FIVE Austrian singing sisters have been behind bars in Bahrain aiming to touch the souls of prisoners.

The Regez Sisters, namely Priscille, 26, Rebekka, 25, Corinne, 21, Daniela, 20 and Marion, 18, were in the kingdom as part of a world tour that they began in September 2006.
Born to missionary parents and with a common love for music and God, the girls decided to “do something together” and spread their message of hope and goodwill around the world in early 2006.
“Suddenly it seemed it was the last possibility of doing something together,” said Daniela.
“Corinne is getting married this year,” she explained. “And we will all be heading in different directions pursuing jobs or new courses.
“We thought it would be best to serve God in many different ways and places, share our joy and hope that someone may be encouraged and changed through our songs and testimonies.”
GulfWeekly caught up with performing at the women and juvenile prison in Isa Town this week singing spiritual compositions and inspired their captive audience.
The unusual venue for a concern was all part of the journey the sisters are making as they sing to distressed people in prisons, hospitals, buses, orphanages, streets, gypsy camps, juvenile camps, villages and even shopping malls.
Their tour has taken them to Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Florida, Costa Rica, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Singapore, China, North Korea, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and Dubai.
They are now headed towards Turkey and Israel. “Every country has been special and has touched us in different ways,” says Priscilla.
In India, they sang to 6,000 people, their largest-ever audience. In Costa Rica they learned four new Spanish songs that they added to the concert programme and in Sri Lanka they loved the green and beautiful countryside.
Travelling and preparation for the world tour was not easy. They say there was so much to do, “learn new songs, finish cutting their album, pay for our flight tickets, fill in different forms, packing and so on.”
Delayed flights, stomach bugs, lost passports, new friends, communication and money problems, living with new families have all formed part of their experiences.
They are amazed at how wealth and poverty can coexist and how faith can make all the difference.
In Bahrain, the singing sisters entertained around 40 women prisoners of different nationalities and religions.
During their stay in the kingdom they also sang in the Gold Souq and various churches.
The sisters sang in English, Arabic and Sri Lankan.
In the prison, as they burst into a Sinhalese song, a Sri Lankan woman burst into tears, crying loudly. Everyone was praying and most were emotional, perhaps thinking of missing loved ones.
“At the end we can almost see lives being transformed,” one of the sisters said.

By Anasuya Kesavan
anasuyak7@gmail.com