May that which is broken, play again.
May that which is broken, play again.
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| At a prison we went to, some of the prisoners showed me a number of broken guitars that had been donated to them. They told me how they had learned to repair them so they could be played again. What a beautiful analogy, a broken man, fixing a broken instrument so both could again play a song. That is why my family and I work and then travel the world, to bind up the brokenhearted so that the music of hope can be heard in even the most hopeless place. |
It was a beautiful experience
ministering inside the prisons of Buenos Aires, Argentina. I know I have written about performing
inside of prisons before, so I don’t want to be redundant, or for you to get
tired of all my stories. But every time is different, even though the
circumstances may be similar. Surely God
can do anything because in every situation someone has told us it is impossible
to get into the prison that God then opens the door to.
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| Inside a Maximum security facility in Buenos Aires. |
In Argentina the prison
conditions have been just horrible, violating human rights. Some prisons at
double and triple capacity, some with no access to water or sewage tanks,
prisoners that are not allowed to see a doctor unless they die, then a doctor
will pronounce them dead, and in 2008 the global NGO listed Argentina as one of
81 countries where torture is still practiced. Suicides, riots and gang fights
have claimed a staggering number of lives as well as prison fires that have
ragged out of control killing many. In many cases prisoners will protest the
conditions they are suffering and the protest will get out of control and turn
deadly. Many of the prisoners are held years without yet having received a sentence
or having any idea how long they will be in for. There are numerous articles
online you can look up if you are interested.
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| Even though this picture is washed out I really like it. We are doing an act called "Alegria" (joy), where we have clowns, magic and dance combined. Even the hardest heart smiles and laughs. |
In the recent years, conditions have been improving due to the human rights group implanting laws. One of those laws
being that only a certain number of prisoners can be together, in most cases
50. This meant that we would have to do a number of presentations for smaller
groups, instead of the large groups we are used to. In Colombia we were
actually able to perform for about 2000 men at the same time! But everything
worked out perfectly according to Gods beautiful plan, and once the prison
director saw the way we handled things, they were able to get together over 100
guys per performance and we were able to move our equipment in and out of multiply patios.
Please know that I understand any negative
feelings you may have towards prisoners, as in, 'they deserve to be there',
because we also frequently work with the victims of the crimes such as orphans,
widows, displaced families and handicapped and have seen their pain and suffering. I have seen both sides, the
criminal and the victim, or you could say, the victim and the victim. And
certainly many prisoners are hardened criminals who show no regret and do
deserve to be behind bars, but so many suffer horrible injustice for one
mistake that any of us could have made. It is easy for us to feel self righteous and think we would never do something that would lead to prison, but we are all human and what if in an outburst of anger, you threw something that hit someone,that turned into a serious situation? This one older man told us he had been in for 20 years for robbing someone with a plastic knife! He said he was going on 21 years and should have been released after 20. He just kept saying over and over, "It was a PLASTIC knife!" "I was never going to hurt anyone, I was just starving and now I am lost in here". But they classified it as armed robbery. Of all people, God says to remember the prisoners (Heb.13:3) Everyone deserves a little hope and for every broken instrument, we should at least attempt a repair.
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| Starting out one on one and learning some of their names. |
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| Gate after gate of separate check points. There was no ramp up and down the stairs in this one, so we had to do a lot of lifting and hauling from section to section. This is why I work out! |
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| Waiting for our van to clear the last gate and talking about how everything went. |
It was cool having a smaller
number of men, because we were able to give them more personal time and
attention. We always begin by just talking one on one with them, sometimes
doing card tricks or close up magic to break the ice, and sometimes just
listening as they relay what they have gone through. Then when we begin our
performance, they feel like they are part of our family and we know them a
little bit better. One of the patios we went to was in a soccer field in the
middle of a cell block. It had poured the day before so it was all thick mud
and we had trouble not slipping, but the sun came up and it warmed up some and was better than being indoors where the acoustics of our
music would have been an echo nightmare. My dad writes the music we use in our performance. It is a really cool, electronic, techno, trance, type music with awesome rhythm and energy. As well as some ethnic, chill songs that are more contemplative. Everyone just loves it and the men are pleasantly surprised when we turn on our speakers. God is not a boring God, and we try to use this music to convey that. If you would like to hear it some time, drop me a note and I'll send you some songs so you can see if you like it.
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| It was all muddy here and a bit difficult to do our choreography's but no big deal. |
In Argentina every one drinks
this drink called, "Mate", which is hot water poured over a mixture of herbs and
drunken through a straw. You can have it bitter or sweet (a ton of sugar is
added) and everyone, everywhere drinks it even more than Colombians drink
coffee. Anyway, this one patio we went
into, the guys brought out a table, chairs and all the fixings to make Mate for
us. They were so excited to make it up for foreigners and show them the drink Argentinians love. It can be awkward when someone gives you something to eat or drink that you are pretty sure you are not going to like, but you don’t want to insult them by
declining or really showing how cool you are and spitting it out all over. For example, a while ago when we
had finished a presentation for the army in the Colombian jungle, a general
brought out a tray with drinks on it. It was so hot and we were all dripping in
sweat from the humidity, we hardly thought and just dove into it, only to realize it was a lukewarm coconut, bamboo juice kind of drink. I was able to swallow the sip I had
taken and smile at him until he walked away and I could pour out the rest
in the bushes. When he came back around and saw my
glass was empty, he insisted I take more (perfect, just great!) Luckily I was able to
ditch this one on an innocent little kid who loved the stuff. Well anyway, back to Argentina, I
actually liked the Mate this prisoner made for me, it was way better than the
way my brother had made it earlier and it will always be a really cool memory
drinking Mate in a prison.
