Christmas Party at Women's Prison

Today I went to the women's prison for their annual Christmas Party. I played the piano while another lady played guitar. We played some fun Christmas songs with the women. It was a full day. We met up at around 8:30 and it went until 3:30. Six huge tents were set up in the chance that it would rain. 350 prisoners attended the party.
Each week there is a group of women who lead a Bible study for the women in jail. Most of the women are in there for drug trafficking. Today the women were given a great turkey dinner with all the sides. I helped as we made a huge assembly line to pass the food out as quickly as possible to the women who were seated. They also had a cake that was about 10 feet long. It was the biggest cake I've ever seen.
The coolest part of the celebration was when the women were each given a balloon. The ministry director explained to the women how even though they are confound within the walls of the prison, their prayers are not. The women were encouraged to write messages to family and loved ones on the balloons and then at the same time all 350 balloons were released into the air and floated above the barbed wires of the jail, into the Quito sky. This symbolized their prayers floating up to God. The women were also told how Jesus gives them gifts they can't get anywhere else or from anyone else. They were told about forgiveness and eternal life. Many of the women there asked Jesus to be part of their lives today, what a powerful moment! A lot of the women who I worked with helping to serve the food, were past prisoners. Their stories are all moving and you can clearly see God working in them.