Recently, we received a note via our Prison Evangelism Facebook account of a man who had served some time. His note was to encourage us to “keep it up” and continue to send gospel books into prisons. He went on to say that this is the only encouragement some of those in administrative custody, administrative segregation or other names reserved for solitary confinement can get. He went on to say these need all the help they can get and often a word from the chaplain or a book or pamphlet from that chaplain or a volunteer in the religious affairs office is the only source of inspiration available.
I cannot back it up, but recently I heard a statistic that was stunning. I heard that forty percent of all prison suicides that happen occur in this environment of administrative custody or solitary confinement. It make sense as even the worst of us are social beings and need interactions with others. But aloneness can be a tortuous thing and being alone with only your thoughts and memories can indeed be a miserable experience. But there can be much good from this as well.
Some say we most come to the end of self reliance before we can submit to a power greater than we are. I agree. So, a person sitting alone in a cell contemplating his past and future is ripe for coming to a surrender point and trusting Jesus Christ as Lord, God, Savior and Life. He can review and contemplate the events that brought him to this point. And if at that time a chaplain happens to bring along a gospel track that he can relate to, the possibility of a spiritual conversion or spiritual awakening are magnified.
This is the target audience for Prison Evangelism as we send each year thousands of our books like How to be a Child of God into America’s 2100 major jails and prisons. We have thought carefully of our audience. This book is colorful, short, has big type, great illustrations and is written in simple English to make it easy to understand.
We urge you to participate in our endeavor to “Change hearts and close prisons” by checking out what we do on this website and howtobeachlldpofgod.com.
Think about contributing to the cause of Christ and helping us to send more of these books into prisons where we find the least, the last and the lost.
David Howell Prison Evangelism, Inc.
PO Box 571977
Houston, Texas 77257
713-623-0690
www.prisonevangelism.com