Women's prison and Bible study

On Thursday, we continued our separate programs. Tom, Tony and Bill met with the lay pastors while the others met with various church staff and relaxed. The lay pastor meeting covered the same Weslyan class/band/society information Tony presented to the pastors on Wednesday and addressed certain other concerns. Carol met with Dr. Gayelle concerning the community health worker program. Dr. Gayelle was very interested in the program and wanted to follow up with both the current health workers and with Carol on the program overall.

Tanya, Lynea and Tom at the women's prison
entrance

After lunch, the full group went together to the women’s prison in Dakar. Carol, Tom and Joanne had been to this prison before about seven years ago. We are very happy to report that the prison has had a significant upgrade and is a much cleaner and more pleasant environment for the women awaiting their trials. Unfortunately, women can wait over two years for their trials – especially on drug charges. Advocating for a speedy trial is one of the cornerstones of the prison ministry. The superintendent (warden) of the prison welcomed us graciously and was very generous in her praise of what the United Methodist Church is doing for the women to improve living conditions and reducing recidivism. The inmates welcomed us in the courtyard, sang songs and danced for us. It was a happy time and brought to life the real value of the ministry that has been active in the prisons since the mission initiative was launched in 1997.



Dancing and singing before Bible study

The evening was Bible study with Tom leading the group – Ephesians 5 was the text. From 6:30 to 7:00 was time for singing and prayers. At 7:00, Tom introduced everyone (five of the visiting group and six congregants) to Bible study as practiced in America at Trinity UMC in Wilmette, Illinois. We had contextual background information, lay readings from the Scripture, discussion questions, and even broke up into smaller groups. Everyone seemed to have a good time and to come away with new perspectives in a loving, respectful environment.