Picture Courtesy of UNODOC

Women at Welikada Prison

The Women’s Fellowship of CGBC has been working together with the Lanka Prison Fellowship for the past year conducting programmes and distributing gift packs to inmates.  Most important, our aim is to be a friend to these inmates, especially the women.

 Our first experience was to join a group from another Church on a Christmas visit to the Negombo Women’s Prison in December 2007 where we distributed gift parcels to all the women there. Although we were not permitted to talk to the women who had to be behind a high wire fence, it was a very moving experience, especially to see tears rolling down their cheeks as the choir sang Christmas Carols.  Quite a few of them knew the words by heart which meant they were Christians.  We came away determined to do something more meaningful next time.

 Earlier this year, just before Easter, we were invited to conduct an Easter programme which we accepted gladly and with much excitement and enthusiasm.  However, the major setback was the lack of finances to do all that we wanted to do.  So, naturally, we turned to our Almighty Father both individually and in various groups of the Church family and He indeed supplied all our needs and more.  Praise God!

 The response and generosity of the Church family was overwhelming. We received enough and more finances to meet our needs. Although the ladies had been asked to collect used clothes to give to the inmates we were also able to provide them with brand new underwear as well to all 150 women.  We were also able to give a pack of brand-new nappies, baby shirts, a towel and a bottle of eau-de-cologne to all 17 babies.  We also received bags and bags of soft toys and used clothes for the 50 children under 5 years of age.  One of the greatest needs was soap and we were gifted with a whole box of Lux soap which was a luxury item for prison inmates.  We were also able to give them exercise books, pens and colouring books.  Along with all these gifts we treated them to a piece of Chocolate Cake and a packet of milk which was also greatly welcomed by them.

 Our programme consisted of singing of choruses and sharing the message of Easter which lifted their spirits and have them hope.  This was followed by a time of sharing with the ladies which was a very moving time, especially for us.  Many of them had young children at home with no one to care for them and it was a challenge to us to minister to them and comfort them and pray with them.  We felt so helpless as there didn’t seem much we could do, except to show God’s love through our actions and words and to pray with them. 

 We came away with heavy hearts want to do so much more.  We have continued to work with the Lanka Prisons Fellowship which is a ministry that seeks to bring hope to inmates who live without hope, rejected by their families and friends.  Our goal is the share the love of Christ with them, meeting their spiritual, emotional, physical and social needs.

 We have also been working closely with a couple of wives of prisoners, ministering to them, being a friend to them.  One of them has even visited our Church on a few occasions.  We need more volunteers for this work as it requires much time and dedication to work with prisoners and their families.

 We thank our Almighty God and Father for giving us this opportunity  - opening a way for our work in the Prisons.

We are now able to help the Lanka Prisons Fellowship whenever there is a need – praying for their needs and visiting when ever possible.  Some of our members visited the Men’s Prison in Welikada and share some time with them and distribute some basic requirements.

 We have also started a project to provide milk powder for the infants in the prisons.  Some of our members give one packet of milk powder each month which is given to the children under 5 years of age who are in prison with their mothers.  They do not have access to any nutritious food for no fault of theirs.  We hope more of our members will volunteer to join this project in the new year.

 Last week a group of us conducted a Christmas programme at the Girls Prison in Ranmuthugala.  We were asked to conduct two programmes during the Christmas season but we had hardly enough for even one.  So, the Church family joined us in having a Car Boot Sale on the last Sunday in November.  It is really encouraging that the whole Church has joined hands to assist in the Prisons Programme and it was really heart-warming to see everyone with their car boots full of stuff joining in the Sale.  We praise and thank God for pouring out His mighty blessings on as, as we were able to raise over Rs. 90,000/- through this Sale.  This was way beyond our expectations and we give all honour and glory to our Almighty God.

 We were able to give the 150 girls between the ages of 12 and 18 years and gift pack of a T-shirt, underwear, soap, chocolate and a packet of biscuits.  We treated them to a piece of cake and a packet of milk.

 Our young people performed the skit ‘Everything’ for them and it was very well received.  This depicted how God created man in His image and how we have allowed sin to lead us astray, separating us from Him and how Jesus came to die on the cross, so that we might all have eternal life.

 The girls were overjoyed to have fellowship with our youngsters, especially the girls.  We could see each of them holding hands with two inmates on either side and they didn’t want to let them go.  It was also a special experience for our young ones to see another side of life.

 We always leave the prisons wanting to do more and more but we know that the Lord will bless our small efforts and make it go a long way for these people who have been rejected by society.

 Our next programme will be in January 2009 in the Women’s Prison in Welikada.