Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Hardly Enough

 I was almost the last to arrive and yet I was 10 minutes early. This group of volunteers are so punctual. We didn't have a lot of mail again but there was work to do.  As soon as the letters were processed Vonnie and Shirley went to work on wrapping Bibles. Skip told us he was going to get another load in. The Bibles are actually burgundy. Kathy asked why they weren't black and Skip told us the very same Bible in black was $3.00 more so burgundy it is. We all aagreed. 
At 9:30 am when Marvin's phone went off we all gathered in the other room for the prayer and updates. Shirley on the right of the picture was trying to finish the intermediate studies while Marvin was explaining some of the prophecies of the 3rd Temple. 

Always fascinating to hear how the Lord works. We really are thankful when a prisoner that wrote to ask for a Bible actually received the Bible. The the first picture we had Skip entering after loading his car with studies going out, in the picture below Skip is going to start hauling out the Bibles that are getting mailed today while Shirley and Sharon pack another box of them. Vonnie is the supervisor, she prepares the boxes of studies, tells Skip what number lesson needs to be run off and how many she needs. She also knows when we need to wrap more Bibles. 
We really are thankful for each of these volunteers from the chaplains to the graders this program could not run without YOU ALL! The word thanks is hardly enough.





 

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Large Loving

 Mom and I followed Ruth to Zanes so she could drop her van off for some repairs then from there we three drove to the Berean office. Skip had already dropped off the mail but then he had to leave for a meeting. Marvin, Vonnie, Sharon, Shirley and Ray were already there and hard at work by the time we arrived at 8:55 am. Kathy was not able to come as Dave, her husband, was scheduled for an angiogram. It took both Vonnie and Shirley to do her job.  The other Shirley was also not able to be here today. Marvin was hard at work at his computer. He is able to look up inmates to see if they are still in prison and if so their addresses. 

Ruth and mom were busy with the return address stamp.
I got the studies entered so Sharon and Ray could get them processed. Once the letters were read and processed they went into the other room to work on getting more studies folded and the Bibles ready for mailing.

When Joan N arrived to pick up studies for grading Ruth yelled from that room into the computer room, "Judy your friend is here!"  I responded, "she is not my friend, she is my sister (in the Lord which was unspoken). To be honest she is BOTH! Of course everyone of the Berean volunteers are counted both as friends and brothers and sisters in the Lord. We really are a part of God's family that work here and all of us are blessed by being able to do the work. We sure have a large loving family and I'm thankful.


Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Laws

 Mom and I were the first to arrive at the Berean office. Skip pulled in even before we were out of the van. We had a decent amount of mail today AND 25 Bible requests. Kathy was busy with lots of letters. 

It was great to have Marvin back. There was plenty of catch up work for him. He had our 9:30 am prayer. Mom and Sharon got almost an entire box of 500 envelopes stamped with our return address. 
Below Skip is getting the Bibles ready for mailing while Vonnie and Shirley work on stuffing studies.
It really was a good morning working together with willing volunteers. 
 Joan N came by to get studies for grading and brought us something to laugh about. There are laws for prisoners, laws for the jail mailrooms, laws citizens and Joan brought us the laws of a toddler. Below are the property laws for a preschooler.
We always say this program could not do nearly as much good without volunteers.







Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Enjoy Working

 We had a very good productive morning at the Berean office. Vonnie and Sharon were kept busy working on studies in the other room.

It was great to have mom back, Ruth is now retired and was also willing to come. 
At 9:30 am we met in the computer room for the prayer.
We only had 1 Bible returned from 2 weeks ago so were pleased. What we were not pleased with is the mail room at the Dallas facility. They returned a Bible study saying this must go through the facility in Dallas and the address they had posted on the envelope with arrows pointing to it was exactly the same address as our label. Another study came back returned as there was and I quote, "a stain" on it. This stain was so faint we could barely see it and it looked like who ever picked up the envelope had a smudge on his thumb. Honestly if they hadn't have circled the 'stain' we would never have seen it. 
Skip was kept busy making copies of the lessons.
We were able to get Everything done with plenty of time to sit a bit and enjoy apple turnovers for our break.
We really enjoy working together here at the Berean office.








Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Changed Lives

 Tuesdays are Berean days. We have been getting discouraged at how hard it has become to get Bibles into the prisons lately but today we got an encouraging letter. Enough to make us realize even ONE changed life is worth the work here. Kathy opened a letter today that had to be shared with the group. 

For a previous prisoner to send money to help other prisoners truly IS the sign of a changed life. We had a very small amount of studies come in today and only 9 Bible requests. 
The other discouraging thing that happened today was postage went up again both the studies and the Bibles. Below Ray is using the postage machine to get the new rate on envelopes so we could send out the next set of studies. 
Sharon needed to get the return address stamped as we didn't have enough to send out today. She would stamp them then send them over to Ray to 'stamp' them with the postage.
When Skip picked up the studies there was a big lot of returned studies all from the same place and all stamped name and number don't match. Except we KNOW they match. Some of them are from prisoners that have been doing the study for a year. It must be who ever is in the mail room of that place who will not let the lessons go through. Kathy is writing to each one to let them know why they are not getting their studies nor their Bibles. We really don't know what else to do.
The state of Texas has gone to a 3rd party system. All studies have to go through Dallas and it is this 3rd party system that is not letting them go through. The attacks from the enemy is coming from all different directions to keep prisoners from the WORD, the LIGHT, and the TRUTH that can free them from the dark dismal world of being a prisoner of sin. Please pray for us, pray for the prisoners that are asking for Bibles Pray that a way will open up to be able to supply this much needed Bible.


Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Happy to Help

 We had another good morning at the Berean office. There was a promising amount of mail and volunteers happy to help.


At 9:30 am we met in the other room for the prayer.
Then went right back to work.
Below is a short video of some of the morning.
It really is wonderful when so many are happy to help with this ministry.






Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Fruits and Vegetables

 We had a wonderful morning at the Berean office. Lots of mail to process and plenty of volunteers to get the job done. I didn't take any pictures until the studies were finished as we were missing mom, Bruce and Leila. We were out of envelopes with the return address stamped on and since mom wasn't here Sharon took her place with that job. I took Bruce's job on running the postage machine, at least to get enough stamped envelopes to finish today.

Kathy had to do double duty today as she didn't have Leila to help read letters.  Marvin is also gone so Skip had to do double duty and tried to keep up with making the copies,  processing the studies, AND entering the new Bible requests. Somehow we got everything done.

We had healthy snacks today for our break just fruit and vegetables. Check them out below:
Shirley and Ray brought in the donuts and believe it or not they were made with potatoes and potatoes are vegetables. The apple pie was our fruit. Maybe we were stretching the truth on how healthy this was everything sure tasted great. Below is the tub going out today of studies and Bibles.
We are thankful for  We are praying that each of the 19 Bibles sent out today makes it to the prisoner that requested one.