Dear John,
Mother’s Day is often bittersweet for moms in prison. Being away from their children can bring deep shame, especially as they miss seeing their children grow up. One mother shared the pain of missing so many of her kids’ milestones:
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“Oh, my goodness, I had pictures of my children, and I'm like, 'Look at all I'm missing.' Just thinking about it now makes me choked up because I missed their first steps. I missed their first a-lot-of-things."
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That sadness gets amplified on holidays like Mother’s Day, especially after a year without visits with their children. That’s why we at Prison Fellowship are committed to bringing the joy of the Gospel to mothers on this special day.
In addition to hosting live remote Hope Events and a special Mother’s Day message shared to 48 states through our Floodlight platform, we hosted several special in-person Mother’s Day Hope Events across the country this past weekend to let moms know they are not alone or forgotten.
At one event in Oklahoma, we were able to invite pregnant mothers or those with a newborn to hear Nayomi Thomas share the Gospel of Jesus Christ as well as uplifting worship music from her husband, Jaye Thomas. Mothers in the Oklahoma County Jail were provided with a teddy bear and a book that they can share with their children. And Martha and I attended an event in Homestead, Florida, where we celebrated mothers with a live performance from Christian artist JustCordell and an inspiring message of Gospel hope from motivational speaker and author, Lisa Kratz Thomas.
All of the women who attended these events heard about the love that Jesus has for them. There were many tears shed, but what an amazing blessing it was to bring hope and encouragement to mothers missing their children.
The saving grace of Jesus Christ and the hope He brings to those living in prison cannot be overstated. That’s why I am thrilled to share that we have distributed more than 100,000 English and Spanish copies of the Inside Journal Life Recovery Bible to people in prison since July 2020! I am beyond excited that these Bibles are going to the men and women who are struggling with addiction. The healing power of the Gospel is priceless and can bring freedom from that bondage.
We’ve been partnering with Tyndale House Publishers since 2018 to make these high-quality, large-print Bibles available to men and women in prison. And we celebrated this great momentous occasion together. “We rejoice with Prison Fellowship in reaching this milestone of distributing 100,000 copies of The Life Recovery Bible,” said Scott Mathews, CEO of Tyndale House Ministries. “We value their partnership and are grateful for their efforts in getting God’s Word into the hands of prisoners who need the freeing power of the Scriptures. Tyndale shares this mission of making the Bible accessible for everyone.” Praise be to God!
God’s favor and your continued support make all of this amazing work possible! Thank you for your faithfulness and generosity. If we can pray for you and your family, we would be honored to do so.
Faithfully,
JAMES J. ACKERMAN
President and Chief Executive Officer
