Different Day...Different Jail

A Different Day, a Different Jail

Wednesday was a travel day from Eldoret back to Nairobi after a brief stop at the Boys Home in Nakuru to pick up some equipment and have a cup of tea with Pastor Anthony.  As we were driving away we also got to high five all the boys from the van as we were driving down the dirt road and they were walking home from school.

We arrived back in Nairobi and the Guya home Wednesday around 9:30PM, loaded up on cold medicine for the cold I've been fighting and actually got a full 7 hours of sleep for the first time since I arrived. 

Even the Prison guard got in on the dancing!

Thursday (9/27) started out with Jannekah, Ray and I going to immigration to get some visa and passport information cleared up for the trip next week into Tanzania.  A quick lunch at home and then off to Kamati Prison to minister to the boys who are there.  

The program at Kamati is the only one of its kind in Kenya in that it takes all the first time offender boys in the 17-21 age group from all over the country.  They all have a 120 day sentence and if they repeat offend they have to then go to the next level of prison.  Six of the boys had just arrived today.  I am sure their first day was unlike any other day they will have...the party began and lasted for nearly two hours.  Martin rapped, they sang along and pretty much all 80 of the boys danced and danced.  Even the prison guard got into it.

I had the honor to speak to the boys and we talked about decisions in life, consequences and the choice to leave our past behind and "press on to the goal" as the Apostle Paul talked about in Philippians 3.  We talked about the Wisdom of Solomon and the truth found in Prov. 14:12 "There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end leads to death."  There were about 30 of the boys that made a decision for Christ which was encouraging.  As I was leaving they were squatted down in lines behind each other with their hands on the shoulders of the one in front of them to be counted.  They then got in line and had dinner...a tin bowl for water to drink and a small tin bucket with some sort of porridge to eat.  Reality set in and my thoughts went to my own sons at 17 and 21 yrs of age. I talked to one boy named Andrew who was one of the last to leave.  He has two month left of his sentence.  He said he had stolen and gotten caught and was actually thankful.  If he hadn't gotten caught he said he would probably be dead because of all the trouble he was getting in.  Join me in praying for him and the others that this would truly be a life changing event.

A new life starts with a decision to follow Jesus

This evening was relaxed with the Guya family eating dinner, catching up on email and planning the Crusade which starts tomorrow (Fri) evening.