Reflections

Our trips in October and November brought us to Florida, Georgia and Texas.  There are so many images from the trips -- women dancing and not wanting to leave when the seminar was over; women 3 rows deep kneeling at the altar in prayer and grief over the loss of a loved one; all the tears, rejoicing, and freedom.  There was the sweet time of singing Amazing Grace with the women in the Ad Seg Unit at Carswell.  Women accepting Jesus - returning to Jesus - being healed and restored by Jesus.

There were women waiting to be deported; waiting to be released; and those sentenced to death.  So many women and so many faces - I try in my mind's eye to take a picture at the places I visit so the memories will remain.  When the words are difficult to find to express what God did, I am comforted that women will send correspondence lessons, an occasional note, or a poem.  The one below just arrived:

God's Child

 

As I walk this lonely highway

As I walk life's lonely road

People all around me wondering

Where I'm gonna go.

And as I'm on my journey

Through life's fears and woes

I will walk with Jesus by me

Everywhere I go!

I am God's child

Yes, I'm God's child!

 

People always asking questions

Who are you?  Where you from?

I'm just walking toward tomorrow

Don't you want to come?

Just put your trust in Jesus

He's everything to me

Just walking on the water

Is where I want to be.

I am God's child

Yes, I am God's child!

Summer Review

               Recap of Prison Ministry in Virginia, North and South Carolina

This summer was busy with women's prison ministry seminars in June and August, along with local prison ministry in Massachusetts.  We were blessed to return to Virginia in June, returning to Virginia Correctional Center for Women and Fluvanna Correctional.  We also visited Deerfield Work Camp, a new facility for the ministry.  Our seminars reached 287 women and we saw powerful God-moments as the Holy Spirit liberated women, despite their environment.  We shared a special time with a small group of intercessors at Fluvanna, where we taught on the prayer strategy of "loosing" and the power such prayers could have for the facility, for families, and for communities.  It was met with great acceptance and enthusiasm.

After leading two Sunday Worship Services at MCI-Framingham, Faith Seeds then headed to North and South Carolina in August.  We attended the COPE Conference in North Carolina and heard some powerful speakers.  Our prison ministry included seminars at Southern Correctional, Goodman Correctional, and Leath Correctional.  We also led a Prayer Seminar for the women at Tabitha Ministry.  Ministry through those seminars reached 73 women and included many spiritual challenges - which led up to a tremendous breakthrough at the program at Leath.  Women were desperate for Jesus, His word, and His spiritual weapons for their battles.  He delivered "execedingly abundantly."  We watched as women wept, shouted, praised and proclaimed - walking out of the gym victorious in Christ! 

We are so thankful to the team of volunteers, intercessors, and donors who support the ministry.  We are blessed to operate under the spiritual covering of the Vineyard Church of Hopkinton.  We remain excited to see what the Lord has planned for the remainder of 2012!

Setting Captives Free in the Midwest

We have had a busy and productive month of May, traveling to Illinois, Ohio and Michigan as well as conducting a Women's Retreat in Massachusetts.  Along with Prison Fellowship and Open Heart Prison Ministries, we visited 396 women inseven correctional facilities in three states.  We conducted our Prayer Seminar, along with our Praying Moms Seminar.

The weekend retreat at the women's facility in Massachusetts was on Possessing the Promised Land.  A team of six volunteers spent eight hours with 25 women as they learned about leaving the wilderness and crossing the Jordan to enter the Promised Land.  The retreat included worship, small groups for prayer, journaling, and creative arts, as well as teaching from the Book of Joshua.

In June we will travel to Virginia, where we will visit three women's facilities:

June 9th - Virginia Correctional Center for Women: Blooming in the Desert and Praying Moms Seminars

June 10th - Fluvanna Correctional Center: Intercessory Prayer Strategy and Sunday Night Church Service

June 11th - Deerfield Work Camp: Prayer Seminar

God is great and greatly to be praised!

