During one of our usual busy office work days, the phone rang yet again, demanding some attention. We were about to be introduced to Thomas, someone who has become a familiar voice and an inspiring example.

Thomas is an elderly man of 80 years. He is an inmate at Middledrift prison and has been for the last 15yrs. As we spoke to Thomas we asked ourselves what exactly we were supposed to do to help him. He shared some of his story with us.

Thomas told us how he came to know Christ during his first few months in prison and ever since has been sharing the gospel with his fellow prisoners. He regularly evangelizes and meets together with other Christians, and spends time in prayer. He asked us if we would be able to send him some tracts, and suddenly we realised that we were talking to a missionary. Our calling is to be a resource and support to missionaries, and we were able to send Thomas 1000 tracts to aid his efforts of sharing the gospel. God had placed Thomas where he was so that he could be a witness in prison. On a daily basis he has to talk to people and give hope because everyone in the prison has no hope. But in Christ we have hope. This reminds me of Paul being in prison, but Thomas shares his prison cell with about 40 other men, with just one toilet. Two weeks after his initial call he phoned again to say that the prison had no water because of the drought, and yet Thomas preaches hope.

At first glance Thomas may not sound like a great role model, and yet this elderly man, a prisoner in the middle of nowhere, is an unlikely missionary, witnessing for Christ in the tough, dark place that he finds himself. He joyfully shares his faith with others from a grateful heart. How can we not be challenged by his example? Still Thomas phones us about once a month to ask how we are and tell us that his prayer group is praying for us. His phone calls always bring a smile to our face as he exudes joy and gratitude each time we speak to him.

Filed Under: News and Stories