT GOD. He spoke, apparently through me and using my voice, to speak to Laci and she listened, and God made sure we did not mess these baptisms up.

Now we go into our pods and me and Tracy are immediately drawn to the first table where we meet Sherri and Mary. We sat down with them, and Laci stood by following our lead…because remember, she was nervous on Friday night about starting conversations with the ladies. Everything kind of disappeared in the background at this point for me. I had no idea where Ali went or where she was. As we sat talking with our ladies, the prison guard came over and asked if Laci could go talk to an inmate who was really struggling and upset. Well, Laci went over to where she and another lady were. She walked up to the wrong one and the one she was supposed to talk to got upset and walked off. The guard went over and told Laci that was the wrong girl and pointed her over to Dorothy. BUT GOD. I have to stop to point out the fact that God intervened for Laci and set her up to where someone introduced her to the inmate, so she did not have to have this awkward interaction. God took over and she and Dorothy talked for a while. Our ladies ended up getting up and two new ones sat down. Tracy and I both got some pretty bad vibes from these two. Not judging, but our discernment was on high alert and there was something evil our spirit was picking up in them, especially the one. I won’t write too much about that other than this is why you must have your full armor on when going in here. While God moves mightily, it’s the devil’s playground. They finally got up and Sherri and Mary came back to sit with us. This time, I got to share something God had been showing me for about a week. Sherri had been feeling like her faith was wavering because of her circumstances. And she was struggling with that and how God would see her. I got to share how God showed me that he loves me with no strings attached. The direct word he spoke to me a week or two earlier was a word He spoke into Sherri for that very moment. As God used me to speak life into her, she just started crying and saying that was exactly what she needed in that moment. It was amazing to see God moving, not only through me but in her life too. By this time Laci came back over and sat down on the floor. Shortly after, Dorothy came back over and sat next to Laci and started talking her ear off again. It’s safe to say that God connected their spirits for sure. She needed Laci and Laci needed her that day and God orchestrated it all. It came time to leave for dinner then the tent service, so we said our goodbyes, got to pray with Mary and Sherrie, and went to the chow hall where we got to eat with the ladies.

Ali told us about her experience with her ladies. BUT GOD. One of the girls told her she wanted to be baptized earlier, but because she was gay, she thought God hated her and wouldn’t want that. Remember Ali’s question from Friday night???? She was able to confidently assure her that God wanted her and loved her.

An amazing thing happened through the group Regina and Debbie were in. One of the head volunteers for Mike Barber Ministries ended up leading a male guard to Christ and he decided to get baptized that night after tent service. When we walked up to her dinner table, she told us about it and the only thing I could say was this was a Paul and Silas moment. Getting the prison guard and his whole family saved while they were in prison (Acts16) … one of my favorite stories in the bible and getting to watch it play out in real life was just another blessing from God that day.

When we got our seats at the tent service we sat and watched ladies worshipping God as they had music playing in the waiting. Volunteers were getting down and keeping us pretty entertained. As we stood there waiting for all the ladies to come for the service, Dorothy saw Laci and barreled towards her, scooping her up in a big ol’ hug. She told Laci she saved her life. Laci told Dorothy that she saved her life and that stood embraced bawling because God saved them both. Just another amazing God moment. We saw Sherri and May and ran up, gave them huge hugs, and thankfully were able to say goodbye before we left for the night. Ali found her girls and the one decided she wanted to get baptized. Ali tried to get it to happen at the end of the service, but they told her it had to be approved and they had not got an answer yet, so she had to just tell her to come next time and do it.

The worship music was amazing, and we got to hear the testimony of Avaristo, one of the head volunteers for Mike Barber Ministries and the husband of the lady who led the guard to Christ. He spent 19 ½ years in prison and was a product of his environment…dad, uncles, and family were all in gangs. But he found Christ because of the tough love of his wife and her faith and prayers. Then at the end, the prison guard was baptized. He respected the ladies and treated them well, and because of that, they all stood up and cheered him on as he set an example, giving himself to Christ. It was so moving and so amazing. By this time, me and Laci were just so completely drained spiritually. It was a powerful day where we experienced the presence of God ALL DAY LONG.

We met back up with the guys at the corner gas station. As we sat waiting for everyone to get done, a little car pulled up and the driver jumped out excited to see us. It was Avaristo’s wife. She gave us huge hugs and told us more ladies got baptized after the service…and Ali’s girl was one of them. Another God moment for Ali. God just being God and giving her heart and spirit the comfort it needed knowing God took care of her girl.

My experience this time was completely different from back in November. I had prayed to God Friday night to let him know I did not know what to expect this time, but that I am His and to use me however He wants. My biggest takeaway from this trip was the deep love God has for us. He sat, listening to every word Friday night in the house and he perfected that which concerned us, just as scripture says in Psalms 138:8 (AMP) - The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, endure forever–forsake not the works of Your own hands.

I got a front-row seat watching this play out all day on Saturday. I heard the stories from Jack about how God perfected that which concerned him at the men’s prison. It’s just beautiful and strengthens my faith and love towards God. It also solidified my call to go back to a place to reach people who are thrown away by society. I thank God for the compassion he has given me.  I thank God for the clear vision and purpose of his greatest commandment from Matthew 22:37-40 - Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

I am thankful God leaves the ninety-nine to find the one as in Matthew 18:12-14 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.

And I proudly answer the call God gave me at the prison back in November at Hobby Prison and to Peter in John 21:15-17 - After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

To top it all off, I made a new connection with the lead prison ministry lady from Hope City Church, and she is eager and willing to help me get this thing started for our group. Just one more of the many God moments that happened all day long.

-Christi McLain

Grace Full Valley