A CHANGED LIFE

I was a little nervous, but very excited about the opportunity to take some of our medical volunteers into a prison in Eastern Venezuela. I had seen prisons in other parts of the country and they were very depressing with living conditions that were more than just a little inhuman. I was concerned about how this experience might affect the 2 doctors and one dentist who were part of the volunteer team from the U.S. A Venezuelan Christian who lived in that city had received permission for us to visit the prisoners and offer them medical and dental services and the team knew that there would be divine appointments awaiting us. It was an open door that we felt we must walk through.
We were met at the entrance to the prison by a group of 6 men, all prisoners. These men were Christians. All of them had received Christ since being placed in this prison and you could see the excitement in their faces about meeting Christians from another country. They formed a circle around us and gave us instructions to stay inside their circle of protection as we walked across the courtyard and through several rooms where large groups of prisoners were housed. They walked us into a large cell and literally slammed the door closed behind us. We were definitely in prison. The cell door was locked and these men would stand by our side for protection and assistance, process and filter any patients that were seen by the medical volunteers, and enjoy the fellowship of being with other Christians.
It really was quite organized. These 6 men seemed to have the respect of the other prisoners and they kept things moving orderly and peacefully. The only prisoners allowed in the cell were those being attended to at that moment by the doctors and dentist. I was translating for the dentist and my assistant/protector was a prisoner named Alfredo. During the course of the day, I found myself becoming very attached to him. He was one of the kindest men I had ever met. His instructions to the other prisoners were given in such a gentle, caring tone that their harshness and hardness would be defused almost immediately.
Alfredo and I talked together almost constantly for the 8 hours we were in the prison. There was only one other translator in the cell with us so I was called upon at times to talk to some of the men who had spiritual questions. Alfredo never left my side. Our medical team did an incredible job that day of taking care of medical and dental needs and of sharing the love of the Lord. Many of the men wanted to hear their testimonies and why they would be willing to come into a Venezuelan prison. One of the men was so moved by the testimony of our American dentist who worked non-stop and never took a break that he prayed to receive Christ as his Savior. Our dentist pulled 69 teeth that day. 21 prisoners prayed and gave their hearts and lives to Jesus.
As the day ended and all the patients were seen, we had a wonderful prayer time with our 6 protectors who were now close brothers in Christ. We wept together knowing that we would probably not see each other again until heaven. Alfredo and I held on to each other for a long time as we prayed for each other. It was a very emotional good-bye.
It’s really not that unusual to meet a sweet-spirited, kind, gentle man. However, you might not expect to meet such a man in a Venezuelan prison. The last thing Alfredo said to me before the guards walked us out of that prison was, “I hope you remember my name.”
Before leaving, we met with the prison officials for coffee and to thank them for giving us permission to visit the prisoners. It dawned on me that I had no idea why Alfredo had been sent to prison. He never offered the information and I never asked him as we visited that day. I asked one of the guards if he could tell me about Alfredo. He told me that Alfredo had killed 7 men. He had killed 4 of those while in prison. The last one had been decapitated and his head had been placed on the guard’s desk. The guard continued by saying, “About two years ago, Alfredo became very religious and since then he has been a changed man.”
I’m thankful that the only Alfredo I know is the one who was radically changed by the power of God’s salvation…the kind, gentle, tenderhearted Alfredo.

· Pray for the Spirit to lead you to those who need Him most. Pray for the
brothers and sisters in Christ whom you will meet and encourage. Remember their names.

· “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)