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Summer 2008
SEED PLANTING & FRUIT by Pastor Curt & Julie Stanley
This is an exciting story from a brand new Christian. Pastor Curt shares his story and then Julie follows with her testimony.
Chaplain Sonju and I were walking out from the cell block of the Cass County Jail into the main lobby. As we were passing through the lobby I noticed two women that had such sad faces and looked so lost. We stopped and introduced ourselves as the Chaplains and then prayed with them. The Holy Spirit did the rest. Mike and I had long forgotten about this event. The Chaplains ministry is such a powerful seed planting ministry. Rejoice with us as you read Julie’s testimony.
Pastor Curt Frankhauser
Julie Stanley’s testimony:
God brought Chaplains Mike and Curt into my life at the Cass County Jail when my friend and I were in the lobby bailing out my friend’s husband. These two Chaplains made a permanent impression on me because they were filled with so much love and compassion, not only for the inmates but for the two of us as well.
About an hour and a half after the Chaplains shared with us I had such a strong feeling that I had to find and talk to them about what was going on in my life. I went back to the jail but they were gone by then. I asked God to please help me find them and He literally led me to First Assembly. I didn’t find the Chaplains that day but I met Pastor Cal, the Youth Pastor. That day my life and the lives of my children were changed forever.
My son, Mike Jr., now attends church close to his home. My daughter Shyla and I have been baptized and attend First Assembly. Shyla is involved in the Children’s Ministry and I am active in Celebrate Recovery, Life Skills, Mentoring Class and the Sunday services.
A couple of months after praying with Pastor Cal I ran into Chaplain Mike at church. I haven’t seen Chaplain Curt since that first meeting but I thank God for bringing these two men into our lives. I now know the difference of what it means to believe in God and serve Him.
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A WORD FROM PASTOR CURT:
We welcome our newest board member, Ken Schwanke to serve the Peace Officer Jail Chaplains Association. Ken is owner of Quality Auto Body in Fargo and Valley City. Ken is married to Linda.
Linda (Ross) was a church kid where I was a pastor. Ken was new to the church and took notice of this young lady and the rest is history. Ken and Linda are the parents of four children and I have watched them built two successful businesses. I look forward to the business wisdom Ken will add to this ministry.
Pastor Curt & Kathy
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A CHARLIE CHAPLAIN UPDATE by Lynn Burdine
One of the goals we have as chaplains is to be replaced in ministry by inmates who have received Jesus Christ as Savior while incarcerated. These individuals know firsthand the issues and difficulties faced by this population. Their experience and insight is a powerful witness and gives credibility to the gospel and to the transforming power it can have in the inmates’ lives.
God is allowing us to see His fruit at work in our weekly Moms in Touch prayer group. Angie Ingebretson, a former Cass County inmate, has joined Karen Adams and me as a co-leader. What a privilege it is for us to work with Angie and see her love and immediate connection with the women who attend. Her desire to serve the Lord and share how her life has been changed is a great influence for Christ in the Charlie Pod (women’s unit).
Karen and I are blessed to have this privilege. Angie is our “Timothy” and we are waiting with joy and anticipation for more. We know there will be others as we hear the women pray for God to change their lives and the lives of the children and families. To God Be The
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A CHARLIE POD TESTIMONY: ANGIE INGEBRETSON
I have been working with the inmates at the Cass County Jail for a little over two months. We lead a prayer group called Moms in Touch. We all get together and pray for our children and their caregivers. This program is so rewarding to me and the inmates. As I share my past with these young ladies I can see the hope in their eyes. It inspires them to know that it is possible to make it. We have a great time of prayer and fellowship and when we are through I get a sincere “thank you” from each of them.
What I see in these women is what I used to be and that makes it easier for me to relate. They are filled with hope and in jail they have time to think about how their life can be different and make plans for the future. I believe that the Moms in Touch prayer group reconnects them to God and to the love they have for their children and it also gives them hope to see me there as an example. It is also rewarding for me to pray with them and know that I am helping others.
What it all comes down to is that we are all people and we all make mistakes. As the saying goes, “Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.”
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KAREN ADAMS STORY
It’s Tuesday and my friends and family know that for my week it is “jail day”. Every Tuesday at 12:30pm I go to jail, go directly to jail, I do not pass go, nor do I collect $200.00. However, my rewards are immediate as wee as eternal. I have the privilege of being a volunteer under Chaplain Lynn Burdine to assist in a Mom’s In Touch prayer time for any interested women in Charlie Pod of the Cass County jail.
Call us Charlie’s Angels, if you wish even though it is we who receive the blessings as we pray with the women for their children and their children’s caregivers. Together we share, pray, and simply love on them through the power of Jesus Christ. Time is always too short!.
Wes, we do see the fruit. As I listen to one inmate pray, “I just want to be the person you created me to be”, I am rejoicing within regarding her new found spiritual understanding. It never fails that when I leave the facility I feel better than when I came. In the natural it may not make sense that time spent with the jail can give me a lift, a smile, and a skip in my step. However, in the spiritual realm, it does exactly that.
Then there is Angie, once an inmate, now assisting our ministry from the outside through the power of a changed life in Jesus Christ. What positive proof of God’s never ending, unconditional love. Angie is like an angel in our midst as the gals listen and receive hope; thinking, if she can do it, maybe we can too!
So who better to hear from than Angie as she relates her experiences as she ministers in our Mom’s in Touch ministry.
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