July 19 and 20,2006-Excitement and tough questions!

WAUPUN STUDY:
J. has just begun attending the class. He appears hardened. He said, “ I know about God and the Bible. I know I should change, but I don’t really want to. I like sin. How can Christ live in a person who continues to sin?” We appreciated how the others in class ministered to him. Pray God softens J.’s heart. G., one of our regulars, has been moved to medium security at Jackson Correctional at Black River Falls. He gave his life to Christ in Sept. of 2005, but laying a spiritual foundation has been slow work. (The next day we met a chaplain from Jackson who can follow him up! That was a God-connection!)


KETTLE MORAINE PASTORAL VISIT:
We spent an hour with D., a young man we told you about a year ago when he was at Dodge Correctional. D. had asked us then, “What if I don’t FEEL forgiven?” He’s struggled greatly with low self esteem, and with his release date coming on August 8,
he has many concerns. He so desires to live a “normal life”—to be accepted by his family, work with integrity at a job, find a good church, and one day to marry and have children. Pray he gets a mentor through a Salvation Army contact. D. humbled us by saying, “I really love you two. God has blessed me. He has given you this purpose in life—you can help each other give hope to the guys at Dodge.” Please pray for God to guide D. each step of the way in his transition.



TAYCHEEDAH ONE-ON-ONES:
T.’s old roommate has returned from the hospital for treatment for AIDS. Pray T. can concentrate on her Bible studies, as life in the dorms is noisy and distracting to her.

J. has health issues, it may be diabetes. She and I are reading through a book the chaplain recommended called “Captivating”, by John and Stasi Eldredge.

R. told me of her new commitment to God to read her Bible and meditate on how to apply it to her life. She’s been depressed, but did get a visit from her “adopted” Mom. Pray for a stable walk with God.

That evening we were invited for a meal and fellowship with three Campus Crusade for Christ workers who do prison ministry at some of the same facilities we do. They shared insights and useful materials to help offenders live free in Christ.

Our Thursday Taycheedah and Dodge studies were cancelled, so we attended the Prison Aftercare Network meeting in Milwaukee. Dept. of Corrections Secretary Matt Frank was the guest speaker. Pray their committees discover ways to allow those in prison ministry to more effectively follow up ex-offenders, while still maintaining good security. We also made new contacts with those who work in Milw. facilities, and with a service that transports family members to correctional institutions for visits.

COLUMBIA CORRECTIONAL CLASS:
There was good participation on the lesson on faith and forgiveness. We later spoke to the chaplain to arrange the start of a second class. With only five or six allowed in each of the two classes, there will still be five on the waiting list. Pray for God’s will in reaching all Latinos that want to study God’s Word in Spanish.