Kairos June Update
SPECIAL TESTIMONY
We were able to send a check this month to Kairos Prison Ministry filled with funds gathered through Wellspring Member donations - YOU . These are funds that have been donated throughout the year [in the future, we will deliver these 1x per quarter].
WAY TO GO CHURCH!
TESTIMONY
Hello everyone! The most recent Kairos Prison Ministry event took place May 1 - 4. Here are a couple of new stories.
You don't cry in prison. But the 4 day event is so moving that an inmate will cover their head with a hoodie so others that are attending can’t see them cry. Inmates are discovering that it’s okay to cry in front of other inmates. Oh Lord, give them tender hearts!
The volunteers do so much to convey love to the inmates that attend the event. Before the event takes place, people write letters to the inmates at the maximum security prison. There are enough letters written that each inmate is handed a stack of them! One inmate shared that during his 15 years in the prison, he had never gotten a letter. It must have been so moving for him to all of a sudden receive a stack. For many, the words pierce their heart.
In case you missed it, here is the last update that includes a summary of some great moments from the event . . . .
Forty-two men walked into the prison gym to attend a 4-day event, and saw a paper chain that wrapped around the entire gym more than 2 times. It’s a prayer chain with colored strips and white strips. The colored strips contain prayers from people in the free world. The white strips are prayers from other inmates, and this chain includes 6,000 links representing 6,000 unique people who care.
This 4-day event is part of the Kairos Prison Ministry which creates Christian communities inside prisons that can transform lives, decrease prison violence, and reduce the chance the person will commit another crime. Recently, Ray and Diana DeBord traveled to the East Texas maximum security prison to serve May 1 – 4.
Imagine a series of life changing talks with titles like Choices, You Are Not Alone, and Friendship With God. But inmates who have previously attended are encouraged not to tell others what to expect so that they get to enjoy being overwhelmed by the volume of love. The talk on Choices was given by a former inmate who previously served 20+ years. He wanted to go back into the prison to prove there is a better way and you don’t have to go back to crime when you are released. He was changed by Jesus. Other volunteers were released from prison 30 years ago and are still on fire for the Lord. Proof of the power of the ministry.
“Stewards” are current inmates who have spent years in prison but have been radically changed by Jesus and want to go and serve other inmates during the Kairos weekend. They want to be there. They don’t have to be there. They are not cutting up and making jokes. Their heart has been changed and they want to serve their fellow inmates.
An inmate with the nickname Squirrel was talking with a member of the clergy team and said, “Nobody could love this” while pointing to himself. Squirrel’s mom and dad had him surgically changed into a girl at age 9. He is 52 now, and never felt loved by his parents. He felt rejected by them. The good news is Squirrel felt love during the weekend like he never felt before. Jesus found a way into his heart, and Squirrel accepted Jesus for the first time.
Squirrel’s testimony is another example of the power of the love of Jesus to change someone from the inside out. Thank you, Jesus, for radically changing these men!
GIVE
If you want to give financially to Kairos, go to our GIVE page and select “Kairos”.
GO
If you want to volunteer for Kairos Prison Ministry, shoot us an email - missions@wellspringdfw.org