Donna Wyatt's Newsletter
May 2008
God
Works in Mysterious Ways
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Dear Friends, When I first arrived at Julia Tutwiler Prison in September of 2007, I started working with a lady I will call Jan, who was an inmate there. She was a chapel worker, who kept the chapel clean and set up the tables and chairs for meetings. We grew close over those first few months, and there was no doubt that Jan was in love with the Lord. She has a beautiful voice, and I enjoyed listening to her sing to the Lord on many occasions when she was working in the chapel. Recently she was transferred to MWF (Montgomery Women’s Facility), and I was glad since we have more freedom to minister and visit there in the dorm where the ladies live. One
day I noticed she was not there and asked if she had been released.
Someone informed me she was taken out to appear in court.
I was concerned but committed her to prayer and knew the Lord would
take care of her no matter what the outcome.
I was also hoping to see her again before she would be released. |
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Jan returned 12 days later, which is unusual because most court trips are only three to four days. She was all smiles as she told me of the Lord’s mission she had been on.
Jan
had to appear in court for another charge not related to the one for which she
was currently serving time but was prayed up.
She described how she was put into a cell in the county jail with three
other women and how each night she would read Old Testament stories to them.
These ladies were amazed by the Bible stories as they had never heard
them before (imagine that!).
She went on to say that during the 12 days she spent with these ladies
she held Bible studies every evening and told them about the love of God in her
own life.
She read through the New Testament three times to keep her mind on the
Lord and off her circumstances.
When they found out Jan had a beautiful voice, they begged her to sing
for them.
She sang and encouraged them daily.
When it came time for them to appear in court, they all four went
together.
The three other ladies were released from prison, and they all proclaimed
it was because of Jan’s prayers.
Jan was not released but, nevertheless, was happy with her outcome.
She was possibly facing another 20 years added to her current sentence,
but instead the charges were dropped completely and her release date was moved
from November to May of this year.
We rejoiced together.
Isn’t God good?
Jan
plans to go back to school and become an attorney, so she can help others with
legal matters.
She already does a lot of legal work plus works in the law library at the
prison.
She currently is working on two appeals for ladies who are serving time
with her at MWF.
I am always encouraged by Jan’s positive outlook on life.
She knows whatever the Lord has for her after prison will be good.
Her parole hearing is May 13, 2008.
Please help us pray God’s will for Jan.
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A poem by an Inmate at Montgomery Women’s
Facility (MWF) Dedicated to
Chaplains Wyatt and Miller in appreciation for all the love they show to
us here in prison Finally Freed As
I sit behind these prison walls, I
see how quickly peoples’ hope just falls. Their
personalities and attitudes change; Someone
familiar today will tomorrow seem strange. It’s
hard to admit that we’re all the same, But
each of us must suffer our shame. We
came to this place for mistakes that we made, But
many don’t know that our debt has been paid. Our
bodies are in prison, but our souls can be free If
the love of Jesus we will just pray to receive. Surrounded
by these fences and razor wire, We
still see glimpses of God’s beauty to admire. There
are moments of peace amidst all the madness, And
times of great joy seem to follow the sadness. Until
God is all we have, we don’t realize He’s all we need. Isn’t
it ironic that we had to come to prison to finally be freed? |
I don’t recommend going to prison to find
freedom, but I can tell you that many of the ladies we minister to on a
daily basis are truly free and want God’s best for their lives.
Thirty of the ladies and I recently finished going through the Purpose Driven Life together, which was fantastic. In another
week or so, we will start teaching a two-year course which prepares you
for the adjustment for life after prison. Prison Recipe—Brownies 1 Cookie 1 Cocoa Mix 4 Creamer Pkgs. 4 Sugar Pkgs. Add water and stir until all ingredients make
a paste. Put a layer of cookies on the bottom, and let set on ice. DO NOT try this at home, it
only works in prison. It is an awesome privilege to minister in the
prison, and I want to thank you all once again for your support! Blessings, Donna Wyatt |
Psalms 40:2
He
lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked.