More than 20 inmates were recently baptized following the work of prison ministries in Paraguay. Here are the testimonies of three women incarcerated: Patricia, Maria, and Marta.*
“My life before I met Christ was chaos. I lived my life in adultery and did not make good decisions,” Maria shared. “Today I gave my life to the Lord, and I know that He will forgive all my sins. I’ve already noticed a big change in my life and in my family.”
Martha added, “I used to do drugs, and I was addicted. I walked the streets aimlessly, and because of these decisions I lost my whole family. It was painful. Today I took a leap of faith and gave my life to God. I am happy to make such a decision! I want to be with my daughter, my family, leaving old habits behind and enjoying a new life,” she said.
Patricia also shared her story. “My baptism meant a lot; today I am a daughter of God. I belong to the family of heaven. When I was a child, my parents baptized me in a church, but now that I have grown up, I have made a conscious decision to give my life to Jesus,” she said.
Decisions for Jesus During Easter Week
Like Patricia, Maria, and Marta, many stories of transformed lives emerged during the special Easter Week series “The Marks of Jesus” in Paraguay. Alberto Pirelli, Paraguay Union Mission evangelism leader, along with district pastor Adalgiso Junior and Henoc Carrillo as spiritual support, were part of a baptismal ceremony at El Buen Pastor penitentiary, a prison for women. On the other hand, Rafael Rossi, together with district pastor Gregorio Limenza, accompanied this ceremony in Tacumbú, a prison for men in the country’s capital.
After several months of Bible studies, 13 women and 8 men took the most important step of faith: accepting Christ as their Savior, renouncing sin, and following biblical principles through baptism. Meanwhile, more than 60 inmates continue to study the Bible as they get ready for a future baptismal ceremony.
Even though some prisons do not have adequate infrastructure, inmates, faithful to their commitment to study the Bible, gather under a shed and, sitting on the floor, take out their Bibles and study materials to continue their classes.
A Mission With Purpose
In Paraguay, prison ministries have been working for many years to strengthen the spiritual life of those who are incarcerated, helping them to rediscover their purpose, regional leaders said. Prison ministries is present in several prisons across the country.
Henoc Carrillo is the coordinator of prison ministries in four prisons in Asunción. Every week he meets with more than 50 inmates to study “The Faith of Jesus” Bible course.
According to Carrillo, this project has been in the works for a long time and has been significant to bring hope to those incarcerated. “We organized several initiatives to invite inmates to study the Bible,” he said. “During the Breaking the Silence project, we held talks that created great interest. Later many were encouraged to continue studying.”
Carrillo shared that many of the inmates were religious persons. “They already knew how to look up texts in the Bible and know Christian songs. However, at some point in their lives they strayed from Jesus’ path. What they need today is a transformation, a change of life that can be achieved only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Knowledge is important, but the real challenge is the commitment to change and leave addictions behind,” he said.
*Names are pseudonyms to protect the individual’s identity.
The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Spanish-language news site.