Bringing hope to women in Grochów Prison

Last Friday we went to visit a prison for women in Grochów.  There were six people on our team, so we divided into two groups and went to two  different blocks. To block six came about fifteen women, some of them we recognized from the last time. They were happy to see us. After introductions Roma started with a question: How can we not go back to what we did before?  How can our life be changed?  They are recidivists, so this question seemed so crucial to them. They do not want to waste their lives anymore. There was a group of women from one cell who said they want to stick together and support one another after they leave prison. We shared with them our experiences, how difficult sometimes it is to find enough strength in ourselves, but we can ask God for it. As the Bible says: “We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us” (Phil. 4:13) We discussed the importance of being around the right influences and not letting any negative people come into our lives to negatively affect or destroy it. Another important matter was to define what is our goal in life. Nearly everyone shared what is the thing they would like to achieve. These were: peace, love, health, joy and having family. After realizing what our goals are then we need a plan, how to get to this point and not give up. We all agreed on the value of endurance and staying focused. In the end we explained that Jesus is the one who wants to change our lives, but we need to open our hearts and receive His love and the sacrifice He made for us on the cross. Most of the women wanted to pray, so that Jesus would become their Savior and change their lives. They were touched and we could notice tears coming from their eyes. It was such an amazing privilege to bring hope to the lives of these women and inspire joy in the midst of difficulties.