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| Unless we are performing for a huge group, we usually pass some candy around before we start. They never have candy in prison so it is a big treat for them. When we go back to the States next time I hope to find some really cheep so I can bring back a tun or maybe get some donated. |
It is so beautiful to see how much
these guys appreciate the things we do for them. Even simple things like magic
and funny routines. One of the things they really enjoy is when we have a dance
competition where 7 or 8 guys will participate and everyone else will judge
them. Everyone gets a prize and the winner gets an extra prize (usually extra
blankets or clothes that we have). Allowing them to participate and have fun is
just one more thing we do to help open them up and get them to let their guard
down so we can get a seed inside. By the way, the reason a lot of my pictures are of the same acts is because they are the only ones I am not in and thus can take a picture. We have a lot of different skits, choreography's and dances that we do, but to get pictures is difficult because those of us that are not in one thing, are preparing for the next thing. Sometimes a guard or aid worker will take pictures for us.
'
Before I did my Irish dance, I
took a rope with lots of knots tied down it and showed it to them. As human
beings we can do so many amazing things, but sometimes the most difficult thing
to do, is control our thoughts and win the battle that rages in our minds. I
was using the rope as an example to show how when we begin to think about the past, one thought, (knot) follows another
thought, follows another and we always end up in the same sad, hopeless place.
The first thought will start with “Why?” “Why did I go there, or do that, or say
that…?” and the next, “If only I had not…” and so on and so forth, always
thinking about something in the past and wishing we could change it. We all have regrets and pains in our lives and we can find
at times that we are living in the past. Years ago I was in a wheel chair, and
sometimes I would find myself reliving the events that led up to my accident
and wishing I had done something different. No matter what, my thoughts would
lead to the same place, no where. So I resolved, what happen happen, thoughts
were not going to change anything, the past is the past. I believed that God
causes all things to work for the good and He allowed what happen to happen.
Now in retrospective, I would never take back being in a wheelchair and all it
taught me. Maybe you have something that haunts you from the past and thinking
about it brings you sadness and pain. Let me tell you something that can help
you, they are just thoughts! They are only thoughts about something that happen
in the past, just thoughts, nothing real, and nothing that can harm you or
change you. No matter how many times you think them, nothing will change. You
will only go deeper and deeper into despair. Rather resolve the past, believe,
and realize that we can not change our past, but by changing, we can change our
future. If you stop the thoughts, you stop all the feelings that go with those
thoughts. So when the first “Why did…?” comes your way, stop it. Take it
“Captive” as Paul says (2Cor.10:5 ) Allow the Maker to fix your "broken guitar" so you can play a new song.
So this is what I shared before I
danced my Irish step dance. When I danced, the sun was setting behind the
barbwire walls and you could see your breath as the cold moved in. My steps
echoed across the stone court yard and all the prisoners erupted in applause
when I got to the part where I tap really fast to a Celtic song. These are the memories I live for. I know they heard
what I said, I know I touched them in at least a small way. The cold set in
quickly as we said goodbye to each man there, and many of them were in tears as
they thanked us. The surrounding cells went high up in towers and many that
were not allowed out, could still see us perform below. In fact, when we were
setting up our equipment, these guys way up in a cell, shouted down and asked us
to go out farther into the court so they could see us. When we left they
singled me with a mirror to get my attention and say thank you. We were able to
send them up some stuff to read, candy and music cds.
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| Guys signaling from their cell down to us. |
The directors of these prisons
were extremely grateful. They called us into the office to thank us. One
director gave my dad a cool Mate cup to show his gratitude and served us hot
coffee to warm us up (which was so considerate knowing we did not really like
Mate so there would be no trying to dump it out when he wasn't looking).
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| Meeting with the director and having a coffee. |
Every night after we perform at a
prison, orphanage, old age home or with disabled kids, I hardly sleep.
Especially after a prison, it’s like they have become a part of me and I feel
their sadness. At the end of a
performance, the guards are waiting to take the prisoners back, and the
prisoners are all trying to talk to us. Sometimes we give stuff out and always make sure that everyone gets some different stuff to read as well as leaving Gospels of John and music cds in their library. It amazes me how sometimes the prisoners
will look for something to give us to thank us, they hardly have anything and
they want to give us something they have or made. One man made me a
beautiful rose out of tin. There is
never enough time to talk one on one with everyone and I always feel bad when I
later remember someone who maybe did not get the time they deserved. I always picture certain faces, wish I had said this or that, wish I had had more time with this guy or that guy, wish I had more things to give them. But I
know in Gods justice, He will answer anyone who calls to Him in humility and He
can take the most severely broken instrument and use it to play a beautiful
song.
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| The port in Argentina was just beautiful at night and I really enjoyed running after a long day. |
