Greetings in His Grace and Peace!
I am celebrating having Sharon Carter in the office these last sixteen months. Her part-time work as Administrative Assistant to Wally and me provide needed service to us. However, as my volunteer Assistant Chaplain and Life Skills for Women teacher, she is being used by God to provide service to every citizen of Union County. Her work contributes greatly to changed lives which produces safer communities for us all. I asked her to give you a report. Now you will know how to pray for her…I love you, Al.
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After the busyness of the Christmas season it seems that the Lord has seen fit to bless us by slowing us down a bit with the snow. I don’t think we have seen such a beautiful snow since 1998.
Anyway, as we all reflect on the beauty that we just experienced, let’s not forget The beauty of our relationships and to thank God for each other. You know, we are a unique group of humankind, and, I may say, we are a minority as not a lot of people are willing to go into jails and prisons to take Christ to the masses. Because of that we thank God for you often; for your faithfulness, for your sincerity and for your “grit.” Your “grit” is what God can use the most.
We have had some exciting months here at the jail: The Christmas party for the inmates was held on December 15th. Central Church of God Prison Ministry as well as other volunteers gave life-changing, dynamic testimonies. At the end of the day 65 men and women either gave their lives to Christ or rededicated themselves to a closer walk with Him.
In mid December eight men in E Block came to Christ, and after Christmas twelve women in F Block rededicated themselves afresh and anew to Christ. It was awesome! They are so hungry for the scriptures that I have begun a separate Bible study which occurs thirty minutes before the Life Skills class on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They just can’t get enough and, of course, I could teach the scriptures all day. Below you will find a few excerpts from the women’s class when they had to write a brief paper on how Life Skills and/or the Bible study class has helped them. So that I could get several in I have condensed their words somewhat:
“..I have learned to control my mouth and think before I speak and not to sin in anger. I have also learned how to pick my friends and who to trust. I’ve learned that with God all things are possible and that all the answers I need are in the Bible. I have learned that I do not need drugs to get me through hard times. I have also learned “THE SEVEN THINGS I WANT IN A MAN,” and have made this list for myself so that I can remember to measure a man before I even consider him as a date.”
“..I have learned many things in Life Skills in only four weeks. I have figured out how to find myself. The class has taught me that some things that I thought were important are not and the things I thought not important are. I have learned how to set achievable goals for my life. I have also learned about the way I was living my life the wrong way and it was doing more damage than I thought possible. I have a new outlook on life and actually believe in myself more than before. I have learned to rely on God more instead of other sources.”
“..I must admit that while I loathe being taken out of society, I feel blessed to be accepted into this incredible reentry program. I have an entirely different outlook on life because of this program. I am now excited about my life to come instead of being afraid of it. Ms. Carter has given me hope through Jesus Christ and has taught me to look for the light that is right beside us all of the time.”
“..what I have learned is that I am somebody and I can become a responsible human being. I learned that I don’t have to put drugs in my life. I am learning to grow as a woman and not as a child and that I don’t need to worry about my past but to let it go because it is hindering me from moving on in life. I have learned to forgive those who raped me so that I can be free myself. I have also learned to set goals so that when I get out people will see that I have changed and am doing something with my life, and that, hopefully, I can help addicts like me.”
Well, folks, we have hundreds of testimonies just like these. The Holy Spirit of God comes and joins in every session and takes the lead and we just follow. It is very humbling to know that the Lord has placed you where you are and is using you to bring hope. It is also very sobering because you realize the responsibility and the potential for the lives that you are impacting for HIM.
We are very excited about the statistics for ex-offenders who have seen our specialist, Dan Marshall, in December. Are you ready? Dan saw sixty three (63) ex-offenders in re jobs last month. He is mentoring one man who now has a job and an apartment. They meet weekly for Bible study.
Carold Ownbey, who does the book cart and a Bible study for the ladies’ block on Wednesday evenings has been having great success with her sessions. She leads women to Christ, or to rededication, however the spirit leads. Sometimes they sing together and just have a great time.
Jerry Franklin is doing a wonderful job taking the book cart to C and D blocks. This is a vital ministry that helps keep them occupied, not so hostile and out of trouble. We also have a new gentleman, Al Pace, who takes the book cart to A Block on Saturday mornings. This takes about two hours and a half and great patience. I am also working with the Lt. to get a man to take the cart to B block since they are now on lockdown.
So, please pray for Carold, Jerry, Al, Dan, Wally and me as we all continue to strive to bring Christ to those who are hurting, hungry for love, and hopeless.
Sharon
CRUSADE DATES FOR 2011:
March 4th, 5th, 6th DEADLINE FOR REGISTERING: 2/16/11 http://www.mysafercommunities.org/
June 3rd, 4th, 5th click on events/click on the event for 3/4/11
August 26th, 27th, 28th click on register
December 2nd, 3rd, 4th
To learn more about this ministry go to http://www.mysafercommunities.org/
