When the deportation jail becomes a holy place: the vision of Cal Uomoto

In China twelve years ago people snuck into ship containers to cross the Pacific and smuggle themselves into the US. Many died. Those who lived were taken to hospitals in Seattle and then to the federal detention center to await deportation.

When a group of Chinese Christians in Seattle heard about this, they said, “We should help those people. They have nobody. China is angry with them. The US is angry. Their smugglers are angry. Their families are angry, because now the smugglers are hounding them. They don’t speak English. They don’t have attorneys. Who cares about them?”

They lobbied the Immigration and Naturalization Service (now Homeland Security) to let them hold prayer services with the container Chinese. Eventually they got permission. In time many of the smuggled people experienced transformation of life as they learned to trust God. They began to pray with power. They composed a song that was burned onto a CD. When the jail got full, they went as witnesses to other INS jails. Later, when they were deported, the volunteers tried to provide clean jeans and tennis shoes for them to wear home, and wrote letters to churches in their home regions to introduce them.

Who first proposed this ministry, and encouraged the volunteers? Cal Uomoto.

But the Chinese are not the largest population in the prison. Soon Mexicans were coming to the Chinese services. Although they could not understand the language, they sensed that God was present, so they came and humbly waited for some crumb of his blessing to fall from the table. The Chinese volunteers had to seek out Hispanic volunteers and invite them, “Come over and help us!”

Today there are six worship services every weekend in the 1,500 bed jail.  Asians, Africans, Latin Americans, Middle Easterners, and Russians attend. Many come to faith, are discipled and baptized. One month ago, 89 people were baptized inside the federal detention center.

Who was the visionary and logistical networker as the ministry grew? Cal Uomoto.

A team of Hispanic volunteers minister to Hispanics inside the jail. Russian volunteers have created a rehabilitation farm for their countrymen who are out on bail awaiting sentencing. An Eritrean coordinates the practical training of volunteers. A Korean volunteer has a multi-faceted ministry. Chinese volunteers continue their active service. All together, Christians of many backgrounds contribute. Girl scouts, artists, dentists, 4-H groups, and college students and other community groups have helped, too.

In several nations, deportees have returned home to plant churches. As Cal Uomoto said, “The Holy Spirit goes ahead of us, and God’s witnesses move from the jail to the ends of the earth.”      

You can be part of this ministry. Contact Habtom Ghebru at 206-293-0580 or hghebru@wr.org.

• Volunteer inside the detention center (must go through application process)
• Prayer
• Regular giving to World Relief Seattle  - www.worldreliefseattle.org “Detention  Ministry”
• Bibles and discipleship materials
• Visitation at the outer window of the jail
• Mentoring, Bible studies, and prayer with people when they are out on bail
• Places for people to stay; clothes, furniture, etc. when they are out on bail
• Ways for people to make a little money when they are out, etc. 

“Love the alien as yourself, because you were aliens in Egypt.”   (Lev. 19:33)

“Remember that in times past you were…foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope… But now…you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people…being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his spirit.”  (Eph. 2:11-22)

11/21/12