A couple of weeks ago, the Saints Prison Ministry traveled to Sussex Correctional Institution in Delaware to share the love of Jesus Christ with a group of inmates. It is a place we have really enjoyed visiting many times over the years. The staff and inmates have always been so welcoming and supportive. The prison usually only lets out one unit per session, which means that we get to enjoy more one-on-one conversations and spend quality time in prayer. Some of the inmates out in the yard have gotten to know us personally over the years and are more open to the Truth we share with them. Some of them also have opened up about their own lives and where they stand with God. Every visit turns out to be such an incredible blessing.
Throughout each year, we receive letters often from inmates in the various prisons we attend. Last week we got one from our visit to Sussex Correctional Institution. Here is a portion of the letter:
“For you all to take time away from your families on your days off from work, travel far, play 2 games and give testimonies and speak to individuals is a wonderful gift, so from everyone here, I say Thank You!!!
The games are fun (not when we lose like we did) lol
But your testimonies and stories bring hope and have changed people’s hearts, I promise you that!!!
Thank you all for coming, it does mean a lot and I know you are helping to change people’s hearts and bring them closer to God.
I hope you all have a great summer and please thank your families as well for sharing you all with us.”
This beautiful letter serves as a reminder that we may not realize the impact we have on somebody, whether it be a brief interaction, a simple word of encouragement, or a deep meaningful conversation. God uses us in many situations. The key is to simply demonstrate the love that God has shown us with the world around us:
1 John 4:7-12 NLT
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
As we go about our daily routines and lives, let us always remember the love and grace that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ poured onto us, and let us display that to everyone around us. It will make a divine impact that could change the world and expand the Kingdom!
Wayne Errig