God Has Not Slowed Down
This month I want to take a moment to honor two amazing people: Alice Johnson and Jon Ponder. I’ve never met either one, but when I heard them speak on TV last month, I knew they were my sister and brother in Christ. They are each a perfect example of what we desire for everyone who becomes a part of our programs and ministry.
As you should know by now, our first connection with an inmate usually happens through one of four methods:
They request a free Bible; we supply that and offer the Lessons for Life Correspondence Course.
They sign up for the Correspondence Course.
They attend one of our weekly meetings at the prison where we teach the Correspondence Course live.
One-to-one visits through our jail ministry.
Our theme is simple: “God has a plan for you.” We never know who is going to catch the vision for transformation, so we do the best we know to follow the template of planting and watering and then trusting God to do the growing. The key to our success is to commit to showing up. We never know when an Alice Johnson or a Jon Ponder will be in attendance, and we never know how God is using us to be a part of their transformation.
Alice Johnson was sentenced to life in prison for non-violent drug charges. She served 22 years of that sentence before she was released in 2018. While she was in prison, she became a playwright, a mentor to other ladies, a certified hospice volunteer, an ordained minister, and worked closely with disabled women. She credits her Christian faith for keeping hope alive in her. Alice said, “My 22 years in prison were not wasted. God had a plan and a purpose for my life.” Now that she is released, she is active in helping others get a second chance.
Jon Ponder started getting into trouble as a teenager. He lived a life of crime and was in and out of prison several times. At the age of 37, he was arrested for bank robbery and was looking at decades in a federal prison. But Jon made the decision that no matter how many years he was given, he was going to serve God for the rest of his life. And by the grace of God, he was only given five years. Jon honored his commitment to God and made a 180-degree change in his life during the time he was locked up. After serving his sentence, he started his own non-profit organization to help men, women, and young adults successfully reenter society.
Both Alice and Jon attribute their transformation to their relationship with God. Both of them made the best of their time while in prison to improve themselves and help others. Both have become successful on the outside, and both are giving back by coming alongside others during their journey of transformation.
These are the people we want you to know about: the Alice Johnsons and the Jon Ponders. They are the ones we are searching for when we visit the prisons and jails, when we teach our classes, when we fulfill a Bible request, when we sign someone up for the Correspondence Course, and when we offer mentoring and friendship after release.
What is thrilling for me is how God helps us find them. And because of our commitment to simply show up for Him in these places, we have had the privilege of observing many transformational journeys through the years. Nothing is more exciting than to see someone whom the world has thrown away give their life to Christ. Nothing is more encouraging than to see them follow Him and help others toward the same path.
Updates and Prayer Requests:
As a result of the COVID situation, none of the prison ministries have been able to go into the prisons to hold regular classes for the past few months. Our response has been to focus more on what we can do rather than on what we can’t.
Our Lessons for Life Correspondence Course continues to grow each month.
Our offering of free Bibles in conjunction with Biblica also continues to grow.
The Lessons for Life classes that we hold at our church for those on the outside of prison have remained active and effective.
We have recently been able to connect through video visits to some who are in jail.
One-to-one life-coaching and mentoring has also remained active.
The production of the Lessons for Life Course on video continues and is almost finished.
It may seem strange for me to say this, but this ministry has not been negatively affected by the COVID situation. I don’t think anything ever slows down or hinders God’s plans.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support in this work for the Kingdom of God!