The Trapped Miners and The Forgotten Ones

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"One thing that comes out in myths is that at the bottom of the abyss comes the voice of salvation. The black moment is the moment when the real message of transformation is going to come. At the darkest moment comes the light.

~Joseph Campbell


I don't cry easily...But warm tears trickled down from my eyes as I watched the Chilean miners being hoisted up in a capsule, one by one...It's still going on, as the 15th miner is due to be pulled up as I type...

I found myself praying for all of them. I couldn't imagine what they had to endure while enveloped in a great depth of nothing but hard earth and darkness. Trapped and uncertain of their safety. Longing for their loved ones, not knowing if they would ever see each other again.

One 19 year old miner, by the name of Jimmy Sanchez, found his hope and comfort from God as he wrote his message to his family:

"Hi Roxana, I'm very good. I'm not nervous yet. I believe that when my turn comes [to get up on the capsule] nerves will attack me badly. But now I'm happy and calm. I have been always this way. And yes, it's been since August 4th that I have not seen you. That was 2 months and some days ago. But for me, it's like it was yesterday that we got caught here. God wanted me to stay here, I don't know, maybe so I change from now on. I have thought and I have changed a lot. I have suffered too much and don't want to suffer anymore. In the hard moments I was thankful of God because I got a daughter. I expect that when my turn arrives, everything will be ok. Hugs for everyone."

The world cries for these trapped miners. Even more sympathy pours out for the families who are anxiously waiting, day by day, regarding the conditions of their loved ones deep down below. But to hear the crying turned into cheering, rescuers triumphant, and miners emerging from darkness into the light they had not seen in so long, was just too extraordinary to be described. It is "reality tv" at its best. Not edited. Live.

The memory of the crying child waiting for his father who was the 1st miner to come up was etched in my mind. As he broke into tears, of mixed emotions that no one would know what they were about. Of his own fears he had to face as his father did, too. Of the fear of permanent separation that haunted him night after night, as his father must have thought, too. But last night, I knew his sighing and tears were celebration of a new life. Of rebirth. Of the best joy in his life to see his father emerged from the capsule. The way his father must have felt, too.

We forget all of us are trapped, too. In a vast area of darkness for so long. This is reality, too. We are without hope. Without a chance for life. This world is a big prison we are all in together. We have nurtured the seeds of envy, bitterness, lust, lying, greed and other sins that have a good grip on our souls and spirits. Our children did the same, when our sins' consequences, also have an effect on them. But like those trapped miners, some of us discovered that living hope. That joy and a chance for eternal life. Through Jesus. He is the only One Who can pull any trapped sinner from the pit of darkness into light. Into His Light.

May you be found by our Savior Who longs to have a personal relationship with all of us...Because when you make this crucial decision of accepting Him into your heart, remember that your children get affected, too with all the decision you make.



"Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing loveand his wonderful deeds for men." - Psalm 107:19-21

Birth Pangs

2 weeks from now, we are having the mandatory annual Skills Fair again. I'm glad we have this training yearly as many sicker inmates keep coming in.

There is something new added to the variety of stations we have to visit. As more and more mentally ill inmates are being incarcerated, one unit that housed those with special needs, has made the decision to put those pregnant women back into the general population or those units that house the women. So, in order to hone our knowledge regarding pregnancy, we have to learn many life-threatening symptoms that specifically concern them.

I've seen the anxiety on those women's faces. Their fears. The uncertainties because of the wrong decisions they have made. Their selfish acts resulted not to their own suffering but to the baby they end up carrying. But I respect those. The ones, who in spite of the difficult path they are walking on as pregnant, incarcerated women, chose to carry their baby into full term. I admire those who did not think about quitting by going through abortions. I feel their pain. Of trying to at least make a change by giving their babies a chance to life, despite them being locked up. It's not easy to be separated from their babies after giving birth. But at least, they must have felt something deep inside to know that babies are special gifts. Hand made by a loving Creator. They smile, despite the pain of separation, to know that their babies are being born. They endure all the physical pain that comes with pregnancy, knowing that it will give them a far more "joy" in the end. Knowing that despite the consequence of committing a crime, they have something good to look forward to.

We go through birth pains, too, as we await for Jesus' second coming. Like a pregnant woman's pains getting intense as the delivery of the baby nears, so it must be with the signs that Jesus had mentioned:

- anti-Christs ["Don't let anyone mislead you. For many will come in my name, saying 'I am the Messiah'. They will lead many astray." - Matthew 24:4-5]

- wars, famines, pestilence and earthquakes ["And wars will break out near and far, but don't panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won't follow immediately. The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world." - Matthew 24:6-7]

All these pains will happen but Jesus' second coming will bring a far more joy to those who love Him. And despite all these trials and sufferings, it is worth the wait.

