April 1, 2017
Dear Praying Friend,
Sharon and I are so thankful for your faithful partnership with us! Thank you for your prayers! Thank you for your financial support for our ministry and the advancing of the Kingdom of God in extremely broken and hurting communities.
One of the greatest joys I have in ministry is to disciple men and to see the Holy Spirit begin to change lives. For the last 10 months I have been visiting John in jail. He was swept up in a major bust of a gang involved in drug trafficking and prostitution. He is facing major prison time. I met John through a pastor friend of mine; he was happy to arrange a visit as John is his godson. God was already at work in John’s life seeking to get his attention. John had a church background but he did not know Jesus as his Savior.
In our first few visits getting to know each other, we went over the basic gospel message, and John gave his life to Christ. Using what is known as the “Romans Road,” (Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8 and 10:9-10) we talked through the gospel and he marked the verses in his Bible. When he could walk through the Romans Road with me, I gave him the homework to share it with one of the men in jail with him. The next week he enthusiastically told me he shared the Romans Road with Ray Ray, and he had accepted Jesus. Wow!
John and Ray Ray were having Bible study and praying together until Ray Ray was moved to a different area of the jail. John had been a leader of a gang that was leading men in activities of darkness. Now, he has moved to the Kingdom of Light, and he is experiencing the joy of leading men to Jesus.
As we have had the opportunity to meet weekly, the story of the unforgiving servant touched him deeply. He was awed that the guy who had been forgiven of such a great debt was unwilling to forgive his friend who owed him a few dollars.
A few weeks later he was telling me about a situation that happened and how God was working in his life. Because of his natural leadership gifts and his past, the guys in jail look to him to deal with problems. Two guys were getting into another guy’s business, and they went to John to deal with it. He decided to go and talk to the trouble makers. As he walked into their cell, he realized that four or five other guys were following him saying, “John, just say the word and we will beat some sense into them.” The old John would have reverted to street justice, but the Holy Spirit brought to mind the story of the unforgiving servant, and he knew he had to do something different. One of the trouble makers was responding to his rebuke, but the other was not. He decided to ignore the one man’s bad attitude. When they left the cell the guys with him asked if they should give a “beat down” to the guy with the attitude. John wrestled with what to do but decided to forgive. Our Amazing God worked things out without violence.
Join me in praying for John as he has asked for wisdom as he learns to live life God’s way instead of his old ways. Thank you also for your continued prayers for Sharon and me. You are a vital partner in this ministry!
Love in Christ,
Rick and Sharon Browatzke