August 1, 2017
Dear Friends,
Our weekly Bible study has finished the gospel of Luke and is beginning the book of Acts, since it has the same author. Inmates are very appreciative of the level of rigor of our weekly Bible studies and new inmates are joining us! We also praise God that our worship services continue to thrive as new
inmates continue to join us.
I want to share a few prayers requests and praises:
1. I have begun counseling a deaf inmate weekly. An interpreter signs for us. Prison is difficult for an able-bodied inmate. But it is much more difficult for a handicapped inmate. I praise God that this inmate is growing in the Lord. Praise God that our counseling sessions are going well.
2. I tore the ligaments in my thumb when playing with my grandchildren at the park. I now have a cast on my right hand that I have to wear for the next four weeks. This makes leading worship more difficult, since I can’t play the guitar.
3. In my January newsletter, I wrote that I was learning to model
vulnerability when I shared with the inmates that I had a growing
mass in my spleen. A biopsy was inconclusive. A later CT scan showed that the mass had not grown. The doctors interrupted my happy dance with a request for a PET scan. In a PET scan, cancerous cells light up.
Unfortunately, the doctor informed me that the mass in my spleen lit
up slightly. Cathy and I see an oncologist August 2 to work out the best treatment plan. In woodworking, I learn to measure twice and cut once. I will apply the same principle to the doctor. I will seek a second opinion before any radical procedure.
I thank God for your continual support that makes this ministry possible.
D. W. ‘Rip’ Van Winkle