3 Days Before Christmas

I was thrilled when Roma and Edie showed up today at the Berean office. Volunteering just 3 days before Christmas is a true sacrifice. Amazing to me is how cheerful they are to volunteer. These two ladies helped stuff, wrap and label Bibles for prisoners desperately waiting for them. Some of the letters that come in asking for a Bible are heart breaking and this precious gift of a Bible may be the only gift they receive this Christmas at the prisons and jails here in the United States. As soon as the Bibles were loaded into the car I left to head to the post office to deliver them while Edie and Roma went into the other room to work on opening today's mail and stamping envelopes.

Here at Berean we are so very thankful for willing volunteers. Without the hundreds of hours donated by hundreds of these amazing volunteers this program would struggle. 

There will be NO WORK at the Berean office for the week between Christmas and New Years. Our next day of work will be next YEAR!

Well actually just 12 days away, Jan 3rd, 2017. Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus, and a blessed New Year!

Accident

David B couldn't make it today, he had an accident last night and totaled his car. Thankfully he is fine. With David busy trying to get a replacement car and Cindy gone that left just me to enter the Bible requests. Thankfully Carol came to volunteer and worked on studies and envelopes keeping me company. The 2 of us got everything done that needed to be done for tomorrow's workers.

Sparkling Diamonds

The roads were good driving to Berean but the ice was still thick on the parking lot. Everyone working had to be careful getting from the car to the office. The view from the door looking out over the sparkling fields and diamond covered trees was amazing. This ice covering everything is just beautiful reminding us of  fairyland crystal palaces.  We reached 32 degrees today with sunshine which helped with the melting. By the time we finished up the ice was softer and not nearly as slippery but also not near as beautiful.  We had a smaller than usual group come volunteer today but that didn't stop us from getting the work done. Thankfully everyone here just knows what to do and does it. The first workers to arrive were Glenna, Eva Jean, Vonnie, Marvin and David. They went right to work opening today's mail.

 As Marie couldn't come today Marvin was put to work on the computer entering lessons. 

 Kathy and David were the main readers today. 

 Chuck and Marvin L were put to work labeling the studies while the ladies below opened the mail. 

 We had most of the work finished by noon and enjoyed lunch together. After lunch Marvin worked on certificates for those prisoners that finished all 50 lessons.

Marvin is the only person that takes home work on Tuesday. He grades all the 49 & 50's that come in and then sends them the certificate back with the graded lessons.

Flying Fingers

We only had 5 of us working today but the fingers were flying as the Bibles were stuffed wrapped labeled and loaded.

 We started at 9:00 am and by 11:00 all work had been finished for the week. 

I truly am thankful we have people that want to help and are willing to come out on a frozen 6 degree morning. The anticipation of hearing the response of each prisoner as he or she open their package fills our hearts with so much warmth we hardly notice the shock of cold air each time the door is open to load another box into the car for mailing. 

Berean Prison Ministry is SO very thankful to all who donate their time and money to this program. THANK YOU for remembering those locked up, THANK YOU for this precious gift of life, the LIVING WORD.  

Smiles All Around

The Tuesday group of volunteers got to see the new Bible we are now giving out, some for the first time. The first bunch of Bibles were mailed Thursday. Everyone was impressed and so very pleased. Today our office was filled with happy voices and lots of smiles. Amazing how knowing we are giving out a really nice Bible makes everyone here joyful. We had quite a lot of mail but so many willing volunteers the mail was opened before noon. The office was serious in the beginning as everyone sat down and started working.

 Above Shirley, Glenna, Eva Jean and Vonnie are busy opening the studies. Below Marvin H is helping mom with a problem letter just as Marvin L walked in. 

 Marvin was shown the new Bible and was impressed as he compared the one we had been sending out with this far better new Bible.

Kathy and David went right to work reading letters.

 Joyce and Jan took a bunch of mail into the other room to open. 

 Marie was put to work entering on the computer. 

Some of the letters that came today were confusing. Marvin and mom were trying to figure out the best way to handle some of the requests. 

We were such a happy bunch today. Check out the smiles in the next few pictures. 

Everywhere I looked there were smiles but I was smiling the most today. Just watching all these wonderful people that come to help with this program warms my heart. It is a JOY to be here working. Although can one actually call it work when we get to spend fellowship time with a great bunch of people all enjoying each others company?

Mailing the NEW Bibles

A special thanks to John Hoerr for driving out to the Berean office just to help unload a skid of Bibles. We oldies so very much appreciate young men with muscles.
Today Anna, Edie, Roma and Chuck came to stuff, wrap, label and load Bibles. What would we do without willing workers? Thank you THANK YOU for all who helped this week. We really couldn't get the mail processed and the Bibles mailed without all your help.

It was SO satisfying to have the first batch of the new Bibles on their way to prisons all over North America. What an amazing Christmas Gift this is, the Book of LIFE, the one with ALL the answers. This Bible is KJV giant print with color maps and words of Jesus in red. We at the Berean office can anticipate a huge response of many more requests once these are delivered. 

A Plea for HELP

Today we worked on filling boxes of studies to be stuffed. Each set of studies now have at least one box ready for Tuesday's work. A special thanks to Cindy, Carol, Dave and Mary.

The plea for help is really for tomorrow, THURSDAY Dec 8th. We have a 4 ft high pallet of BIBLES that will be delivered at 9:00 am at the Berean office and need volunteers to help unload, stack, stuff and wrap them. There are 250 prisoners waiting for their gift of the WORD which would be a perfect Christmas gift for these men and women locked up. PLEASE will you consider coming and giving a few hours of your precious time to help us. We really do need help.

Another Good Day

We had another wonderful day at the Berean office. This doesn't feel like work, we all have such a good time together.

Above Marie is multitasking entering studies and talking on the phone and below Jan and Joyce are hard at work in the other room opening mail. 

 They were joined by Jeanette who also went right to work. 

 Kathy and Marvin were the only readers today but not a lot of letters came in and they were easily able to finish by noon. 

 Above Marvin is sharing a touching letter with Kathy and just check out her reaction to this thank you note. A BIG smile. 

 Emily arrived to take her mom's place at the computer so Marie went to work organizing the studies while Marvin, Chuck, Glenna and Eva Jean opened and applied labels. Emily watched what was happening at this office and remarked, "you really have good people working here." "They all know what to do and just do it. " You see Emily use to volunteer at Berean's way back before she was in the RN program at ICC and was so impressed with how many people are willing to come work. 

All the mail was opened by 11:00 am, so they went into the other room to separate and stuff studies until lunch time. 

 Emily and I worked after lunch finishing around 1:00 pm with entering all the Bible labels. We have 238 to mail out on Thursday. Now we are just praying the new Bibles make it by that time.

Faithful Few

Roma and Edie came today to help clean up what the Tuesday group could not get done. These two ladies are sisters and even more unusual they are twins but not to each other. Roma's twin sister is Rhoda.

 While Edie's twin sister is Ethel. 

They are part of our Faithful Few that come on Thursdays to help with the Berean work. Usually we are wrapping, labeling and mailing out Bibles on Thursday but today we worked on the plethora of envelopes that still needed stuffing and sealing. Tuesday's mail was a big one. The other reason we did not work on Bibles is that the new Bibles are ON THE WAY! They should be here by next week so next Thursday will be a big day as far as wrapping Bibles. We welcome anyone that has time to spare this busy Christmas season. We would love to be able to get as many Bibles as possible to the prisoners that are requesting them before Christmas. What a gift that would be!