Newsletter
January 2008
Dear Friend,
Kevin is a big guy. I can just reach his shoulder. His voice trembled as he spoke. His eyes filled with tears . “I didn’t get a Christmas card from my son or daughter this year…I was waiting…but it didn’t come. When I figured out I wasn’t going to get one,I started to cry... And I started feeling sad... And I started to pray out loud to block those thoughts that were telling me it was all over, and that there was nothing left to live for. I’m okay now.” Prayer is often the only comfort for those in prison.
Christmas in prison is different every year. This year was a year of despair and heart stopping stories of brokenness and loss. It was a also a year of overcoming, perserverence and faith. It is a great gift to be there to listen, to share, to witness. It’s an even greater gift to be able to bring the light of Christ, the comfort of the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit to those who walk in darkness.
“We’ve come this far by faith,” the song says, “leaning on the Lord.” Forgetting what is behind, we strain toward what lies ahead. Our goals for the coming year include:
- Doubling the number of mentors in our programs for men and women.
- Strengthening and expanding the mentoring programs.
- Opening a drop-in center for released inmates in Lowell.
- Developing a business plan for transitional housing.
Help us make them real.
We’ve got a new look for the New Year! Janet Bohling, Bohling Design Studio, jbohling@charter.net designed the new logo you see at the top of this page. Doug Robar, Percipient Studios, doug@percipientstudios.com is designing a new web page. You’ll see that soon. I’d like to thank Chris Cacace for the great job he’s done tending the web page all these years. Thank you Chris.
Kate and I spent a quiet Christmas with her family. Quiet is good. There were just enough nieces and nephews, grand and otherwise, to fill the room with squeals, laughter, and Christmas excitement. We’re looking forward to 2008. Thanks for your end of the year gifts and thanks for your encouragement and support. Keep praying for us, and for the ministry. We see the fruits all around us. Great things are happening.
Thanks.
Much grace and many blessings.
