Prison visit in El Salvador

Until recently, I had absolutely no idea about the dramatic situation in El Salvador. But in December 2024, we received a call from our brother in the Lord in Colombia, who asked for our help. He pleaded: “Come to El Salvador and help us. Let us together carry the good news of the Gospel into the prisons of this country.”

From that moment on, I began to learn about the situation in El Salvador, and especially about the conditions in its prisons. El Salvador is only about the size of Israel, has roughly six million inhabitants – and well over 100,000 of them are incarcerated. That is the highest incarceration rate in the world.

Just a few years ago, the country was plagued by the violence of brutal gangs. The new president, Nayib Bukele, declared war on these gangs and proclaimed a state of emergency. The military and police were granted sweeping powers and quickly began to rid the country of these criminal structures.

A new prison – the so-called CECOT – was built in record time, offering space for 40,000 inmates. This has brought a sense of calm, at least for now, and the population is breathing a sigh of relief. El Salvador is currently considered one of the safest countries in the world – it is said to be safer than Canada.

A tool of God

A middle-aged man from Bavaria emigrated to Colombia about ten years ago as an adventurer and dropout. About four years ago, he returned to Germany for a visit and also came to the congregation in Meppen, which belongs to the parish of Cloppenburg. There, Andreas Mayr converted, was baptized with the Holy Spirit, and has since been a member of the congregation in Molbergen near Cloppenburg.

Shortly afterwards, he returned to his adopted home of Colombia, sought increased contact with local communities, and worked together with other Christians to establish a therapy center.

God used this man in an amazing way: Andreas received permission to go into the prisons of El Salvador to preach the gospel of God's grace.

It would go beyond the scope of this report to describe all the details of this process – how God orchestrated it so that a German foreigner received permission to enter prisons to which, until then, only a single pastor had access. Even the Gideons, an international Christian organization, were not granted such permission.

In cooperation with the Canadian mission "Samaritan Aid Ministries," a sound system was finally installed in the prison. From a large room, already furnished with 300 chairs by our brothers and used as a meeting place for worship services, sermons and hymns are now broadcast throughout the entire prison – so that all inmates can hear the good news of the gospel.

New Testament for New Life

In February 2025, I too had the opportunity to participate in such a prison visit and share the Good News with the inmates. Andreas, who speaks fluent Spanish, was able to convince the prison administration to authorize such visits. So, our group was allowed to go from one prison wing to the next. We preached, prayed for the prisoners, sang songs, and evangelized—in a prison with over 4,500 inmates.

Our primary goal was for every prisoner to receive a New Testament and to be able to continue living in the Word of God and finding the truth even after our visit. Therefore, we met beforehand with the leader of the Gideon Society in San Salvador and asked for his support for this project.

After we got to know each other, we received confirmation and were allowed to collect 3,500 New Testaments from the Gideons' camp the following day. To add a touch of love to this gift, we had prepared small packages for the prisoners – containing essential hygiene items and a New Testament each.

We were then allowed to hand over these packages ourselves, after we had previously proclaimed the saving message of Jesus Christ to them.

These were very moving moments:

More than 700 men, some tattooed from head to toe, sat before us in the prison yard – convicted criminals who listened to our words in silent attention. At the same time, hundreds more prisoners listened from their barred cells – they too were open and receptive to the message of God's mercy.

In those moments, the “golden verse” of the Bible was newly written into my heart:

“For God so loved the world…” So many people who once led criminal and destructive lives – and yet: God’s love is greater than anything else.

He wants them to experience His grace – the same grace that works in our lives – and to receive eternal life.

Communion of former enemies

One of the most moving experiences during our stay in the prison of Ilopango, a district of San Salvador, was meeting Christians among the inmates – some converted before their imprisonment, others in prison.

A singing group of twelve men was already active before our arrival. They sang songs to the glory of God and regularly conducted church services together with a Baptist pastor. This pastor was, until then, the only one granted access to this prison.

The members of the singing group took on a special role in the prison, similar to Joseph in the Bible. They were allowed to leave their cells during the day and work as helpers throughout the prison. Recognizable by their T-shirts bearing the inscription "Ministries of Jesus – in the service of Jesus," they also actively supported us in all our activities.

With their help, a joint worship service was organized in the large hall. Toward the end of our stay, we were given something very special by God's grace: We were allowed to celebrate Holy Communion together with all the converted prisoners—42 brothers from the prison as well as a group of four from Canada with whom we were connected on this last day of our mission. Holy Communion became the highlight of the trip for all of us, during which we were permitted to perform a foot washing, as described in Scripture.

As we began washing the prisoners' feet, the presence of God was more palpable than at any other time during our stay. Many of the men began to weep like children, and not a dry eye remained among us either. For many, this was a completely new experience—especially the washing of one another's feet, among men who may have previously been enemies, from different gangs, but who now met as brothers in Christ. Some embraced each other for a long time after washing one another's feet—weeping bitterly.

This moment made clear to me once again what Jesus taught us through the washing of the feet: that all class differences, all barriers between people are overcome by His love. He showed us how we should love one another and value each other more highly than ourselves.

A field full of work

These experiences deeply moved me and showed me once again: God's love knows no bounds. He calls us, His messengers, out into all the world – even to places that hardly anyone else thinks of – to proclaim the Gospel.

I will never forget the fervent, tearful prayers of the brothers in prison. The prophetic word spoken to us by a servant of God also remains alive in my heart. God loves His children—even those behind bars—and He builds His kingdom through disciples who desire to follow Him in obedience.

Our future plans are clear:

We want to proclaim the Gospel in the other large prisons across the country, meaning we want to deliver another 100,000 wills to the prisons and increase our efforts to care for the children of inmates. Many children are particularly affected in the overcrowded women's prisons – often traumatized and without family support. As soon as they turn five, they have to leave prison, are usually placed in the care of others, and are in dire need of help. May God help us and, in his great mercy, bless this work.

My desire is to win over as many as possible from our brotherhood for this project. Thousands of prisoners should hear the message of God's love – many of them will never leave prison again. But like the thief on the cross, they too should find grace and true freedom – through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Please pray for this work that God has begun. May His will be carried out through us, His servants, in faithfulness and love. Be with the Lord!

Brother Alexander Hensel, Tel.: 0163 8474644, from the municipality of Molbergen, is responsible for this project.

Ernst Fischer

Municipality of Molbergen