September 2007 Newsletter

This month has been great for Ouida and me. On Sept. 4 God blessed us with our eighth grandchild, Carter Logan Williams, weighing in at 6 pounds, 8 ounces, and 19 inches long. Praise the Lord, Mother, Dad and sons Cody and Carter doing great.

This month has been a busy one, with five Great Dad Seminars and three One Day With God Camps on Saturday following three of the seminars. We were in four states this month. I praise God that He continues to open doors for us to be able to share the Gospel of Jesus with incarcerated fathers and their children.

We saw God do an awesome work through the Great Dads Seminars and One Day with God Camps. Forty-eight fathers, nine children, five caregivers and two volunteers prayed to receive Christ. We were able to directly or indirectly impact about 375 children. Do we not serve an awesome God!!

Through collaborating partners like Prison Fellowship, Child Evangelism, Great Dads and Forgiven Ministries, God is working to begin breaking the cycle of the children following in their parents' footsteps.

God has opened the door for me to work on a monthly basis with three groups of fathers who have been through a Great Dads Seminar and One Day with God Camp. This gives us the opportunity to help these dads stay in contact with their children through special cards and award certificates. They share the needs of their children and what’s going on in their lives. We are able to pray for these needs and the children.

I would like to share Bob’s story with, so you can hear firsthand what God is doing. 
Dear Mr. Williams,
Before I gave my life to the Lord, I was responsible for two failed marriages, and as a result of my actions, both spouses vowed I would never be allowed to see my sons again. Shortly thereafter I gave my life to the Lord. I cried out to God for a restoration of a relationship with my sons. Several months passed as I wrote to my sons with no reply.

Then one day I received a letter from my oldest son. It was a very simple letter saying he loved me and missed me, but he was also hurt, and it would take time for him to trust me again. Several months passed, and I applied for Forgiven Ministries’ one day camp.

Although my oldest son could not come, my youngest was able to attend, and the day of the camp was truly blessed by God. I learned a great deal about the importance of being a Dad to my boys, even while I remained incarcerated. Even greater, I learned to build a strong relationship with my sons with Jesus as the foundation. The highlight of the day was being able to lead my own son to Jesus! My son shared with my relatives that God had indeed transformed my life, and as time has passed, God is performing miracles by bringing my entire family back together.  I pray that through my testimony of God’s grace and loving kindness that other hearts and lives will be changed, that other families my be reunited through Him.
Your Brother in Christ,
BOB (name changed)

I want to thank each of you whom God uses to make this ministry possible. Without each of you, it would impossible for us to share this kind of story with you. You know this already, but one day in Heaven the people I share with will walk up to you and say, it’s because you cared that I’m here.

I want to thank those of you who have come on this month to sow into the ministry both monthly and with single gifts. Again I thank you and I pray God will continue to bless you and your families.

I covet your prayers for Ouida and myself as we face some personal and family challenges. Continue to pray for the dads, children and the caregivers of their children that God will bring about change in their relationships with Him first and healing in these families. Pray for God to place mentors in the lives of the dads and their children to disciple them. Continue praying for God to bring along those He wants to be part of this ministry.

In His Service
Jim Williams
Matthew 6:33
Blue Ridge Ministries
P.O. Box 24105
Greenville, SC 29616-4105