Dear Victorious Living Prison Outreach, By the time you get this letter, I will be home. I will be able to demonstrate the love of Christ through my life, and I am excited to be able to. What I learned while being incarcerated will greatly impact lives as God’s Spirit leads me. I want to thank you for your guidance and inspiration, and more importantly, the love you have for Jesus and the love you’ve shared with me and others behind bars. There’s so much turmoil, grief, and inconsistency that goes on behind bars that it’s easy to fall apart and conform to the environment that surrounds you. Your letters, monthly devotionals, and magazine bring light and comfort to inmates; I know they did for me. Reading what others have gone through and yet managed to remain strong in their faith strengthens my faith. It also makes the Bible more impactful in my life. God has brought me through a lot of troubling times. I can’t thank Him enough for the life He has given me. I don’t blame God for any bad things that have happened in my life, not even prison. I hear so many people say God put them in prison. That’s a lie. I put myself in prison, but God showed up and gave me life, hope, strength, peace, and joy. I don’t look at my prison sentence as five and a half years lost; I look at it as five and a half years gained. I lost some friends, but God gave me brothers and sisters. I lost some relationships, but God gave me a never-ending relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus. I got out of the military only to be placed in God’s army. He strengthened my relationship with my family when I had almost destroyed it. He loves me so much that it is mind blowing. Steven M. Dear KOJ Ministries, I just picked up your publication Victorious Living from our chapel. I’ve been at Bunker Hill prison for a year now and have been searching for things to keep me motivated in the Lord. I took the magazine back to my cell. Every article inspired me and lifted my spirit. Prison life is very different from anything I’ve experienced. Every day is different and filled with chaos. You never know what will happen. It’s easy to get bummed and long for home or someone who cares. Your magazine has been such a blessing, I pray the Lord will help you keep up the good work. Scott F. Bunker Hill Prison, Indiana Dear Victorious Living Prison Outreach, God bless you, KOJ Ministries! I was just released from prison in December. Thank you for your letters and for Victorious Living magazine. It was a pure blessing! When I didn’t know where to turn or who to talk to, there were your encouraging letters. No longer was I afraid or alone. They made my days and nights more victorious! Thank you. Alexis G. “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Carry It Out Inform your church about our prison ministry. Our outreach helps the church carry out Jesus’ mandate to visit prisoners by: ����training the church to effectively minister to inmates through correspondence; ����providing a proven, safe outreach tool and method to reach lost souls; ����giving adults of all ages the opportunity to bring healing to the brokenhearted, even from their own homes; and ����encouraging a connection between the church and a local inmate for future mentorship upon release. This connection brings help and restoration to an inmate, thereby reducing the rate of recidivism. From Our Readers Every day, our Victorious Living Correspondence Team receives letters from inmates who love the Lord and who desire to encourage us in our faith journey. These letters lift our spirits, strengthen our faith, and spur us on to continue the work the Lord has put before us. We hope these letters will encourage your heart as well. The Process Are you an inmate in need of encouragement? Our Victorious Living Correspondence Outreach Team is here for you. Here’s what you can expect: Send a letter to us at: Victorious Living Correspondence Outreach PO Box 328 Starke, FL 32091 You’ll receive: ����Welcome letter from founder, Kristi Overton Johnson ����Timely, handwritten responses from our Correspondence Team ����Monthly devotionals from Kristi Overton Johnson ����Personal subscription to Victorious Living magazine ����Prayer support from our Victorious Living Correspondence Team PLEASE NOTE: Due to the volume of inmate correspondence, we are unable to assign specific writers to individual inmates. Nor can we guarantee continued correspondence with one writer. What we can guarantee, however, is an opportunity for you to correspond with a team of writers who love the Lord and who are committed to encouraging you in your life journey. We are also unable to handle legal cases, contact people on your behalf, or disperse items such as money or stamps. Thank you for understanding. IF YOU HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED TO A NEW FACILITY, PLEASE NOTIFY US IMMEDIATELY. kojministries.org Issue 2 2017 27
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