Jail Ministry Report - Thanksgiving 2006

Amazingly, this last year of ministering in the county jail has flown by! What a joy it is for Susy and I to build relationships with each of the ladies the Lord has brought into our lives. As we get together every week in each cell block, we see the hand of God doing awesome things among the ladies we have the privilege to spend time with on Monday nights in the county jail. We are at the jail from about 6:30pm till 9:00pm and visit 3 different cell blocks while we are there.

To date there have now been a total of 31 women dedicate their lives to Jesus and 8 water baptisms performed in the jail. There have been so many opportunities to laugh with, cry with and pray with these women as they walk through a very difficult season. It is an honor to be included in their lives. It has also been so fun to share with them about all the good things God has been doing on our mission trips this last year. The first question from their lips is always, “What did God do while you were there?!” So, I share the testimonies of all of God’s goodness, talk about the different people that have been touched and changed by God. I share the difficult and heart breaking stories of those that humbly came to God seeking His intervention in their lives, and the joyous outcome of their search. The faith and expectation levels of the women in regard to answered prayers have grown by leaps and bounds. It makes them bold and excited to take all areas of their lives before the Lord, lay them like offerings on the alter before God, and then eagerly look up to His face to see what He will do with the lives and requests they have given to Him. No one has been disappointed yet!

There have been so many instances of God miraculously healing and touching the women that ask for prayer, that the “miraculous” has become the “norm” for them in their new Christian life. Healing of physical pain, backs, headaches and tumors. Freedom from depression, deep rage and self-hate. There has been a birthing of a love of God’s word. When they know that the Bible is truly a love letter to each of them personally, directly from a loving and accepting God, its as if they open the Bible and feel like God is talking to them in that very moment. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to come into the cell and have one of the ladies be so excited about what she just learned from the Bible and her prayer time that she actually leads the whole study time!

There is one lady that began reading her new Bible at about a 2 ^nd grade reading level - very haltingly and without knowing or understanding many of words Recently one young lady shared she has been plagued with ADHD syndrome for all of her life and had just learned that she had a breast tumor. She asked for prayer, saying, “ I know God can heal me, and today is my day!” We prayed for her, and asked how she felt. She said , "This is so strange, but, I feel very warm and really peaceful. My mind isn’t racing in every direction now…..Wow, I’ve never felt this before….I really like it!" When we asked if she could still feel the tumor in her breast, she checked and said, “Yes, but, I already know it will be gone when I get to see you next week! I’m not worried about it.” She then started to write down some things she was thankful for, to add on to a list she had made from the previous week. As she was writing, she said, “Oh my gosh!! Look at my handwriting! It doesn’t even look like mine! I’ve never been able to write without the lines jumping all around. My writing has never looked pretty like this before! And my head still feels so warm! God fixed my brain!” It was so exciting to see her look at what her writing was like even moments before, and then see the marked difference right after prayer! It may seem like a small thing, but, to her, it has continued to be life changing, to physically feel the peace of God flow over her mind and body. The following week, when we arrived in the cell she greeted us with excited hugs and told us that the tumor had completely disappeared!

There have been many women that have, for the first time in their adult lives, been willing to accept responsibility for whatever actions had brought them to jail and request drug treatment and counseling from the judge after serving their sentences. The officers, judges and court personnel have seen an interesting change in the attitudes and behavior from the ladies that have given their lives to Christ, and it is giving them favor as they follow Jesus to turn their lives around. God is so good.

If you would like to partner with us financially as we continue to minister in the jail, there is a wonderful opportunity available! We take in Bibles on a weekly basis, purchase supplies (backpacks, clothing, toiletries, etc.) to give to the ladies when they are released, and we go through lots of lovely stationary (on which inspirational verses, stories and testimonies are printed). The ladies love to receive the special handouts which they decorate their cells with and also pass on to their family and friends, sharing the love of God with them as they continue in their new life. Again, thank you for holding up Susy, Mikki and these new believers in your prayers! God is so good!

Until next time!
Love in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Mikki Jones & Susy Benefiel