THIS WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME

Yvonne and I have done a lot of just passing through since I entered Yvonne�s life and Jesus came into my life. This ministry started with Yvonne and I, then 1 lonely inmate, and now thousands of inmates and thousands of you, including all the new folks who came to us via your huge response to our May radio broadcast on the Voice of Prophecy. We prayerfully and joyfully welcome you to The God Squad. Our growth, when many are downsizing, is massive.

Our first eleven years were at Soledad and San Quetin. Then to C.M.C and Avenal with Paso Robles Boys School and Atasca-dero, the mental hospital. We helped open Avenal. Then a big step of faith led us to Kentucky (Eddyville) and all points East & West. From there, God called us to Michigan and back to California, then here to Indiana. We never question-ed each move, nor did any- thing slow down, thanks to our trust in God's word and our Faith Partners, whose support and God�s blessing made each move positive. Each move brought growth and opened prison doors both behind us and ahead of us.

The Someone Cares Pen Friend Program, a.k.a. Paper Sunshine, started because an inmate had not had a letter in years. We are now in every prison in the U.S. Thank you Jesus! Expansion has caused some problems, like not being able to read all inmate mail, or give you the personal touch. A book on my life, that should have been finished, needs to be, and we are getting a little older. We have come up with a three-year plan and pray each of you comes along with us.


CARE GROUPS

Over the next three years we plan to establish four to six Care Groups across the country. Someone Cares of Canada, that was closed for lack of personnel, needs to open once more and looks promising.

With most of our family in Michigan, that was a logical place to return to but our long range plans are to relocate everyone one last time, but only if the Lord puts His stamp of approval on the move. Please pray that His will is followed in all things. We hate moving, but when the Master says GO, He doesn�t expect us to spend our time in the huddle. He likes action in His fields of endeavor. Through our Internet Prayer groups, notes and calls, Montana has some very attractive possibilities for the ministry: un-entered prisons for us, plus enthusiastic churches willing to help, a welcoming Department of Corrections and affordable housing. It is also about 100 miles from Canada, where we have family, also easy access to the West Coast.

Yes, we have retirement plans, but they dont kick in for almost four years. Prison ministry is in my blood, and as long as my health permits I will be going into prison until Jesus comes or I go.

Because of postage increases and the need to be good stewards of God�s money here, we must be sure we�re working in His will, in His time.


PEN FRIENDS

Of course a move by us is a move by you. Mail in August or September (July newsletter will confirm move) may be slowed a bit but all will be forwarded to us, then you. When we send you the new PO Box we very prayerfully ask you to use YOUR name or Pen name on all letters to inmates, and exclude Someone Cares from the address. They are writing YOU, not US.


FAITH PARTNERS

We ask all of you not currently supporting this Ministry to commit to a $1.00 or more a month, (as God Provides) for three years. Then as we always have, we can plan God�s work and work God�s plan. We sure would be blessed to know that each month will be similar to the last. We can tell you it takes a lot of faith to be a Faith Ministry. Faith comes from hearing God�s Word. Miracles this Ministry operates on donations of less than $100,000 a year. This includes all our postage and operating costs for a building, vehicles and insurance, plus a housing allowance and a small stipend. With a little more help from our friends, we could do so much more.


YVONNE�S CORNER

With every move I always pray it might be the last move for us, but God always seems to Know best so over the years, we have learned that we must pray for God's will to be done. Some of you who know me very well, know that this has been very hard for me, and for those of you who don't know me so well, we'll just say I have a way of being very strong-willed. Welcome to All of you who have just joined us, we need all of you!! Without all of you, the would not be a Someone Cares. I want to thank all of you who took the time to be the Jury for us from the March Newsletter (see the March newsletter in archives at www.someonecares.org about the young woman who worked in this plant, with a supervisor who openly told her he had fantasized about her. The supervisor also has a manager to answer to, plus a wife. Here are your answers to the questions:




Should the man be penalized for harassment?
437 yes: 1 no

Should the wife be penalized for attacking the young woman?
438 yes

Should the young woman be penalized for reporting an injustice, and be forced by the employer to see a counselor?
438 no

What should the plant man-agers do?
replace the plant manager 301
penalize the plant manager 137

All said the supervisor should be replaced, along with his wife.

Should the husband be forced to tell his wife the truth?
All said yes.

All that has happened is that the young woman and the wife now have disciplinary records in their work files. The young woman is being denied the right to appeal the action taken. I want to personally thank all of you who took your time to respond to this. We will keep you updated on how things go. You can be my jury any day, as you all dealt with each problem in a fair manner, and took everything into consider-ation. Thank You so very much, May God continue to bless each one of you! If any of you would like to e_mail me, you may. It is [email protected]. I will answer all of you.




FROM MAINE: I am sorry for not writing sooner. A lot of inmates here went on strike. No work, no eating, no nothing. This is in protest of things we have lost. This is causing extreme tension with staff. Your letters came during this madness and really cheered me up. Thanks so very much for caring.

