The Lord has given each of us our own work to do. I planted the seed. Apollos watered it. But God has been making it grow. So the one who plants is not important. The one who waters is not important. It is God who makes things grow. He is the important one. (1 Cor. 3: 5b-7; NIrV).

For the past seven years I have had the privilege of helping you plant seeds, water both tender shoots and mature plants, and harvest souls for Jesus’ sake. It’s now time for another “farmer” to guide and foster this ministry. Occasions like this provide an opportunity to count blessings in the past and anticipate God’s love in the future.

Some of the enduring memories I take from my time here are the comments from our students. They tell how our Bible studies have helped them come to know Jesus or know him better, or how they are eternally grateful for all the volunteers. For instance, William, a student in Arizona says: “I enjoy learning and these study guides bring me joy and shine God’s light in this dark place I’ve put myself in. Thank you for all the encouragement!”

Another memory I take with me is the love and dedication of all our volunteers, donors, and staff. Thank you all for your support and service to the Lord that was not in vain. It was especially gratifying to see the enthusiasm of our volunteers as they labored into their 80’s, 90’s and even 100’s. One of my great joys was providing an opportunity for meaningful kingdom work for seasoned Christians who don’t have other options. I’ll also remember the faces of our volunteers who finished their race here and heard their Savior say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Our verse reminds us that there is only one thing that truly matters, Jesus our God and Lord. He gave us the work to do and blessed it. And there is much left to do. I pray our ministry masters and greatly expands digital delivery of God’s saving Word. I pray that our ministry increases visits to current inmates and mentoring former ones.

As John the Baptist said: “He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30, NIV) I commend this ministry and all of you in Jesus’ harvest field into the nail-scarred hands of him who desperately loves us and those we serve. Trust Jesus as you continue to support and serve in his name.

Dave Hochmuth, WELS Prison Ministry administrator

 

 

 

Our efforts to make electronic delivery and correction of tests are bearing fruit. After a long struggle, we believe we have ironed out many of the issues that arose during the initial months using our online corrector’s portal. The system is working much more smoothly. In fact, the system is working well enough that tests are corrected within a day or two of appearing on the portal and it appears that there is greater capacity to correct tests than there are tests available to correct. This is great news because it indicates we can expand the number of courses available on Edovo (still only three currently). WELS Prison Ministry and IM have developed an expansion plan and are starting to work on the initial tasks. Please pray for this effort as we seek to make more gospel available to more inmates.

Correctors’ corner

Once again, we want to emphasize the importance of correctors adding encouraging comments to the tests they review. Whether done in writing on a physical test or into a comment box on the online portal, these comments lift our students tremendously. Here are some factors to remember:

• • Please remember to be encouraging regardless of how well a student does on a test. We are commending them for spending time in God’s Word, even if their understanding is still limited.
  • Even a few encouraging words can make a huge difference. It shows Christ-like love, which is severely lacking in their lives.
  • Many of our students have been completely abandoned by their friends and family. That any person would voluntarily take time to look over their work is impressive to them and makes them more apt to take your words to heart.
  • When correctors do not add comments, our office staff has to take time to add them, which takes time from other ministry tasks and hampers our work.

If you want some advice or pointers on how to comment well, please contact our New Ulm office at [email protected] or 507-354-3130.