May 26

Ministry Partners,

It's a beautiful morning in Masaka and I was looking forward to doing two crusades today.

After our breakfast the mechanic recommended by our hotel can and we all took off for the prison. He dropped us and our equipment of and then took the van  for whatever repairs are needed so we can have a vehicle that we can trust.

Keeping the streets clean here is hard work

 The Social Affairs lady was ever so sweet and gracious as she took us to the women's section of the prison where there were 45 women. They sat next to the building for shade but I stood in the sun, for some reason today was especially hot. It was so worth spending time with them and the Social Affairs lady stayed through the entire crusade as did two other guards. At the end the S.A. lady told us and the women prisoners that she had forgiven and a prisoner who was from Burundi said she forgave those who murdered her whole family in the Rwanda genocide. One woman said she forgave all her husbands!!! Yes, the Holy Spirit did a tremendous work this morning.
 
We had to wait an hour to get into the men's section as they were eating so Aaron and Alfred took a motor bike to the repair shop to see how the repairs on our van were coming along. The S.A. Lady came and said they were taking our things inside to set up and took Pastor Geoffrey but told me to remain seated outside under the shade of the tree.  I got concerned and sent Alfred a text and informed him that we may have to start when they told us to and Geoffrey would interpret for me.

It was interesting to watch a few of the prisoners working just to the side of where I was seated. They had two very large tarps that were covered with beans that had been shelled and were now drying. One prisoner was shuffling through the beans with his feet in a effort to turn them over to continue the drying process.


But God's timing is always perfect as just as they were coming for me to enter the guys drove in with the van. Goodness I was glad to see them and as we entered the prison I saw beans everywhere drying in the hot sun on much of the hot flat cement, even  where we were to walk was narrowed as for the drying beans.

But I could hear the men singing as we entered, oh my those powerful voices is a sound I have always loved and I was not going to have to preach in the sun, it was a large covered room with large check wire sides.  And although there were about 1,000 men inside there were also men outside holding on to the wire and peering through at me. There just was not any room inside for more. I understand there are 1,600 men in this prison.

Once again the move of the Holy Spirit was evident  as decisions were made or salvation and in the area of forgiveness. One man said someone had been killed in a land dispute and the killers implicated him although he was innocent. He said he had been planning on taking revenge on those accusers since he had been in prison but today he spoke forgiveness over them.

I never get tired of watching the Holy Spirit work in the hearts of men and women, prisoners and staff. So having said that I must tell you that today was a VERY sad day for me. We have done  ministry in 17 prisons and today finished our prison ministry in Uganda but I still have some to do in Kenya.

I appreciate your prayers as I speak at a church tomorrow then we drive back to Kampala where on Sunday I speak in two different churches.

That none would be lost,

Arlene