|PIC1|An American Baptist minister that formerly ministered as an army chaplain in Guantanamo Bay has reported of the conditions he encountered in the controversial camp in Cuba.

Michael Merrill, a former active duty US Army Chaplain, has told that the conditions in the camp were not as media had portrayed it, according to Premier Radio.

He said, “I believe that the news media doesn't tell the whole story, they really don't emphasise that the International Red Cross are there around the clock. It is important to remember that the International Red Cross are the watchdog for the humane treatment of prisoners.”

Merrill continued, “As an Army Chaplain, my role is very different to that of the average soldiers. You are a peacemaker and don't carry a weapon. I have to ensure that I am there for service members and that everyone is offered pastoral care and ministry.”

|QUOTE|Speaking of his previous experiences, Merrill also told Premier, “As the Chaplain of the Arifjan Gospel Service I saw some amazing things. Our group started out with 35 service members and within three to four months, it was averaging a congregation of between 400 to 700 per service. Every week, 80% of the congregation were different because they were on military missions, but still the numbers remained high. Over 4,600 decisions were made for God during a 12 month time period. We were fortunate enough to be able to meet together as very diverse group of people all intent on worshipping God.”|TOP|

When asked how he saw this growth, he stated, “The secret is prayer. If we study any significant spiritual awakening in England or America in the last 300 years, the root of the awakening is praying.”

He concluded, “We established prayer meetings in the morning, lunch-time and before the services. Of course conflicts arose as in any Church community, but as we focused on the important things, we witnessed unity grow up from this group.”