Faith Seeds Travels to the Midwest

Our next women's prison ministry trip brings us to Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan as we team up with Prison Fellowship and Open Hearts Prison Ministries.  Our schedule includes:

May 10th - Lincoln Correctional, IL and Decatur Correctional, IL
May 11th - FPC Greenville, IL
May 12th - Dwight Correctional, IL
May 14th - ORW, OH
May 15th - Huron Valley, MI and NEPRC, OH
May 16th - Huron Valley, MI

We are praying for the Lord to loose His identity over the facilities in Illinois and to loose His mercy and liberty over the facilities in Ohio and Michigan.

Our recent trip to Utah, Idaho and Montana brought great freedom and excitement about the truth of God and His word!

Faith Seeds Travels Out West

We will be conducting Prayer Seminars in Utah, Idaho, and Montana in April.  Our visits include:

April 15th - Draper State Prison, Utah: 1-4PM

April 17th - Draper State Prison, Utah: 1-3PM

April 18th - Pocatello Correctional, ID: 7-9PM

April 19th - South Idaho Correctional, ID: 4:45 - 6:15PM and South Boise Correctional, ID: 7-8:30PM

April 21st - Montana Women's Prison, MT: 1-3PM

We will be collaborating with Child Evangelism Fellowship and Moms in Prayer on this trip.



The women behind bars in Texas have seen a great light - the Light of the World showed up to minister His love, compassion, mercy, healing, and restoration during our visits to eight women's correctional facilities.  This trip brought healing and reconciliation, equipping and confirmation to 465 women.  Our ministry team traveled from Bridgeport to Texas City and ministered in Pre-Release facilities to Death Row.  We witnessed:

Tears of sadness and tears of joy;
Women coming out of the graves of their lives and being set free;
Women singing to and praising their King Jesus;
Women crossing over the Jordan to enter their Promised Land;
A seminar turning into a prayer line;
The spiritual weapon of silence being practiced by 50 women;
28 out of 32 women coming forward for prayer for healing from sexual abuse; and,
Sharing ways to pray with women on Death Row.

Women not only broke out of bondages by the power of the Holy Spirit, but broke into freedom and victory.  It is remarkable what happens when we pray!

Our teams ran into obstacles and through prayer. doors were opened to allow us into facilities, have the time needed for the messages, and overcome challenges.  We thank the chaplains, corrections staff, TDCJ, and those who made the trip possible.  Our thanks to Discipleship Unlimited, COPE, and Oil of Joy for collaborating with us.  We thank Moms in Prayer, Child Evangelism Fellowship, and Daughters of Destiny for resource material and information to share with chaplains.  We thank our team of intercessors who prayed this into a reality.  We thank our donors, whose contributions made this trip and the follow up correspondence lessons possible. 

As we prepare for our upcoming trips in April, May, and June, would you prayerfully consider continuing to support the ministry through prayer, giving, and working on the correspondence Bible Studies?  May the Lord richly bless you.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."  1 Cor. 1:19

Sue Johnson

The King is mighty

"The King is mighty, He loves justice - You have established equity."  Psalm 99:4

God's justice system, His mishpat, operates on a different level than man's system.  When he Child was born and the Son was given, the government was placed upon His shoulders.  The Lord has the final say in matters of His justice. 

With Bibles open and smiles of surprise that an unexpected visitor had arrived, three women sat with me in a small side room on Death Row.  I asked them what their most important prayer need was at the moment; their answers were: favor, prayer for a brother and a son, and for the truth and justice to come out.  We talked about ways to pray that could open up heaven for God's answers to be released.  Prayers of thanksgiving, repentance, prayers for those in authority, treading prayers, and prayers of intercession.

The women were ready to try some 21 day prayer challenges.  Our two hours felt like two minutes.  I was led out as I was led in and behind me I could hear the cell doors shut each woman back in her cell.  May the Lord be with each of these women as they wait  and may His justice prevail.