Luke 4:18
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Ephesians 3:12
From Mike:
Well, it was certainly an up and down night last night. The young men seemed very distracted and a couple of them were very difficult all evening, It is obvious the new youngster Harberth. who is 14 has created a little change in some of the dynamics. He tends to want to sit and read comics and things and one other young men was sitting with him and they would talk back and forth while they were reading. Several of the others got kind of upset about it. A lot of back and forth between them. We went ahead and Susie talked about the truth, how it makes you free. She asked them to participate in how they knew something was true or not. They struggled a bit with this, because I think quite a few of them, don't think about whether they are being truthful or not. We had our usual talk around the room and they were kind of subdued, not a lot going on, but something interesting has happened. A few weeks ago Susie asked them about getting "A phase" which means no violations of any kind for a certain period of time. Many of them didn't have it, and didn't really seem very concerned about it. Now every time we go around the room they talk about how long they have to go. I think last night only one of them said they had been pushed back, which means they probably had a violation of some kind. Most of the others were on schedule with what they had given us, and some of them even said they were moving up. We found out that one of our young guys, Max has been moved to another area of the prison. He won't be back. I always miss guys when they go away and we don't get to even say good bye. But God is working at Norwalk always and He has his own ways. I got the chance to share with them from the 22nd Psalms. I talked to them how you can tell the Bible is truth - that David wrote that Psalm probably at least 1,000 years before Jesus was born and yet, this Psalm describes so many things that Jesus encountered in going to the cross, the mocking, the feeling forsaken, the derision of saying ask God to rescue him, the thirst, the feeling every bone in his body, the bones being pulled out of joint. I explained to them about how they did gamble for Jesus clothes, just as the verses say. I talked about how when you were crucified, your joints, your wrists, your shoulders, your knees and ankles were pulled apart by the weight of your body. They were caught up in the story I think, very quiet for the only time during the night. I went back to how we had talked about truth earlier, and how we agreed that the truth was always the truth. That Jesus went through all of this for me, for them. So we can be free. Praise God for that.
Then we talked about if they had prayer requests and a few wrote some down for us. During prayer it started out kind of difficult to get them to relax and honor God but once it got started then the sincerity did seem to come, guys asking for help for their families, for the love they see from us, for the people who don't have jobs, for the financial problems their families face. Some prayed thanking God for sending us, and thanking Melanie for starting this program. What a wonderful thing that was. God is SO good. Things as always are never quite how you plan it but God is busy out there, that is for sure.
Then we talked about if they had prayer requests and a few wrote some down for us. During prayer it started out kind of difficult to get them to relax and honor God but once it got started then the sincerity did seem to come, guys asking for help for their families, for the love they see from us, for the people who don't have jobs, for the financial problems their families face. Some prayed thanking God for sending us, and thanking Melanie for starting this program. What a wonderful thing that was. God is SO good. Things as always are never quite how you plan it but God is busy out there, that is for sure.
Mike
From Susie:
What is truth? What does freedom mean to you? As Christians, these questions are common in our conversations. Inside of a youth prison, the answers will often catch me off guard and cause me to think harder, seek God with more passion, and go to His word for clarity and understanding.
Our boys were out of control last night! Seriously! They were agitated, challenging each other, criticizing each other, it was crazy! Two of them sat quietly reading books during the entire session, and that even made some of the others mad! After we finished, Devon came in and expressed clearly that it was disrespectful for the two to read during our entire time together. Kemone spoke with the guard about having better control while we're there. It was fascinating to see that THEY were annoyed by the disruptions, when we were NOT! I would rather have two boys sitting in the room with us, supposedly not paying attention, and within earshot of our conversations - than have them sitting in their rooms alone. It doesn't bother me to have to ask them to be respectful when they are poking at each other as we talk about Jesus suffering on the cross. But as I listened to the hearts of Devon and Kemone just before we left last night, I realized that we need to be more assertive with the boys and require more compliance. Please pray for us as we learn to provide gentle and loving discipline while we are with the boys.
Mike and I visited Kyle and Kemone last Saturday and spent a couple of hours with them. As a result, they were both especially excited to see us last night. Kyle was over the top with energy. He was hard to control, which is unusual. Seems like every time I start to feel like I'm getting the hang of how this works, a new twist emerges!!
Our original plan was to visit on Saturday the 15th, but Mike had another commitment, so we had to wait until the 22nd. The plan was for us to spend time with Kemone, Kyle and Louis (Kyle and Louis are twins). Louis would not join us on the 22nd - Kyle explained that he was not happy that we didn't show up on the 15th. I can understand that - we hadn't kept our word, so I seized the opportunity to apologize to Louis last night. I told him I was sorry that we hadn't kept our word, and fulfilled our commitment to see him on the 15th. He immediately wanted to dismiss it and I asked that he let me finish. Louise was so uncomfortable as I apologized... these are the interactions where it's obvious that they are learning something new, and I am hearing from God about honesty, humility and His pure love.
It felt like the conversation was all over the map last night - yet Jesus was in the middle of it all. I asked them to define truth. We talked again about freedom. Mike shared a beautiful message about the Bible - it can be relied upon and trusted - and explained how Psalms 22 was written years and years before Jesus death, yet it accurately defined his suffering. I am always captivated by the silence in the room when we share Bible truths. God's presence is always intensely felt.
We let them know that we will be bringing a guest, our friend Renee, when we return in two weeks - someone who will share their life's story with God. They are excited to meet someone new. Renee has already established a pen-pal relationship with Kemone, and he was elated when he heard that she is coming.
Prayer time was a challenge in the beginning. There were a couple of issues with not wanting to hold hands - I thought we had overcome this! After so much disruption throughout the night, I reminded them that during prayer time, God deserves respect. I remind them that if they haven't prayed before, it is a time to thank God for something or someone in their day. After the poking, slapping, teasing, challenging, threatening, they quieted down - as they always do - to speak to God. They prayed for the visitor who they will meet in two weeks. They asked forgiveness. They prayed for their peers. Harberth, a 14 year old, thanked God for getting him through the day - and then asked God if he would live through the next four years in this place. During these prayerful moments I feel God's arms around me, around all of them, as He encourages them to come to Him. What a mighty and loving God we serve.
Thank you for your prayers for these precious boys. We reminded them again last night that you are praying for them.
Love in Christ,
Susie and Mike
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Prayer Requests
Pray for my family and health. And for Renee and her family, especially for her brother and everybody's family and the staff.
Kemone
I would like you guys to pray for me and my girl and my grandma and for Mike and Susie's friend and for her son that passed away and to pray for your son and that I love you guys.
Louis
Pray for my family and babies momma Angelica.
Steven
- Please pray for Renee - who will be our guest in two weeks. Prepare the hearts of the boys to hear her words and to show her respect.
- Pray for the prison staff as they begin their transition to a new Superintendent
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