For 11 days in November, we had the privilege of reaching out to approximately 9,500 inmates in the country of Bulgaria, which is located in Eastern Europe. Bulgaria was once ruled primarily by communism until the early 1990s. It’s a beautiful country surrounded by mountains, but at the same time struggling with poverty on many levels.
For many of the inmates, this outreach was the first time anyone had reached out to them while incarcerated. While they were grateful for the gift bags, they were more thankful for the love and concern that was shown to them. In every prison we heard the same thing over and over again - gratitude for Joyce Meyer Ministries showing concern for the inmates. Through the support of our partners we were able to reach out and show love and support as well as a tangible gift to approximately 9,500 inmates.
One of the main highlights for me was a discussion that I had with Dean, a 28-year-old inmate. Eight years ago Dean lost his grandmother, who was one of the only people who showed him love. When Dean lost his grandmother he became very angry with God, blaming Him for her death. As a result, Dean turned his back on God and began to get in trouble with the law. But over the last year, Dean has come back to the Lord and told me that it was in part due to Joyce’s books.
As Dean puts it, "I'm thankful for coming to this place because being in prison I have come back to the Lord.” Dean has six more years to serve before his release but those years will be easier to serve because of his recommitment to Jesus.
Overall, this prison outreach to Bulgaria was a fantastic success; we had open doors at every turn as well as the support from each prison. The inmates were very thankful for our visit and support. Our prayer is that their lives will never be the same, and that as they read Joyce’s books, the Holy Spirit will confront them with the truth and they will turn to Jesus as their Saviour.
Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.
