Cebu Prison in November of 2013
One of the stories I would like to pass along to all of you is about the largest prison in the Philippines located in Cebu City Philippines. The prison is mostly made up of murderers and people caught in human trafficking. The prison has a population of about twenty-five hundred men and women. Most of the prisoners are men. There are only about ninety to a hundred women and all the rest are men.
Some years ago, YouTube had a video that went viral called the Dancing Prisoners and they were dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller. Those prisoners were the ones who were dancing. Every day they have exercise time and they all line up and dance to the music for about thirty to forty minutes as a group. If you ever get a chance go to YouTube and check it out, you will be amazed.
The pastor that oversees the entire prison ministry was himself a prisoner for thirty-three years for killing his wife. It was a few years into his sentence when the authorities discovered that he did not commit the murder and they went to release him. The pastor said that he did not want to go because he had started the church in there and they needed him there to assure the church would survive and grow. So, they allowed him to stay and he grew the church from about forty men to over a thousand. In 2012 he was released from prison and he turned the inside ministry over to another pastor that he had trained up to take over the ministry.
The new pastor, also a prisoner, had been there for thirteen years also for killing his wife. He is serving a forty year sentence but he says that the ministry is the thing that keeps him going. In the bible it tells the story of Joseph who had been thrown into prison and Pharaoh had made him overseer of the entire prison and the prisoners. This pastor who now leads the church inside the prison is called the governor and he is a Joseph. Nobody does anything unless they check with him first. He is very well respected by not only the guards but the prisoners as well.
We went to minister in the prison on a Friday morning. We were told before we left for the Philippines that the prisoners were separated by a wall with the men on one side and the women on the other, but going into the prison on that Friday we found that the women are in a little corner of the compound and the men have the rest of the area. The women are not allowed to leave their little area and are bound in by bars in about one eighth of the overall area of the prison. The men have all of the rest of the prison with a large common area and over three stories of cells which are much needed. The men have an exercise area where the women don't and they eat in a chow hall while the women have to eat in their cells. We did find out that most of the women who were in prison were there for murder and were in no way to have any contact with the men in any way shape or form.
The day we were at the prison started something inside of us that we will never forget. The prison authorities would not allow me to speak to the women, so Lorraine spoke to the women and I spoke to the men. Lorraine had about eleven women come to her meeting while I had over a thousand men come. Ministry time was totally awesome for both of us. Though Lorraine had only eleven women in her meeting, God moved in a mighty and powerful way. Out of eleven she had three surrender their lives to Christ; each one of them had no idea that God even knew they existed. Lorraine shared with them that no matter what they had done God would forgive them; this started them crying and surrendering because of that love God had for them.
In the men's meeting things were a little different; there were over a thousand men there and we met in a big hall that also doubles as their chow hall. It was a little different ministering to people who were all dressed the same and there were guards everywhere, but that was not going to intimidate or stop the power of God from moving. During the ministry time, God was speaking to hearts and somehow I knew there was going to be power happening. At the end of the ministry, an alter call was given and there was only twenty or twenty-five men raising their hands.
There was a man sitting close to where I was and he kept shaking his head no and saying it isn't going to happen. So, I told the men "you know I don't really care if you raise your hand or not, in fact I don't really care if you receive Jesus because it is not between you and I, it is between you and God." With that said the pastor said let me say something and I told him it was no problem. I have no idea what he said but he only said about ten words and then he began to speak in tongues and the invitation went out again and they finally stopped counting at three hundred. We really have no idea how many men made the decision to receive Jesus but it was the best decision they ever made.
Right after we prayed for the men, one of the guards came to us and said that they were allowing me to speak to a prisoner from Australia. The man's name was Hilton Monroe and he had been in the prison for only three months. He had not had a trial yet and he was arrested for human trafficking. Hilton told me that he did not do it and that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I told him that God did not send me to judge but to tell him that He loved him. Hilton told me a quick story about how he was brought up in church and when he was a teenager he turned away from God. Hilton was probably in his late thirty's or early forty's and he was telling me that there was no way God would ever love him or even care. I told him that he was so wrong that God loved him far more than he could ever understand.
To make a long story short, after about fifteen minutes Hilton began to cry uncontrollably and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Before we left, Hilton told me that no matter what the outcome of his trial was, he was going to serve God and even get involved. As of this writing there has been no word of Hilton having a trial but he is still serving God.
