Our 15th annual Blessing Bag Event held this weekend was a huge success, as D4C brought the love of God and Christmas cheer to all the men of the Hughes unit! What a fun time our 22 volunteers had as they worked alongside 12 guys, chosen to help in the chapel and prepare all the bags. So much went into this day, as the bags were filled and delivered, the chapel was festively decorated, and a wonderful lunch of lasagna, salad and bread was served to all the volunteers and men who helped. Three of our volunteers, Brian Buchanan, John Kuhl, and Dylan Shope had a great time as they visited and poured into the men in the Recovery dorm, and also held services in Seven and Three building.
At the end of the day, volunteer Robert Watson ministered in the evening chapel service, where 250 men came to worship with thankful hearts after such a blessed day! The message centered on You Are Worthy of the Gift! They read from Matthew 2, about all the gifts baby Jesus received from the wise men. They also read in Ephesians 2 about the gifts that King Jesus wants to give us today….His wonderful grace, mercy, and salvation!! The service was closed with a time of prayer ministry. We know that the small bags they received, filled with ordinary items, helped to soften and open the hearts of men, who may otherwise have never shown up in this service. Robert also ministered in the chapel service on Sunday.
One of our volunteers, Tasha Overall, had never been to this event before, and she shared with us what this day meant to her.
“Being allowed to come to the Hughes Unit and fill and deliver blessing bags to the offenders was possibly more of a blessing for me than it was for the inmates. We got to work alongside them, packing the bags we would deliver just hours later. The conversations were precious to me, and I will treasure the time I spent talking with those men. Each one I had the honor of interacting with was a joy to be around. Later in the day, we got to hear from them what the blessing bags event meant to them, which brought me to tears. For some, it was like a little family reunion, and for others, a rare opportunity for them to be with friends. They are a blessing to be around, and I look forward to my next chance to come and serve alongside them again.”
We were so blessed to have one of our volunteers, Damian, who is a Hughes alumni, able to come in with us this time. During our lunchtime, he shared about God’s grace in his life since being released and expressed the emotions he experienced coming back where he had been housed for many years.
Another testimony that came during our fellowship time was a brother in white who shared the fact that he didn’t get visits, so this blessing bag day was like spending the day with those that he considers his family.
D4C is so grateful for every year that we are allowed to come in and bring this special day to the men of Hughes! We want these men to always remember that they are not forgotten and that God’s heart of love for them is so huge no matter where they are or what they’ve done. Long after this day is over, we pray that His Spirit will move in this unit and many will come to know our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus! Thank you to everyone who prayed and served and helped make this day possible!
