GABORONE, Botswana (Mennonite Mission Network/Mennonite Church Canada Witness) – He walked toward us with a steady gait. Confident. Calm. Content. But certainly not carefree.
How could he be?
His sun-faded orange jumpsuit stood out sharply against the stark backdrop of white prison walls. Prison yard commotion broiled in the cordoned-off background where a soccer match flowed across a dusty, compressed pitch. The thump of the ball punctuated shouts from the men. Nervous inmates paced along the inner fence as an eclectic mixture of rhythmic dance music and melodic traditional tunes drifted over the wall from the military housing surrounding the prison.
As he approached, his scars became apparent. A head, shaven clean, clearly revealed a number of large bumps and divots incurred from some prior trauma. Freckles covered his skull and traveled down across his face onto his lips, rising in a soft grin. His eyes crinkled warmly, a dramatic contrast with the razor wire fencing behind him.
He stooped to join us under the shade of the billowing tent. The smell of sun-baked canvas wafted through the gathering, where Taryn and I sat with a group of 60 prisoners and youth leaders, captivated by his presence. He took his place at the front and began to speak.
In the tradition of the Apostle Paul, John Milton, Dietrich Bonhoffer, and Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn, he testified from prison about the overwhelming love of God – there for leaving, or taking. Forgiveness. Acceptance. Restoration. Purpose. His eyes brightened as he spoke.
Quietly, but steadily, he spoke of a system that he once embraced – a way of life that filled his vision and dominated his thoughts, promising power and control. He took what he wanted. He ended lives when it suited him. And when the blood settled and society pronounced its judgment, he was faced with the consequences of his choices. He found that he imprisoned himself long before his country had done so.
But freedom may be found in unlikely places.
With the clock ticking against him, he chose to wisely spend what time remained. Through careful observation he recognized a deep, compelling bond among a few of his fellow inmates. As brothers, they wrestled together with their anger and supported one another in their distress. They struggled to seek and give forgiveness. He jealously wanted what they had – not with the old, familiar desire for control, but with a thirst to be part of them. The brothers understood his longing, and they shared their discoveries with him. They understood the truth that brings life, and their small community put flesh to it. His days numbered, he began to study the Bible for himself.
In his discussions with us, he expressed deep compassion for his fellow death-row inmates. Some had come to find their place in relationship with God. Others had not. He felt a great burden to share the grace of God with those who had not yet discovered it.
He spoke of his beautiful freedom in Jesus, clearly still to be completed, and yet now complete. Razor wire twisted overhead. Brick towered all around. Bolts secured heavy doors. And yet …
“… if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Nathan and Taryn Dirks work in Gaborone, Botswana, with youth and young adults from local African Initiated Churches. Their focus is on community development and Bible teaching. Through local partnerships they volunteer in prisons, a school for special-needs children, and coordinate sports development projects.
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For immediate release
Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA, leads, mobilizes and equips the church to participate in holistic witness to Jesus Christ in a broken world. Media may contact news@mennonitemission.net.
