“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." -Matthew 5:14-16
Today’s the second snow day in a row, and it’s been a long six months of this blog post being overdue so it’s about time that I jump in and summarize what happened to me during my 8 week Deputation experience through the INN Seattle, University Ministries, and University Presbyterian Church...
From June through August of 2018, thirteen people who I now call family served on an internship team for Hope Prison Ministry (a.k.a. Hope or HPM) in the Western Cape of South Africa. The team included 6 of us students from UW/Seattle, and 5 from Colorado Boulder plus two amazing local South African leaders.
Now flashback to a year ago, when I initially found out that I was going to South Africa to do prison ministry. I had a million questions buzzing through my head. So I decided to set the bar extremely low for my expectations of my Deputation experience, for I had no idea of the magnificent plans God had in store for me individually, my team, the ministry, and the people we would serve in the Western Cape. I didn’t believe that Jesus was truly able to enter in such a dark space such as prison. On a personal note, I didn’t think God cared about me anymore because of my past mistakes. But over the course of the internship, I realized how wrong it was for me to limit God’s Grace, Mercy, and Capacity to Love in situations where I thought all Hope seemed to be lost.
Originally when I came to South Africa to serve, my preconceived mindset limited God’s capacity for just about everything. I figured the ministry was going to be incredibly small and underdeveloped— which I quickly learned that Hope Prison Ministry is actually very well established, and was founded before I was born. Let me not forget to mention the incredibly gifted, kind hearted, wise, and faithful hundreds of volunteers and staff who serve on HPM and have the biggest hearts of anyone I have ever met! Fun fact: Hope serves in 19 Prisons across South Africa (including Drakenstein, Pollsmoor, Malmesbury, Hawequa, Worcester Female Prison, and many more).
During the Internship, our three main focuses in the ministry were the Restorative Justice Program, Bible Studies, and Community Outreach. Through God’s Amazing Grace and His perfect timing I was able to reconnect and renew my own Faith, as well as simply be present with inmates and encourage them to build a stronger foundation with Christ for not only themselves but their families as well.
One of the most impactful weeks of the internship was Restorative Justice (RJ). One of my major take aways was that God’s Love is greater than anything I can ever imagine, and being able to sit and reflect on that epiphany with the RJ group was an incredible honor and blessing. The whole classroom of inmates, facilitators, interns, and even the wardens were able to begin to acknowledge and release the hard things we were keeping and carrying in our own personal lives that weighed each of us down and hurting our inner core. One of the biggest blessings and toughest days was the end of the week where the families of inmates were invited to come and have a space to talk and begin the journey of uncovering and addressing old wounds with their imprisoned family member. Over the course of the week the inmates learned tools for character traits such as the importance of truth, integrity, honesty, respect, and hope for their futures. The room was a mix of every emotion, but I knew this had been a very successful week for the mustard seeds of courage and restoration were now planted, and the Lord would be able to make all things new from here.
I am so thankful that I was able to serve with an amazing group of interns that were so silly, strong willed, and encouraging with every day that we were in South Africa. Watching the inmates and my teammates grow over the course of a couple months was incredible. Furthermore, being able to do community outreach and meet the families of inmates, the children in their communities, as well as ex-inmates and their families was a complete honor. Since Hope Prison Ministry is so intentional in every aspect of their ministry, you can feel the amount of love that fills the room when Bible Studies begin, or warm meals are shared within prison walls, or when an inmate raises their hand and has the courage to be vulnerable.
Even during the community outreaches and different churches we visited across the townships in the Western Cape, I witnessed thick chains breaking, and a hopeful future for so many lives. We underestimate the power of the simplicity of sharing the message and good news of Jesus Christ. I often forget as a Christian that so many people either don’t know Him, don’t think He is for them, or have forgotten Him. I have even noticed a change in my confidence in sharing the word since coming home from the internship, and I have learned to not be timid, but to be more steadfast in my Faith because at the end of the day honoring and building God’s Kingdom is ultimately more important than anything else in my life.
Outside of the prison walls, South Africa’s nature truly brought tears to my eyes in being able to witness God’s beautiful, intentional, and perfect creation. The vibrant colors, graceful animals, powerful oceans, and majestic mountains were nothing like I had ever seen where I’m from in Seattle/ the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. Even more, the friendly culture of so many kind, humble, and caring humans in one region just melted my heart. Back home it’s sad to say that it’s sometimes hard to find so many people with servant hearts outside of church communities. I believe a lot of us could learn some South African hospitality techniques. Also, during the internship I was able to connect more with the people we served in prison after our team visited and served in more townships and communities. Being able to see where the men and women were raised—some of which are heavily impacted by violence, gangsterism, and drugs that toxify so many homes and streets. And yet there is so much hope, and I firmly believe God’s hand is in South African prisons, and so many leaders in those communities creating change, and pockets of joy.
Overall, during my internship I count every moment a blessing to be present and listen to the inmates. I realized how broken the world is, and also how much greater God is and how truly great His Love is for all of us. What I've shared are just some of the many beautiful fruits of God’s Grace as HPM continues to connect with current and past inmates and their communities!
I especially want to thank everyone who helped me financially and through prayer to lead me on my 2018 Deputation mission trip to South Africa! Your support means so much to me and the ministry!
But wait there’s more! My story doesn’t end here….Since I had such incredible experiences I am eager to return to South Africa to see what more God has in store in the Western Cape. I will be finishing up my undergraduate degree in Medical Anthropology & Global Health and minor in Nutritional Sciences this March! When I’m done with finals I am going to hop on a plane and travel to South Africa through the end of May! If you would like to help me fundraise personally for accommodations and gas money, as well as support the ministry I invite you to go to this link to donate:
http://hopeprisonministry.org/donate-to-hope/
In the Memo Line write my name: Amelia Berner
I am hoping to raise $1,500 for two months of rent and gas money (HPM has ministry cars and South African petrol prices are outrageous). With tax season on the way, know that you will get tax credit receipts and your 20% of you donation will support Hope Prison ministry (10% to admin; 10% to the ministry)! How cool is that!
Feel free to contact me via email or I’d love to meet up for coffee if you want more information on the ministry in general or more incredible stories. I dare you to ask me about Ma's Vir Wellington, Lavender Hill, Zwelethu, Beauty, our intern coordinators (Marco and Dan), Pollsmoor Prayer walks, spiritual warfare, surfing, Table Mountain, any of my teammates, shark cage diving, Hillsong and other churches we went to, South African curry and Malva pudding, post-apartheid (*I'm not an expert), how to pronounce the word Xhosa, our whale sighting, that yes Africa has penguins, bagged milk, all of the team jokes and laughter, how crazy it is to drive on the left side of the road, etc. Or if you have any questions about my life in general please contact me through facebook or email me at: aberner@uw.edu
Lastly, since I am an anthropology major and I get indecisive and overprotective of my experiences, I have found it difficult to write on specific moments during the internship that I want to share with the rest of the world. That’s honestly why it’s taken me half a year to post my blog. So I highly recommend checking out two of my fellow interns’ blog sites! They have way more specific and funny stories than I can ever write:
Alan Balfe’s blog: https://abalfe720.wixsite.com/messenger2018
Connor Cantrell's blog: https://connorcantrell1.wixsite.com/southafrica
Baie Dankie (thank you very much) for reading and bearing with me! I hope to post more soon!
"For the joy of the Lord is your strength." -Nehemiah 8:10
With love and grace,
Amelia Grace Beaudry Berner
