Members of New Living Flame Church in Irupalai, Sri Lanka, have visited inmates at Jaffna Prison every month for the last five years. They talk with prisoners, offer a few toiletry items such as soap and toothpaste, and give them Christian literature explaining God’s purpose and plan for each person, regardless of his or her background.

Prisoners at Jaffna, a war-torn city on Sri Lanka’s northern coast, have hours of free time, filled with monotony and boredom, and sometimes, hopelessness. The city surrounding the prison itself was nearly destroyed by the 2004 tsunami and later abandoned by many of its residents who fled to refugee camps when fighting between the government and rebel groups broke out in the region.

Church members met a prisoner named Sutha who was serving a 3-year sentence during one visit. He listened intently as the visitors spoke about the life and teachings of Jesus. He later prayed with church members to receive Christ into his life and began holding prayer meetings in his cell. Sutha shared God’s love with his wife and daughter during family visits, and after his release the entire family began attending New Living Flame Church.

“The change we saw in Sutha’s life encourages the prison ministry team to continue to sow seeds into the Jaffna prison,” said Jenny Sinnadurai, the church’s pastor.

Many inmates have dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ, and new believers meet each night for Bible studies. Prison guards told church members they’ve seen dramatic behavior changes.

The small church has been funding the prison program for years, but the number of new believers vastly outpaces the amount of Bibles they can afford from their meager budget. It’s not uncommon to see 30 inmates sharing one Bible.

Samaritan’s Purse staff learned of the church’s desire to put Scripture in the hands of each new believer, and we provided 500 Bibles in Tamil and Sinhala, the two most common local languages.

“As we are able to help people to have their physical needs met, we have found that they are so open to the Gospel and the love of God,” said Karen Dey, New Living Flame’s co-founder. “God is moving in Jaffna, and His people are growing in strength and numbers daily.”

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Samaritan's Purse , Sri Lanka , Evangelism , Finding Spiritual Freedom