BEHIND THE WIRE: PATRICK

                Patrick, a bright, always smiling, 34-year-old, who goes by the nickname Deacon, is a student in our Seminary-in-Prison program at the Everglades Re-Entry Center in Miami. Both of Patrick’s parents were drug addicts. He and his siblings were raised mainly by his grandparents. His grandmother, who Patrick said regularly “beat the mess out of him,” left the kids at home whenever she went shopping or to her club meetings. During one of her times away from the home Patrick was raped by a neighbor.

                His grandparents were Christians, and took him to church, but neither his grandparents nor his church helped him deal with the emotional turmoil and pain he felt. From an early age, Patrick began using and selling drugs as well as having promiscuous sex with both men and women. He now knows he was looking for something to ease his pain and satisfy his longing for real love and acceptance. None of it, however, Patrick said, “healed the wounds in my heart.”

                Patrick received Christ when he was 14 years old, but his life continued to spiral downward. In his early 20s he began going in and out of drug rehab programs. While in a Salvation Army program, he learned that his father was near death due to AIDS and cancer. The director allowed him to leave the program and visit his father in the hospice facility. He could no longer see or speak, but he could hear. Patrick told his father that he forgave him and that he loved him. Patrick said he could do that because he’d learned that Jesus loved and forgave him, so he could do the same for his father. As he said those things he began to feel some peace in his heart for the first time.

A few years later, while in another Christ-centered drug rehab, this one in Atlanta, he learned that his mother was also dying from AIDS related complications. He desperately wanted to see her and tell her that, because of Jesus, he loved and forgave her also. But, she passed away before he could get there. He was angry with God for a time, but then, as he prayed, he again felt a supernatural peace enter his heart.

                Patrick let go of his anger and bitterness toward his parents and others because he learned that God, through Jesus, was not angry with him. He found in Jesus the love and acceptance he’d searched for his whole life. He was given a sense of freedom and joy. However, Patrick still had to face consequences from his life of selling drugs and other crimes. He is currently serving a nine-year sentence. However, Patrick said that God is turning incarceration into something good for him. Since coming to prison Patrick has been fully involved in several chapel programs and frequently shares his faith with others, thus his nickname “Deacon.” He believes that God has called him to a ministry of evangelism.

                Patrick enrolled in our Seminary-in-Prison program so that he can gain a “deeper, more intimate knowledge of God” and to become better equipped “as an ambassador of Christ.” Patrick is pursuing an associate of arts degree in theological studies.

               

                 

Will you prayerfully consider investing in changed lives and donate to help support this work? The State does not provide any funds. All funds come from the generous gifts of our friends. Go to mints.edu and use the PayPal button to donate and designate your gift to Prison Ministry or send a check to MINTS, 14401 Old Cutler Rd., Palmetto Bay, FL 33158 and be sure to write Prison Ministry on the memo line.

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BEHIND THE WIRE: JOEL

   Joel is not who you might picture when you think of a Florida state prisoner. He is bright, articulate, and well educated. A graduate in political science from a college in Atlanta, he is now enrolled in the MINTS Seminary-in-Prison at Everglades Re-Entry Center. Joel plans to earn a masters degree in theological studies.

   The son and grandson of pastors, Joel spent more time at church while growing up than he did at home. He was there every Sunday, of course. But, he was also there several other times during the week. He cannot recall a time when church was not at the center of his family’s life.

   He professed faith in Christ at the age of 12 and by the time he was a teenager was leading Bible studies and prayer meetings. Joel said, “I knew that I had a responsibility that stretched much farther than just attending church services on Sundays. I wanted to be a leader. It burned in my heart to be in ministry.”

   One impactful experience of Joel’s teen years was on a missions trip to Haiti. His father made a trip to Haiti every year and preached there to thousands. Joel went along one year. He said, “my heart was so filled with compassion for these people that I knew that this was going to be part of my service of ministry.” After that first trip Joel went back to Haiti three more times and worked in a clinic, serving some of Haiti’s poorest, neediest people.

   A few years ago, however, Joel’s life hit a rough patch and he got off track. During a time of desperation, he committed two unarmed robberies. He was arrested, convicted, and is currently serving a five-year sentence. Since coming to prison Joel has recommitted his life to Christ and the fire for ministry has returned to his heart. When we started the MINTS Seminary-in-Prison at Everglades Re-Entry Center in January Joel was one of the first to sign up.

   “I believe that this seminary is going to be valuable in helping me grow in the understanding of the Gospel,” Joel said. “It will help me to minister to others and be able to join a ministry when I leave this time of incarceration. I want to help those suffering and be a blessing to the body of Christ.”

   Please pray for Joel to continue growing in Christ and to progress with his studies. Also, please pray for additional qualified teachers for our classes at Everglades Re-Entry.

Will you prayerfully consider investing in changed lives and donate to help support this work? The State does not provide any funds. All funds come from the generous gifts of our friends. Go to mints.edu and use the PayPal button to donate. Designate your gift to Prison Ministry. Or, send a check to MINTS, 14401 Old Cutler Rd., Palmetto Bay, FL 33158 and be sure to write Prison Ministry on the memo line.

BEHIND THE WIRE: ANGEL

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ---Jeremiah 29:11

     Angel is a student in our MINTS Seminary in Prison program at Dade Correctional Institution DCI. He has been in and out of jail and prisons since he was 10 years old. He is 51 and has been incarcerated for more than 30 years of his life. He is now serving a life sentence without possibility of parole.

     It was while he was in solitary confinement that Christ came into that cell, met Angel, and regenerated him. His spiritually dead heart of stone became a heart beating with spiritual life. "I surrendered my life to Jesus, without realizing that it was actually all His doing--He calls, He justifies, and He ultimately glorifies!"

     Angel believes Jeremiah 29:11, that the Lord has plans for his welfare, for a future and a hope for him, even there behind the wire at DCI.

     Angel said, "It is my belief that the Lord has called me to minister in this place, and to give by grace what He has given me through His wonderful grace. MINTS Seminary has proven to be an important part of my walk with Christ. I have been provided with sound doctrine, and educated on important biblical truth, that I may also share them in the Great Commission.

     "I have found support and dedication to help me in my ministry of evangelism in this place of sorrow and pain. In the midst of this terrible place, I've been able to share God's sovereignty through these difficult circumstances. Yes, He walks with us, through pain and suffering."

     I recently wrote a reference letter for Angel's Department of Corrections file. I wrote that I have found Angel to be faithful, loyal, and a hard worker who demonstrates integrity, all of which are true. Today, with tears in his eyes, Angel told me that in his 51 years, no one has ever said anything like that about him.

     God is at work behind the wire at DCI.

     Angel is on track to graduate with an associate of arts degree in theological studies in June.

     Please visit and like our Facebook page: mints international seminary in prisons.

We use third party advertisements on heartmattersbms.blogspot.com to support our site. Some of these advertisers may use technology such as cookies and web beacons when they advertise on our site, which will also send these advertisers (such as Google through the Google AdSense program) information including your IP address, your ISP , the browser you used to visit our site, and in some cases, whether you have Flash installed. This is generally used for geotargeting purposes (showing New York real estate ads to someone in New York, for example) or showing certain ads based on specific sites visited (such as showing cooking ads to someone who frequents cooking sites).

You can chose to disable or selectively turn off our cookies or third-party cookies in your browser settings, or by managing preferences in programs such as Norton Internet Security. However, this can affect how you are able to interact with our site as well as other websites. This could include the inability to login to services or programs, such as logging into forums or accounts.