In Prison and Ye Visited Me

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

My experience at the Idaho State Correctional Institution was amazing. Heidi, Justin, and I spoke in 2 meetings at 2 different facilities. As I played the piano at our first meeting, I could hardly keep from crying. Every man in the "sanctuary" as they called it, was singing loudly and boldly. It was beautiful. The inmates' prayers were also amazing. They are so humble and penitent. They prayed for us, for their families, for the members of the church. They paid rapt attention to us as we spoke, they took notes, and they lined up to shake our hands and thank us profusely for coming to speak to them. An old man came up to me and taught me that 2 pence was 2 days wages in the 1600s when the King James Bible was translated (I had read a scripture that mentioned 2 pence). The whole day was beautiful. It's hard to imagine that you can feel the spirit in a prison, but it was so strong. In the second facility we visited, an inmate played the piano. As we were leaving, a group of them gathered around the piano and started singing "Nearer My God to Thee". I can't imagine a more stunning example of humility and praising God.

The atonement is grand in scope and in power. I overheard one of the inmates telling another about his membership in the church. He said he had been baptized and held the Aaronic priesthood, but started getting into drugs when he was 16 and then landed himself there. He was a big guy in probably his late 20's covered in tattoos, but he had his scriptures and an Ensign sitting under his chair. He sang the hymns. He was at a worship meeting for several hours on a Sunday. He shook our hands and complimented us and thanked us for being there. Being in prison could be this man's saving grace. Instead of falling away into inactivity and obscurity, he was at church. I was incredibly touched by his presence. I really really hope he stays active when he leaves the facility.

I have had the opportunity to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick, but I am so grateful that I was given the blessing of coming unto the Lord in prison by serving these, very commonly considered, the least of my brethren.