Sharing the love of God in prison

The Czech Christian Petr Jasek was arrested on suspicion of espionage after visiting persecuted believers in Sudan. Four months after his arrest, God gave him the opportunity to share the Gospel with twelve Eritreans. That experience completely transformed his thinking. Until that moment, he could think of nothing but going home and being free. But when Petr spoke with these men about the love of Christ and saw how they responded and became obedient to God, he suddenly realized: what are four months in prison compared to an eternity in heaven?

Petr Jasek: “More men were brought in. Now we shared our cramped cell with about twenty‑five prisoners. One morning I felt deeply discouraged and prayed, ‘Lord, how long will it be before I am released?’ I spent much time in prayer.

An Eritrean man noticed me and introduced himself. He told me he had a sister who attended an Eritrean church in Khartoum. I sensed that he himself was not a born‑again follower of Jesus Christ. My suspicion was confirmed when he told me he had been arrested for human trafficking in Sudan. As I told him and others about Christ, I began to understand why God had brought me to this prison and this overcrowded cell. He had brought me here to share the love of Christ with people I would never have met under other circumstances.

A wrestling match

One morning, a group of twelve young Eritrean men, two women, and two children were brought into the prison. They had been arrested at the border with Libya. The women and children were placed in a smaller cell opposite ours; the twelve men were put in with us. Now we were forty‑three prisoners together. Conditions did not improve. Sleeping became extremely difficult with so many people packed together. Because the nights were bitterly cold, the cell turned into one big wrestling match—kicking and hitting as everyone fought for blankets.

The Eritreans were between fourteen and twenty‑four years old. During the day they formed their own group on one side of the room, smoking and chewing tobacco. The Muslims sat on the other side. One day, as I was praying in the corner, I sensed God speaking to me. I didn’t hear His voice audibly, but I felt the Holy Spirit leading me inwardly, saying: ‘Go sit with the Eritreans and tell them about Jesus.’

Obeying

I decided to obey and walked over to them. As soon as I sat down, two of the men who spoke English immediately asked who I was and why I was in prison. Without fear of the Muslims, I began to speak openly about Jesus Christ. I shared my testimony with them, described my journey to faith, and urged them to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. They told me they were members of an Orthodox church. But without icons on the wall to kiss or pray before, nothing of their religion was visible.

As our conversations deepened, God gave me a profound peace in my heart. ‘Now I see what You want me to do here,’ I prayed.

God brought forth fruit I could never have imagined! The English‑speaking Eritreans began translating my words for the rest of the group. Throughout the afternoon and evening, more and more prisoners joined us, and all twelve accepted Christ as their Savior. The next morning, the group of young Eritreans was taken away and transferred to another prison. I never saw them again.

The light of Christ

My heart overflowed with the knowledge that God had done such a great work in their lives and that I had been allowed to be part of it. This was the purpose of my imprisonment. This was the answer to my prayer. In that moment, my entire way of thinking changed.

God had brought me here for a reason: to be His light, to spread the message of the Gospel. From that moment on, I decided not to worry anymore about my well‑being, my safety, or what might happen to me. The future was in God’s hands; today and every day, my mission was to be the light of Christ, no matter how dark the cell was.”