Dear ministry partners.
It is hard to believe Discipleship Unlimited is fifty years old. Serving the Lord with you has been an adventure! The ministry is flourishing both inside and outside of prison. However, we are at a crossroads. To continue the work God has given us, we need to raise additional funds, specifically for the ranch.
Here's a summary of our ranch plan: we are currently receiving and launching about ten women a year. Our budget with wages and other special events is $336,000 per year. Although I don't have an exact dollar figure for each woman, most of our women are at the ranch for 10 to 12 months. The first month is spent developing a plan specially designed for them and taking care of health needs.
They immediately begin a 12-step program along with Bible Studies. Steve Griffith is a businessman and owner of the ranch, which he leases to us for $1.00 monthly. He mentors the women in finance. They work together on a budget. Most of our women find a job and start working the second month. Our goal is for them to complete the program with a security deposit, an apartment to rent, and an improved credit score. Most can purchase a used car, which a local bank is willing to finance.
One source of income is our kangaroos. The females reproduce rapidly, and the joeys are much in demand as pets. The women are taught to care for them from the day the women arrive. Everyone has chores and responsibilities.
Let me tell you a story about one of our women that illustrates the vision of Discipleship Unlimited. Odessey was living on the street before she went to prison. While incarcerated, she was in one of our faith dorm programs. However, she was classified as non-work capable because she weighed about 300 pounds and needed dentures. (Later she told me that the longest she had ever been employed was two weeks.) Odessey arrived at the ranch in 2022. She seemed unmotivated. But she was excellent at caring for the baby kangaroos. Odessey and I spent long hours on the porch, feeding joeys and sharing stories. We invested in dentures. (A Christian dentist did the work, donating his time.)
Now, two years later, Odessey has worked for over a year as the assistant manager of a Little Caesar's pizza. She's lost about one hundred pounds and has purchased and paid off her used car and rents a home from her boss. She has now trained another one of our women to also be an assistant manager. She volunteers every Tuesday back in the faith-based dorm where she once was housed. The first time she went back to prison to share her story, the Correctional Officer did not even recognize Odessey. She is a different person inside and out. What a great investment!
God is changing lives and infusing our women with hope. We are so thankful. However, we do need a financial breakthrough. Would you join us in prayer and consider how you might help us financially as we move forward in faith?
Click here to go to our donation page or use the QR code at right to get there.
Under His fountain of Grace!
Linda Strom
