Prison ministry touches lives in New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND — Working through local chaplains, the Bible Society in New Zealand supplied around 2,000 Bibles to the inmates of the country’s 19 prisons in 2005. Among the prisoners whose lives have been changed by this ministry over the years are Josh and Matt, whose stories are told below by a chaplain.

Josh: a big man made bigger by God

Josh was a big man in every sense of the word. Big physically and big in social standing. Big in business and big in drugs. If people paid their bills with him on time, all was well. If they did not, he sent his friends to sort things out. They always returned with the money.

Josh loved cars. One day, when he was mending the brakes on a racing car, the jack slipped and he was crushed. He was paralysed and told that he would never walk again. In fact, he had almost died. Months and months of hospital treatment followed. He was in constant pain and very frustrated at being unable to walk.

Wheelchair

Slowly, he began to stagger and then to walk, first with a frame and then unaided. He kept his wheelchair, but generally did not use it.

The accident did not put a stop to his business activities, especially those which took place outside the tax system. His friends made sure that the money kept rolling in. The police knew about him but for years he was able to keep one step ahead of the law.

Finally, though, he ended up in prison. His wheelchair came with him. He was a bitter, twisted man. The prison officers watched him carefully, fearing that he might take his own life. His cell contained nothing more than a thin mattress, a stainless steel toilet, a pile of blankets and, hidden beneath the blankets, a brand-new Bible. Riches in the midst of emptiness!

That first night in prison, as many people do, he cried himself to sleep. The next morning, looking for something to do, he flicked through the pages of the Bible. Soon he started to read it properly, page by page, chapter by chapter. He read it night and day. He slept with it on his chest and woke with it still there. He did nothing else. He claims that he read the whole Bible twice during his first week in prison.

The chaplain came and invited him to attend chapel. He did so for the first time in his life. Returning to his cell afterwards, he prayed, asked for forgiveness and placed his trust in Christ. Eager to tell somebody, he pressed the emergency call button and asked to see the chaplain. Taking one look at Josh, the chaplain said, “It’s happened!”

Josh’s journey continues. He is now enrolled at the Bible College of New Zealand and has begun studying for a Bachelor of Ministry degree. His aim is to become a prison chaplain.

Matt: free to be free

A group of people from a local church were visiting the prison chapel and were asked to identify the prisoner who most reminded them of Christ. Most of them chose Matt. It was not always like this!

Matt grew up in Otara, a poor area of South Auckland. There were seven children in his family. His father was a violent man who, as Matt grew older, forced him to beat his own brothers and sisters. One day his father even made him beat his mother. “Do it,” he instructed, “or I’ll kill her.”

Fear and horror

By the age of 12, Matt was well known to the local police. He had become a troubled youngster. Troubled by what he saw at home and troubled by what he was forced to do. Troubled because he had nobody to talk to and troubled because of the pain, fear and horror in his mind.

Eventually he was sent to Paramoremo, New Zealand’s maximum-security prison. He was an emotional wreck. He describes it as being like having music, shouting and screaming inside his head all day and night. The noise drove him crazy. Sometimes he had to be placed in the unit for prisoners who had become uncontrollable.

Over the months, he stockpiled his medication for the time when he might want to take a large amount all at once. Things could not go on as they were. One night it all came to a head. He could not take any more. He spread his stockpile of medication out on his bed but, before taking anything, decided to pray. He had no idea what to say. He just talked. That night, for the first time since he was 12 years old, his head was filled with peace. The silence was almost deafening.

The next day Matt asked to see a chaplain. By Sunday he was in the prison chapel. That day the visiting church group talked about Jesus calming the storm and bringing great peace. They gave Matt a Bible and he read it for himself.

Later, he asked for his father to come to visit him. He explained to him what had happened, told him that he loved him and offered forgiveness. His father cried and accepted Matt’s Lord as his own. Just a few words brought a miracle almost beyond belief.

Matt now plays the guitar in the prison music group. Most Sundays, the group sings a song that he has composed, like the one that includes these words: “Before I came inside, I was doing time. You broke the chains binding me, now I’m free to be free!”