Jason asked for guidance about how to give his life to Jesus during the Bible study in Maximum this morning. Heavily involved in the prison gangs and the drugs that are readily available inside, he was transferred to a room with Christians (to his disgust), went through a time when he was technically dead in the hospital, and now has decided to hand himself back to God.
Pray for an increase in halfway houses for prisoners who are released but need somewhere to help them reintegrate into society. It was encouraging today that one of the inmates said that Dawn and Hylma bring life into the prisoners’ lives.
Like so many charities, Hope Prison Ministry’s finances have been badly impacted by the covid pandemic. Pray that there will be funds for the life-changing RJ courses.
Last Monday Fraser talked to colleagues in Nigeria who wanted to offer online courses in biblical languages if NetACT could find a provider. On Tuesday, quite separately, Fraser learned that Hugenote College had told NetACT colleagues they wanted to offer online courses in biblical languages if there was interest. There is no such thing as coincidence!
Today a prison officer beckoned Dawn out of the Bible study in Maximum. A prisoner was acutely suicidal; they’d tried psychologists to no avail, perhaps a spiritual worker could help. The man had attended the Bible study last week so Dawn wasn’t a complete stranger, but we are all inadequate in such a situation. Pray that he will be there next Tuesday to meet Dawn again and that the Holy Spirit will take over that encounter.
Theswin, a big man in stature and in the prison gang system, had always retaliated when provoked and made people regret messing with him. He has been a follower of Jesus for some years. In a recent disagreement, another inmate punched him in the face. Theswin thought about getting his padlock and punching back, about taking the kettle of boiling water and throwing it in the other man’s face. Instead he sat on his bed, feeling an incredible feeling of peace washing over him that could only have come from God, incredulous he hadn’t retaliated.
Dawn has been told that “due to lockdown the processing time (for visa renewals) cannot be estimated anymore.”