Kairos Summer Update
MINISTRY: Kairos Prison Ministry | International Ministry…we support the Michael Unit
MINISTRY PURPOSE: to bring the love of Jesus into prisons across the globe.
TESTIMONY:
Testimony #1: This is an amazing testimony of what is possible at any age. Ray and Diana DeBord have faithfully served as a part of the Kairos prison ministry year after year for a total of 32 years. This was their last Kairos weekend because they have decided to step down. For those who are wondering what is possible at each decade of life, Ray is 84 and Diana is 81. They have modeled for us what it is like to serve God until our bodies can’t. They are fantastic examples!
Testimony #2: Several inmates stood up at the end of the weekend and introduced themselves and answered the questions, “What did you find here?” and “What are you leaving with and taking with you?” One man got up in front of everyone but could not speak. He turned his back to the audience and just hid his tears as he cried. Many inmates are afraid to cry in public and will try to hide it, but they are so moved by God that they can’t help it. For the man up front, people in the room just gathered around him and prayed for him. God was changing his life. Another man made a joke about crying and said that he learned during the Kairos weekend that eyes sweat.
Testimony #3: A blind man who attended the Kairos weekend received encouraging letters written by others. He was very hesitant to have someone read the letters to him because he was angry that he was blind and could not read them. Finally, the letters were read one at a time to him. One letter was actually written by a fellow inmate. This particular letter softened his heart because the fellow inmate understood what it was like and was able to reach him.
KNOW:
The last Kairos weekend took place April 30 – May3, and the man who led the weekend was an ex-inmate. How cool is that!
Men came into the weekend with such deception about what it means to be a Christian. They don’t see anything wrong with being a Muslim and claiming to be a Christian. They ask questions like: How can there be three Gods? If God really loved me, how could he allow me to do the bad things I did? They don’t understand love. They don’t understand that God gave them free will. BUT by the end of the weekend their questions were answered and their lives had been changed by the love of God. If you saw them at the beginning and then at the end, it is like they are not the same person. Their personality is different. Their way of thinking is different. They have a new identity.
For some, like inmates who are gang leaders inside the maximum security prison, making the decision to follow Christ is a very serious decision. It is hard to explain just how big the personal transformation is. Only Jesus could do it. The power of God is overwhelming. The person in front of you is just a different guy. It is amazing to see the transformation. And it gets even better because new believers start seeing miracles inside the prison.
It is truly a great revival that is happening in the prison system. Lives are being changed. At the Michael Unit in East Texas, 500 inmates out of 2,500 are a part of Kairos. 20% have been reached!
PRAY:
As God leads, please continue to pray for the inmates of the Michael Unit in East Texas as well as the Kairos ministry. If you want to stay connected with Kairos, please visit the KairosTexas.org website for more information.
GIVE:
Thank you to everyone who gave $5 to cover the cost of a meal for a prisoner!
If you would like to give, please go to the GIVE portion of our website and click Kairos on the dropdown.
GO:
Volunteer for a Weekend - If you would like to join our team to volunteer for the weekend, send an email to David@wellspringdfw.org. As you might imagine, there is a significant prep & training process prior to being able to go into the prisons.
Write a Letter - as a part of the weekend, each inmate that attends receives letters from folks who are praying for them. For many of the inmates, these letters are treated like gold. They get a small piece of the love of God’s church has for prisoners who feel forgotten and stained in this world. The impact is powerful.
If you would like to write letters to the prisoners, please send an email to david@wellspringdfw.org.