Bishop Edir Macedo recently visited a prison in the United States, a country with the largest prison population in the world. The visit took place at the Goree Unit prison, in the city of Houston, in the state of Texas, on June 13th.
Bishop Macedo was accompanied by his wife, Ester Bezerra, Bishop Bira Fonseca, responsible for Universal’s work in English in the country, and volunteers from the Universal Beyond Bars (UBB) group, a project equivalent to the Rescue of Dignity (ROD) in the United Kingdom.
At least 110 detainees were able to listen attentively to Bishop Macedo’s words addressed to each person present.
The message was simple yet liberating. Bishop Macedo spoke about the subject of forgiveness and how choosing to let go of the hurt that someone has caused us gives us peace in return.
Bishop said, “We didn’t come here to say ‘Jesus loves you’ or tell stories from the Bible. That’s not enough! We came here for you to have peace. And peace is only possible when you forgive”.
This is said to be one of the greatest challenges for inmates because many have held grudges against their accusers, victims, judges, lawyers, family, friends and even themselves.
Although this is something that isn’t easy to do, forgiveness means that you can also be forgiven and this is what everyone present was given the opportunity to do.
In addition to the message about forgiveness, the Bishop prayed and blessed all the men who were present, one by one.
Everyone also had the opportunity to watch the first chapter of the soap opera Genesis, produced by Record TV in Brazil. The prison visit was a huge success and the inmates and prison staff were very appreciative for the help they received on the day.
Also present were Chaplain Holmes and the director of the prison, Tilley, who have given great support to Universal’s work with inmates in prisons in the US state of Texas.
“Regardless of all the difficulties, the event was very glorious. It was impactful. All who were present needed this blessing. Thank you very much UBB”, commented Chaplain Holmes.
“I am very happy to see that all of Universal’s work here at our unit has made our day-to-day work with prisoners easier. The programs and events that are held here have left us very satisfied, as they have made a difference in their lives,” said Director Tilley.
