Terry and Jean are Seeing Women Set Free

We visited the women in hospice. Claudia, one of the inmate patients, was in her final stages of liver cancer.  She looked at me and said, “Oh!  You’re Terry’s mother. I met you at Woodman State Jail.” Claudia spoke about how she loved it when Terry sang He  Rescued Me! “That’s what Jesus did for me. This is so difficult for my daughter and my mother.  But now I know the Lord.”

Then we prayed, and from her deathbed she began to sing How Great is our God! Karen, the Chaplain’s assistant who is also an inmate, came with us to bring Bibles and books. She had just received a two-year set off. She has been in prison 19 years and was with me the night of Karla’s execution.

Before we went into the hospice unit she told me, “I’m a mess today. I’m trying to figure out how to tell my family I will not see the parole board again for two more years.” However, when Claudia began to sing, I looked across at Karen. Tears were streaming down her face, and in her brokenness, she sang How Great is our God.

Seven Years in Texas

This year will be our seventh year in Texas! Jean and I continue to minister in prisonsand at Celebrate Recovery at Temple Bible Church. Jake is finishing his Associates Degree at Temple College.

The summers are dry and hot and we live in a wooded area. Because of the drought and warm weather there are more bugs and snakes this summer. We recently saw two rattlesnakes. One was on our back porch. Jake was bite by a scorpion our first year in Morgans Point. Does this qualify us as true missionaries?

Woodman State Jail has been our main focus the past two years, and it is an incredible place! It is the intake facility for all the women coming into Gatesville. Every Wednesday night, 130 women pack the largest room available in the jail for our study.

We just finished the book of Ruth: "The Rescue." Dee Brestin does a fantastic teaching relating Ruth to the women in white; DU filmed it at Woodman, and now it is available to other ministries. The room is too crowded for the small group, but the large group sharing is amazing. The women pray for each other, encourage each other and care for each other.

This month was the graduation for the women at the First Faith Based Dorm - Woodman State Jail. Fifty women went through the program and will go out into population. Jean and I participated in their celebration.

Recently DU received a letter from the inmate Chaplain's assistant. It contained four letters of thanks. One was to you are faithful supporters.

To those who donate:

I am currently living in the Faith Based Dorm at Woodman State Jail in Gatesville, TX. I never would have dreamed how enriched my life would be through the programs offered here. Even before I moved into the dorm Linda, Terry and Jean were familiar faces. They often did church services and sponsored the Celebrate Recovery program.

Discipleship Unlimited blessed us with gifts of music, books and other resources to enrich our lives. DU sponsors frequent crusades with amazing speakers all who care about us and overlook the fact that we are in white. They don't judge us for our past and they see what we are becoming.

Discipleship Unlimited brings us hope and joy during this desperate time in our lives.

Please allow me to say thank you for your donations. You are helping us better our lives.

Sincerely,

Janell

We as a staff and team of volunteers also thank you for your prayers and support. Your gifts make it possible for us to equip those who are being trained as inmate leaders. This is a sweeping move of God.

Jean's Corner - October 2011

britt

Brittany Holberg has been on death row in Mountain View prison for 13 years. I first met her while I still lived in Milwaukee. However, for the last several years I have had the opportunity to be Britt’s spiritual advisor. This summer Britt was sent to the Amarillo county jail to appear before a judge. She came back on fire for God!

Britt's Story

"I felt overwhelmed with fear at times before I left for the county jail. I prayed for strength and wisdom. From the moment I left my cell I saw answers to my desperate prayer. It has been 13 years since I'd seen the outside world and I was in awe of God's creation. The officers who drove the state car and escorted me were curious about "life on the row."

I found myself talking freely about my walk with Jesus. The more I talked about Him the less I thought about my situation. I'd heard and even confessed to letting go and letting God take over. I was put to the test!

On death row we are housed in individual cells, isolated from general population. Not so in the Amarillo jail. I was housed with other women. I recognized the brokenness in the women around me. I could relate to their lostness and the bondage of guilt and shame that is far greater then prison bars. I had a desire to share the love that I have found in Christ with them. I wanted them to see Jesus in me the way I see Jesus in Jean.

I never imagined how powerful my own testimony could be. My purpose now is to share His grace and mercy with as many people as I can."

I look forward to my twice-monthly visits with Britt. Her courage and faith spur me on!

Blessings to you,

Jean (& Terry too)

Terry's Corner - July 2011

TerryS_Red

Celebrate Recovery, Temple Bible Church Tuesday Night, 6-8:30 p.m.

I am amazed each week at the work God is doing in the lives of his people! I have an integrated worship team of very diverse people and we have so much fun. Worship starts with receptive hearts and hearts are healed as we worship together.

At a recent CR meeting, one of our women from the Lane Murray Unit told of her journey to recovery. Her life had been painful and her future looked hopeless. While in prison she was separated from her children. Fast forward to today. She is home and serving the Lord by working at a homeless shelter in a small town near Temple. She has been restored to her children and is now a leader in CR on the outside.

A team from DU served dinner at CR last Tuesday. The VETS loved it. They did all the set up and clean up. It was a dinner Jesus style. Leftovers were sent home with single parent moms. What an honor to serve people both physically and spiritually.

Woodman State Jail

Jean and I are at Woodman State Jail on Wednesday nights teaching CR. These women are being set free from so much stuff. Many of them have children at home that they pray for daily. There is laughter and tears. Our hope is that one day they will join CR on the outside!

Prayer Request

This Sunday we have services at the six Gatesville Units plus two closed custody areas. Jean and I will conduct three services while Terry and Annette Cagle do the other three. Mom and Jake will go into closed custody and Jake will play guitar. The Closed custody ladies are locked up most of the time.

Thank you for all your kind words on Facebook and the DU blog. I am truly blessed to have you guys {U all} in my life!