Over 200 women have graduated from our Discipleship Unlimited Faith Dorms. Many are still locked up and serving on the inside. However for those going home, Reignite has been a catalyst to rekindle relationships with volunteers and a time to encourage each other in their unique walk! Rio Vista Baptist church hosted us for the second time. Carla and Randy Hooton were at the helm. The Pastor attends and invites us to do his worship service on Sunday morning. Our women are so grateful.
Here are just a few stories of transformed lives, lives you have invested in, so we are excited to tell you about them!
Betty Gonzales
Betty Gonzales served a five-year sentence at Murray unit. She opened our retreat with the following admonition:
"God chose us to be in the faith based dorm. Now that we are home He speaks to us.
Trust me. I've got you. Even when I lost custody of my son because of my past he provided. I made a choice: ‘I will praise Him in this storm. I will go to others in need.’ I serve in Celebrate Recovery and now the parole office is sending people to our CR. I am equipped with a passion for God and the commission to spread the word."
Grace House is a wonderful stepping stone after prison, and we are seeing DU graduates being used and being blessed mightily there in this place of strong continuing discipleship.
Penni Simms and Lori Riggs Newton
Penni Simms, one of our graduates, attended the Gun Barrel Grace house. Now Penni is its director! Lori Riggs Newton was a nurse who was addicted to prescription drugs.
She did five years at the Hobby Unit and is now teaching others the principles she learned in Celebrate Recovery plus holding a job and going to school. She graduates with honors as a drug and alcohol counselor in May. She has a passion to see captives set free and serves on the board of Gun Barrel Grace house.
Thank you for all the healing going on in these lives, Lord. You are incredible.