Miguel and Chaplain Dave meet outside the El Paso Immigration Center

Throughout this year, many have been separated from their families in an effort to keep Covid from spreading, but for those who are in the Immigration Detention Center or in prisons throughout the United States, separation from family is not a new experience.  The visits they would receive from chaplains, priests, and pastors helped stay connected to God and others, but with COVID-19 restrictions, many who are detained are having a difficult time celebrating their faith.

The Lutheran Prison Ministry of Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care (YLM) has continued to find ways to bring God’s Word and love to those behind bars.  At the beginning of December, Miguel Muñoz delivered 30 Bibles, over 100 devotional books in English and Spanish, and over 80 songbooks to Chaplain Dave outside of the detention center.

Storage boxes are exchanged to keep materials from getting damaged or blown away

“I’ve been coming with Pastor Heimer for over seven years now,” Miguel shared soon after texting Chaplain Dave of his arrival, “I hesitated at first, but now, I really miss coming and getting to sing with these men and women, and seeing them grow in their faith.”

During this COVID-19 year, Bibles and other Christian literature has been taken to the El Paso Immigration Detention Center a couple of times upon the request of Chaplain Dave, who shares how detainees find a quiet place to read their Bible or devotional books.  “Faith is central for many of the detained men and women,” he shared in a letter, “And these items brought to us helps them as they face an uncertain future.”

Another aspect of the Lutheran Prison Ministry is making Bibles available to prisoners throughout the United States.  Prison chaplains contact YLM to request Bibles and through donations made, Lutheran Prison Ministry is able to mail them out.

Miguel and Chaplain Dave share some encouragement and words of kindness

“We get asked for large print or a foreign language Bible,” Leah Bolgar, who helps with the Lutheran Prison Ministry, shares, “Sometimes I have to seek out a German or Mandarin Bible, purchase it and send it out.  Other times, we get donations of French or Portuguese Bibles.  It’s really a blessing to share God’s Word to those who are detained or incarcerated.”

Along with Bibles and Christian Literature, the month’s sermon readings and notes are mailed out to inmates requesting copies.  This allows them to receive a guided study of God’s Word and dive deep into Scripture through the explanations of the readings.  These same readings are used for sermon preparation, and at YLM, staff use these guided sermon notes for their own faith growth.

As the year comes to an end, the Lutheran Prison Ministry continues to pray for those who are detained and hungry for God’s Word, finding ways to plant seeds of faith and share God’s love.  Those who are involved with this ministry are eager and ready to start training in 2021 to be able to return to visit detainees soon as it is allowed.