Do people in prison deserve the misery they experience?
God loves all men and women no matter how far they have
fallen. His plan is to use our brokenness to reach us with his great love and
give us hope. Celebrate Recovery is filled with scriptures offering healing and
forgiveness for those who have messed up lives.
By receiving God’s free gift of eternal life, inmates begin
a new life of freedom, freedom from their past hurts, habits and hang-ups.
Addictions are broken, memories are healed, and relationships are restored. God
reaches out to all, including those who have rebelled against him.
Let me share with you a couple of heart felt stories:
There
is a young woman named Isabel (her name has been changed to protect her
identity). She carried a lot of bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness as she replayed over in her mind the
events that robbed her of her freedom and placed her behind bars. Isabel showed absolutely no remorse for her
actions! She mentioned she would do it all over again in order to
protect her loved ones from being harmed.
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| Karla, Ana and I love serving "Our Girls" on the inside |
Isabel joined our CRI (Celebrate Recovery Inside) group in
the Ensenada Prison. She was one of the many who join us to get
out of their cells. Isabel surrendered her heart to Jesus and
made him the Lord of her life. She finally found a way to let go of
the anger, deep seeded resentment and bitterness that stripped her of her peace
and well-being.
Isabel has been in prison for almost two years and will soon be
sentenced for her criminal act of violence. She rests knowing God has a plan
and a purpose for her life. Isabel trusts, no matter the length of the sentence
she is given, God is in control. She knows her time in prison will be used to
instruct her on how to draw closer to Jesus.
Isabel will one day be released from this physical imprisonment, until then she has found spiritual and emotional freedom by placing her life in
the hands of Jesus.
"I, Francisco, also made poor choices in my earlier years and
paid the price by spending five months of confinement in jail. Being in
captivity freed me from twenty years of heroin addiction and provided me the
opportunity to invite Jesus into my life. That
was 29 years ago and I have never looked back! God used the difficult
circumstances in my life to bring me to the foot of the cross. My short
time of imprisonment was life changing for me. When I was released from jail I found Celebrate Recovery, a program that helped me grow in my new relationship with Jesus. Today I am the pastor of Celebrate Recovery in our local church. As a husband and wife team, Cheryl and I find it an honor to bring hope to the broken and lost."
The children and adults had a great time. Francisco was the black and red super hearo
Francisco recently returned from his 1st mission trip to Guatemala with Calvary Rosarito. Men, women and children came to know Jesus through street evangelism, Children's ministry, and other various modes of ministry. Francisco shared his beautiful adventures with me which reminded me of my 1st mission trip, which was also in Guatemala 36 years earlier. Isn't that cool!
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| Hope you can join us |
Mark your calendars! Saturday October 23 from 9 am to 3:00 pm PST we will be hosting our annual bilingual Celebrate Recovery Networking Event livestreamed at Calvary Rosarito. Our keynote speaker, Mexico's Celebrate Recovery representative will be Cesar Villarreal Cervantes. You will receive tools and encouraging words on how to find peace in the midst of the storm and hear some powerful testimonies. If you are not able to join us in person click on this link
https://www.facebook.com/calvaryrosarito/Thank you for partnering with us in the Mexico Recovery
Ministry. There are plenty of others just like Francisco and Isabel that seek a second chance. It is an honor to partner with you in this ministry.
Your prayers and gifts are making a difference in Mexico.
Blessings,
Cheryl & Francisco
