Miracles Beyond the Gates of Nairobi West Prison

On Friday, July 17, 2026, God worked miracles so that I could visit Nairobi West Prison, a major men’s correctional facility in Kenya, Africa. Just as in the United States, entering a prison in Kenya to interact personally with inmates requires official government approval. I was told that obtaining clearance could take several days, if not weeks. But God had other plans. Praise the Lord, my authorization was approved in less than twenty-four hours.

Knowing this would likely be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to minister inside a prison in Africa—and having witnessed firsthand the blessings of serving for years in prison ministry—I knew I could not walk through those gates empty-handed. One of the lessons I have learned while ministering to inmates is that demonstrating the love of Jesus in a tangible way actually complements the preaching of the gospel.

With the help of Pastor Jack Ogeda, Senior Pastor of Satellite Newlife Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nairobi—the church where I am currently conducting a revival seminar—we located wholesalers who provided the lowest possible prices on the items inmates need most: toothpaste, soap, and tissue paper. What many of us take for granted are treasured commodities behind prison walls, especially in developing nations. Before long, we had secured a truckload of supplies and made our way to Nairobi West Prison.

The prison resembled a military installation. Armed officers carrying M-16 rifles, dressed in military fatigues, inspected us before contacting Commissioner Judy Kananu Kisilu, the officer in charge of the entire facility. She, too, wore military fatigues bearing the rank of a senior commander.

What happened next completely caught me by surprise. Commissioner Judy invited Pastor Jack Ogeda and me into her office. Her assistant served us traditional Kenyan tea along with fresh muffins. We were joined by the prison chaplain, Pastor Peter. While I was still trying to process what was happening, Commissioner Judy became visibly emotional. As inmates unloaded the supplies from the truck, she told us she had never before had a foreign national enter her prison simply to bring supplies and minister to the inmates under her care.

Even though she spoke perfect English, she turned to Pastor Jack and asked him in Swahili, “Why would a foreigner—especially someone from the United States—travel all the way to Kenya just to visit a prison?” I didn’t understand the conversation at the time, but afterward Pastor Jack translated it for me. She was basically saying that most Americans who visit Kenya come for safaris, the beautiful beaches of Mombasa, or the country’s modern shopping centers and tourist attractions. She simply could not understand why someone would travel halfway around the world to spend time with prisoners.

Pastor Jack explained that I had come to Kenya to conduct revival meetings and that prison ministry had been one of my passions for many years in the United States. Commissioner Judy then turned to both of us, gave us her blessing, and proclaimed the beautiful benediction from Scripture: “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give.” Numbers 6:24-26.

We prayed together before spending the next half hour discussing prisoner rehabilitation, inmate rights, education, vocational training, and the partnership between correctional staff, volunteers, chaplains, and prisoners in restoring broken lives. As we prepared to leave her office, Commissioner Judy smiled and said, “You are welcome to come back anytime. Our doors are always open to you.”

For nearly four hours we were escorted throughout virtually every area of the institution—far beyond the limitations normally experienced in the United States, where ministry is generally confined to the prison chapel. We visited classrooms, vegetable gardens, vocational training areas, a large furniture manufacturing facility, and, of course, the chapel. We were given complete freedom to speak with inmates throughout the institution, and the correctional officers stood ready to assist us in every way possible. All I could think was that all the years of serving prepared us for that moment, and we took full advantage of it.

One of the most emotional experiences of the day came when officers brought several American citizens who were incarcerated there so I could speak with them personally. We had difficult but honest conversations about their circumstances but also about God’s incredible mercy. I reminded them that sometimes God allows painful circumstances to become the very place where He saves our souls and lives.

I told them they were fortunate to be alive and encouraged them to stay close to Jesus and to carefully consider every decision they make from this day forward, because their choices never only affect them—they affect their wives, their children, their parents, and everyone who loves them, including Jesus. There were tears. I reminded them that it is the families back home who suffer the most.

The American inmates were deeply touched and overwhelmed that a fellow American had traveled nearly 12,000 miles to bring them much-needed toiletry supplies, encourage them, speak with them about the 250th anniversary of the United States, and, most importantly, remind them that Jesus Christ still loved them and had not forgotten them.

The greatest testimony came when I met a Guatemalan inmate. Tears streamed down his face as I began to speak to him about Jesus in Spanish, his native language. He told me he never imagined he would hear the gospel spoken to him in Spanish while sitting inside a prison in Africa.

As always, the Lord exceeded every expectation. This was Pastor Jack’s very first prison visit, and he was blessed by the ministry opportunities God placed before us. Yet the story did not end there. When I returned to the hotel that evening to prepare for the night’s message, I ran into the general manager, who greeted me and asked, “How did it go in prison?” By the time I finished telling him everything that God had done that day, he committed to the Lord that he too would visit the prison and take them food from the hotel’s restaurant. To God be the glory!