Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Missionary (10/19/06)
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TITLE: Some More Acts | Previous Challenge Entry
By Carolyn Burgoine
10/22/06 -
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Emily has been in prison a long time; she goes to Chapel each week and to something called ‘Kairos’ once a week. She’s nice and interested in what’s happening in my life, she smiles a lot too. She never lets one week go by without asking me to go to chapel with her, even though I say no.
“Kairos is coming next month for FOUR whole days, Katy you have to go!” Emily seemed so excited; she grabbed my hands and almost sang.
I looked at her blankly, I had to be here, I didn’t need to enjoy it. I had applied for a rehab program that would get me out of this place. Emily exclaimed, “Oh Katy, listen to me, I really want you to go. The Chaplain will put you on the list. I went last year and you would not believe how much my life has changed because Jesus is now my Lord and my Saviour. I want you to know him too. Come on, come with me and we will find the Chaplain now.”
I was gob smacked by her – well, her enthusiasm I suppose, so I went along. I found myself accepted for Kairos. Not knowing what to expect, curiosity aroused, I went along the first day. I could drop out any time I liked. The women who came were very kind, they couldn’t really be like that – not for 4 whole days, surely. Some ladies were there to just cook for us; I have never had such good home cooked food in my whole life. Some talked about their own experiences – you wouldn’t know that some ladies had been through awful things – they looked so normal you would think they had never done wrong, or made bad choices – but they had. They called themselves “sinners” like us, just like me. They understood how I felt. They talked a lot about Jesus – that was who Emily wanted me to know. At least now I could tell her I knew about him, we would have something more to talk about now.
Jessie was part of the group. She didn’t want any “Christians” putting rubbish in our heads, she made sure we were distracted from taking too much notice, by comments and making us laugh … well at first.
Each day was filled with amazing surprises from strangers, and each day Jesus was talked about like he was a real living person, as if he hadn’t lived 2000 years ago. He was here, with us, alive, part of the ladies’ lives every day. We played games, sang, we were prayed for.
I became aware of a lot of things in those four days, things I hadn’t ever given a thought to, things I didn’t know existed, even things about myself I didn’t know and we learnt a lot of what the Bible says.
Not everyone was out to get whatever they could squeeze out of this world or just survive. People did things for other people, because they genuinely cared for them. They loved them, they loved me!
The most excellent thing in the whole world is to know Jesus, to know that God loves me so much, he sent His Son, His only Son, a son he loved … Jesus, who came to die a horrible death and be separated from God, so that I could be his daughter. So that I could be forgiven, all those awful things I did all my life, all those bad choices … “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our sins from us.”
Thank you Almighty God, Father God, Abba Father! Thank you Jesus, my Saviour, my Master, my Lord! Thank you, Holy Spirit for revealing Jesus to me … a daughter of the Creator and Ruler of the Universe ... a sister and friend and servant of Jesus. Thank you Father God that you have made me a missionary, just like my friend Emily, just like the Kairos team, just like the chaplain in prison, just like those people who have been praying for us for months and just like Jessie.
* Psalm 103.12 NIV
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My church is involved in Kairos too - seems like a powerful ministry.
Well done!