May Kairos Update - Kairos Weekend
This Kairos Update follows the Kairos Weekend from May 1-4.
We thought it would be a good idea to just share some of the stories of the weekend and get back into KNOW | PRAY | GIVE | GO next month!
TESTIMONIES
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 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!