My husband Paul and I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas! I hope you’ve had plenty of time to rest and reflect as you celebrated our Savior’s birth.
As I reflect on all that this year has held, I’m grateful and amazed. God is so faithful! Prison Fellowship and our partners are privileged to be a part of what God is doing to transform lives, break chains of addiction, strengthen families, and clear pathways to second chances.
God can meet you behind bars in profound ways, whether you are a resident or a visitor. I recently visited an Oklahoma prison with a group of Prison Fellowship partners including my friend Lynn. She later told me how that one visit completely opened her eyes to the humanity that exists behind bars. When she met the ladies in the Prison Fellowship Academy there, she got a glimpse of the genuine transformation that has taken place in their lives.
All women I met yesterday were bright, articulate, beautiful, filled with joy, and fresh-faced—not hardened, and without a trace of bitterness. What a shining example of God’s amazing grace they are.
—Lynn
She went on to describe the Prison Fellowship Academy, one of our intensive program offerings made possible by generous donors.
The Academy is a haven—a place for sharing, growth, tears, and laughter—and HOPE that life can be better. I have gratitude for all Prison Fellowship volunteers, leaders, and advocacy!
—Lynn
It’s beautiful what can happen when we, the Church, encounter Jesus together with our brothers and sisters in prison. I hope you can see it firsthand one day, too. It’s so evident that Jesus’ transforming grace is at work.
I love the way Kelli, an Academy participant in Oklahoma, puts it:
You’re changing lives. And you’re not just changing the lives of the women and the men that are in the facilities, but because of your donations, you’re changing the lives of aunts and uncles, mothers and fathers, and children down the road.
—Kelli
Thank you for your onging prayers and support.If you have any prayer requests, please let us know so we can be lifting you up. I pray you experience the peace and light that Christ brings, both now and in the new year!
Joyfully,
HEATHER RICE-MINUS President and CEO
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