There are a number of men at Good Shepherd who are deeply involved in Kairos and I was only too glad to help their program in Kershaw.
This is my fourth experience on a Kairos Weekend, so that’s plenty of time to learn some things:
. . . Inmates (usually called “residents”) appreciate visitors. However, they really appreciate visitors who come back. The intensity and duration of a Kairos Weekend amazes them in that they learn people on the “outside” really do care about them.
. . . The Gospel has power regardless of where you are in relation to prison bars. As our team shared that the phrase “Jesus Is Lord” means no one else is Lord — not Mohammed, not Buddha, not the prison warden — residents shook with tear filled joy. Bold proclamation followed by tender response.
. . . Residents appreciate food brought in from the “outside.”
. . . Some of those on the “inside” have a biblical knowledge that puts many of us on the “outside” to shame.
. . . In all my times at Kairos, I’ve never had a resident proclaim to me that he was falsely convicted of the crime that landed him in Kershaw. More often, the men are full of regret for having allowed their lives to take such destructive detours.
. . . 75 men singing at full volume sounds good anywhere.