"When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas wanted to arrest me, so he put guards around the city. But my friends lowered me in a basket through a hole in the city wall. So I escaped from the Governor."

Paul the apostle was a powerful missionary for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He spent his life writing letters to many different churches, encouraging and building up Christians in their faith. Paul frequently had to handle people's problems, and through the Holy Spirit Paul healed the divisions among people, churches and communities.

Paul preached the gospel to many people including Jewish leaders, Romans, Governors and Kings, often endangering his own life. Christian leaders where regularly thrown in jail or killed.

Paul was often "On the Run." He had been in prison many times; he had received many beatings; five times the Jews had given him their punishment of 39 lashes with a whip, three times he was beaten by rods, one time almost stoned to death. He was shipwrecked, constantly in danger from thieves, Jews, Non-Jews, Romans and had been left hungry, cold and thirsty and gone without food and sleep (2 Corinthians ch.11 v.23 - 27).

What a remarkable and miraculous conversion of a man who had persecuted the very person and people who he was now encouraging and leading. Saul's (who was later known as Paul) conversion on the Damascus road was indeed a miracle and a turning point in his life.

Maybe like Paul we are on our own Damascus Road, our own agendas driving us up a winding twisting road, each twist and turn only engraving deeper scars on an already broken and revengeful heart. Paul was such a man, threatening the followers of Jesus, saying he would kill them. Men and women he would arrest, and bring back to Jerusalem. (Acts ch.9 v.1 - 2)

However, Jesus had other plans. An encounter with the living God left Paul temporarily physically and spiritually blinded. He had to be taken by friends and led into Straight Street in Damascus. For three days Saul could not see and did not eat (Acts ch.9 v. 3-9).

Maybe it is time we stopped running from Jesus, time to get on 'straight street' and time to encounter Jesus on our own Damascus Road. Paul was often imprisoned and bound by chains, but he was more free than any Roman guard or governor because he had trusted Jesus as his Saviour. Jesus has important work for us to do. Our own missionary field could be from our very own prison cells, physically restricted but spiritually free to unlock the love of God to those around us.

Paul, an intimidator, a ruthless persecutor of Jesus, became a mighty man of God. His Damascus road became a journey of Hope, Love and Opportunity and a highway to eternal life.

How wonderful to have friends that help and pray for us so that we may be put into our baskets of hope and because of the holes in our Saviour's hands and feet that we may be lowered into his presence and escape the power of the Devil.

My name is Andrew Nicholson and I am 33 years old. I am a prisoner serving a life sentence in H.M. Prison Maghaberry, Northern Ireland, and I claim to be innocent.

I have been a Christian for a long time now; in fact I first became a Christian at the age of 14, but during my very wild teenage years I soon forgot about my precious Saviour Jesus Christ and concentrated all of my time drinking, chasing girls, going to clubs and music concerts, taking drugs, more drinking and basically raising hell and getting into all sorts of trouble, fights and scraps.

I had totally forgotten about God and the many hours I had spent as a teenager reading my King James Bible, in the quiet privacy of my bedroom. After many years of trying to make the best of what I had in my life, I was still failing miserably, so to cut a very long and painful story short, I ended up in prison. A very horrible and terrible thing happened, my life was over, I was convicted and sentenced to life in 1996. After an unsuccessful appeal in 1997 I began to try and settle down as best I could and just get on with the time.

I started to read a lot of books about religion, I became very interested in theology, I wanted to learn everything. I was hungry for knowledge. In all earnestness I asked the Lord Jesus to come into my life and forgive me for my sinful ways, I asked Jesus to cover me in His precious blood and to fill me with His Holy Spirit. "Cleanse me Lord Jesus," I cried, "help me Lord Jesus." I repented with all my heart. I knew I had been forgiven - a new feeling came over me. It was like a great high without drugs. It was something that came from the inside of me and burst out of me from every pore. It was magical and awesome.

My emotions were going crazy - one moment I was laughing, the next I was crying. Tears of joy. Tears of comfort. Tears of love. I decided to make a commitment to Bible reading. I really wanted to know every page of Bible. I have now read the Bible through several times and still enjoy God's Word each day. I pray quite often each day. I know that God will help me to be released from this prison. It's only a matter of patience.

