Bullet Catcher
"Down, down! Everyone on the yard, down!” came the voice screaming over the loud speakers. Sirens wailing, officers running from every direction, straight toward us.
Minutes before this event took place, ten brothers in Jesus and I had gathered on the grassy area of the yard, in a circle. We were about to start our small group Bible study.
As we began to open up in prayer, we could hear two men directly behind us, arguing over something. “Father,” I started the prayer. “As we gather today on this yard…”
That’s as far as I got when the sirens went off. We opened our eyes as we all threw our bodies down on the ground. “Why is every officer running toward us?” I thought to myself. Oh, no, it’s those two men right next to us, I told myself as a sick woozy feeling came over me.
Like clockwork I knew the next announcement was going to be a warning about shooting if the fight didn’t stop. Sure enough, “Stop now! We will shoot!”
Well, every inmate knows—the unwritten rules one picks up on as an inmate—that once you start to fight, you don’t stop or go down until one is shot, sprayed, beat, or tackled to the ground by the officers. So this announcement meant nothing to the two men fighting. However, it meant a lot to us who were directly in the line of fire.
“Oh Lord, protect us,” I whispered.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Three shots were fired.
I shut my eyes and held my Bible so tight nothing could have taken my grip away. I held on and waited for the impact of whatever type of ammo was headed my way (The ammo can range from 22mm bullets to wooden bullets; from net trappings to rope slingshots).
It felt like hours, but I’m sure it was only seconds. I opened my eyes to see both men, belly side down, with hands and feet in cuffs. I quickly looked around the group to see if we had anyone hit by ammo. None! Praise God. “Thank you Jesus,” I sighed.
Soon after situations like these, a group of officers goes onto the area where possible ammo could have landed. Amazingly enough, no wooden bullets (which the firing officer said he shot) were ever found. Hmmm? Where did they go?
Want me to tell you what I think happened to those bullets? I believe those bullets were headed straight toward one of us that was in the study circle, and God, with His mighty love and power, took those bullets right in mid-air. Why not? If Creator can make this universe, He can take bullets from mid-air with no problem.
The reason I share this event with you, is to show you a small—yes, small—look at the many dangers that we face in prison. Even if one is not involved with the “wrong” crowd, he is not immune to danger. The stress of prison living can build up within some, and their reaction can be to take it out on the first person that smiles at them wrong. An officer can come from a rocky situation at home, and decide to express his anger on an inmate.
Over and above those two examples, the growing Muslim Jihad group is starting to push the Christian group into a very awkward situation. Their growing hate is starting to cross lines. Their zealous faith and willingness to fight for it are well known.
Now, personally I have never been in a jungle or in the Middle East as a missionary. I’m well aware they face many dangers. And for that reason, we lift them up in prayer. Danger surrounds them every minute of the day. Likewise, I feel prison is as dangerous. And maybe even worse.
So please—I’m begging—please remember us in prayer. Being a faithful follower of Jesus in prison is not a cakewalk. Replace our concrete buildings with trees and huts. Substitute the officers’ pepper spray and batons with spears and arrows, and we faithful Christian inmates, in America’s prisons, are warriors of Jesus in the jungle. Please lift us up, as we take on the danger in American prisons.
Let me close by using the Apostle Paul’s words, as translated in The Message, “and don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the message that I, jailbird preacher that I am, am responsible for getting out” (Ephesians 6:19,20).
God so richly bless you all.
—In His Service, Adrian
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. (Philippians 1:3-5 NIV)
© 2015 Friends of Adrian.
Many of you have been asking when Adrian’s book would be available. That time has come. The Walls Talk is the first compilation of Adrian’s updates over the years. It can be purchased online from Amazon.com and other dealers. ISBN number is 1495391000.
