The Number is 25,000

Diane brought mom, I drove in by myself as did Rachel as after our Berean work Diane and mom were going shopping at Kroger, Rachel was heading over to Pekin to grocery shop and I was headed to Sam's club and Aldi. The roads were not good on the way in to Peoria, snow covering a layer of ice. It was hard to actually stop at the stop signs, the car just kept sliding through the intersections. I'm very glad there isn't much traffic out here. The temperature was at -6 when we went out to feed and -3 driving in to Peoria. We had a good group of volunteers today. Below is Tiffany working on stuffing envelopes, Dylan stuffing the Bibles into the sleeves, Rachel and mom reading letters, and Eva Jean opening the studies.

Diane kept the copy machine running full blast today and Terren was stacking Bibles once Dylan was done filling them.

 Diane R arrived and was put to work stacking Bibles then stuffing envelopes.

 We had a light mail day and were able to finish by noon although we ran out of postage for Bibles and then ran out of Bibles. Ellen got more stamps printed off, Diane drove to TEMCO to pick them up and we were able to mail out all the Bibles we had. I think we were 24 Bibles short. Sure hope the Roanoke and Goodfield young groups get busy wrapping and by Tuesday we can get another thousand Bibles in. Diane ordered 25,000 of the plastic sleeve envelope we send the Bibles out in and another 25,000 postage paid business reply envelopes. We went to Denny's for lunch and were joined by Dan, Mark and Philip. After lunch I bought 12 loaves of honey wheat bread from Aldi's along with some cuties (little easy to peel oranges) and muffins at Sams then drove to church to drop off the food for Sunday. Johnny Hoerr had just pulled in to start plowing the parking lot.

 That is such a big job. It had a good 6 inches of fresh snow covering the entire lot. We will have tall mountains of snow piled up at the back of the lot by the time he is done. A big thank you to Johnny!

I brought home a few letters from prisoners. The first letter was hard to read so the words in parentheses are what I think he wanted to write:
Berean Prison Ministry, 
Hollow (hello) i have recive the bible from you. And i want to thank you from the bottom of my heart it was a blessing to me.  I was wondering what i could give yall. I have any money.  So one way is to let yall know that i will use it other is to give yall a small testimony to let yall know what God had done. let me start with my name is Rey i am 40 years old and i am doing a 6 year sentenecs (sentence) well i was a gangamember from that i started selling drugs with this time i have shoot 2 time in the back shoot other time in the am and stambed (stabbed)2 time in the leg and when i got shoot one weekend the next weekend got shoot again. and those were the times i was hit there were many more times now you tell me that that devil was trying to get me.  But my God was there all them time he wouldn't let the devil take me then i didn't know that i was looking for something to fill what i was messing (missing) inside. I tryed everything belive me. And i belivie that if God tooks care me all them time and i me all them time he haves something big for me.  I thank (think) God put me in here for me to leancen (lean or learn) to him i was always on the move.  Now that i have thanks (things) have been changing. I know when God is ready to let me go i will be a new man from the in side out God talked to me can you belive that me who would thank (think) you my God loves me. I can ask him the smallies things and i turn around and someone will come and tell me what i just asked him.  I would just thank (think) it was luck. No i would just ask something just to see everytime God is good well i have to stop doing it my way now i am doing his way. I am in a maximum secretly (security)  prison and there is a lot of anger Hate saness (sadness?) here I can feel it all the time around me but with all that is going on i feel love joy pices (peace) i tell God i don't want to be here i did like you  God does it's not time to me to leave yet so senck (sent) me to a trusty camp. So that's were i am at right now. That was just a lil of my testimony so thank yall and god bless you. Please let your ministry know that they are making a diffenc (difference) ! Thank You Rey
The second letter was much easier to read, printed up very neatly:
Dear Sir,
I got your address from a friend, and I helped him do his bible study so we could play Spaides, a card game.  I found the study very interesting.  Will you please send a large print Bible to me?  I'm 52 years old and my eyes are growing dim, Also will you send me the Bible studies? 
P.S. Thank you, and God, Bless you.
The last letter for today:
Dear Friend in Christ
I really appreciate the bible you was kind enough to share with me.  I would sure put it to good use.  I have been a son of the Lord for almost four years now. I have to admit that it is hard being a child of God and living in the same image of his son Jesus Christ.  And living by his laws which he put before us AMEN.
I would love very much if you will add me in your prayer. I'm always asking the Lord to free me from this prison and gives me another opporturity to go out in the world. And let everyone know that Jesus Christ died on that cross to save us of All of OUR Sins. I wish you every success in your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. 
May God bless you and let his light shine down upon you and your loving family etc. Your brother in Christ Charles