Located in the coast city of Mombasa, Shimo la Tewa is one of five maximum security prisons in the African nation of Kenya. Many prison facilities in Kenya have a reputation for overcrowding, poor conditions, and brutal treatment of inmates; in spite of recent reforms, 2,500-inmate Shimo la Tewa has traditionally been one of the most notorious.

Japeth Kinuthia is serving a long-term sentence in this daunting place—but even after more than 15 years at Shimo la Tewa and other prisons in Kenya, he can look past his day-to-day hardships and affirm a simple, eternal truth: "God has been faithful," he says.

Japeth had been convicted of robbery with violence—a capital crime—and sentenced to hang. While waiting for his mandatory death sentence to be carried out, he learned the salvation story of Jesus through the Nuru Lutheran Media Ministry, LHM's ministry center in Kenya. Nuru offers LHM Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) to men and women in Kenya's prisons; in all, more than 1,500 inmates are enrolled in the program.

In 1999 Japeth enrolled in a Bible Correspondence Course. According to Nuru's Director, John Maina, as Japeth learned about his own sin and about God's free grace in Jesus, he experienced a turning point, discovering peace and the assurance that he was forgiven and accepted by God.

About two years later, Japeth's case came up for review by the Kenya Prisons Board. The review concluded with a surprise: Japeth's death sentence was commuted to life in prison. Maina believes this was a second turning point in Japeth's life; he says, "Japeth saw God in that decision and felt that it was also a calling to use his life serving this God inside the walls."

Later transferred to Shimo la Tewa, Japeth never stopped sharing his own personal story of peace in Jesus with his fellow inmates. He introduced them to Bible Correspondence Courses and led Bible study groups. "Many have come to faith through this work," says Maina, who shared Japeth's story with us upon returning from a BCC graduation at the Shimo la Tewa prison. According to Maina, 19 inmates on long-term sentences professed faith in Jesus. "It was truly a great moment for us to see these people stand and pray," he says.

The Nuru staff presented a number of books to the prison's new library, including 100 copies of Luther's Small Catechism. Japeth, now a trustee, is excited for the ministry at Shimo la Tewa and eager to use the new tools in active witness.

Says Maina, "Only God can bring about a change like this, because He is the God of Jacob—the God of second chances."

For information about LHM's international ministry programs, visit our International Ministries page.