The noise of the early morning from my seat on the Shelton’s back porch: I hear the distant pounding of hammer on metal, the gobble of a turkey somewhere close, the helicopter blade “whomp, whomp, whomp” imitation of an enormous pelican-type bird as it flies from one tree to another, the songs of the children from a nearby orphanage, the myriad of communication between smaller varieties of birds and tree mammals. In the far distance the constant hum of something mechanical, perhaps a machine at the sugar factory in Jinja, is a consistent man-made backdrop for the ebb and flow of nature’s welcome of the renewed mercies of the morning.
This week the men of the team visited Jinja Remand Men’s Prison. According to the count board, the yard held 701 inmates at the time of our visit. These men were awaiting trial at the local under-resourced court.  The “normal” wait time for trial is three to five years. Those judged guilty cannot count on “time served” being removed from the incarceration order.  It is possible for a convict to be gone ten years for a five year crime. The men were friendly and kind. We were the “program” for a regular prison chaplain going by the name, Rogers. Rogers brought with him a battery powered keyboard and public address system. The prison yard is sectioned into three areas.  There is a regulation football (soccer) field , and segregated fenced yards for the convicts and the remands. The men are dressed in yellow shorts and pull-overs, many have no shoes. Rogers has an assigned spot, a large opening in the prisoner barracks, concrete floor, walls and ceiling.  A few men helped us set up the equipment and Rodgers started playing some pieces of tunes.  Men started to come.  After about fifteen minutes, we had a crowd gathered.  We sang a few songs of worship together and more men came.
Mitchell, one of our team members,  shared his testimony to relationship with Jesus and Pastor Adam gave a teaching on the two Great Commands. The men pulled out their Bibles and followed attentively.  While the teaching was good, the best part of the time was watching his interpreter trying to keep up with the Pastor.  After the teaching, one of the inmates asked why Jesus did not visit his cousin, John, while John was in prison. I have fielded a lot of questions about the Bible in the past 20 years; this question, in the context in which it was offered, was one of the most poignant I ever heard.  Pastor did a fine job answering the query.  My job fell to recapping the teaching of the day: to love God with heart, soul, mind and strength, to love our neighbor as ourselves.
The men spent a lot of time thanking us for coming. On the way to visit the guards and exit the prison, one of the older men pulled me aside. “We have a serious problem in this place,” he began. “What is troubling you?” I replied, thinking that he would complain about the treatment from the guards, the poor quality of the food, the unbearable conditions of the dormitory or some such thing. Nope! “Our problem,” he said, “is that they do not purchase for us footballs.  Can you arrange for a football to be sent in here?” Of course I did not know whether or not it is possible. I since discovered it is possible. So off to Jinja today to purchase a football.