Madagascar is one of many countries throughout Africa where inmates often experience harsh prison conditions and lengthy waits for trials. These challenging circumstances lead to many prisoners there losing hope and trust.
Given the significance of Jesus' teachings on freedom for prisoners and the biblical call to remember and support those in prison, LHM staff in Madagascar, as well as Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Liberia, have been granted permits that allow entry into national prisons to share the hope of the Gospel. These efforts have been recognized and appreciated by government and prison officials alike.
LHM—Madagascar's staff members regularly visit prisons to share God's Word and distribute Bible Correspondence Courses with individuals who are incarcerated. These visits typically reach groups of more than 500 where staff conduct sports league ministry programs-inside prison walls. People's lives are truly transformed by the Gospel in these prisons, including a 23-year-old single mother to a nine-month-old baby.
Born into an impoverished family of cattle herders, this young woman had to leave high school after one year to help her brother and parents work on the farm. As many youth do, she found this life unbearable and soon left it to find a waitressing job at a bar in the city. There she met a man and abandoned her morals to follow him. He left when she became pregnant, and her family also deserted her. In time she was accused of stealing money from her employer and was imprisoned, where she currently awaits sentencing. At first her family cared for her infant son, but after a month they gave him back to her to care for in the prison. No longer able to breastfeed, she feared for his life as his health deteriorated due to malnutrition.
Four days after her son rejoined her, the young woman met members of the LHM—Madagascar team in the prison. She approached LHM staff and asked them to pray for her son. While she was powerless, she knew Jesus could save him. The staff members prayed with her and introduced her to the pastor who was ministering with the team during their visit. In the days that followed, her son's condition began to improve, and she eagerly agreed to have her son baptized in the prison. "I am rediscovering my faith, and my strength is growing," she says. "This feeling is priceless."