I have seen God's power working in this prison. I have witnessed lives being changed in this place and it is wonderful indeed. I do not wish to boast but I can honestly claim to have had many wonderful and awesome supernatural experiences right here in Maghaberry prison. God is working powerfully. Things are happening. Lives are changing. I give thanks to our Lord Jesus, and I praise His precious name at every opportunity.

My prayers are for prisoners and staff alike. I pray for them to meet the Saviour. I pray for them all - that they too, each one, will repent and accept the Lord Jesus into their lives. Dear reader, I pray that God will speak to you through my short story. The truth is "God is Love". Exodus 34 v.6
 

"Inside" with God by Ivor J. Smith In my cell the days are long, I sit and wonder where I went wrong. The fear in me grips my soul, The days in here are very slow. I close my eyes and think: dear God, How did I fall so low. But God is here to keep me sane, His prayers release the fear and pain. I look to the future, yes there's hope for me, As my guiding light is God, you see.

Be Still by Brenda Nelson Be still in the silence and know that there is God. He is there in communion with you so you will never be alone or lost Be still in the silence to renew your broken heart God can always heal you and renew you when your life seems as if it is falling apart Be still in the silence to await God's guidance for you. Just trust in the Lord - that's something we all must do Be still in the silence to hear God whisper softly to you, And tell you that He loves you and wants the best for you Be still in the silence to know your inner thoughts lost So be still in your confusion and let go and let God come in Be still my child as I want to speak to you I tell you be still!

One day a preacher in America was preaching in the streets. As he preached, a passer by interrupted him and said "Excuse me sir, how do you expect an ordinary man like me to figure out the right way. There are thousands of beliefs in the world." The preacher said "Thousands of beliefs? I only know of two." The passer-by remarks, "What about... Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, the Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and Roman Catholicism etc?" The preacher said, "Sir, there are those who believe they can save themselves, and those who believe they need a Saviour."
All the religions of the world basically tell you there is something you need to do to save yourself, but the message of Christianity is unique in this, that it proclaims to men and women a Saviour. That Saviour is God's begotten son Jesus Christ. He is the only way to God the Father. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father but by me." (John Ch.14 v.6).

Why have I been abandoned? Why have you forgotten me? These questions might be often asked in the silence of an inmate's loneliness. While Jesus hung on the cross, he too asked this question of his Father in Heaven. Jesus directed his question to his Father. An inmate might be quietly directing it to a friend or brother, or sister, a parent, and yes - even God. Why have you abandoned me? This is a question that almost every single inmate asks at one time or another while experiencing the same anguish and agony that Jesus felt on the cross. I see this question asked in many ways when I read my prison Ministry mail.

Prisoners are often dropped from the list of family priorities. Following their sentencing, after the guilty decision is rendered by the Judge or Jury a man or woman loses every single aspect of privacy he or she has ever known. Incarceration is separation. It's the immediate severing of ties to friends and family, and with this a whole new stigma is born, the very stain or mark that sticks to the inmate. It's a sort of association concept resulting in questions like "What will people think or say about me if I write to an inmate?" For some whose family members are caught up in crime and laid up in jail, there might be some hesitation to keep that bond, once strong and loving, with their son, daughter; father, wife, husband, whomever, because of the stigma that hovers over the homes of their neighbours. There is often an array of victims, who suffer from a single crime whether or not they deserve it. Sometimes family members hesitate to write or visit. Seeing a loved one behind bars is so painful, that the visit does nothing but confirm the reality of it all. Some people have a lot of difficulty facing reality and that is not a character fault. It is simply being human. Some families simply cannot afford the trips to and from prisons. Some are so poor, especially in third world countries where sentencing is far more extreme for far lesser crimes than those in the West, and family members cannot even afford a stamp to mail a letter or a card to an incarcerated family member. Often the incarcerated member was the breadwinner. The absence of letters and/or visits (much of the time) has little to do with being abandoned. Just as God would never abandon his own son, a mother or father is not likely to abandon his or her own son.

