Harvest Conference on a shoestring

We have been with the Harvest Evangelism Conference now for 4 days. It is so exciting to be with other believers from all over the world, praying for our nations and learning what it looks like to be so intimate with God that He begins to give you strategy and vision. The Lord has been speaking to our hearts in many ways, there is much we hope to bring home from this time. Instead of trying to cover all we have experienced we would like to share one encounter with you.

The second day of the conference was spent in jail. Our whole group visited Christ the Only Hope Prison in La Plata. This is a prison that has become entirely sold out for the Lord... the inmates are all Christians, and so are the guards. There has been an incredible revival in the prison system of Argentina, and we were told that over 9000 prisoners in the region of La Plata are now believers! In fact, all of the security guards that have been watching over us during this conference are ex-prisoners, turned into sold-out men for God! (who better to know if people are trying to steal from us, huh?) It has been a blessing to have them minister to us and pray for us.


Our trip to the prison was not to bring Jesus to the inmates, as most Christian trips to prisons are, but to allow them to show us how they worship in the prison. We had church with them. Throughout the day, the one thing that I (Tina) was so aware of was the birds. I know that sounds silly, but as we stood in the courtyard of the jail, I was so tuned in to the birds flying over us. There were some times when worship was so powerful and I would all of a sudden notice how these huge flocks of birds would soar beautifully overhead and land right on top of the prison. At other times, they would all soar together off the roof and land somewhere else, but it was as if they were choosing to stay close to the prison and be a part of the worship. It was, to me, such a cool symbol of FREEDOM. These birds had the freedom to go where they wanted and they flew so beautifully and gracefully. As I looked around at the faces of the prisoners, and as they prayed for me and blessed me, I sensed the same freedom in them. They had found a freedom in Christ that was beyond explanation! I read something yesterday that reminded me of these amazing prisoners: God does not see us as we see ourselves, He sees us as so much more. While we look at ourselves and see our past failures, He looks at us and sees our future victories. These men did not live in the guilt of their former lives, but were truly set free and were understanding the purposes for which they were created. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom... and the Spirit was in Christ the Only Hope Prison!

(All of the pictures in this post are from the prison)

P.S. Thank you to all who have been praying for my health. I am feeling much better today!