"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers."
I Peter 3:12
(the lofty words of God are meant for the lowlands of planet Earth)
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Volunteers of the Month!
Sergio and Charlene Ramirez, and David Ramirez
Sergio Ramirez, born in Puerto Rico, came to the Lord in 1979, being delivered from an addiction to alcohol. He met and married Charlene that same year in Lafayette, Louisiana, who had given her life to Christ in 1969. The Lord called them to prison ministry in 1983, after being invited to the Full Gospel Business Men's fellowship prison outreach in Hunts Correctional facility. From the first visit, Sergio’s heart was touched, and he became a regular member of the prison ministry team. The doors also opened to visit St. Gabriel Correctional facility for women, and both he and Charlene joined the team. In 1984, they were asked to be in charge of the ministry in the woman's facility. In 1986, on a trip to Puerto Rico, God launched them on a new path by miraculously giving Charlene the gift of the Spanish language, which happened spontaneously during a radio program she was speaking on.
They returned to Louisiana, and being led by the Lord, went into full-time ministry, moving to Puerto Rico and ministering around the island, as well as in the Dominican Republic. The doors also opened to minister in the prisons in Puerto Rico, and they became a part of a Christian television program. Between 1986 and 2002, the Ramirez family traveled and ministered across our nation from Louisiana to Chicago to California and Mexico!
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After 16 years of on-the-road-ministry, the Lord changed their direction, and sent the family to Carlisle, Pennsylvania. God called them to the Spanish community in Carlisle where they are currently pastors of a Spanish-speaking group at Lighthouse Church of God, and volunteer in the LIFE prison ministry at Cumberland County Correctional Facility. They have four children, and their eldest son, David Ramirez, is also a member of the LIFE prison team, following in his parents' footsteps.
The opportunity to minister to those incarcerated is one of the greatest joys of the Ramirez family! Bringing hope to those who are addicted, destroyed by life's circumstances, lost without Christ, is the most rewarding of all their many years in ministry. They have seen lives changed, transformed, by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Several of those who have come to Christ through the LIFE outreach program have gone on to enter Christian work themselves. There are many ex-inmates who are now sober, drug-free, serving God, being contributing members of their community, due to the LIFE program, of which they are thankful to be a part.
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March Dates to Remember:
11 - DLST begins
17 - St. Patrick's Day
20 - Spring begins
25 - Palm Sunday
30 - Good Friday
31 - Full Moon
(31 days in which to prepare our hearts & minds for the celebration of Jesus' resurrection)
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Three LIFE Graduations in FEBRUARY:
February 8 at SCI Houtzdale: 33 graduates.
February 11 at SCI Frackville: 12 graduates
February 22 at SCI Benner: 5 graduates
Praise and thanks be unto Jesus, the Author & Finisher of our faith. Also, much appreciation goes out to the "backbone" of LIFE, the precious volunteer missionaries who serve weekly in the DOC: Ivan Lapp, Marvin Lapp, Luke Martin, Daniel Martin, Omar Stoltzfus, Mary Ann Lowery, Gail Campion, David Miller, Alondra Rosario, Dwight Freed, Elon Morley, Arlan Martin, and Alvin Martin.
Our students-inmates share their stories and testimonies every week as to what the Lord Jesus has done and continues to do in their lives during their incarceration. During March we are celebrating the ministry, life and death of Jesus. In April we will celebrate His resurrection and ascension. Students in every class and graduation have spoken to the effectiveness of the gospel of Jesus as their lives are being transformed by the power of His resurrection! Below are some fine examples of inmates' testimonials:
During LIFE V class (Christian Hero Two, St. Francis of Assisi) DH chimed in, "I want to be forgiven." When St. Francis was on his death bed, he quoted a Maskil, Psalm 142, crying out for the Lord's mercy, pleading in desperation, and seeking refuge from "prison." DH felt he could easily identify with St. Francis because he understood the need for God's great mercy!
It's that time of year as we participate in pre-Easter services that forgiveness becomes paramount in our minds and hearts.
Inmate TF shared that she was a nervous mess when first attending LIFE class. She had been a heroin addict, prostituting herself for money and drugs, often leaving her two little girls home alone. Since coming to prison, TF has been radically saved, and her daughters moved by the Spirit of God. TF has gone home now fulfilling her sentence, and is married and working at New Life for Girls in Dover, Pa.
Mr. CS told us at his recent graduation, "I know now that my life begins at the cross, and ends at the cross."
FN testified: "I was raised in church, but I never knew what the Bible was about and didn't know what to do with it; when I came to prison I started the LIFE class, not knowing what I was getting myself into, but I've learned more about Jesus here in one class than I learned in my entire lifetime."
WM said, "I am now learning what it means to step "out of the boat" and become a testimony for the Lord. At first I was unsure about how to witness on my block, but I am getting stronger since coming to the LIFE I class." He went on to recognize the godly volunteers: "When I first saw the faces of Dwight and Elon I knew they were peaceful men, and I knew that they had something I wanted."
MM testified at his first LIFE graduation that he had been praying for new volunteers to step-up in implementing the LIFE program at other SCIs. To date, we are in the process of recruiting Christian men and women in other DOC prisons.
WHY DO CHRISTIANS BELIEVE THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS IS TRUE? Did Jesus of Nazareth really rise from the dead? The resurrection of Jesus Christ in 33 AD is the cornerstone of Christianity. Of the many world religions, only one can claim that its founder returned from the grave. In 2018, when myth has given way to science, who can believe such a claim? Some argue that Jesus did not really die on the cross; conflicting reports make the empty tomb seem suspect. Medical evidence, the evidence of the missing body, the evidence of appearances and the Word of God Itself point to the reality of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth! A fine read, The Case for Easter, by Lee Strobel.
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