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Greetings!
I did a magic trick today for my new friend, Zack. He is six. I showed him how I could , amazingly and with a great deal of East-Texan flourish, cause four cotton-balls to pass right smack through the solid bottom of a cup. When his jaw dropped, I said, "Don't ask me how that happened, Zack! I can't figure it out either!"
That's pretty much my take about the "magic" of these past two months. Don't ask me how it all has happened, but it's been fast and amazing and my jaw kept dropping. And, jaws around me kept dropping, as well.
We know, of course, that we are standing under a waterfall of Grace from our God.
EVENTS! Children with their Dads in Prison! Events! Women's Prisons! Men's Prisons! Church events! Women's Retreats! Meetings with Seminary Professors! Meetings with Texas legislative officials! Meetings with Texas prison officials at headquarters! How's about two days back-to-back with women inmates, packed in rooms, chapels, gyms, ready for someone to tell them they are not forgotten!
And the children! We recently got back from a weekend with the children and their Dads! We were at Connally Penitentiary in Kenedy, Texas, for 2.5 days. And we're going to take children into Plane State Women's Prison in February, just a few months away. Oh yes, we are greatly concerned about how we can create new ways to reach out to the ultimate victims of all bad-adult-decisions: the children. And with crime, you have multiple tiers of victims-- the direct victims of the crime and also the indirect ones. The indirect victims are the children or course. The little ones don't take the bullets, but they take wounds to the heart and mind. People in the family make poor choices, and where that happens in a family, there are always children who suffer. ALWAYS. Stay with us, and we promise to find ways to help Texas children! We are determined to find ways to have greater impact on little ones who have been shattered by the bad choices of imprisoned mothers and fathers.
JUST COMPLETED! We recently finished, as noted above, an historic weekend with the children of Daddies at Connally Prison in Kenedy, TX. It was a Children's Day with God....And DAD! Working in partnership with Scottie Barnes and her team from North Carolina, we along with other prison ministries brought children into the Connally Penitentiary! Here's what Daddies look like when they cover their prison uniforms with a Day With God and Dad T-shirt and then grab a daughter they have never held! Want to come with us? Email info@heartoftexasfoundation.org and let us know!
 | | A Dad in prison gets to hold his daughter for the first time in his life. |
OUR WAY TO THE TEXAS CHILDREN IS THROUGH THE TEXAS DADS, WITH THEIR FIRST REAL 4-YEAR, ACCREDITED SEMINARY IN A TEXAS PENITENTIARY! Yes, this massive effort is led in large part by The Heart of Texas Foundation, and we are working in close relationship with Texas Senator John Whitmire and Senator Dan Patrick, along with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the prestigious Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the generous people of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.
Pending approval from the Accreditation professionals, our Seminary Bible College is planning to officially open its doors on August of 2011! We have been privileged to have the favor and the help of Warden Burl Cain at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana. He has been working directly with us at The Heart of Texas Foundation. And now a coalition of key Texas organizations have come together with us to create this historic new Extension Campus. It will be at the maximum-security penitentiary called, "Darrington," located in Rosharon, Texas. Our efforts will be to help promote a greater opportunity for moral rehabilitation in our prison system than has ever existed before. This seminary will greatly add to the many great programs Texas already has in place.
Texas has welcomed Warden Cain's help with enthusiasm. We have the full support of such key individuals as Brad Livingston, Executive Director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and his senior staff, along with State Senators John Whitmire and Dan Patrick; senior executives and professors from the prestigious Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth; officials at the Darrington Maximum-Security Penitentiary in Rosharon (south of Houston); and senior executives from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. All of these folks are helping us put together this enormous undertaking of bringing a new kind of moral rehabilitation effort to those programs already hard at work in our prison system here in Texas. We are blessed to have such great support from TDCJ, the Senators, the Seminary, the Convention, and prison officials everywhere. You will read more about this project with each newsletter as we move forward!
 | A Seminary Class meets in the Chapel at Angola Penitentiary in Louisiana-- and our Texas inmates will begin their classes in August, 2011, at the Darrington Penitentiary in Rosharon, Texas-- we have lots of work to do before then!
And we need your help.
