We Were Denied Entry To Do Ministry In Prison... Until We Prayed

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

The story you're about to hear might just change the way you pray. Because if you've ever prayed while simultaneously doubting that God might actually move, this is for you. Hey, I'm Bryce, and over the last 25 years here at Joy FM, we have heard stories that should have been impossible. And they only make sense if God was working. And so I've been on a mission here to sit down with the eyewitnesses of these stories, the ones who actually saw God working. And this story, it convicted me. And honestly, it's probably gonna change the way that I pray forever. Here's the goal. Minister to 1,200 offenders at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center in Pacific, Missouri with Joy FM artist Austin French.

SPEAKER_03 0:45

We're always looking for ways to reach more people, and especially those who are looking for hope may feel forgotten. And so we have relationships with several of the prisons in the area, and that's been longstanding. We have for several years. And we also have relationships with artists. And when you start to see that an artist's heart kind of matches up with whether it's prison ministry or recovery or whatever that might be, we then look for opportunities to say, hey, if you're going to be in St. Louis, what do you think about this? Joy FM artist Austin French was going to be in town.

SPEAKER_01 1:18

And knowing him and his heart for those in recovery, we knew that this was going to be right up his alley. So we reached out to him about this cool opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

This was one of the first times I'd been in prison to do ministry of any kind. Actually, I think it yeah, I think it may have been my first time ever going to do ministry at a prison. Um and so I was actually on tour uh with another artist, I believe, at the time, uh, and I got the invite, and I'm like, this sounds really cool to be a part of, and yeah, I was grateful to get asked to be a part of it.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

Now everyone knows that the primary job of a prison is to keep people in. But they also do an excellent job of keeping people out too. But there is a way to get in. You just have to know the key. So, what is the key? Paperwork and lots of it.

SPEAKER_03 2:16

While I wasn't the one filling out the paperwork, I do understand that there was quite a bit of it. Um, for all of us, we had to present, you know, like our driver's license, and I'm sure they did background checks on us and probably purpose of why we were there, the time we were going to be there. I know there was there's a lot of structure around that, and so the paperwork is your key in. They receive it, they okay it, and we had received confirmation once completing all of that that that it was a go. We arrive on our scheduled time, and we get in, and whoever was at the front desk looked on the computer and said, You have no reason to be here. You know, you're not in my system. And we're like, Well, maybe check again. It was this chaplain's name, and and um here's the timing, and reiterating we have this artist who has his guitar, and and uh he said, Yeah, no, um, without the paperwork being received and and confirmed, and we tried to explain that it had been confirmed. We were told it had been confirmed, and it was as simple as, well, I don't have it in front of me, therefore you're not getting in.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

Um, you know, we had thought we'd submitted everything we needed to submit, all the forms, all the IDs, all those kind of things, and then they're like, Hey, we're not gonna let you in today. And I'm like, that might be a problem. Uh and you know, I was just the artist that was there, but I'm watching it unfold and I look at like the panic in everyone's face, like, well, what do you mean?

SPEAKER_03 3:40

We're not and uh that that's pretty devastating. I mean, on two fronts. One, the ministry opportunity. And then also just to be honest, you have an artist here that you've done who's carved out their time, you've driven there, and there was some embarrassment to go, oh man, you know, we've dropped the ball in some way, even though we didn't feel like we had. Um so so then what? And and there was no option of, well, because we're like, we'll call the chaplain. So one of our team went out to the car because our phones had to be left in the car um to call the chaplain, but we were not even given any hope that uh that even a call from somebody would be a an would enable us to get in. It had to be the paperwork in the system, and it wasn't. So um while we did try to call the chaplain, there was still no indication that that would even be helpful because how do you make paperwork appear? If they didn't have it, without it, you're not getting in.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

And it seemed like none of our forms had made it, and all these background checks that we had all had to do or whatever were not going to be, you know, used. Like they had no record of us needing to be in the prison that day. And it's a prison, right? Like obviously they want to keep people in, but they also do a good job of keeping people out. And uh and so yeah, I felt it almost felt like an impossible situation. It was. It it felt like okay, something doesn't want us to do ministry in the prison today. Something or someone, you know, doesn't want us to be here today.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Without the key, we're not getting in. It's just impossible. But not for our God.

SPEAKER_03 5:12

Interestingly enough, right after we were told that news, um, the door from the inside to come into the lobby opened, and there was a Joy FM supporter coming out of the prison. And he said, What are you doing here? And we're like, What are you doing there? And he led a regular Bible study for um some of the men on the inside and was coming out from that. And we told him that we thought we were there so that Austin could share with some of the men, and then we explained the situation. And if I remember right, I remember him agreeing, like, yeah, that's that's that's a difficult thing because without the paperwork, I know well I'm I'm used to and accustomed to coming here, they're not going to let you in.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

That man's name was Steve. He's been a Joy FM listener and supporter since the beginning, and he actually has a small prison ministry where he meets with 15 to 20 offenders every Saturday for Bible study in small group. But he was there, so I wanted to hear his recollection of the story.

