When I first got there, I sensed a strong presence of evil, there is just no other way to describe it. I believe because of the lack of hope and the atrocious things some of the men have done, that the devil has a stronghold there. I also believe that some of the men are also demon possessed. The prison opened in 1889 and has been in continuous operation since. There are a number of notorious events that have happened in those years. You can read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquette_Branch_Prison
For the nearly 2 years I have gone into this prison there have been good times and some bad times. The guards have told me that the men love to harass and make fun of the volunteers that come in. The prisoners also sometimes say horribly inappropriate things to get a reaction. All this during a church service! It is very hard to lead a study and keep their attention on the Word under these conditions. It is kind of hard to explain, it is something you just have to see and experience for yourself. Some of the men just come to talk to their friends. The guards have mentioned to me in the past as well as yesterday that the inmates respect me and actually sometimes listen to the Word. I have also been told by some of the inmates that they can relate to me because I do not preach at them.
Yesterday, I went in for their weekly church service. I typically go the first three Wednesday's of the month. These along with the fourth Wednesday are the only Protestant services that this maximum security prison has. The prison allows a maximum of 24 men in the chapel because of the violent nature of the men. Yesterday's time inside started as normal as I greeted the men as they came in and I noticed a new man that arrived. He kind of stood out as the rest of the men shake my hand when they come in but this man refused. I thought, no big deal maybe he just has a cold and doesn't want me to get it or something. As always, we started with prayer and then got into the Bible, in the book of Acts. Only a couple of the men were quietly talking. Believe it or not, this is a good thing. Sometimes I have to stop the message multiple times to stop their talking, but if only 1or 2 men are talking but being quiet I count it as something I can deal with. Suddenly, during the middle of study as I was sharing a story to illustrate the section of Scripture I was teaching, the new guy said in a loud voice, "Why don't you shut up!!" (with swear words) This has not happened before and my anger kicked in. So I said in a VERY loud voice, "What? You want me to shut up? How about you shut up!" This is not what you want to typically say to a violent offender while you are give a message out of the Bible. This got both the guards and the men's attention. The new guy just rolled his eyes and stayed quiet though. One of the other inmates said to me, "We want you to share your stories it helps us understand what the Bible means!" So we prayed again and continued plowing through. After the study was done most of the inmates came up to me and said things like, "Please keep coming we enjoy it when you teach." and "We appreciate you and that you take your time and come here!" The guards also said that they like it when I come up. I do know that God's Word will breakthrough as it says in Isaiah 55:11, "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." I depend on this promise!
All in all the biggest prayer I have is that Jesus would break through those walls both from the prison and the ones that the men have erected themselves. Please join me in this prayer for revival! Only God can do this!