Prayer Warriors for Prisoners

LIGHT FOR THE JOURNEY

A GIFT OF RARE BEAUTY.
NOVEMBER 06
            “Genuine Kindness Is No Ordinary Act, but a Gift of Rare Beauty.” The words on the Christmas card touched my heart deeply. It came from a prisoner expressing utmost gratitude to a volunteer who participated in the annual Prayer Warriors For Prisoners (PWFP) Christmas Card Project. The profound words express God’s heart in the gift of giving He implants in each of His children. Kindness, a fruit of the Spirit, is acted out by hundreds of volunteers during this season of the year, as they touch prisoners’ hearts with the love of Jesus Christ with a simple act of sending a Christmas card. One volunteer heard an interview about the card project on the radio and wrote, “Such a simple thing and yet so profound. I can do that! I want to send Christmas cards to prisoners.”
            Prisoners’ responses bless and encourage us. Their hearts are touched and changed by this act of kindness. Gerald wrote, “I’ve been praying to my Lord, telling Him I know I’m not alone, but I sure feel lonely. You can only imagine the joy I felt receiving your card. I opened the card to read Gen 28:15, “I am with you and will watch over you.” Boy does God answer prayers. I’m happy the answer came by mail in a card from you. Prayer Warriors continue to bless many inmates.” Sean wrote, “I want to thank you for your special card of love. I’m not very good at saying what’s in my heart on paper but I’ll sure try. Your words helped me a great deal. I’m only 23 years old and not used to people being kind and able to share love. This prison is full of hate. I want you to know that even if you never communicate with me again, I will always cherish your simple but awesome words given to me in a card. Jesus said love is powerful and will heal the world. Your love has given this 23 year old hope. Your card is the first Christmas card I’ve received in 4 years. Maybe there is hope for our world after all. Thank you for your gift of love!”
            Volunteers are equally blessed by their participation. Many churches are making this project a seasonal mission outreach for the entire church. Some organize “card parties” so the church family can gather, have fellowship with holiday goodies and work on the cards together. In a short time a group can prepare one or two hundred cards for mailing to prisoners. PWFP guidelines are very specific and volunteers are perfectly safe provided they follow them. They use the PWFP return address and their first name along with a code provided. They never give their last name or any personal information. The prisoner never knows the person sending the card, only their first name. Prisoners’ names are given to participants on address labels to place on the envelopes. PWFP return address labels are also furnished. Volunteers supply the stamps, cards and a little time in prayer for the inmates. When a response such as the one below from William comes back to the volunteer, it is like a sweet word from the Lord saying, “It was ME you touched in prison when you sent William this card.” William wrote, “Your card was a blessing and I thank you from my heart for your thoughtfulness. It came at a time when I was needing some encouragement. I don’t get much mail and sometimes I feel no one really cares but then God sends someone like you to remind me of His never ending love for us. I thank you for allowing Jesus to minister His compassion through you. May God bless and keep you.”
            The young lady’s voice over the phone bubbled with excitement. “I’ve wanted to do prison ministry for years and my pastor keeps telling me to wait on the Lord! Sunday when I went to church, the flyer about sending Christmas cards to prisoners was on the pews. I am so excited! What do I do to participate?” I told her how the project works and she should pray and ask God how many cards He wants her to send. She asked, “How many do you expect to send?” I told her we sent 5,700 last year and this year there could be as many as12,000. She asked, “How many names do people usually ask for?” I said, “Well, around 100, depending on whether they are doing them alone or a group. If there is a group, you need to have an idea how many each member wants to do.” She responded exuberantly, “Oh, I already know how many I want to send! I want to send 1,000 cards to prisoners!” Thankfully, I was sitting down or would surely have fallen over! How she blessed my heart with encouragement! The Bible speaks of the results of the outpouring of Christ-like love exuding from this young lady in 2 Cor. 9:12-15 “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” Not that evidence is necessary, but it flows back to volunteers and the PWFP staff through cards and letters of gratitude from prisoners like Sean, Gerald and William. It comes from prison officers such as these words from a Lieutenant, “Thank you for bringing a light of hope to prisoners, especially at this time of year.” It comes from volunteers who are grateful to be a part of this project. But most importantly, it comes from our Lord Jesus Christ who says, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matt. 25:40) To give with a Christ like heart to the “least of these” in prison is truly no ordinary act of kindness but a gift of rare beauty!

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