I really had no idea what teaching a couple of TUMI classes in a prison would lead to. We started with a room full of men who were nervous and overwhelmed. That was two years ago. Today this same group of men has been dispersed over three separate units of the Hutchinson Correctional Facility. In each place they are leading the church within the walls and stirring revival.
I recently had the opportunity to help facilitate a day of spiritual gifts training in the maximum security unit. I was not entirely sure what to expect or how it would go. When we arrived, four of the TUMI students greeted us warmly. They are the elder team for the Protestant Church in their unit. I had recently challenged them to own the responsibility of being spiritual leaders. On this day, each of them responded to that challenge by bringing the men that they were training to be the next group of leaders and then by leading the entire day of training. It was amazing to see these once nervous guys take the mantle of leadership with courage. It reminded me of what the religious leaders saw in Peter and John in Acts 4:13, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”
I recognize with full clarity that neither TUMI classes nor my input has accomplished what we now see in these men. All we did was help them to believe, even if just a little, that the Lord wanted to raise the up as his representatives in their facility. We support and under gird their work with prayer, friendship, equipping, and encouragement. But make no mistake, the anointing these men have is from the Lord, and they stand for his name where they are.
