Juan Carlos Lara (seated front row, center of picture) with the first cohort of Crossroads students in Argentina to receive certificates of completion
Juan Carlos Lara’s journey to Crossroads began with a letter he didn’t want to deliver.
Six years ago, while traveling with a pastor acquaintance in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Juan Carlos read a letter written by the mother of a young man incarcerated in a facility a few hours away. The pastor, unable to make it to the prison, asked Juan Carlos to deliver the letter, along with Bibles, medication, and clothing, to the prison in Junín. Juan Carlos never wanted to step foot inside a prison, but he agreed to make the delivery to help the pastor.
Juan Carlos dropped off the letter and supplies but left with a heavy burden on his heart that wouldn’t go away. He worried about the safety and spiritual well-being of the men housed behind the walls.
To alleviate his worry, he scheduled a trip to deliver necessities to another prison.
Juan Carlos felt God’s hand at work in the encounter when he met Martin Mecias, a staff member at the prison. Martin’s last name means “messiah,” and to Juan Carlos, this seemed like an answer to prayer. Despite initially arriving at the wrong facility, Juan Carlos agreed with Martin that it was no coincidence they crossed paths. “They had been praying and fasting for someone to come to their particular prison,” Juan Carlos explained.
While Juan Carlos had intended to fulfill the pastor’s request and never return to prison ministry, his perspective shifted during those trips. “Something happened inside me,” he said. “It wasn’t something I was looking for at the time, but I’ve embraced it and have been working in prison ministry ever since.”
Hans Daza, regional director of Latin America, has been actively seeking opportunities to bring Crossroads to Argentina and Chile. Through these
outreach efforts, Juan Carlos became involved, expressing immense enthusiasm for the program. He even flew Hans to Argentina for a second presentation.
On the day we interviewed Juan Carlos, Martin happened to be visiting his home, and he shared his appreciation for the Crossroads program with us.
Since Crossroads Argentina enrolled its first students at the Junín prison in September 2023, Martin has seen a significant impact on both the students and the staff. He told us, “The prison where I work is the most dangerous prison in Argentina.” However, after the introduction of Crossroads, Martin witnessed remarkable changes in the first six months: “There was a change not only in the prisoners but in the prison; it was the most substantial change. Cell unit change was contagious. It was a 180-degree change.”
He described the staff as initially close-minded but said they are starting to believe that people in prison can change, noticing that the prison is experiencing less division. The students are helping others who can’t read or write well to complete their lessons and sharing their thoughts on what they are studying and what their mentors write to them.
In January 2024, Juan Carlos visited the prison to distribute certificates of completion for the first cohort of students to complete a course. “They are very happy with their studies and very enthusiastic,” he said. “When we distributed the certificates, many of them said they never had one.”
We are excited to see God opening doors in new places for us to bring hope to even more of the ten million people behind bars around the world.
Did you know that Crossroads’ program is utilized by ministry leaders in more than twenty countries around the world? With your support, they can continue to bring hope to people incarcerated around the world.