I went to jail

Last night I went to the Albany Correctional Facilities Prison in Albany, New York. It's about a 20 minute drive from Victory Church. I went with two of my friends/A-teamers: Heather and Corey. A couple other people, including our church prison leader Marty went as well. We got to minister, pray and preach with both the men and women facilities. It changed my life forever! So when the people from Victory go, the men of the group usually preach and minister to the men in the prison and women to the women. It just leaves no room for conflict or awkwardness. Except when Heather and I got asked to pray for some of the men in the jail and that was fine. We got to team up and pray for two guys who really missed their families and wanted prayer for their children. And ironically they both had 3 children each. We got to empower them with the Gospel and pray for them all in one night. It was awesome and breath-taking. I got to see some faces that looked like their life was hopeless and they felt lost. I got see people who may have been sent to the federal prison this week and never been able to see the light of day soon and I got to minister and pray with them and touch their lives and tell them they have a future and a hope. I got share my life that I thought wasn't relevant and I thought didn't matter, but it did because God uses the broken and humble to bring more into His Kingdom.

When it came time to minister and talk about my testimony to the women's group, I wasn't nervous like I had expected. God just took me over and knocked me up with Joy. I told the women that they have purpose and a destiny and that I loved them from the bottom of my heart, because they were my sisters. I said if we are all saved and in the Kingdom of God together then we are sisters and it didn't matter about our past or where we came from, but where we are going to be when we die from the earth and that's going to be in Heaven.

I was able to be myself in front of about 18 women and share my heart with them. I tell ya, when I left there last night, I was glowing. God's Glory was all over me and I could feel. My heart was full of Joy, strength, hope, confidence and so much love I could hug a stranger anytime and share God's love even more.

Visiting the Jail and ministering to those men and women who come from so many different walks of life was definitely a faith builder and life changer. My life has been impacted by those individuals for the better and because of their lives and stories, I can keep going step by step and minister to others on the streets outside of prison and jail and be a witness for the Kingdom.

Blessings,
Jenelle