A special father-daughter dance became a night to remember on November 22 thanks to a ministry working to heal relationships and bring God into prisons across America.
The Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola hosted alongside God Behind Bars, and the event featured pink decorations, music, smiles, and happy tears, Newsweek reported Thursday.
The dance was the first ever held at the facility that reunited fathers with their beloved daughters, many of whom had not seen each other in several years.
One father said he missed so many things in his daughter’s young years. “Missing all of that affected me but what it affected most is her. To have this day, to be able to share this moment together, it’s gonna be magical. I just want her to feel the love and have a good time and smile,” he said.
Video footage shows the fathers dressed to the nines and holding bouquets while waiting for their daughters to arrive.
“She’s 17 and I’ve been gone 15 years… she’s my world. I would put my life on the line for my daughter, man,” another dad said:
Spending a fun evening together has brought great encouragement to those dads, according to Newsweek.
An inmate who participated in the dance told the outlet, “When I turned around and saw my baby in that dress and she busted out crying…I sobbed, man, and I ain’t no crier. We slow-danced and she was crying again. I said, ‘Baby, why you crying?’ and she said, ‘Dad, I finally get a chance to dance with you for the first time.’ I told my brothers, ‘Look, brother…this’ll make you want to do right. If you ain’t doing right, bro, you got to do right.
Before the event, the daughters were pampered by professional makeup artists and given special gift bags. The fathers, the Shreveport Times reported, received custom tuxedos from Amor Suits.
The dads also gave their daughters a Bible and a handwritten letter to make the night that much more special. When the event came to a close, the fathers surprised their daughters with a choreographed dance they had been practicing.
More video footage shows the joy that filled the room as everyone danced and had a good time:
God Behind Bars founder Jake Bodine said he saw a transformation happen right before his eyes.
“I watched a group of men stand with pride and dignity, shedding every label the world had ever put on them. For one night they were not inmates. They were Dad,” he stated.
The God Behind Bars website said the ministry exists to introduce inmates to Jesus Christ and help them connect with local churches.
“We will stop at nothing to ensure every inmate in the U.S. has direct and personal access to the Gospel. We want to help them grow their faith, heal trauma and emotional wounds, break addictions and cycles, and allow every person behind bars to step into their calling as sons and daughters of the Most High,” the site reads.
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