Merry Christmas from the Olsons!

Greetings to you from Wisconsin! Your friendship and partnership mean so very much to us. We trust you are rejoicing as you consider the JOY that God sent to YOU and to the world. That baby in the manger came to save us from our sins. In Jesus, God was saying, “I love you!”

This year, as we entered by God’s grace into our twentieth year of missionary service, the Lord called us to a new level of commitment, “Come unto me…and learn of me.” (See Matthew 11:28.) Thanks to Him, 2009 has been a year of learning for us.

As we look back to the beginning of 2009, a long time friend had offered an empty house she owned to be used as a new ministry project~ the development of a transitional living home for women being released from prison. The Lighthouse was born! God connected us with a new friend, who joined Tecate Mission, and became The Lighthouse supervisor. DOC policy says we are able to supervise those who directly supervise Lighthouse residents.

As planning began in earnest, we got word from a prison that we could no longer do one full day a week of pastoral visits there. This was a blow at first, until we realized we were emotionally drained by doing them. God already knew, & we were learning.

Imagine all the preparations that went on before The Lighthouse June 6th Open House! Surprise--the first resident came earlier than expected, and soon all four beds were full! We watched God working in their lives, as well as in our own! Then, one by one, three of the women slid back into their old way of thinking and relapsed. One is in treatment, two are in jail, and the fourth is living for the Lord and Carl will perform her wedding. Three new ladies have been welcomed, so please keep praying! He’s been stretching us, allowing us to learn in difficult ways, but for His purposes and His glory.

Weekly we do three Spanish Bible studies in prison, one study at The Lighthouse, six to eight pastoral visits, plus occasional worship services in prisons farther away. Praise God with us for being part of the first Spanish services ever held in New Lisbon and Stanley Correctional, also in helping baptize a Latino believer. We’re learning of God’s faithfulness to His people.

An inmate’s recent decision: T. told us, “I am prepared to give my life to the Lord.” And he prayed to do so!

W., an inmate said: “You are my gas tank! I fill up so I can give out God’s counsel to others who are hurting.”

A testimony from a pen pal to prisoners: “I have been corresponding with one inmate for several months and another for just a short time. In addition, I have been sending birthday and Christmas greetings to several inmates. These men and I take pleasure in sharing experiences, thoughts, and our passion to spread the Gospel.”

A life transformed for the Lord: We called P. our “John 3:16 guy”, having met him in our Dodge Corr. Spanish study three years ago. Being bilingual, he had learned many Bible verses, and had recommitted his life to the Lord. We visited him at Prairie du Chien Corr. before he was transferred twice more, then released. Prison Aftercare Network of Milwaukee helped him transition, find a job and a home church. In Jan. 2009, he was married, and has come “full circle” by receiving permission to enter prison as a volunteer to preach the Gospel!

Thank you for remembering our family in prayer, as they grow and learn life lessons, too~


Bridget, Scott, Taylor 9, & Brandon 6 ~Bridget serves in Awana, & works at their church, where the kids attend Christian school, pray for their learning. Scott serves at church, earned his MBA in June, & made another trip to China for his job.

Matt, Shawn, Brady 10, & Morgan 7 ~Matt is working hard in his construction business, Shawn works as a CNA & towards her RN, Brady was in baseball & basketball with Dad & Grandpa coaching, Morgan in soccer.

Sarah & Mike ~ Sarah is an RN in Rush Hospital’s ER & is a year away from getting her master’s as a Nurse Practitioner. Mike’s co. is making a part for NASA’s shuttles, & he does great photography & video production on the side.

Josh & Tracy ~ They celebrate their first anniversary Jan.3! Josh is a firefighter / paramedic & will get his bachelor’s in the spring. He loves duck hunting with their dog, Fletcher. Tracy is a pharmacist. In Sept. she finished an Ironman triathlon! “Go, Tracy, Go!”

Thank you for keeping us in prison! We are blessed by your investment in God’s prison ministry through your prayers and giving. Please ask God to supply our year-end financial needs and keep our ’92 Honda running safely. If you would choose to help, we thank you for standing with us.

Many new opportunities are ahead to reach incarcerated Latinos for Jesus. Think of the potential impact of these changed lives! We believe that God is giving NEW HOPE and drawing many to SALVATION and GROWTH as they are restored to God, to family and to community.

We thank God for you, and ask for your continued prayers for us in the coming year. Please join us as we look to the Lord with renewed vision for His guidance and victory in 2010.