Some inmates are blessed by family visits or ecstatic to find the smallest parcels sent in to them - a sign of being remembered, thought about and cared about. Some receive small amounts of money that may not purchase huge quantities of much needed supplies, but produces something that money cannot buy, proof of an undying love for the incarcerated. This is unconditional love, a rare commodity in today's world. God blesses those who stick by their loved ones, but also, he blesses and understands far greater than we do, those who cannot face the despair in the face of the man or woman behind the screen of bars or across the table during the rare moment of being so close yet so very separated. Time passes and as we all know time heals, but time also puts distance between events. Things change, people change.

I think the most agonising moment for an inmate is when he or she discovers that the spouse's interest has waned. "I can't blame her", said one inmate in one of his letters, "After all I've been in here for ten years now. I can't expect her to wait another ten." I could almost see the agony of having lost so much. I pictured him trying to word his sentences so that I would understand that he was angry because of his helplessness, but willing to accept this time had to come. "But the worst part "he continued," is that I can never get to see my kids and I often wonder what they think of me." He gingerly side-stepped his view about wondering if he would be (or may already be) "replaced" by someone else in the lives of his wife and children. Quietly in his cell, when the lights go out, he sits there thinking, "Why have you forsaken me?"

Letters to daddies and mommies become fewer and fewer, visits dwindle and finally stop. Mothers and fathers of inmates become ill and pass away. Inmates sometimes suffer from horrendous guilt because they've never had that last chance to say a proper goodbye or tell someone they loved them. "My mother and my only friend died last month" another inmate wrote me. "She was all I had". I don't know how he learned of his mother's death, but his
grief was that "God took her away from me". Then came the calm anger again when he wrote. "She's all I had and now she's even left me." In the weeks that followed the bad news, I'm certain this inmate often repeated to himself, "Why have you forsaken me?" This is not about being a criminal or being in jail or having that stigma to your history. This is about unconditional love. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son" (John 3 v.16). Just as God sent his son to save mankind (so that people would have faith in people) so should families and friends support one another and have faith (in God and in one another). Even though families may not stay connected when a person has been incarcerated for many years, letters dwindle and visits begin to drift off, it's so very important that you continue to stay in touch, even though you're incarcerated and limited in your method of contact - even despite the fact that they may not respond every time. If at all possible, keep sending your letters and stay in touch with whatever family you have - it's a lifeline to the outside. A lifeline that you must tie around your waist and never lose. Never cut that line. If you have a family and are experiencing the sting of the "association stigma" where old friends and close people hesitate to visit or write, circulate your name for pen pals - reputable ones who might throw you a new lifeline and reinforce an otherwise sense of disconnection. You have not been forsaken. Family members sometimes just need a little extra push. Keep sending them cards and letters if you can. There are many who remember those in prison. You are never alone. God knows you and loves you. We are only on this earth for a short time. God is forever. If any of you find the need to talk about your own "association stigma" or simply want to connect with someone, find a friend through some of the friendship correspondents.

I was born on the 26th day of September 1965 in a little village in the eastern part of Nigeria. We are predominantly farmers but unfortunately I grew up when farming was impossible in our farms. My first decade on this earth was riddled with cruelty, genocide, inhuman killings and untold hardship. My country, Nigeria, was perpetuating an ethnic cleansing that nearly wiped away a whole tribe. It was the greatest genocide in African history. Our colonial masters, or is it slave masters, Britain, supported the Muslim dominated Northerners who massacred the Eastern part of the nation where I live and grew up. This war persists until this year and you can still see recent sporadic murdering of Christians by Muslims all over the country.

There was no peace all over my country. To say that I've been a prisoner all my life is not overstatement. I was a slave to poverty and the worst human rights violation. People were more interested in how to get food into their mouth than to remember morality. Both enemy and friendly soldiers randomly raped women and young girls. Robbery and looting were the norm in that area. Educational and medical facilities were in a shambles until recently. Motorable roads were a rarity, but somehow the Lord saw me through all these abnormalities. What a lovely God! I eventually left for the city with the intention to separate myself from the poverty that clung around me. It was not easy for me either, as city life turned out to be strange and I slowly degenerated to drunkenness.

Until I came to prison I had no time to reflect on any moment of my life. It was the pain, frustrations and loneliness that I encountered here that brought me to a personal relationship with Jesus. I am so ashamed that I was so dull and careless not to realise and recognise the many times God was speaking to me before my arrest. I was still dangling with this decision as life for me in prison became hard and harder. The ongoing annihilation of my life, which my captors wrongly call rehabilitation, came upon me drastically. I tried everything in my ability to rescue myself from this dungeon, but nothing worked.

