Friday January 23, 2009 Visiting the Women's Prison

We went to the women's prison in Tirana. This prison is right in the city of Tirana in the middle of a neighborhood. We were not allowed to take pictures of the facility on the inside except for the room we were in for our meeting with the women.

This was the first time for me to visit a prison, so it was an experience to go through the security and get padded down before entering. It was pouring down rain that day, and the umbrella we had been using broke. We met up with the women we trained last July who work for the prison ministry. In our group was a male pastor, a women from the church brought her guitar to lead worship. So their was 5 of us going in together.

Each of the women have block rooms with doors out into a courtyard. They dress in street clothes and are required to do all of their own laundry. The women who are in this prison are their for a range of issues. We went to a meeting room where they meet each week for worship and a lesson. I think there were around 15 women that came. Some of the women we met were in prison for reasons that was hard to understand. We saw how God had begun to restore these women and how difficult it must be for them. I shared with them Romans 8 where it states "that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ". I could see that God's word never returns void.

Christy had been going to the prison and meeting with these women and when we arrived they were so very happy to see her. The pastor read scripture, we worshiped in Albanian (I must say, not knowing the language in worship, never matters) it was wonderful. One of the women we trained last July did some one to one mentoring during the meeting in front of the group. As i stood there i was overcome, realizing how the training last July was being lived out in front of me in a prison and making an impact in the lives of these women who for some will be locked up for a very long time. I was amazed with what God is doing.

Then Christy spoke with them and she began to weep in saying goodbye. She wanted them all to know how much she loves them and how much God loves each of them. It was beautiful to watch.

As we were leaving, I was reflected on how these women love Jesus and had joy even though they are behind the walls of prison, where they are apart from their children; their families and their homes. Seeing that makes you take a good look at your own heart. The people we went with are amazing and serve these women with the love them like Jesus.