Women’s Prison Ministry: Beth Helman’s Story

[intro]Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.—Matthew 25:40

Women’s Prison Ministry is a way for women at Riverview to reflect Christ’s love to women behind bars. One way they do this is by writing letters to inmates, which can also be followed by face-to-face visits once a relationship has been established.[/intro]

I (Beth Helman) joined the Prison Ministry because I like to write letters and I felt drawn to the opportunity to brighten someone’s day in prison. I have made a lot of poor decisions in the past myself and felt like I could easily be in their shoes had circumstances been different.

I was assigned a woman who was interested in corresponding with someone from the church. She accepted Christ and was baptized in the prison and was looking for a little extra encouragement in her new relationship with Jesus. We wrote letters back and forth for eight months before I started visiting her.

After three years in prison I was her first visitor. We were both nervous to meet each other since it was a new experience for both of us.  I am amazed at how strong my incarcerated friend is in her faith, and I am humbled to say that I think she has been more of an inspiration to me in my walk with Christ than I have been to her. She spends a lot of time in the Word and we just started a Bible study together. I continue to write to her on the weeks I can’t visit, and pray for her and her family during the week.

The experience of going to the prison has taught me a lot about God’s grace, love and sovereignty. Sometimes we become so comfortable with our lives here that we forget that we all have a deep need for Jesus, and we look elsewhere for happiness and satisfaction. Visiting someone in a dark and depressing place and seeing them be content in Christ is a crazy and humbling experience. It has helped me to understand what it means to endure suffering, to submit to authority, to be thankful in all circumstances, and to trust the Lord to meet your needs. It has opened my eyes to the light of the gospel that I tend to take for granted, the gospel that gives life, hope, joy and peace to all who believe. It is awesome how when you seek to become a blessing to someone else, they end up becoming a blessing to you also. Praise God.

My inmate friend wrote this about the experience:

“Having a penpal from Riverview Church has been a blessing to me in so many ways. She brings much joy, hope, faith, and strength to my life. Life and times are difficult no matter what our situation may be. Encouraging words mean so much and make a difference in our lives daily. Just the simple small talk with a fellow Christian sister brightens my day and raises my spirits. I am very thankful for the opportunity to have her in my life. She is a constant reminder to me of how amazing God is. He gives us exactly what we need right at the times we need them most.”

My friend was paroled last fall and has had some challenges since then. I hope and pray she is deeply rooted in her faith in Jesus to help her weather this storm. The Compassion ministry and the women who “go” in the prison ministry came together to collect clothing and personal needs items for her, which she was extremely grateful for. (Most women who are paroled leave with only the clothes on their backs.) I am grateful for the time spent with her and hope that she will soon be able to come visit our church and stay with our family for a weekend. It would be wonderful to spend time with her outside of the prison walls.

In the meantime, I have started a writing relationship with a new inmate at WHV and hope to encourage her in her faith and help brighten her days during the rest of her time there. God’s grace is something none of us deserve and is given to all those who believe, regardless of their past. She struggles with guilt and this is something I remind her of often, that in Jesus there is no condemnation, by grace through faith. Thank the Lord.

 

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Image credit: Christina Xu