Are you ready when Jesus comes? Have you been saved?

"For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." - Romans 10:9-10

This is a long video I found but is this one of the birth pangs that is already happening?




"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9 [emphasis mine]


"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" - Jeremiah 17:9

"But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him." - 1John 2:27

"Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, ²for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. ⁴But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief." - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4

Wrong Desires

"But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul." - Deuteronomy 4:29

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Night after night, this is the scenario at the prison's yard. When arresting officers' squad cars come in, one by one and bring in their suspects. Either they have committed serious crimes or some, driving under the influence of illegal substances.

They are all lined up in rows, awaiting for the Intake Nurse to ask them about their claims of medical or mental problems. The problem is....their mental capacity are not working properly at times. They have been drinking too much. Some of them, in euphoria because of street drugs that they used. Some even seemed so happy because they were smoking marijuana.

Their eyes are blood shot red. Hair disheveled. Stance not straight. Gait not steady. Speech, not clear. Breaths reeking of alcohol. Jerking. Twisting. Shaking. Yelling. Combative.

They are living their lives, day after day, pursuing those things that only temporarily satisfy their needs. And the sad part is that these illegal substances and other things end up harming them, mind and body.

We are designed to seek God. He is the only One Who can satisfy anyone's needs. Unfortunately, we desire to seek after those things that do not satisfy our needs. Maybe some of us are having a good life. Rich with money and other possessions. Not necessarily using those illegal substances. Maybe some of us are going through the toughest times. But the bottom line is...of all these things going on, "where is God in our lives?"

God, Who from the very start had designed a plan for people, the kind of plan that gives hope and a future. He promised to be found. But the question is, are we willing to seek Him? Do we desire for Him? Not only in one day but in each day that passes by.

I have those days myself. Where I don't feel like seeking Him. Where I don't feel like listening to Him. Where the things of this world take my attention and heart away from Him. Then, the truth of His Word comes always like a "stabbing sword"...That neither sorrow, nor illnesses, nor other mountains of trials, even death, can separate us away from the love of God! He is always waiting for those who are willing to call upon Him, for those who will desire and seek Him with all of their hearts, all of their souls, and all of their minds.

Thank You Lord for Your patience and for always being faithful. Thank You for giving our lives true purpose. Thank You for making it possible because of Jesus, for us to become new creations. Thank You for satisfying all of our needs. Praise Your Holy Name! In Jesus' Name. Amen.

The River

"That's it? Nothing wrong with me even if I'm having this chest pain?" queried the middle-aged male inmate in front of me, as he started taking off the EKG leads glued to his arms and hairy chest.

"Everything was normal with your blood pressure and pulse and the doctor had read your EKG. She couldn't find anything that is alarming. However, she wanted me to give you some pain medications to make you more comfortable," I replied as I motioned for him to get out of the exam room.

"You claimed you were coughing for the last 3 days though and though you don't have sore throat or congested sinus, drink a lot of water anyway," I advised.

He denied injury nor any problem with his heart and overall health. New to the prison environment, anxiety usually sets in with these housed inmates. Worried about the outcome of their crimes when they go to court, the chest gets tight and breathing air in and out seems to be hard.

"Thank you anyway, Ma'am," he stated softly, as I handed him a pack of white pills to help his pain subside or be gone.

"Sir, I want you to know, you can come back here anytime by putting a request or letting your deputy know, if anything gets worse, okay?" I explained.

"Thank you..."he uttered again as he got up and exited from the Clinic, out into the long hallways that would take him back to his tiny cell.

I could have told him straight to his face that he was just wasting my time, after everything turned out to be normal. After all, I glanced at my watch and it was the end of my shift. I couldn't stay any longer to do overtime. I was tired. I wanted to go home.

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But there are so many around us who needs compassion. The kind that Jesus had shown. I am not compassionate. But I was changed by His love that I learned how to be compassionate. I bathed in His river of mercy and grace once. And I have been carrying that river in me. You, too, if you have accepted His forgiveness. But just like how a river must be flowing, we can't contain that and not share it with others. We hold the gates in our hearts to let the river either flow or be contained. To let the river flow fast or slow. To let the river touch another person or not.

I am not compassionate. But I am choosing to be compassionate because of what He did to me. The mighty River had cleansed me. The mighty River quenched those parched areas of my life and continues to satiate my thirsts. The mighty River poured His love unto my heart. The mighty River is behind me.



"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."
-John 7:38

"You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate." - Luke 6:36 [NLT]

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." - 1 John 4:7,8