The Prisoner's Friend Ministries

Dear Friend

The beautiful part of ministering to prisoners through correspondence courses is that so many of them share their knowledge gained from us with others.  The following is just a portion of a thrilling letter that we received recently.

“I just received the final exam for First Corinthians, and I have completed it.  What a joy to study Scripture.  I wanted to give you a good report from within the walls.  Jesus has entrusted me to teach Scripture to another man here the same dormitory I’m in.  I am so encouraged that Jesus is trusting me to teach another man His Word.  Pray for me.  I don’t want to mess this up.  It is way too important!”

From our point of view, it is so beautiful to know that instead of just the 3,000+ students we’ve registered, we’re actually touching many, many more.  Only the Lord knows the true number, but what a thrill to send the Truth by correspondence to those that seek it.  Sometimes we want so badly to rest just a little, but then the burden of lost souls behind bars comes on us afresh, and so we plod on.

When people see a prison, they have no idea what lies behind those walls.  For every true Christian behind bars, there are thousands who aren’t, and those thousands must be regarded as enemies (if I may use that word), by those who are responsible in seeing that they stay behind bars until their sentences are served.  By prison code, there is a distinct line between prisoner and guard.  Fraternization is strictly forbidden.  I write all this for the simple reason that you need to hear Dave’s story of how God used this very distinct separation line in order that one prisoner be able to minister to another.  Here’s his letter.

“I know how busy you are, but I wanted to share an unusual experience I had lately.  In chow hall last Friday a man sitting a couple of tables from me began choking on a piece of bread.  Several inmates began slapping him on the back, which did him no good.  The two guards working the chow hall began yelling, ‘Get away from him!’ which is normal prison protocol.

The inmate fell to the floor choking and turning blue.  He was actually dying right before our eyes.  The officers were not going to help him and we inmates were not allowed to.  Finally, I had seen enough and ran over to the guards and stated, ‘If you ain’t going to help him, then get out of my way.  I know the Heimlich maneuver.’  The guard did allow me to get to the man and start the maneuver on him.  On the third push, the choking man expelled a large piece of roll and began to breathe again.  Then he began to cry as all the inmates in the room cheered.  I looked at the officers, fully expecting to be handcuffed and taken to the hole for disobeying the rules.  They ignored me and went back to feeding chow (Thank God!)  Medics never did show up.

Later that evening at yard call, an inmate informed me that someone outside wanted to talk to me.  I went out to find the guy who had choked earlier.  He shook my hand, then hugged me, and asked if there was anything he could do for me.  The Spirit immediately nudged me and I asked him if he was saved.  When he answered in the negative, I said, ‘Yes,’ I told him, ‘you can let me tell you about my precious Lord and Savior, and why he put us together today.’  I spent the rest of yard call witnessing to him. “Isn’t God amazing?”

Many reading this have never seen the inside of a prison or have the desire to do so, but there’s a totally different world on the other side of those walls.  Prisoner’s Friend couldn’t begin to touch the over two million prisoners presently incarcerated in the U.S., but we have touched thousands, something we never dreamed possible when this ministry was begun.  It gets bigger all the time, takes more work all the time, and involves a lot more expense all the time.  If you haven’t become a friend to Prisoner’s Friend yet, why not start right now?  Who knows who you may keep from choking for the lack of the Truth?

Dr. Bob Koonce