December 2009 Cameroon, West Africa
“Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined." Isaiah. 9:2
We returned to the country of Cameroon many times to work with our friends Drs. Wallace and Carrie Loring. Their dedication to and love for the people of Cameroon were an encouragement and example to us. Not only did they faithfully work in a small church plant outside the city but Dr. Carrie was treating patients within a prison that was in the city, as were some of the missionary nurses serving in Cameroon with the Lorings. Dr. Carrie had seen the tremendous dental needs of some of the prisoners and had asked us to come and help.
The compassion and kindness of Dr. Carrie and the nurses had not gone unnoticed by the prisoners and they were also listening to the bold witness of salvation through three missionaries (Wally Loring, Mike Brill and Evan Morrison) who were coming to the prison to teach about Jesus Christ. Dr. Carrie was thinking that our testimony and treatment of the patients in this dark place would make an additional impact upon the prisoners. So we agreed to go.
We had never been in a jail or a prison before and whatever preconceived ideas of what it would be like didn’t line up with what we found. It was both comical and a little frightening at the same time.
The prisoners wore regular clothes as did some guards so it was difficult to figure out at times, who was who. Some of the guards had automatic weapons and left them laying around within the prison. The door to the outside was left open and trusted prisoners were allowed to roam freely but if they tried to escape they were shot! There was a small chapel in the prison whose walls were riddled with bullet holes! No one ever explained why it was that way.
We were told that we would be treating non-violent prisoners and also murderers. We kind of wanted to know which were which! After asking, we were told that the murderers would have their feet chained.
And so they came to us for care, murderers and others and we felt such pity for these men. In Cameroon, if you are accused of a crime, you go straight to prison until your case comes to trial. So innocent or guilty, a man can be incarcerated for several years before his case ever goes to trial. Food is not plentiful and prisoner’s families are expected to provide the bulk of their sustenance. But, if they have no family or are estranged from them, they are in really dire straits. It wasn’t hard to feel sorry for any of these guys, especially when we looked in their mouths!
One day, we were asked to treat a man who had been shot as he attempted an escape. He had been shot in the leg as he ran and the bullet had broken his thigh bone. Dr. Carrie was called to treat him. Dr. Carrie had her training in obstetrics and gynecology so treating a gunshot wound and a broken leg where not her specialty, but she rose to the occasion. As she tells the story, she got out her “Orthopedics for Dummies” textbook and figured out that the patient had to be put in traction. Since the men in the prison sleep on mats on the floor in one big room, she transported a single bed from her home to the prison to be able to attach the traction apparatus to something. Using Dr. Wally’s cordless drill, she inserted a long screw through the good bone in his lower leg and attached it to a rope and pulley system. Now it would just take time to heal.
While we were there, it was time to have the screw removed, but the patient had developed another problem – an abscessed tooth! Following the screw being removed, and the patient still confined to his bed, it was our turn to go back into the depths of the prison to treat him. So gathering up our instruments and supplies, we headed into the main part of the prison with Dr. Wally. Our little dental office was in a kind of outer court, near the unlocked front door and we were comfortable there. Going into the heart of the prison was a little daunting, but it had to be done.
We passed an automatic weapon laying unattended on a bench as we approached the unlocked door to the prison yard. On the huge wall on the far side of the prison yard in gigantic letters was the word “WELCOME!”. We couldn’t help laughing, half out of nervousness and half out of the seeming absurdity of it. We made the uncomfortable walk across the prison yard, being the only non-Africans in that part of the prison and feeling so conspicuous. Then we entered the large, dark room where the prisoners slept at night and where the bed-bound patient lay. We were quickly surrounded and pressed in on by the curious prisoners who had followed us in from the prison yard. There wasn’t a guard in sight! It was a little overwhelming and a bit frightening but Dr. Wally thought it would be a great time for Jack to share his testimony of salvation. And so he did, with Dr. Wally translating it into French. All of those men, who were spending day after day in this dark place, heard about Jesus, the Light of the world, who could forgive sin and transform a life. Afterwards, we went to work on the patient’s abscessed tooth and delivered him from his awful discomfort. It was an amazing day for all of us!
Returning to our little dental office afterwards, we finished our other patients and asked if we could lock up our equipment for the night. We smiled in disbelief when the answer was “We don’t have any locks here”. We had to go out and buy one!
Wonderfully, God was working in this place. The prisoners were hearing of God’s offer of salvation through Jesus and were being treated compassionately. After we left to return to America, the prisoner who had been in traction (his leg now healed) accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior! A new name was written down in glory! His family, who were of the dominant faith sweeping over Africa, had disowned him when he ended up in prison. Now that he was about to be released (his sentence served) his family heard of his upcoming baptism. They told him that they would welcome him back into the family if he would denounce his faith in Jesus Christ. He refused and was baptized at the prison in a small pool of water, in front of all the inmates and guards, professing his faith in the Lord Jesus. What a joy it was for all the missionaries to witness his unashamed testimony for Christ in that place of darkness where he had lived for a number of years! God’s spirit, compassionate care, plus the truth of the gospel had come together to bring a soul to Christ.