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SO ZACK, don't ask me how all this is happening, either! And while little Zack's wide eyes saw something that was in reality a trick--- what's happening at The Heart of Texas Foundation is not a trick. It is reality, and you are helping us make that reality. Thank you for your financial support. Every little or big check that you send and every click you make on our "donate" button is helping to buy equipment for our road trips, to buy gas for the truck that hauls the trailer, or to buy stamps. We are not on our financial feet yet, but we are committed, nevertheless. Your help is giving us the means and time to work hard on all the opportunities that present themselves to us. We are determined to make a difference with the platform God has given us and with the energy we have for this ministry.
Pray, pray, pray for us. We need a few churches to come alongside us and become Covenant Partners so we can plan appropriately. A Covenant Partner is someone who pledges monthly support, no matter how small, so we can begin to count on cash flow for our planning. Would your church consider us as part of their giving? No matter how small, it would help us build stability into our efforts.
Thank you for being a part of our ministry (even if it means you just Like what we do)!
This issue of the Newsletter will give you some of the highlights of the past month, but it will only scratch the surface, I assure you. It truly has been a waterfall of God's Grace.
I sincerely thank you for your interest, financial support, and prayers. We have a massive mission on our hands, and it is clearly a mandate that we have been called to answer. And that we will.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR FINANCIAL GENEROSITY. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. YOU ARE OF THE GREATEST ENCOURAGEMENT TO ME. YOUR GIFT SAYS, "KEEP GOING. STAY WITH IT."
Cordially yours, with great hope,
Grove
Grove C. Norwood
Chairman
The Heart of Texas Foundation, Inc.
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NEWS FROM THE HEART OF TEXAS FOUNDATION ~ by Staff
A MEETING OF MINDS: IMPACTING TEXAS CHILDREN BY BRINGING 4-YEAR ACCREDITED BIBLE COLLEGES INTO TEXAS PENITENTIARIES:
On August 9, Key Players from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, from the State Senate, from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Warden Burl Cain from Angola Penitentiary in Louisiana, and business leaders from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention met at The Taste of Texas Restaurant to create the first fully accredited, 4-year Bible College in Texas prisons. Hosted by Edd and Nina Hindee, owners of The Taste of Texas, this meeting was an opportunity to discuss funding, locations, directorship, and accreditation for this historic effort.
This Seminary Bible college, to be located at Darrington Penitentiary in Rosharon, Texas, is for inmates all over Texas who are serving long sentences, including life. So, what is the point of establishing a Bible College in prison? What exactly can this accomplish for inmates in the prison population and, just as importantly, what can this possibly mean for the citizens of Texas? And most importantly for the children of Texas?
In a nutshell, fewer victims.
In a nutshell, fewer children of inmates going to prison in their parents' footsteps.
The model for this prison initiative is found in Louisiana's Angola Prison and Texas Delegates and Key Players are paving the way for Texas' first Bible College class to begin in August 2011. Grove will take a group of these key players and volunteers for a visit to Angola in October in order to get a better sense of the positive effects the college has had on "America's bloodiest prison."
Please follow the links below to to learn more about Angola's Bible College and to learn about how this dream is quickly becoming a reality in Texas.
VOICES FROM THE VOLUNTEERS
GATESVILLE PRISON: On July 17-18, volunteers made surprise visits to four women's prisons in Gatesville, Texas that house inmates who range from teenagers to grandmothers. The prisons were Murray Women's Penitentiary, Woodman Women's State Jail, Hilltop Women's Prison, and the Women's Trustee Camp. While the chaplains knew the volunteers were coming, the inmates did not. They watched "The Heart of Texas" documentary, then Lorraine Whoberry, founder of the Stacie Foundationshared her amazing testimony in the Sunday services.
Glenda Jones and Josie LeBoeuf, two petite but vibrant voices for God who have sung southern gospel in prisons for decades, joined the services on both Saturday and Sunday.
LOCKHART WOMEN'S PRISON: On June 2, 2010, seven women volunteers from The Heart of Texas Foundation--Patty Fuquay, Gabby Deluca, Pat Ward, LeaAnn Keeny, Paula Means, Nancy Briggs, and Susan Strickland--traveled to Lockhart, Texas and joined The God of Hope Ministries for a morning with the women inmates of Lockhart. We sang songs, shared testimonies, and visited with the 50 women who were finishing up a six-month, faith-based program. Patty, Pat, and LeaAnn shared their moving testimonies.
