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“My Ten Days in Prison” 1/18/2005 Ministering at a homosexual event landed Linda Beckman in jail.
Editor’s Note: Last October, police arrested 11 Christians in Philadelphia for singing hymns and reading Scripture aloud at a homosexual event called “Outfest.” One of these was Linda Beckman, a 67-year-old grandmother from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The basis for the arrests? A recently expanded state “hate crimes” law, which has criminalized the actions of Linda and her friends. Although the other 10 Christians were released on their own recognizance, Linda wound up spending 10 days in jail because of a prior conviction involving actions during a pro-life event. It is Concerned Women for America’s position that Linda was punished unjustly, but nevertheless God used her mightily during her prison stay.
I was arrested on October 10, 2004, along with my husband and nine other Christians for ministry at a homosexual “OutFest” event. I was detained after being held for 21 hours in a holding cell, and then ordered by a judge to serve a 5-7 day prison sentence, which ended up being 10 days in prison. The detainment resulted from an arrest in 1995 for a rescue at Planned Parenthood in Philadelphia. Rescues took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s and consisted of sitting in front of the doors of an abortion clinic so the mothers couldn’t enter to kill their babies. We would stay until the police arrested us, or until we knew the clinic would be shut down for the day. I had forgotten the details of that event in 1995 and didn’t realize that I hadn’t paid the fine we were given in court. Back in the days of rescue, we didn’t pay fines but would do jail time instead. This time, the Lord gave me a real prison ministry in the Philadelphia Women’s Prison. My jail time began with a great event. I was taken up to prison with a 19-year-old girl arrested on a drug charge. We had about six hours to talk, due to the slow process of admittance to the facility. I told her about the Lord. She prayed with me before both lunch and dinner and, at one point, she broke down and cried, telling me she didn’t want to continue her life as it was. She said she wanted to change. I explained the Gospel to her and asked her if she would like to give her heart to Christ. I told her if she made the commitment, she would have to give her life to God and obey Him. She said that she wanted to and prayed with me. Sometime later, she said, “Look at me; I’m not crying anymore.” I told her she was glowing. Everyone asked me why I was there, as I am 67 years old, and most of the women were young. I believe my countenance was different than most. The 26 years of walking with the Lord gave me peace and contentment in my situation. Now don’t get me wrong. There were times when I looked forward to getting out and even had some fear, but with the Scriptures which I had memorized, I was able to put the fear behind me. I was kept in isolation 22 hours each day for the first 4½ days and shared a cell with another woman. I spent half of this time with Needa, who professed to be a Christian. She was there due to a family feud in which the police were called. I spent this time teaching her hymns and giving her Biblical counseling. Next, the Lord put Bernadette, a prostitute, in my cell. She was imprisoned on what she said were false charges for breaking into her mother’s home. Her life story was heartbreaking, and I was able to minister to her in many ways. After two days with Bernadette, my name was called and I thought I was being released. So, I gave Bernadette the comb I had received at admission, but to my surprise, I was not released. I was taken to another block out of isolation. I had to trust the Lord with more things now; I didn’t even have a comb to make myself look somewhat presentable. I now had to use my plastic spoon, which had three tiny tines on the end, for my comb. After combing my hair, I would wash my spoon. I must say, when I got up to my block, I felt some fear. It was a very large room with 64 cells (two people to a cell) and two guards for all these women. I was in a women’s prison, but as I looked around, I saw many prisoners who looked like men. Homosexuality is rampant in the prison. I quoted the Scripture 2 Timothy 1:7 to myself, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” The fear left me. I was put in a cell with five other women. This cell faced the guards and was all glass in the front, so the guards could watch the new arrivals. I got a bottom bunk, which some of the prisoners insisted I have (God’s provision), and I was set for whatever else the Lord had in store for me. I went out and sat at a table, and a few women came up to ask me why I was there. After hearing my story, one woman started crying and told me of her abortion and the grief she experienced from it. Others started to gather around, and within five minutes, I had a nice little crowd asking me questions. Many of them had abortions, and I didn’t hear one say that she was glad she did. Out of the five people in my cell, three were lesbians. Oh, how my heart grieved! I called out to God and said, “I know you created them to be women, but they act like animals.” Their language and actions were more than I could bear. It was much, much worse than when I was imprisoned in the early ’90s for doing rescue work. At one point, two girls in my cell had a Bible and were reading out loud and mocking. I would interject when they would say they didn’t understand it. The girl above me leaned down and said, “You know so much, how do you know it?” I explained that I had been a Christian for 26 years and read the Bible all that time. I told them that the Bible said fornicators wouldn’t get into heaven. I explained that fornication was sex before marriage. One lesbian said, “Oh, I guess I’m in trouble.” I told her she was, to which she replied, “Oh, I don’t believe all the Bible!” However, she requested a Bible from the chaplain and said that she would read it. After two nights of no sleep, due to the noise from the women in my cell and their vulgar language, I called out to God to bind the spirits of lesbianism and vulgar language. After I returned from a court hearing, I knew that I still had a few more days to spend in jail. One of the women in my cell said, “Now tonight we’re going to be quiet and let ‘mom’ [me] sleep. … And another thing, we’re going to stop this foul language.” When one would slip, another would say, “Watch your mouth.” God is so faithful! The day after court, Damary, who was in my top bunk, came to me crying. She told me she wanted to change, that she didn’t like what she had become. I explained the Gospel to her, and she prayed with me to receive Christ. Shortly after this, I was told I was being released. Many women came and hugged me and one told me, “You don’t know how many lives you’ve touched in here.” I was glad to leave, but oh, what a time of ministry! It is such a blessing to trust and be in the hands of the Lord. |
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