Tri-Cities Women's Jail Outreach "The Campus Without Walls Behind the Wall"
February 2025 Newsletter |
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"For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34 |
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How special this month has been as our students and volunteers focused on prayer, filling ourselves with God's Word, and daily making it a priority to live in His presence. As we faced dark, grey days, we pulled out some lessons from 2017 and spent time learning again how to speak life to others in kindness. There is peace in the pods! Using "Speak Life" by TobyMac, "Liar" by Jelly Roll, and "The Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns we practiced the many, many admonitions to use our words for good and not evil from the depths of our hearts.
As the extremely cold days and nights kept us indoors, we thought of our sisters behind the jail and prison walls completely indoors. and wrote thankfully in our gratitude journals as they wrote in their "journals" made of copy paper folded in half. God truly blessed us all as we set our hearts on Him. |
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We said "until we meet again" to our precious sister and behind the scenes worker, Joanne Linn, as she left this earth on January 3, 2025 at the age of 85. She loved Jesus with all of her heart and "fostered hundreds of children in Washington State, providing them with a safe and loving home" according to her obituary. She volunteered with us for almost 25 years, correcting Bible studies, writing to our local women who were sentenced to prison, and addressing newsletters until a couple of years ago when, as her thinking became more difficult, she asked for names of women and situations she could pray about instead.
Earlier, for over a year, she had even coordinated a combination women's Bible study and children's Christian movie time at a local substance use disorder recovery program, asking us to teach the ATC curriculum to the moms. We will truly miss Joanne's positive nature and kindness to all and we send our love to her family and close friends. |
January was also a month of several excellent training sessions, especially one coordinated by a local Reentry Navigator from the Department of Corrections, Michelle Ballard. Over 50 agency representatives met to begin "Community Partners for Transition Solutions" to assist individuals reentering the community after finishing their sentences in jails and prisons. How rewarding it is to see our community becoming proactive in helping provide people with resources and a coordinated system to help promote their successful transition back into the community. |
As we celebrate Valentine's Day by sharing the best gift of love ever given, that of Christ to each of us, we have another special celebration coming. Did you know that our Tri-Cities Women's Jail Outreach will be 45 years old this month? Many thanks go to Pastor Jesse Wilkinson who sponsored us to Pastor Mike Hodges in February of 1980. Think of all the lives that have been touched and healed through the love and instruction of our volunteers. Such amazing grace!
Thank YOU too, for holding us up in prayer and through your gifts, some of you for many of those years. We could not have done this without you partnering with us and with the loving God that we serve. As we continue to work together I can only imagine how many more women and their families will live in freedom. Let's make February a month when women reach out to Jesus, the lover of their souls.
Putting Hope Within Reach Until All Live Free. |
Kathy Rither, Director Tri-Cities Women's Jail Outreach (509) 946-5395 PO Box 1218 Richland WA 99352-1218 |
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