"The ladies we visited," said Patty, "were instant friends. Almost all had experiences that were similar to mine, which created an immediate bond and rapport between us. I already know that, but for the grace of God, I would be dead or in prison. This visit confirmed my belief. We received a warm and loving reception by the ladies. Their tears touched my heart, and God's love filled the room."
This was Pat Ward's first visit to a prison, and she had no idea what to expect. "My experience there was incredible and was probably one of the best things I have done as far as stepping out in faith. I felt God's presence there so strongly. These women were so hungry to know God as their Savior, to accept his forgiveness, and to know they are valued and loved. There is no limit to God's faithfulness. The whole experience was amazing, and I left very grateful to my God for his gift of salvation and faithfulness to me. With his grace, I will go back."
LeaAnn thought that each woman was "unique and each had her own individual story of pain and abuse. I was moved by the stories of their lives," she said, "and my own life was touched by each and every woman there."
HOTF MEETING AT DARRINGTON: On Thursday, August 19, six volunteers from The Heart of Texas Foundation accompanied Grove on a visit to the staff of Darrington Prison in Rosharon. Volunteers in attendance were Van Bradley, Ronnie & Gloria Green, Susan Strickland, Kenny & Analee Lentz. Grove brought a new film about the Bible College at Angola. Viewing it were Warden Brenda Chaney , Chaplain Don Lacy, Region 3 Chaplain Susan Mathis, the principal of the prison school, a couple of uniformed officers, and the Muslim chaplain. After viewing the film, Grove answered questions as to how the college would be funded, how participating students would be selected from the inmate population, and whether short-term or long-term prisoners would be preferable.
The meeting was a great success and the participants were enthusiastic about the new Seminary Bible College being housed at Darrington. We then adjourned to join Warden Chaney in visiting where the new Seminary Bible College would be located. The accomodations for the college went far beyond our expectations. Warden Chaney showed us numerous, and spacious, empty rooms where the new classrooms will be. She showed us where the computer lab and the theological library will be housed. Both Warden Cheney and her staff seemed as visibly excited as we were. The possibilities had become realities. Darrington would actually be home to the first 4-year Bible College in a Texas penitentiary. Pictures will be forthcoming!
GROVE REMINDS US OF THE TEXAS CHILDREN. Grove continued to remind everyone that while we are providing this Bible College for the men in Texas prisons, he reminded that most of the men are FATHERS OF CHILDREN, and that when the fathers gain true moral rehabilitation, they will turn toward their children and do their best to reconcile with those children, and help PREVENT the children from ending up in prison, as nearly 80% of inmate's children do. We are after the hearts of the children, through the rehabilitated hearts of the fathers. And the experience at the Angola Penitentiary in Louisiana, over the past 14 years, bears out what Grove is saying: the fathers will want to reach out to their children, once the hearts of the fathers are healed through an encounter with the truths contained in the Bible, and a 4-year Seminary Degree, as over 200 prisoners in Louisiana have proven.
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"SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENS" ~ Grove's initial message to all inmates
On August 18, nine volunteers from The Heart of Texas Foundation ventured to the Lockhart Women's Facility in Lockhart, Texas. Along with Grove, the volunteers were Paula Means, LeaAnn Keeny, Susan Strickland, David Maniscalco, Kristy Maniscalco, David Hanna, Kenny and Annelie Lentz. After the 50 inmates in the faith-based dorm watched "The Heart of Texas" documentary, Grove spoke to the women about what happens when God decides to reveal Himself to us. And the truth of the "something else" that happens was personally felt and known by every person in the room. God's spirit revealed himself to both inmates and volunteers alike.
Broken lives are being restored by God in Texas prisons. That is a reality. And we at The Heart of Texas Foundation are so blessed to be a part of that and to be witnesses to the power of love and acceptance for those who have been forgotten and cast aside.
Whatever the reasons that led each of us on the journey that day, we were all blessed "exceedingly, abundantly beyond" all that we could have anticipated or expected. And, the truth is, we volunteers need the blessings as much as the inmates do.
We are working on a printed and somewhat expanded version of Grove's talk, "Something Else Happens." Volunteer Gabby DeLuca has taken the time to transcribe a recent presentation in a church, where it was recorded. We hope to publish this expanded version soon.
