A Broken Foot, A Mended Heart by Jennifer Leachman LaPoint The day I went to prison, my old, broken foot just might have helped heal some broken hearts. I never would have imagined myself going to prison, but my dear, crazy friend Kristi kept asking me to join her. She assured me that visiting inmates would change my life and the lives of others. I had signed up a few times to go with her, but life always seemed to get in the way. Finally, I told myself I should live up to my commitment and go at least once. I’m so glad I did! I almost missed God knocking on my door, inviting me to be a part of what He was doing behind prison walls. We arrived early that morning to go through security. I was wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into. It took four hours for prison officials to complete their search of our team and equipment, but finally we were allowed through the prison gates. Who knew it was so hard to get into prison? We drove onto the big, empty prison yard, and the ministry team of Inmate Encounter, the host of the event and a partner with KOJ Ministries, began to set up. The sound system, stage, high wire equipment, motorcycles, and Kristi’s ski boat were displayed in an organized fashion. Then the guards let the prisoners through the gate. A sea of men, all dressed in light blue, flooded the space. I should have been terrified…but I wasn’t. I was calm and full of peace. I found myself reaching out naturally to shake hands, welcoming the men to our outreach. I was overcome by the realization that, although many of these men were drug dealers, thieves, and murderers, they were still all fellow humans who desperately needed hope and the power to change. They were God’s children; He loved them and offered them the same forgiveness He’d given me. Romans 3:23 says we have all sinned and fallen short of the honor and glory of God. That made me their equal in this matter. As I looked into their faces, I thought, “I have a gift I could give them that would change their lives forever. Am I willing to step out of my comfort zone and give it to them?” The answer was yes. Immediately God’s Word came to me, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). There is no other commandment greater than this. Hour after hour, I poured out all the unconditional love God had put in my heart for these men. I went to the prison that day thinking I would be a silent observer. I wasn’t sure what I had to give. I wasn’t a seasoned speaker or performer, nor was I experienced in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sharing openly about my faith was really outside my comfort zone. But then John Lance, our leader for the day, spoke these words over the microphone in his southern twang, “Hey, Stretch, come on up here and tell us your story.” (He calls me Stretch because I’m six feet tall.) I was shocked and terrified. What could I possibly say that could help these men? But with several hundred people looking at me, all wanting a hope of a better future, I knew I had to say something. I took A horrific waterskiing accident shattered the bones of Jennifer’s ankle (bottom) and almost caused her leg to be amputated. Through her faith and a determined spirit, however, Jennifer was able to face her fears and courageously make her way through the slalom course once again (middle). Her perseverance prior to and after her accident led to Jennifer being inducted into the USA Water Ski Hall of Fame in April 2016 (top). 22 kojministries.org Issue 2 2017 photography by Robert Wiley
20115AS
To see the actual publication please follow the link above