This Christmas, may you experience and be blessed by God’s personal love for YOU in Jesus!


Carl & Kathy Olson & family

www.carlandkathyprisonministry.blogspot.com
Serving with Tecate Mission Int., P.O. Box 1000, Tecate, CA 91980, 619-468-3355, www.tecatemission.org

Celebrating One Year of Blessings!

It was a special day of celebration at Comunidad de Fe: El Shaddai! Special music, special guests, and a special message from the Word of God.

Today the Spanish church plant that we have been helping with celebrated their first anniversary! About sixty people gathered to thank the Lord for this year of blessings and to hear Pastor Tulio Duran share about the work that God has placed on his heart to reach Latinos in the area for Christ. He chose to use Nehemiah 6:3, "I am doing a great work.", which was the same Bible text he had used on the opening day of the church.

In his words: "This has been a year of faith and of incessantly seeking the move of the Holy Spirit, for the formation of this 'Great Work'. We continue making an emphasis on the power of prayer, on obedience to the Word of God, and on the faith that moves the heart of the Holy Spirit, and in this manner, to see the growth of new leaders and disciples, ready to live for Christ."

"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

Will you pray with us in FAITH?

In our Spanish Bible studies, we worship the Lord through song and testimony, then do the Bible lesson. One song the men and women like very much is “Un Grano de Mostaza”, talking about us having FAITH in Jesus the size of a mustard seed, from Matthew 17:20-21. We are privileged to plant seeds in the minds and hearts of prisoners, asking God to help us water them and He will give the increase.


A new member of one of our classes, Luis R., has asked for prayer for his wife M. to open her heart to the Lord, as well as their children. He became a Christian last summer and is growing in the “grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus”. He desires others to pray with him for M. to make a FAITH decision to follow Christ, and that he may walk in victory even though incarcerated.

Joshua D. needs to let the Word of God revolutionize his thoughts, attitudes and behavior. Two events radically changed his life when he was 13 years old--his mother trusted Christ and his dad left them. Joshua did give his life to the Lord and memorized many Bible verses, but got in with the wrong crowd. Now Joshua says it is "too hard" to live for the Lord in prison. Pray that Joshua will experience his Heavenly Father's love and be able to replace his doubts with FAITH.

In one-on-ones with my gals before Easter, I asked them to read through the Gospel of John and circle the word “believe” each time it was present, then count up how many times! This challenge made us more aware of the importance of "believing" the Lord. It especially made an impact on Avery and Linda, women that I may not be able to see again. Please pray that God will cause their FAITH to grow.

A young man in our Dodge Bible study really tried to listen each week. His girlfriend had just given birth to their baby boy, and at the same time, we'd been studying about the "new birth". Before his transfer to where he would serve his sentence, we asked how he was doing spiritually. He spread his arms out to the sides, answering that he was "between good and bad". Please pray that Juan R. chooses to put his FAITH in Christ and "be born again".

Introducing The Lighthouse!

The Lighthouse is a discipleship home in Janesville, created by local Christians of various denominations, united by the vision of offering women being released from prison a supportive Christian environment and the assistance needed to successfully reintegrate.

God keeps on blessing!

God has done miracles in E’s life. When we first met him four years ago in Bible study, he had been incarcerated for fourteen years, without having had even one visit with a family member in that time.

Two years ago, on our March 2007 posting, we spoke of our brother E. At that time, he had just received his first visit ever from one of his grandchildren. She was his seventh grandchild, but the first to visit him. Last week he came in with a picture of them together, that had been taken in the visiting room a few days before. Today in class he thanked God because this little girl will grow up knowing him and calling him Abuelito (Grandpa). Not only is God restoring relationships between E. and his family, E. has restored his relationship with God, and is growing!

Web Site to visit

Following is the web site for the R. A. Torrey quotes below!
http://www.wholesomewords.org/etexts/torrey/hspirit.pdf

One more quote from R. A. Torrey!

"We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results."

Think about this!

The great theologian R. A. Torrey said; ". . . it is of the highest importance from a practical standpoint that we know the Holy Spirit as a person. If you think of the Holy Spirit, as so many even among Christian people do, as a mere influence or power, then your thought will be, 'How can I get hold of the Holy Spirit and use it?' But if you think of Him in the Biblical way as a Divine person, your thought will be, 'How can the Holy Spirit get hold of me and use me?" '