Trust can be lost in the blink of an eye, but there is work in restoration. It’s a process that is long and often tiresome. One man in our program admits that for many years he was responsible for bringing division to his family. He caused extreme amounts of pain. And that pain had its own set of ripple effects. Effects that have lasted long beyond his initial painful actions. Division that has kept family members at odds with each other for many years. While he is serving time behind bars for his actions, his family is serving a sentence of their own through the negative consequence that rippled through them.
After only two years in our program, transformation is happening, both in his life and the lives of his family. He said, “I used to be a source of division in my family, but now I am the one bringing them together.” Family members are lowering their walls of frustration and new life is forming, and connections are strengthening. Once the source of much pain, he is now influencing his family to reunite on healthy terms.
Miles of Impact
A student from out of state was asked recently about the effect that our program is having on those on the outside. He said that it is impacting those hundreds of miles away through the material that he shares. He explained that he often types up notes about what he is learning and emails them to friends and family. (I know that when I was in college, I did not regularly share what I was learning with friends and family members!) For this student, he deeply feels the impact in his own life of what he is learning and he wants to share it with those he loves.
Prayer Requests
This month, could you pray for the family and friends of our students? As the message of hope and healing is shared through the words of our students, may it be received and applied in the lives of those closest to them.
We also praise God and give thanks for all those that so generously give so that lives can be transformed!
“The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God you will not despise.” Psalm 51:17 NRSV