High up in northwestern Australia sits Derby, an outback WA town and port. The local Aboriginal Australian people play a large part in the community here, and for 14 years, it has also been home to Linda and Greg Wilson, volunteers with Prison Fellowship Australia.
Most Fridays for the past four years, Linda and Greg have visited the West Kimberley Regional Prison, offering prayer, teaching and a listening ear to the men and women incarcerated there. They’ve also been helping make God’s Word accessible to everyone – no matter your literacy level – by bringing in solar-powered Audio Bibles.
Having met at Bible college, husband and wife Linda and Greg Wilson were involved in missions work both overseas and in remote Australia before they settled in Derby in 2011 to serve with Pioneers Australia. But until a few years ago, prison ministry had never been part of the equation. “We didn’t know a lot about the prison system, or what it would be like inside a prison before we actually went,” says Linda. It was the local chaplain who encouraged them to get involved.
“I think I felt it would be a lot scarier than it actually is,” says Linda.
“I go to the women’s prison, and Greg goes to the guys. I haven’t actually been inside a city prison, but from what I’ve heard, it’s hugely different. It’s got all the security, but once you’re inside, there’s a lot of trees and a big open field. The general population set up is that the prisoners share a house, doing the cooking and the housework together.”
“The prison was designed to help prisoners maintain their connection to country,” says Greg. “Close to 90% of the prison population here is indigenous. There are about 150 men, and about 50 women.”
Inside, Linda runs regular Bible studies and prayer times, and Greg facilitates an indigenous version of The Prisoner’s Journey, Prison Fellowship’s 8-week program based on the Gospel of Mark. “With that, we use the Plain English Version of the Bible to keep things simple,” says Greg.
“When I’m there, I’ll also usually do a walk around and have a yarn with whoever wants to talk. Sometimes guys will come up and ask me to pray with them which is actually pretty amazing,” says Greg. “Prison provides a great opportunity to connect with people you might not usually be able to. Inside, the guys are well-fed, sober and have a roof over their head. They’ve got time to think about life. Whereas outside, some of them might be struggling with different issues. There’s too much going on, and they’re not so interested in talking with you.”
Key to their ministry is the gifting of Bibles, made possible thanks to the donations of Prison Fellowship supporters and other Christian supporters. Printed Bibles as well as Audio Bibles, which bring God’s Word to those who may not be able to read a traditional Bible.
“The Audio Bibles have proved very popular,” says Linda. “The recording has an Aboriginal person reading, which is really great,” says Greg.
“It’s a little device, a bit smaller than a mobile phone,” says Linda.
“On the back is a solar panel, which means the inmates can charge it up in the sun during the day. They can access headphones from the prison shop if they want to listen to it privately, or they might tuck it under their pillow and listen to it in their room.”
“Many of the people here are open to spiritual things. Through their culture, they are very mindful of the spiritual world. But what we have to share is often different to what they have heard before, so there is often that struggle to reconcile the two.”
“One guy had a really deep conversation with me about ‘black fella magic’ as he calls it,” says Greg. “He was talking about how it reaches here into the prison, about how he’s affected by it and how he’s seen other people affected by it. He was asking me questions. After I spoke with him, I went and had a yarn with some other guys. When they found out I was a Christian volunteer, they also started asking me questions, a bit jokey, but still, I was able to share about God.”
“A couple of weeks back in one of the study times I was saying how Jesus is the only one who has the power over evil spirits, and that a person can also only have authority over them through Him,” says Linda. “When I said that, one of the women walked out because she didn’t agree with what I was saying. But then later on, she came and asked if she could have an Audio Bible. There is definitely a real spiritual battle.”
“It’s enjoyable going in, in that sense, because you know that God is sovereign. So you’re sort of thinking, ‘Okay, this will be interesting to see what happens!’”
“If change is going to take place in someone’s life, prison is where it can happen,” says Greg.
“Inside, they’ve got the space and the time to think. A lot of them are already questioning life because of where they are. And for many, it’s probably the first time they’ve had a chance to stop and think about it all.”
Diary Notes from Derby
SEPTEMBER 2024
Greg has had lots of good talks with the guys and has had questions about all sorts of things. He shares: “The other day I sat down with a prisoner who asked me to pray with him and two other prisoners. We prayed and talked and one of the guys commented that he felt God had sent me to pray for him that day because he had had a sleepless night hearing voices.” We also heard a story about a prisoner who was acting pretty agitated at one stage. After a while, he held out an Audio Bible and said, “See this? It’s the only thing that calms me down!”
MAY 2025
Recently, I (Linda) went into the women’s unit… A prisoner was standing outside the office just as we were starting Bible study. She didn’t know about the study, but when she heard it was happening, she said, “I may as well come.” She sat and listened as we sang several songs then started talking with the other women who were there. When I offered her a Bible, she said, “Oh, I’m just here to listen. I don’t know anything about all this.” As our meeting progressed, we shared the Gospel and she became more interested. When we asked her if she would like to pray along to accept Christ, she agreed, but wanted to pray silently. By the end of our time together, it seemed to us she wanted to follow Jesus. Only God knows what really went on in her heart, but we were encouraged that someone who had no knowledge or intention of coming to a Christian meeting that day got that opportunity.
JULY 2025
On a recent visit, a woman asked me (Linda) for a Bible. She and I sat down so I could show her what I had brought in. I said, “I only have these New Testaments with me today – we are waiting on some whole Bibles to arrive… Otherwise, I have these Audio Bibles.” I took one out and showed her. She looked amazed and said, “How do I go about getting one of these?” I was able to tell her she could have one that day thanks to the generosity of Christians who had donated to pay for them for prisoners.
We started our more formal Bible study time, and during the singing, one of the prisoners started to cry quietly, obviously touched by the words. We spent quite a bit of time singing (to my very average guitar playing) and one of them said, “I don’t want to stop.” Sometimes I wish you could be ‘a fly on the wall’ to see the joy that goes on there during our out-of-tune worship sessions. I’m sure it makes God smile.
PLEASE JOIN WITH US IN PRAYER FOR DERBY, for the Wilson’s wisdom and sensitivity to how the Holy Spirit is moving, and for solutions to prison staff shortages. Please pray for the transformation of prisoners, that they would know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Want to regularly pray for Prison Fellowship’s ministry? Click here to sign up for regular prayer updates.
