When Thy* first arrived in Australia from Vietnam with her family, she spoke very little English, which made finding work very difficult.
Eventually, she found someone willing to hire her and she really enjoyed her job, working in admin. From time to time, her boss would ask her to sign documents, and although she didn’t really understand the contents, she trusted her boss and was happy to sign.
When she found herself facing charges of fraud, Thy needed a translator to help her understand the court documents. It was all very confusing and overwhelming.
She was devastated at receiving a prison sentence. Scared and alone, she cried herself to sleep on her first night in prison.
Thy had heard about God but decided that if He could abandon her like this, she didn’t want anything to do with Him.
Sitting in her cell, Thy was bristling at the very thought of an ‘all loving God’. She said, “If you’re real, see if you can reach me in here!”
No sooner had the thought entered her mind, than she looked up to see a woman walking toward her with a big, warm smile on her face.
Thy couldn’t have been more surprised when the woman started speaking to her with a warmth and kindness that she hadn’t experienced before.
Other prisoners had told her about the prison chaplains and one had even invited her to join a bible study but Thy wasn’t interested, until now. There was something about this prison chaplain that made her want to get to know her more.
Over time, they developed a friendship and through their conversations, Thy’s English gradually improved. The bible gifted to her provided a great opportunity to practice reading in English and she even developed the confidence to read verses out loud during the weekly bible study with her fellow prisoners.
By the end of her sentence, Thy felt much more confident with her English and looked forward to working again. This time she’d be able to read documents and really understand them.
Today, Thy is back home with her family. Together they attend their local church, where Thy hopes to start an English class for migrants, so they’re better prepared for the workforce.
Thy says that prison chaplains are proof that God can reach you anywhere, even inside a prison cell.
* Name has been changed and stock image used.