The Savior Jesus Christ Taught
“Then shall the King (the Savior) say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25: 34-40 in the Bible)
Portia Louder tells of her experience in prison.
“I served four and a half years in federal prison for real estate fraud. Most of the women there were quiet and respectful. Then 10 women moved into the cell across from mine.
They would stay up late at night laughing and listening to loud music. They didn’t seem to care how their behavior affected others. My roommates asked me to talk to them, but conversations like this usually don’t go well in prison. I prayed instead for these women to change their behavior and for peace to be restored, but things only got worse. While praying one night, I realized I hadn’t made any effort to get to know my neighbors. I went to their cell the next day and talked with them. They showed me pictures of their families and loved ones. They apologized for being too loud. From then on, they waved and seemed happy when they saw me.
A few weeks before Christmas, they invited me to have Christmas Eve dinner with them. We also planned to share with one another spiritual experiences we’ve had. On Christmas Eve, we gathered together and hung a few paper decorations. We didn’t have a Christmas tree, but we all felt a peaceful spirit. After our simple dinner of tuna fish and potato chips, we shared our experiences. We all had different religious backgrounds and each of our stories were unique, but our hearts were connected and the Spirit was there. April told us her mother had died of a drug overdose when April was 14. April lived on the streets and had a baby she placed for adoption when she was 15. She struggled with her own drug addiction, started dealing drugs, and was eventually sent to prison.
‘One day I wondered why I was even alive,’ April said. ‘It wouldn’t have made a difference if I died. No one knew I was in prison. No one would even know I was gone.’ She then prayed and asked God if He knew who she was.
The following week, a counselor in the prison handed her a letter from the girl she had placed for adoption.
‘God must be looking out for you,’ the counselor said. ‘I write to my daughter now, and she visited me once,’ April said. ‘I don’t know much about religion, but I know that God cares about me because He answered my prayer.’ After April shared her story, we all sat quietly with tears in our eyes. …When I prayed for my neighbors in prison, I began to recognize their divine potential and felt more fully the love and mercy of our Savior.”
(Used some of the article “The Power of Prayer in Prison” by Portia Louder in the December, 2020 Ensign.)
There are Many Lonely, Forgotten Children of God in Prison
I have talked to prison chaplains and prison staff and there are many prison inmates that do not have family members or friends that visit or communicate with them while in prison. I have visited inmates in the Manistee jail and prison inmates in the Manistee Oaks Correctional Facility that wanted to learn more about the gospel and teachings of Jesus Christ to change and start living a more righteous life. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, most jail and prison visits were discontinued. As a result, I registered with the Michigan prison system to be able to send emails to inmates. To do the same you need to have the inmate’s name and inmate number (usually a six digit number). To send emails go to the www.Jpay.com website and register with this inmate communication service (there may be other inmate services, but this is the one I use). You purchase email stamps (approximately 25 cents per email) and type an email message to the inmate and Jpay sends the email to the inmate. I usually click to pay for the inmate to answer my email so that he does not have a cost when he answers. If you know inmates in jail or prison, show your interest and kindness by visiting or corresponding with them.