SPEAKER_02 6:16

Oh wow. Um, well, my name's Steve Darr. We've been doing prison ministry for you know right at nine years now, and uh the guards would not let uh Austin and Sandy and the whole group into the prison. So this went on. We were waiting for five, ten, fifteen minutes, and finally I said, you know, let's just pray about this.

SPEAKER_03 6:48

And I rem I remember thinking to myself, certainly not saying it out loud, oh, and so like paperwork, like what, you know? I know loaves and fish, but come on, paperwork to get into a prison. I I was doubting. I I agreed obviously, well, yeah, we haven't tried that. Let's pray. But I did not really think it was going to change the situation any. And I think Steve, Steve let it if I remembered. And Steve, in my opinion, was um humble and yet confident and just boldly asked the Lord to make a way. I don't remember all that he said, it's been a number of years ago now. But I remember just going, man, this guy's got more faith than I do. Um, and he knows how this place works, and he he knows how difficult it is without paperwork to get in. And but he was praying anyway.

SPEAKER_02 7:37

So we prayed, and I I mean the prayer ended, and I looked up the guy in uh the control station there. He was giving Austin and the whole group permission to go in. I mean, it happened just like that. I mean, we no sooner finished that prayer than that phone rang and permission was granted, and Austin and Sandy and the whole team were able to go into the chapel.

SPEAKER_03 8:14

The person at the desk said, Hey, hey, hey, and was getting our attention was like, We close, we open an eye, you know, do you pray? Do you listen to the prison person? I don't know what you do, and said, If um, he said, I can let you in, but you gotta go right now.

SPEAKER_00 8:29

You know, and I'm like, What?

SPEAKER_03 8:31

And so we're like, and amen. And literally, then Steve was able to usher us back to the space where we were gonna be going then, and we quickly, because some of our time had been eaten up by the delay, get in, get set up, and then start sharing with the men.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

And that day was so beautiful. I I got to go in and go into their little chapel uh and lead worship for these guys. And I'm telling you something, I have found more free people in prison than sometimes I do in worship services.

SPEAKER_03 9:04

And um I've heard Austin a number of times I love him, I love his songs, but it was like just holy spirit speaking and singing, and some of the men knew his songs, some of the men didn't, and it didn't matter.

SPEAKER_00 9:19

Um these guys knew what it meant to have their sin washed away. Uh and they were ready to praise Jesus for it.

SPEAKER_03 9:26

And then what as if it hadn't been an awesome day already, the the men asked to pray for him and they circled around him and just prayed the sweetest blessings and prayers over Austin's life.

SPEAKER_01 9:43

And I can imagine in those first 10 to 15 minutes, like just as a person, you're thinking, like, well, who do I need to call? What do I need to do? How do I fix this? I would imagine there was a lot of those conversations happening.

SPEAKER_02 9:56

Um I I have no poll within the prison there. So uh actually no, I was I was not having that. I was not having those thoughts.

SPEAKER_01 10:09

Um So knowing that when you offered up the prayer, anyways, were you expecting that the prayer was gonna work, or was did that shock you?

SPEAKER_02 10:20

Well, when we offered up the prayer, I mean w I I always want to pray expectantly. And God always answers our prayers. But to have a prayer answered immediately, I mean, we no sooner finished that prayer than that phone rang and permission was granted. It it was just seamless.

SPEAKER_01 10:44

I got to talk with Steve and I asked him, you know, were you surprised that God answered that prayer? And I asked, anticipating that he was going to say, Well, yeah, I couldn't believe it. But he said, No, I always pray expectantly. And it convicted me in the moment because I don't know that I do pray expectantly. I believe that God can answer prayers, but there is doubt there.

SPEAKER_03 11:12

Well, for one, that's why God had Steve there because he had then the faith that's part of that um piece. But for me, yeah. Um, and I I'm not great at this, and it's not always, but I want it to be my default, not my last resort. Like I want it to be my go-to default, and it just wasn't that day. And I also want faith to reframe the impossible. Like, okay, they said no, but what if God says yes? Right, and so I mean the both and, right? To say, God, will you please, and then to trust him with the results. But yeah, to just remember, he gets the last word, he opens and closes doors. No man can thwart what he orchestrates and ordains. And so if that's truthful, that should reframe how we pray, right? And Steve, he believed and the doors opened.

SPEAKER_01 12:08

A question that I've been asking myself is do I pray expectantly? Or do I doubt that God is gonna come through? And in Psalms 5:3, it says, In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning, I lay my request before you and wait expectantly. When we wait expectantly for the Lord's answer to our prayers, we don't know what the answer will be. Maybe yes, maybe no. But what we do know is that his answer is gonna be the one that brings the most good into our lives, and that is worth waiting expectantly on. To hear another incredible story about how Joy FM almost never existed and how God made away when there was no way, click here and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss a thing.