God’s unconditional love in Prison

“One Day With God gives me hope”

If you want to experience God in a whole new way, and first hand see the power of the Father’s love, then serve in prison and you will see God’s unconditional love being poured into some of the most rejected people on this earth.

Brooke, Trent and I (Sanna) had the honour of spending our Saturday in prison for a One Day with God (ODWG) event run by Forgiven Ministry. ODWG is a day where the bars are removed and children of incarcerated parents get to go into prison and spend a fun, activity filled day with their loved ones.

Forgiven Ministry focuses on helping inmates, their children and caregivers. The founder of Forgiven ministry and One Day with God camps, Scottie Barnes, knows first-hand what it is like to have a parent in prison. When she was 4 years old her dad was incarcerated for the first time. He was in prison 5 different times, and it wasn’t until she was 42 years old, that she heard her dad tell her he loved her for the first time. So hosting ODWG events is a way of creating opportunities for the children to get time with their dads, and make sure the kids know their dad loves them even while incarcerated.

“I was told coming into prison in 2017 I would get to hug my kids who were 2 & 3, and bounce them on my lap, but that never happened, only distant visits and phone calls. One Day with God gives me the chance to hug my kids and see their faces and reactions and creates such a memorable day. Please raise awareness, we need it!”

- Incarcerated father of two boys aged 9 & 10.

There were 15 families taking part in this particular camp, and Brooke, Trent and I were assigned to one of the families. We were ‘child mentors’ to three teenagers where we looked after them for the whole day and spent time with them and their incarcerated father. These children had driven 15 hours to see their dad, and the joy on the kid’s faces, as they ran to hug and embrace their dad, was a beautiful sight.

The day involved the kids meeting their dad, lots of games, a juggling show, a gospel demonstration with an invitation to pray the prayer of salvation. We also celebrated birthdays, had lunch together, did craft activities, a basketball show, another gospel demonstration, and a workbook for the dads and children to ask each other questions about their favourite things and dreams and write down each other’s answers. There was a daddy-daughter dance so that the dads who won’t get to attend their daughter’s proms or weddings could have the opportunity to dance with their daughter and give them a rose. There was also a father-son walk, a time of testimonies and sharing, and an intimate moment where the dads looked into their child’s eyes and said ‘I love you’ and ‘I’m so proud of you’.

“Without this program, I wouldn’t be able to see my kids”

In this particular prison, separate from Forgiven Ministry, the inmates have the opportunity to attend seminary. It is for those who are in prison for 10 years to life. It is a four-year course where they get to study and create opportunities. For many, this is the first time they have been able to study and go to school, and seminary has transformed their lives. Once the inmates graduate from seminary, they get to become missionaries to other prisons!

One father shared his story with us. When he was young he ended up shooting and killing another young guy. For years after this incident, he was trying hard to find lawyers and to get out of his case. But he was reminded by someone of the pain that he would have caused the family who lost their son and that he should pray for the family in their grief. Some time later he was told that the mother of the boy he shot wanted to talk to him. He was so scared to speak to her but when they had the call, she said to him that the Lord put it on her heart to forgive. So she gave him the gift of forgiveness and said to him ‘I forgive you for killing my son’. She told him that if things were different they probably would have been great friends, but forgave him for his actions. Wow! That is a level of forgiveness we may never experience.

His life has been transformed by God!

“I want to be a pastor! I preach to my prison mates”

Between One Day with God camps and the seminary, one prison officer that I spoke to said that having worked at this prison for 14 years she has seen great transformation in the men. She said that a lot of the changes are for their kids, and they are motivated to behave well so that they can see their kids. I got the chance to talk to an inmate who wasn’t part of the camp but was serving at it. To be able to attend ODWG you have to have a great record of good behaviour, and he told me that the inmates will keep each other accountable. If one is tempted or thinking of doing something bad they will say ‘Hey, do you want to see your daughter’. So being able to see their kids, and seeing the power and presence of God, is leading to full transformation in the lives of these inmates.

The Lord is moving in prison!

As we all walked away with the children to exit the prison, hearing a little girl shouting back ‘I love you Dad’ was the sweetest sound and such a testament to the power of the Father’s love and redemption.

I (Sanna) was personally so impacted by serving at one of these camps. There are not enough words to describe the emotion and the love that you experience by witnessing the lord at work in prison. You could see the hand of the Lord all over it and I will be the first to sign up to be a part of this beautiful ministry all over again!

If you would like to serve at a One Day with God camp, you can contact Sanna at sanna.warren@catchthefire.com or you can find out more information and sign up through their website: https://forgivenministry.org

Together, let’s see the Father’s love pour into the darkest of places bringing hope and love to His children.