An Afternoon in Prison

The following is a list of expectations and realities I experienced going to my first visit for prison ministry. 

I will refer to the inmates as “residents” or “ladies.”  The “Plant” is the state mental hospital where I was incarcerated for four years. 

I was going to be nervous – check

This was only natural. I came upon much opposition in the days preceding the visit.  You can read about some of that in the article entitled, “Stand!”

  

There would be barbed wire on the perimeter of the fenced-in grounds – check

Yes, there was barbed wire on the fence and, even though I knew it would be there, I had never been so close to it before.  This made my stomach turn and my heart race.

The staff was going to be rough and tough and mean – wrong

When we got there we had to go through security, much like in an airport. The security guard said to make sure we put our boots/shoes in a separate bin from our jackets so they would not get dirty.  Not only weren’t they mean and ruthless, but we were treated with respect and authentic kindness.

 I would introduce myself and my husband as Sue & John – wrong

While we were there, I was always to refer to myself as Mrs. Rasmussen and my husband as Mr. Rasmussen.  Calling him formally like that was one thing I had to consciously be aware of and it was tough to remember.  I have never called him that.  I think, however, he could learn to like it.

We would walk through many steel bars – wrong

There was one gate, but the rest were doors not bars. And much of the time we were outside walking between the buildings.  There was not an underground tunnel system like at the Plant, which made me happy that the ladies could get a lot of fresh air. I figured they had, maybe, one hour a day of sunlight in a concrete courtyard. I apparently have watched too many movies.

The facility would be cold and unwelcoming – wrong     

It was more like a college campus or university setting.  It was clean, it was nice, it had a lot of open space between different buildings that were used for housing, food prep, health care, etc. What I saw was very nice.  We asked the residents if they were going to watch the Super Bowl and most said, “Yes.” Most of them had their own television in their room.  Note the word “room”.  I asked a question that made the Chaplain smile.  I said, “How many cell blocks do you have here?”  What turned out to be amusing to him was my terminology.  They really are rooms and depending on what building they are in, a lot of them have a key to their own “room”.  More like a dormitory than a cell block.  I smile now, too.

Many of the “inmates” would be hardened and scowling – very wrong!

This was possibly the greatest and most wonderful, heartwarming surprise.  The residents were kind, gracious and welcoming; I noticed that some just looked sad.  I don’t know their stories—how could I—but I saw a little girl in each one of them.  I doubt that any of them had this in the plan for their lives.  But our paths crossed on an afternoon in prison and I pray God takes my words, breathes His life into the words that can lift these ladies up to know that He has good plans for them, too.

 Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

There would be guards in towers holding rifles – I was so wrong it now seems comical.

There were a couple of guards near the gymnasium where I was speaking, but more to keep a general eye on and order to things. To send residents back to their room if they were disruptive (like talking and not paying attention), not to take a shot at them.   It does now sound ridiculous.  For the record, I did not see any guns, much less rifles pointed.   

Be aware we might be taken hostage – My preconceived fears get worse as I go on it seems.

In my defense, the week prior to us visiting the prison, there was a hostage situation at a prison out East where they held some guards hostage.  I did make sure I was aware of what was behind me at all times.  That is something I learned at the Plant years ago.  It’s funny after all this time after leaving the Plant, 26 years to be exact, that protection mode kicked in and it was as natural as riding a bike.

I was prepared for many things, but what I was pleasantly surprised at was the reception we received from every person we met.  The staff, the chaplain and the ladies could not have been more receptive to our visit.  The ladies we saw love JESUS.  The maximum security facility houses about 1,000 residents.  We spoke to about 150 of them.  I have some faces in my mind I will never forget as I saw their eyes become red with tears. 

I personally used to cry myself to sleep at night. I can remember this as early as about 5 years old.  I used to want to be a social worker to help other little children who were crying themselves to sleep.  Fifty years later this came full circle to a place where I could speak life into the lives of these ladies.  A good friend of mine told me to make sure I told them how much trouble God and I  went through to get me there.  I told them and I smiled when I did.  I told them they were beautiful because they were!  I had been talking to them for about 10 years without ever having them in attendance.  I now have faces to put into my memory and prayers for specific ladies that I will never forget.  I went there to tell a story and I know they each have their own to tell.  I wanted them to know, first and foremost, that I was no one special and that if God could do this for me—bring restoration to my broken life—He can and will do it for them.  They just need to BELIEVE!  Believe in a God that is all powerful and all knowing and all loving.  They need to believe and STAND on His promises!  I’m not special; I am just one who took Him at His word and He showed up in a big way! 

A copy of my book, Set Free From Darkness, is in the prison library, to help further illustrate to them how ordinary I am and how extraordinary God is.  I have a whole day of prison experience behind that I didn’t have before.  I have to admit I had more trouble sleeping the night I came home than I did the night before I went.  My mind was swimming with the faces and the memories of one of the best days of my life.  A little girl’s dream came true 50 years later. God’s not slow, He just had to wait for me to catch up to Him.  I look forward to going back.    

A dream came true.  I faced a giant.  And I won one for the team.  Thank you, God.