Back to Prison

Today, M*** (the ladies' leader) was gone.  The ladies miss her, and we prayed for God to be with her.  It was a little subdued today.   

The biggest blessing today for me was watching J**** leading worship.  She is the lady that I prayed for and brought medicine to.  She used to just lay on her side on the floor.  

Today, she was taking charge…M***’s job.  They all look to her for leadership now.  She is a whole new person, and is beautiful inside and out.

Today was the story of “Disobedience” in the Garden.  The ladies wanted to know if God built Adam and Eve a house or did they have to sleep outside.  Why were they naked?  Did they have physical intimacy?  (They didn't use that word, but they were curious because Eve didn't have children right away (in the pictures), which is what they are expected to do here).

The “sex” conversation was interesting.  I asked, “Is sex a bad thing?”  And the ladies said, “Yes.”   

It gave me a chance to tell them that God gave us the gift of sex for one man and one woman to share in the confines of marriage.  One of the ladies who is HIV+, was nodding along as I spoke.  

 So many of these women are appreciated only for “making” children (which are a sign of prosperity), and too many have to share their husbands with co-wives.  And I’m sure you have heard that one of the big reasons there is such a large orphan population in Uganda is because AIDS has killed so many of the young parents.  

The issue of physical intimacy definitely needs to be talked about in a biblical sense.  There is so much misunderstanding.  Looks like we have more topics for discussion after I finish this book series...

I love every minute we spend at the prison, and I hope that Florence and I are as much a blessing to these ladies as they are to us.