Men waste away in Munzenze Prison, awaiting some hope before they die

Dear Friends,

Quick question: What do doors, electricity, and mattresses have in common? Answer: They are all comforts most of us take for granted, but which haven’t been in Munzenze prison—a place some call Hell on earth—until very recently.

Located in the Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa and built in the 1950s to house 150 inmates, the crumbling structure now bursts at the seams with over 900 men. They sleep on dirt floors, and the smell of urine and disease is said to almost suffocate visitors. Many inmates are dying.

Simeon Muhunga, a Heaven’s Family partner who ministers in this prison, tells me that the government sporadically issues a small ration of food for the inmates, but if they do not have family or a church to feed them, they slowly starve to death. Besides slow starvation, many suffer from dysentery, malaria, and other fatal diseases.

We believe that this prison is a place where Jesus would go and minister hope, love, healing and salvation to all who would come to Him. That’s why Heaven’s Family is joining with Simeon and his team to minister to the basic needs of these prisoners and bring them the Good News of Jesus Christ, the only one who can truly set them free. Gifts to the Heaven’s Family Prison Ministry & Rehab Fund help make this work possible. Our prayer is that many will come to a saving knowledge of our Lord before it is too late.

As director of the Prison Ministry & Rehab Fund, I and my wife Carole plan to go to DR Congo next month to visit inside this infamous prison. We will be bringing food and medicine but, most importantly, we will be going in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to bring hope, healing and salvation through his gospel. Please pray that many will be saved.

Thank you so much for your support of “the least of these” in prisons.

Blessings,

Bob Collins
Director, Prison Ministry & Rehab Fund