FROM TEXAS Talk about timing. You made my day when I got your letter. I was wondering if I really was going to hear from someone.

FROM CALIFORNIA: Yes in most States you would have to kill someone to receive a life sentence. Not here with the three strikes law. In 1982 I committed a burglary; getting out I did it agin in 1985. In 1995 I committed a trespass but they call it a strike and gave me 40 years to life. FROM CORCORAN: I am so sorry for taking so long to answer your words of encouragement. I pray this visit on paper will bring a ray of (paper) sunshine You being there for me is so very neat. I miss my kids but have to be used to the reality of these walls.

OKLAHOMA: I am sorry for the delay but the stress here is unbearable. Please keep me in your prayers as only they will help me through. Thanks so much for your last letter.

MICHIGAN: Wow thanks for your letter it was the first I have received in three years. I sat on my bunk and cried, as not one of my family has written, and they are too far away to visit. My letter to Someone Cares was my last attempt as all other ministries I have written never responded. I can see where they got their name. I don�t leave my cell much as I am really scared of this place. Have sent notes to the Chaplain three times. He never comes by here and I can�t go there. As I get to know you I will explain how I got here.

FLORIDA: When my name was called at mail call I was so excited or was it a joke or a mistake. No, a letter from you and your whole family! I am sorry to say I am not a Christian but it is the only way I can see making it for the next 60 years. I know we will get along as in your letter saying you are 66 and may not make it that long did light a spark of kindness. I hope we can become friends and yes I will do a Bible Study, I may fail at that like I have with everything else I have tried to do with my life. I came into this system a long time ago and all prison does is make you more of a criminal. I really hope we can become friends. I sure need one.


BACK TO THE WAR ON DRUGS

Lost along time ago. Folks, you must become more aware of what your kids, grand kids are doing when you are not around. Learn how to check where they have been on the Internet. Look for mood swings, drastic changes in eating. Meth labs are spring-ing up all over and this is really bad stuff. I remember a young woman on Angel Dust cooked her child in a frying pan. A young man thinking he could fly tried to, off a 50 story building. God willing, we will be there if they live to get to prison. Or it may be you, if you believe "I was in Prison and you Visited me NOT!� Paper Sunshine, our Pen Friend Program, reaches the hearts of many and if you care, remember If ever asked to do ANYTHING in the name Of Jesus say " I'll be Happy to.� We are asking, not as a guilt trip, but God really needs all of us.


PACKING AND DOWN SIZING:

Bought me to two binders with matches made several years ago. Many of the names were lost when our computer crashed. Of 50 names I wrote, 31 have committed to writing again. We are really excited as to what the future holds for us, you, and Someone Cares. It�s your chance to lead someone to Jesus or help someone who�s reaching out to someone. Each one reach one. God Bless all of you as we get closer and closer to hearing again "It Is Finished"


YOU ARE PRICELESS
(from the Internet)

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, who would like this $20 bill? Hands started going up. He said, �I am going to give this to one of you, but first, let me do this.� He proceeded to crumple the bill up. He then asked, �Who still wants it?� Still the hands were up in the air. He dropped it on the ground, and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. �Now, who wants it?� Still hands went into the air.

�My friends, you all have learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it, because, it did not decrease in value. It was still worth 20 dollars. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel that we are worthless, but, no matter what has happen-ed or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you.

�The worth of our lives comes not in what we do, or whom we know, but by who we are. You are special, don't ever forget it!�


KINDNESS IN A COURTROOM

One winter�s night in 1935, Fiorello LaGuardia, the irrepressible mayor of New York City, showed up at a night court in the poorest ward of the city. He dismis-sed the judge for the even-ing and took over the bench. That night a tattered woman, charged with stealing a loaf of bread, was brought before him. She defended herself by saying, �My daughter�s husband has deserted her. She is sick, and her children are starving.�

The shopkeeper refused to drop the charges. �It�s a bad neighborhood, your honor,� he said. �She�s got to be punished to teach other people a lesson.�

LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the old woman and said, �I�ve got to punish you; the law makes no excep-tions: ten dollars or ten days in jail.� However, even while pronouncing sentence, LaGuardia reached into his pocket, took out a ten-dollar bill and threw it into his hat with these words: �Here�s the ten-dollar fine, which I now remit. Furthermore, I�m going to fine everyone in this courtroom 50 cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant.�

The following day a New York newspaper reported: �$47.50 was turned over to a bewildered old grandmother who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren. Making forced donations were a red-faced storekeeper, seventy petty criminals, and a few New York policemen.�

Make someone�s day. Lift a burden. Offer words of encouragement. Extend a kindness where none is expected.


JEAN�S JOTTINGS

Do you sing as you go through your day? Do you praise Jesus for your freedom in Him? Even our prisoners take hymnals back to their cells to sing the wonderful words of life they discover. Sometimes their neighbors think they�ve �lost it,� but often join in a familiar verse. Did you know the devil and his mob flee from the presence of praises and prayers? Put on a happy face and put the old turkey in his place.