My first Kairos team meeting came and went quickly this weekend, but it was not uneventful, as it is always fun to catch up with ‘veterans’ who return to serve over and over. We build relationship with one another, as we share our hearts and lives in preparation of returning to the prison for another 3 day retreat. The veteran experience provides assurance, encouragement and testimony to the ones who have never gone behind the bars of a state prison to share in Christ’s love. The first time on a Kairos team can be a bit overwhelming and maybe at times a bit frightening, but when fear of the ‘unknown’ is replaced with experience you can’t help but return again and again.
The Love of God is poured out even in the first team meeting. He is already touching our hearts and lives as we begin our preparations to go inside. We begin bonding as a team to the degree to which we share our hearts as a group and with one another. Each meeting has scripture when shared and discussed helps mold us into becoming an example of what we hope to accomplish inside the prison community. One of the main objectives of the weekend inside the prison is to begin to build ‘christian’ community among the residents, by encouraging them to become vulnerable and willing to trust one another through prayer and giving of themselves, in becoming servants of the Lord. Whether you live on the inside or the outside it is important to learn to trust the Lord first, learning to trust others so that we can love one another and in that love lead others to Him. It is all about relationship – relationship first with Him and then with each other.
As I have already stated it was good to see familiar faces and to catch up with those from the prior weekend. But it was also exciting for me to share my heart with a newcomer to Kairos. She is a new to the prison ministry but not new to the Lord and the Holy Spirit loved on us both as we shared our hearts with each other. It is the beginning of a new friendship in the Lord. This is just a brief example of His love being shared as there were many other ‘connections’ through the Holy Spirit in that meeting. We can already see Him at work in our lives, in our team and in anticipation of what is ahead. Always looking forward to the next time we get together to see what the Lord does in our hearts.