It was a beautiful day on June 13th as we drove north to Pugsley Correctional Facility near Traverse City. Kathy & Jerry Wittingen, two faithful supporters, willingly drove up to be with us at the concert. We are truly grateful for them and all our supporters who see the need for the message of Christ in prisons.

We had been to this particular prison only once before, and were looking forward to keeping our promise to the men by coming back.

As they filed in they thanked us for coming again. You could feel the excitement in the air about the concert. Wayburn poured out his heart again in song, and the men were clearly moved. I was soon greeted by a huge smile from a young man I recognized right away. His name was Andrew; I had met him two years prior, in one of the Muskegon prisons.

I distinctly remember him at the E.C. Brooks facility because he came forward and gave his life to Christ. The very first time I saw him, his face was sad, his eyes distant, and he sat with a broken demeanor. Part of prison life is being moved from prison to prison and you never know when, where, or why. The second time I saw him was after he had received Christ—and he was a different person. I honestly didn’t even recognize him. He face shone with the light of the Lord. He was standing at the door waiting for us and he shared that he was growing in Christ and had been baptized.

Now at Pugsley he couldn’t wait to tell us how he had decided to go into full-time Christian ministry when he gets out of prison. He had his Bible and notebook in-hand as he shared his ideas to serve the Lord full-time and tell others of the joy he has found in the Lord.

We thank God for pouring out his grace on Andrew and we pray for him as he continues to grow in the Spirit.