Setting the Captives Free–Really

I have a story to tell––a very different kind of Christmas story. ("Why a Christmas story in January?"––Wait and see.)

This story actually begins last year when I met Mike Brawan in Nakuru, Kenya. Through that meeting, Impact Nations partnered with Mike to free a lot of women and their children from prison. You see, in Kenya if a mother is sentenced to prison, her small children go into the cell with her. About half of the children die of sickness, malnutrition and unsafe water. You can read about it under "News:Kenya" on the website.

God loves mercy and justice. When we love what He loves, we start to move with His rhythm. And when we move with Him, we experience favor and the Kingdom advances all around us. Working with Mike to set women and children free opened the door for something incredible on Christmas.

For the first time ever, Mike was given permission to hold a Christmas meal and celebration for the men in the maximum security prison. As part of their punishment, these men are never allowed to eat meat. Mike and his team killed and roasted 8 bulls that day. The men had never seen such a feast! But the Lord was just getting started.

As the men sang and Mike spoke, the Holy Spirit fell upon this huge prison. Mike described it to me like this: “Revival suddenly hit all of us!” In the midst of this move of God, something incredible happened––the prison authorities came to Mike and told him that then and there, they would pardon 200 men, and who would be pardoned was up to Mike and his team. Among those prisoners who were set free (Lu. 4:8) were 3 men who were awaiting capital punishment and 4 men who had been in the prison for at least 36 years.

This has made national news: the newspapers, radio and national television have all reported this incredible happening.

There is another part to this Christmas story. One of the freed prisoners is a man named Elly Otieno. When Elly was 16, he got into a fight with his friend. Tragically, his friend was killed. Until this amazing Christmas, Elly has spent 46 years in prison. When Elly got out, he was a forgotten man. Here is what Mike wrote:

“Coming out of prison Elly could not find any of his family members since it has been a long time for in in prison, hence they forgot about him. He got saved and is now committed to serve the Lord all remaining years and he is now with us in the Church.”

Mike found some relatives of the friend that had been killed all those years ago, and he took Elly to them for a time of forgiveness and restoration.

For a 62 year old man, God is restoring the years the locusts have eaten. For 200 men, they have received a gift of grace and a demonstration of the power and love of a Father that they will never forget.

A very merry Christmas, indeed.