Mexico prison

Yesterday afternoon I had the opportunity to visit the local prison with Timi and Jill, 2 of the FYMs who go there 3 times a week for ministry.

After getting information of what to wear & what not to wear, I grabbed my license and my Bible and set out for this new experience. On the journey to the prison the girls told me somewhat what to expect upon our arrival. However, I was still surprised by what I found.

Upon entering, we were signed in and given yellow cards. Our license was taken from us and our arms were stamped (that’s what that is in the pic in case you were wondering) before we entered into the 5ftX5ft search room. However, instead of being searched we ended up talking to the officer in this room for a good 15 minutes. The girls have made friends with this woman and have started building a relationship with her. She told us what she’d been up to lately and showed us her newest creation of cross stitch work. After a bit, we walked through another several gates showing our yellow cards and stamped arms before entering into a large concrete yard area separating the men’s side from the women’s. 4 more gates and we were officially in the women’s side of the prison.

I was amazed at what I saw there. There was the typical razor wire lined 30 foot concrete wall surrounding the entire grounds. Armed guards stood watch on the walls. However inside the walls was a nice grassy area with trees and picnic tables, a chapel, a garden, a volleyball court, and even a small “restaurant” where inmates could buy snacks. We entered next to the cells. Each cell opened out to an open air corridor where there was areas for the community kitchen and community washing station. The women here are allowed to keep their children in the prison with them until the age of 5, so there were small kids running around everywhere. The women are allowed visitors from time to time and even male inmates from the other side are allowed to visit. Even though this is the women’s side, there were many men around. The inmates do not wear uniforms so you never know who is a visitor and who is an inmate. Visitors bring the inmates things like radios, tvs, mini refrigerators, & food. As we walked down the outside corridor, each cell door was open and people were visiting with friends, feeding babies, pushing them around in strollers, cooking meals, watching TV, and various other things to pass the time. There were many distinct noises in this place. The sound of various radio stations blaring from individual cells, the sound of crying babies, and in the distance some people could be heard singing worship songs from the chapel. The smells of cigarette smoke, fresh cut grass, and something frying in the corner kitchen area filled the air.

The 3 of us visited several friends the girls have made here over the past 8 months. It was great to see the relationships that Timi and Jill have built with these women. The young women love to have company and seem to respond well to the girls, as they are their peers. I met Mari who is in her 20s and has a 6 month old little girl with her. We played with her baby a bit and caught up on the latest news from her life. We also visited with Pancha who has a fun personality and likes to joke around with Timi and Rosy who is quiet. I also met Martha who is eager to share what she’s learning from the Bible. After an hour or so of visiting, we moved out to the picnic table to do a Bible study. It was a great time of fellowship and digging into the Word where the women engaged with questions and comments. We passed back through the cells telling the women bye before we went through the process of checking out.

It was a great new experience and I’m encouraged to see yet another way that the Lord is working in mighty ways here in Matamoros.