Colony Visit

Lydia, Ira and John at the festival

It had been over a year since I'd been able to get into the juvenile prison colony due to red tape and scheduling conflicts. This past Saturday, Sergei, Lydia and I finally got to get into the colony and it happened to be a festival day, where the guys were doing skits, singing, dancing and doing acrobatics. Most of the guys were there as were many officials and at the end, I got a chance to thank them for their openness to letting us in and got to present them with a laptop and LCD projector that we were able to purchase for them.

Sergei, Lydia and I also got a chance to invite all of the guys to the Bible study, which was great, as there were 80 new guys from other colonies that had just closed.

Guys doing acrobatics

When it came time for the small group, guys just kept coming. We ended up with about 35 or 40 and at least 10 were from the other colonies. Sergei, Lyda and I started to share about what we do and why and then the guys started asking me questions about the juvenile "prisons" in America. I got to share about guys whose lives the Lord has changed, including Jason who was at Camp Squanto 15 years ago and who now is on staff with us at Straight Ahead Ministries, and about His love for them all. Then I asked them about their lives and why they come to Lydia and Sergei's group.

One boy, Vlad said that he comes to get closer to the Lord. He has repented and he now feels hope that he can make it. Sanya shared that his father killed his mother when he was 9 and that he started stealing when he was not much older than that. Sanya told us that he loves coming to Sergei and Lydia's group, but when he goes back to the rest of the prison, he often feels hopeless. That lead to a great discussion about Sergei and Lydia's love for him and for the other guys, and how that love comes from Jesus, who never leaves us, no matter where we go. Sanya started to beam.

When it was time to wrap things up, Sergei said that if any of the guys wanted to repent, if they felt like their faith was coming alive, that they should stay. A couple of guys left, but the rest stayed. Sergei  wanted to make sure that they understood so he told them again that they should leave unless they wanted to pray. No one moved and they all prayed. This is not something that they take lightly as they get harassed and put down for coming to the group and for becoming believers.

As we were leaving, there were a lot more smiles and hugs, and many guys asked when we were coming back. It's amazing to see hope and life come into hearts that have been so hurt and closed. We need to pray that they keep that light and share it.