We can or we can’t.

We can or we can’t.

Its amazing how much in life comes down to the specific choices we make. We can do things, or we can not do things.  Every day is much like the one before it and will probably be pretty similar to the one that follows. There is nothing that greets us in the morning and makes us change our routine or go beyond ourselves to care about others. Things that happen on the outside, can determine how we are on the inside. Our past can shape our present and ultimately determine our future.  Precious moments can slip away and be lost, sometimes because we miss them, and sometimes because we do not stop and grasp them. 

The power to choose, to be who we want to be, is something we each possess. Life is a gift, it is a blessing but it is also a responsibility. Every day we are faced with two options, we can…or we can’t. We can stop, spend time alone and think a little deeper in regards to God and our eternal destiny, or we can’t. We can make an effort to search out an opportunity to touch the lives of others and help someone else, or we can find reasons why we just can’t. 

You and I will never be the exact age we are right now. We will never again live the day we are living right now and we do not know how many of these things called “today” we have left. Our destiny is not locked in stone or written in the stars. We do not have to be who we were or who we are but can become someone new, we can change, and that is a very exciting thought. Jesus said those that give Him their life are as a seed, which only becomes what it can be, because it gave up what it was (Jn.12:24). Sometimes even a very small choice, to resolve something or to change a very small thing, can lead to something big. 

One day in Argentina, I chose to go to a certain prison and ask if I could talk to the director in regards to getting authorization to visit. There was a little window on the door which a guard finally opened after I knocked ten times (like the gate in The Wizard of Oz). He barely listed to what I was asking and then slammed it shut and said no, I could not talk to anyone. After repeating this process a good, oh…60 times until, long story short, I eventually found a door where I found a guy that got a guy that knew a guy that got me to the directer. 

Its funny how if you act important and like you belong somewhere you absolutely do not, sometimes you can bluff your way into where you need to go (just in case you ever need to get into somewhere you don’t belong like a really bad prison). We ended up finding remarkable favor with the director of both this prison, and one that was adjacent to this one (which is one of the worst in the world). They were very taken back by what we were offering to do and treated us with much respect and gratitude.  

A picture from outside the fenced area where we performed. 

They organized an event for us from one day to the next and went above and beyond to get together a large group of prisoners at the same time so we could just do one larger presentation in each prison, instead of two smaller ones (It is hard to do multiply performances in one day because of the amount of energy and focus required, especially in high heat). Normally they can only have a certain number of prisoners together at the same time, but in our case, they brought in extra military guards and doubled the amount of prisoners that could watch us. They helped us figure out ways to make shade and provide the prisoners with something to sit on. These guys were so grateful. We gave out some candy as they came in and this one man was so excited just to get a piece of candy. He said “Wow, I have not had candy in 18 years!”  One man had just been shot in the hand and told me how painful it was. I was able to get him a sling that I sent in to him the next day. 

The directer asked us to visit all the other prisons in the area and invited us to a meal of grilled meat with all the guards (I was brave enough to taste this weird blood sausage which ended up being not that bad). We ate next to the prison by the dog canals.  One of the guards had an adorable little puppy and he showed me how they train the dogs to be guard dogs and to find narcotics, it was really cool. 

One of the prisons he wanted us to visit was waaaaaayyyyy in the middle of nowhere with desert before it and the Andes beyond. There was no lodging around, so he arranged for us to actually stay on the prison grounds in the guards quarters near the dog canals (no, not a quite place).  It was one of the most amazing experiences I have had, the prison was very big and we were inside one fence with three more before the prison. 

A severe thunder storm moved in and it poured all night with lightning splitting the sky. At 10:00 pm, we start to hear loud shouts, guns being fired and the dogs going nuts. A guard rushes into our quarters and tells us there is an escape attempt taking place and not to go out. He puts a dog to guard us and then rushes off.  We watched as guards ran the grounds, fired rubber bullets and could see a fire in one of the cell windows. It was like being in a live movie.  All night men were shouting and yelling to each other. 

The next morning a guard whose name was Facun, explained that thee top criminal in the country named, “Gato Rayo” (lightning cat), is imprisoned in the maximum security section of this prison and last night attempted to escape. This was his second attempt at this prison and he had successfully escaped from another prison. He had planned this a long time, had in his possession a map of the prison and had a van waiting outside. Seven other prisoners were part of the plan, some were decoys to lead the guards astray with no intention to get out. They had cut the electricity to their section so the guards would be distracted trying to get it back on and set a fire in one of the cells. 

A view of the prison in the morning after the storm had broken. You can see the Andes mountains in the back. 

They each got out of their  cells (which no one knows how), got out the first and second fence. One took off running on the roof, but in the end, no one got all the way out. Well I don’t know if you find this kind of thing interesting or not, but it was an amazing experience and surely a night that I will always remember. Besides the escape, just hearing the men yell and scream all night will be something that will stay with me forever. So much suffering and sadness on both sides of the walls. "Remember those in prison..."(Heb.13:3) 

We have also had some really sweet times of ministering in the down town center at a large plaza. There was a huge festival going on that drew huge crowds from all the surrounding villages and cities. It was an awesome opportunity to reach people that we could otherwise not get to. I had a lot of fun using my self made puppet theater and doing magic with my sisters for all the kids. 

We only get one life. Jesus made a choice to lay down His life for us. Our choices prove whether or not we believe in His choice.  We can or can’t, it's just a question of, if we will or we won't.  

I will go farther, I will love I will give, I will say now is the time, today is the day, because I only have this one life to live.