Pastor with a Heart for Ex-Prisoners Seeks to Build Them Halfway Houses and to Share the Gospel with Them
Jon was able to meet with Pastor Luis Altamirano, his family, and his people during his trip to Panama this spring. Pastor Luis shared his goals for his church and his desire to build a “halfway house” to accommodate men being released from prison—as had been his own personal experience a few years before.
His testimony about becoming a Christian while in prison and subsequently studying to be a pastor is powerful.
In Panamanian society, prisoners being released are typically rejected by family and friends. So they frequently go back to the same “safe haven” of gang or drug activity that got them into prison to begin with. In other words, there is a high incidence to reoffend, ending up right back in prison.
Having come out of that environment himself, Pastor Luis has a real passion for these people (primarily men) and wants to help them adjust back to civilian life with a new angle—learning the Gospel and having Jesus Christ in their lives.
Luis pastors a church called Ministerio Internacional: Pozo Del Viviente Que Me Ve, which translates to “Ministry International: Well of the Living Who Sees Me.”
The church is in a neighborhood called Curundú, adjacent to the El Chorrillo area where we’ve done quite a bit of work in the past. As tough as the El Chorrillo section seems, it is possible that this area of Curundú is just as challenged with extreme poverty and crime, if not worse.
Pastor Luis' church entrance (left) / The interior of the church (center) / Adjacent playfield for neighborhood kids (right)
For the handful of men who are the currently-released prisoners presently living in literal shacks next to the church, the conditions are horrible. At least they have a roof over their heads and someone who cares about them, but it’s not housing that anyone in our country would feel comfortable settling in.
Behind the church building is the space in which Pastor Luis hopes to build the structure to house the recently-released prisoners. Currently, it’s just an empty lot, but 15’ high concrete walls surround the lot. Luis’ vision is to drop refurbished cargo containers, stacked into the space, to be used as dwellings. The containers would be modified to accommodate doors, a walkway, restroom facilities, and a kitchen. The second floor would be accessed by a metal stairway.
Prior to this visit, and following up to it, YKPM discussed an alternative to the cargo container concept, which might manifest by taking first steps to get a few more residents into the facility and then continuing to modify as the occupancy grows.
We believe that our ministry will be able to support the efforts of Pastor Luis as he ministers to just-released men in hopes of winning them to Jesus and creating a better path for them as they begin their new life of freedom.
Facts about Panama
Population: Four million, half of whom live in country’s capital, Panama City
Casco Viejo, which means “old town” in Spanish, is a neighborhood within Panama City that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with several old ruins; it is also the first European city built in the Pacific Coast of the Americas in 1519
El Chorrillo, the impoverished neighborhood within Panama City, is next door to Casco Viejo
While Panama is regarded as a high-income economy, it is still home to significant income and resource inequalities
Panama does not have a national law for an overarching child protective system
Jungles cover 40% of Panama’s land area and are home to many tropical plants and animals, some not found anywhere else in the world
FUN FACT: Panama’s highest point in the country, Volcan Baru, is the only place in the world you can see the sun rise on the Atlantic and set on the Pacific
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