I am not sure I would have called on God if I were not in prison. I couldn't believe what I began to notice in my life. It is one thing to say you believe in God when you're in great problems, but another thing to do when things are going smooth. The pressure inside me to find God and to rescue me was enormous. I cannot explain my desire to know Him with words. Hope is the fuel of life. I was motivated and greatly encouraged as I read my bible, especially many of the Bible heroes who successfully came through great storms. Like Job I said, "I myself will see Him." One of my best Bible verses then was Hebrews 12 v.1-2. The Christian life as I begin to understand, involves hard work. It requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, to run patiently and to struggle against sin with the power of the Holy Spirit. The good thing is that we don't struggle alone, and were not the first to struggle with the problems we face. (See 1 Corinthians 10 v.13)

The day I got saved
The turning day in my life was the day I was sentenced to spend all my life in prison. Those prison wardens have a tradition of chaining new convicts to their bed on the first day of conviction. I was wondering, they feel I just might have taken my own life because of the heavy sentence, but unknown to them I was in a different attitude entirely. Back then prisoners were massively beaten and this very night I heard strange sounds - mumbles, cries of agony. Somewhere down the long caged corridors or perhaps out in the hall? Someone is being manhandled tonight! Shaking, I cover my ears with my hands, but the screams continue on in my mind -  another second I cannot stand. I beat my own fist till it bleeds off the wall, tears roll down my face on my knees. I fall. Why am I here? Well that's plain to see. I got into drugs business because of money. There's no reason good enough to justify what I did. Like Job, "This truth was given me in secret, as though whispered in my ear. It came in the night as others slept. Fear gripped me. I trembled and shook with terror. A spirit swept past my face. Its wind sent shivers up my spine. It stopped but I couldn't see its shape. There was a form before my eyes and a hushed voice said, "Could a mortal be just and upright before God? Can a person be pure before the Creator?" (Job 4:12-17). By this time the wisdom I gained from my Bible studies with Charles Lourdes Holmes Ministries came into my mind. I heard Eliphaz' repeated response to Job. "Consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the chastening of the Almighty when you sin, for though He wounds He also bandages. He strikes, but His hands also heal. He will rescue you again and again so that no evil can touch you". Job 5:17-19 (If you'll notice Job is one of my Bible heroes). Now on my knees I call on the name Jesus, "... by my actions I killed you, God's precious Son. Forgive me please according to your promise that "If I confess my sins, you are faithful and just to forgive me and to cleanse me from every wrong." (1 John 1:9). I accept all the blame. Lord please help me, for tomorrow it may be too late. Jesus, I nailed you on a cross and rejected your name." Inside of me for the first time, I no longer feel terror as I rubbed away my tears. Outside my eyes swollen red and sore, yet inside I know Jesus, and I have begun a whole new life together and my heart is aglow. My fists are still bleeding - I really don't care. What pain can be compared with the death on the cross? For us all did you bear. Because you loved us sinners, your life you gave there, so we could all have eternal life with you to share. So I rise up and sit on my bed and the chain rattles. So, my prison like is a prison cell and that's sad I know; but spiritually Lord, I'll walk with you, Lord wherever you lead me.

From this day on I have felt a peace beyond my imagination. I cannot claim that I've known so much. Yet, it is incredible the revelation opened to me as I seek and serve my God. The Lord revealed now to me that it is not where I am that is important to Him but what I do with where I am. The troubles are still all around me, but the purposes are clear and direct. God comforts me in all my troubles so that I can comfort others when others around me are troubled. I will be able to give them the same comfort God has given me. (2 Corinthians 1 v.4). I call this the second stage of my Christian life. There are lots of ministries around me although I feel overwhelmed and paralysed to carry on. (To be continued). God Bless You.

Note from editor
I pray that this issue will bless and speak to those who read it. Our Lord has broken many chains, as can be seen from the testimonies of Andrew Nicholson and Andrew Koroma. Prison walls and doors cannot stop the love of Christ penetrating them. A light shines in the darkness.