Prison visits

I’ve been in to visit the women’s prison twice now, as part of a group that offers a Bible study to English-speakers.  These are mostly non-Peruvians who were knowingly taking drugs out of the country, but were deliberately set up to be caught in order to divert attention from larger shipments.

Sorry, no photos allowed, so instead this is one of blankets made by women in the prison and sold to support their families

On my first visit, I met “Lucy” - she was friendly but quite quiet.  The second time she remembered me and asked how I was doing, and how my Spanish studies and projects were going. As well as attending the weekly group, she had a personal Bible study booklet, which she explained that she works through, and God is teaching her a lot.

So I asked, “What has he taught you?”

Here’s her response.

She used to think Christianity was about being good - Christians had to be perfect people.  Now she realises that we all make mistakes in many ways.  She told me that in that situation you need to talk to God one-on-one and confess what you’ve done - then let him lead you forward.

She came through Peru on a bus from Ecuador and was going to fly out when she got caught.  She had ‘done a deal’ with God - praying that if he let her get away with this ‘just one time’ she would essentially be good for the rest of her life.  When she was caught she couldn’t understand how he could let her down like that - they had a deal!  (She later acknowledged that she probably would have gone on and to worse things - so actually had little likelihood or intention of keeping her end of said deal either.)

Now she thinks it is a good thing that God let her be caught.  He has saved her from the downward spiral she was in and sent her for a ‘long vacation’ where he has been teaching her so many things. She hasn’t yet received her sentence, but has been in prison 9 months. The minimum she will get will be just under 7 years, but after 1/3 of that she can apply for early release.  So she is praying for this.  She’s aware she needs to not to make this another ‘deal’ - but to ask for it while also committing to serve God longer in jail if required.

It’s hard to know in prison whether the stories people tell you of their lives are true, and how sincere their faith in God is. And I don’t really need to have an opinion on it as I am there to help and support them not put them on trial - that’s been done. But it was so lovely to have Lucy explaining the gospel to me with her face shining. 

There are so many ways in which this time is preparing her for her eventual release.  Here there are many structures that remove her from larger temptations and on her release those will be removed - but there are lots of small ways she can practise obedience now, which will stand her in good stead later. But her life is not just being about when she gets out, but how her life now is here.  She said that she has joy every day, and there is so much here for her to learn.

I had chatted with a few of the other girls before, but more polite chit-chat, to encourage them that visitors from outside cared about them. But I was craving a deeper conversation, and God provided it.  I prayed with Lucy before I left - a thank you for his not keeping the ‘deal’, and for teaching her so much - and a commitment of her future to him, because we trust him to do what is good.

Some work!

Most of my work at the moment is Spanish study and cultural orientation. There's not much to show you or to describe about Spanish, unless you want to hear about the different uses of the subjunctive mood, and the different tangles I get into.  It's been an up-and-down process, as I veer between increasing confidence (and complacency), and desperation that I will never understand.  I am doing more study than I originally intended, as in order to register my degree with the university here, I need to take a general Spanish exam.

But I have also been doing some other work - visiting existing projects here in Lima, and setting up contacts for water projects.

This is a small water treatment system that's been installed at the local Bible Seminary.  They were very excited about it and keen to show me - and it was useful to see some small-scale technologies that are used here.  It's a new system and will need regular maintenance, so I will be aiming to come back on my next Lima visit to see how that has been going.

I've also set up contacts with a few other charities that do water projects in Peru, and hope to meet some of their representatives or visit their projects over the next year.

In 2003, when I was a student, I came to Peru for 2 months and worked on water projects in Moyobamba, in the jungle area in the north.  I met Liliana and Josue - Peruvian civil engineers, who taught me a lot, both about engineering and about spanish, and peruvian life.

They came to Lima a couple of weeks ago.  It was great to catch up with them but also to talk about how the engineering system works here in Peru. Josue works with government funding systems and putting together project proposals, which is the kind of thing I'm likely to want to do in the future.

(They also introduced me to their friend Gabriela, who I will be going to church with for the next few weeks while I'm in Lima for longer than originally planned.)

Some of the SIM missionaries here in Lima have started up a patchwork project.  It employs and trains women from the shanty towns, giving them work which they can do mostly at home whilst caring for their children, but also earn a fair wage. The ultimate aim is for them to learn business skills as well as quilt-making, so that they can become independent and set up their own mini-businesses.

It was useful for me to talk to the organisers about this - they haven't yet reached this stage of small independent businesses, but I will want to look at similar issues if I want my water projects to eventually be financially sustainable in-country.