No matter what is going on in your life, God is there and He is ready to rescue you and set you free. There is nothing that will keep Him from forgiving you and letting you know just how much He loves you.
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Some years ago, YouTube had a video that went viral called the Dancing Prisoners and they were dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller. Those prisoners were the ones who were dancing. Every day they have exercise time and they all line up and dance to the music for about thirty to forty minutes as a group. If you ever get a chance go to YouTube and check it out, you will be amazed.
The pastor that oversees the entire prison ministry was himself a prisoner for thirty-three years for killing his wife. It was a few years into his sentence when the authorities discovered that he did not commit the murder and they went to release him. The pastor said that he did not want to go because he had started the church in there and they needed him there to assure the church would survive and grow. So, they allowed him to stay and he grew the church from about forty men to over a thousand. In 2012 he was released from prison and he turned the inside ministry over to another pastor that he had trained up to take over the ministry.
The new pastor, also a prisoner, had been there for thirteen years also for killing his wife. He is serving a forty year sentence but he says that the ministry is the thing that keeps him going. In the bible it tells the story of Joseph who had been thrown into prison and Pharaoh had made him overseer of the entire prison and the prisoners. This pastor who now leads the church inside the prison is called the governor and he is a Joseph. Nobody does anything unless they check with him first. He is very well respected by not only the guards but the prisoners as well.
We went to minister in the prison on a Friday morning. We were told before we left for the Philippines that the prisoners were separated by a wall with the men on one side and the women on the other, but going into the prison on that Friday we found that the women are in a little corner of the compound and the men have the rest of the area. The women are not allowed to leave their little area and are bound in by bars in about one eighth of the overall area of the prison. The men have all of the rest of the prison with a large common area and over three stories of cells which are much needed. The men have an exercise area where the women don't and they eat in a chow hall while the women have to eat in their cells. We did find out that most of the women who were in prison were there for murder and were in no way to have any contact with the men in any way shape or form.
The day we were at the prison started something inside of us that we will never forget. The prison authorities would not allow me to speak to the women, so Lorraine spoke to the women and I spoke to the men. Lorraine had about eleven women come to her meeting while I had over a thousand men come. Ministry time was totally awesome for both of us. Though Lorraine had only eleven women in her meeting, God moved in a mighty and powerful way. Out of eleven she had three surrender their lives to Christ; each one of them had no idea that God even knew they existed. Lorraine shared with them that no matter what they had done God would forgive them; this started them crying and surrendering because of that love God had for them.
In the men's meeting things were a little different; there were over a thousand men there and we met in a big hall that also doubles as their chow hall. It was a little different ministering to people who were all dressed the same and there were guards everywhere, but that was not going to intimidate or stop the power of God from moving. During the ministry time, God was speaking to hearts and somehow I knew there was going to be power happening. At the end of the ministry, an alter call was given and there was only twenty or twenty-five men raising their hands.
There was a man sitting close to where I was and he kept shaking his head no and saying it isn't going to happen. So, I told the men "you know I don't really care if you raise your hand or not, in fact I don't really care if you receive Jesus because it is not between you and I, it is between you and God." With that said the pastor said let me say something and I told him it was no problem. I have no idea what he said but he only said about ten words and then he began to speak in tongues and the invitation went out again and they finally stopped counting at three hundred. We really have no idea how many men made the decision to receive Jesus but it was the best decision they ever made.
Right after we prayed for the men, one of the guards came to us and said that they were allowing me to speak to a prisoner from Australia. The man's name was Hilton Monroe and he had been in the prison for only three months. He had not had a trial yet and he was arrested for human trafficking. Hilton told me that he did not do it and that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I told him that God did not send me to judge but to tell him that He loved him. Hilton told me a quick story about how he was brought up in church and when he was a teenager he turned away from God. Hilton was probably in his late thirty's or early forty's and he was telling me that there was no way God would ever love him or even care. I told him that he was so wrong that God loved him far more than he could ever understand.
To make a long story short, after about fifteen minutes Hilton began to cry uncontrollably and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Before we left, Hilton told me that no matter what the outcome of his trial was, he was going to serve God and even get involved. As of this writing there has been no word of Hilton having a trial but he is still serving God.
No matter what is going on in your life, God is there and He is ready to rescue you and set you free. There is nothing that will keep Him from forgiving you and letting you know just how much He loves you.
Back to Stories To Intrigue