I apologize for the lateness of this ministry update. There have been a number of personal setbacks this year, including finances, health, and transportation needs. Because of our financial needs, we have had to sell most of our assets, except for our home and one vehicle. This has caused scheduling conflicts between my wife’s and my need for transportation at the same time. Praise the Lord for Christian friends who have come to our need whenever such conflicts arise.
Despite these personal struggles, our ministry to America’s incarcerated continues to move forward. Since our last reporting period, we have seen 583 offenders trust Jesus Christ as personal Saviour, and we have baptized a record 100 more. Part of this success stems from an annual revival service at the Central Michigan Correctional Facility in St. Louis, Michigan, where we baptized 35 men following one service we held there on August 31. This meeting was underwritten almost in entirety by an anonymous member of our church. Praise the Lord!
Carol has become more actively involved in the ministry as well. She and a new female lay volunteer from our sending church have been ministering to the female offenders at both the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio and the Huron Valley Women’s Correctional Facility. They have seen dozens of ladies saved as well.
In addition, we have seen two more male lay volunteers from other neighboring churches begin the clearance process to assist us in our ministry to incarcerated men throughout Michigan. The testimonies of our current volunteers, as well as their enthusiasm for winning countless lost souls to Jesus Christ, have become contagious. We thank Him for sending forth laborers into His harvest.
The Bible-correspondence aspect of our ministry has seen enormous growth as well. Whenever we preach at the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center (Michigan Intake) in Jackson, Michigan, every two weeks, we usually enroll 40-50 new students. Also, at the St. Louis facility I mentioned above, we enrolled 81 new students. Several ladies from our church faithfully mail out and grade these lessons, and our sending church, through its missions budget, bears the tremendous cost of postage. Praise the Lord for faithful Faith Promise givers.
We trust that the Lord will continue to be faithful to meet our needs as we move forward in this ministry to America’s neglected and forgotten 2.4 million incarcerated men, women, and juveniles.
In His service,
Larry Johns