If you wish to join us on this incredible journey, please contact us at The Heart of Texas Foundation.
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PULLING FROM THE CALENDAR:
August 29-30: We visited Lane Murray Penitentiary in Gatesville, Texas. Chaplain Karon Featherston has invited Grove and The Heart of Texas volunteers to return to Murray Unit to minister to the Medium Security segment of the inmate population.
October 14-16: We were at Connally Men's Penitentiary in Kennedy, Texas to join Forgiven Ministries as we help them host the well-known children's "Day with God." This incredible weekend brings children on inmates inside the prison for a full day of play and love. We are privileged to play a part in making that happen.
October 18-20 and 25-27: Grove will take a group of volunteers and Key Players in the Texas Bible College initiative to Angola Penitentiary in Louisiana for visits hosted by Warden Burl Cain.
Kenny Lentz, Event Coordinator for The Heart of Texas Foundation, will be conducting a series of training sessions for those volunteers who wish to be involved in "Day with God" weekends.
November 8: Delegates and Key Players in the Texas Seminary Bible College initiative will meet again at The Taste of Texas Restaurant in Houston to discuss the next steps in this historic effort to establish a Bible College in a maximum security prison in Texas.
Click here to see our Travel Schedule for more....
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LETTERS FROM INSIDE THE WALLS:
Each week we receive moving letters from both men and women inmates, as they react to our message in the prisons we visit. We will continue to share their comments with you in this section of the Newsletter. While they always sign their full names to their letters, we show only their initials to respect their privacy.
"I just want to thank you for letting your story be told. In watching your movie it's opened my heart to forgive. There are many things I'm learning and yearning to be changed and I know in the Lord's time all things are possible."
M.D., Inmate at Lane Murray Penitentiary
"Thank you for caring enough to share your story and love to all of us in need!"
J.L., Inmate at Lockhart Women's Prison
"Thank you for being the example of Christ's love and forgiveness. Thank you for sharing your pain and your hope with a broken world. God restored what I thought I had destroyed. He continues to prove His faithfulness to me over and over again."
L.S., Inmate at Lane Murray Penitentiary
"As I viewed your movie, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I felt the pain. I shed the tears. But when I saw you walk through those doors, I knew it was for real. I felt the presence of the Lord in the room.
S. R., Inmate at Lane Murray Penitentiary
We are grateful for the hundreds of letters we've received this year, 100% of them positive, and expressing thanks for our taking the time to reach out to the inmates.
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VOLUNTEER NEEDS:
- Part-time Administrative Assistant ~ Answering mail from inmates; emailing; filing; phone work; 2-3 mornings per week.
- Web Site Assistant Administrator
FINANCIAL NEEDS:
- Monthly or one-time gifts of financial support from businesses and individuals to directly offset expenses incurred in going into every prison in the State of Texas over the next 5 years.
- YOUR church to adopt us as a "Ministry/Missions Partner" and to provide a small monthly stipend to help us have FUNDING WE CAN COUNT ON to meet travel and operational expenses as we serve the huge Texas State Prison population, plan for 3 Seminaries inside our prison system, evangelize in our prisons each week, and speak in churches in Texas and other states. If your church would allow us to make an appeal to its Missions Committee, call Grove at 281-850-8103 or email us at info@HeartofTexasFoundation.org.
- Endowment donations to sustain our longevity and further our work for Penal Reform in Texas
EQUIPMENT NEEDS:
- Loan of a Motor Home or RV for members of our team when we travel to remote prisons where accommodations are scarce
- Wireless headset-- clear type, about $400
- Mid-sized portable Yamaha sound system-- about $1200, will have everything we need for outdoor events
- Sponsors for a Chinese version of "The Heart of Texas" documentary (about $10k needed)
- Sponsors for an Arabic version of "The Heart of Texas" documentary (about $10k needed)
THANK YOU FOR DONATIONS RECEIVED:
- THANK YOU! For donating the funds to create a full Spanish Translation of "The Heart of Texas" documentary. This translation is "live" with actors doing the voice-overs, not just sub-titles! It's great and ready to be ordered, as it comes built-into the new version of the movie, which has the English version as well, all built-in. Order here, from the producers.
- THANK YOU! Donation of $900 for additional sound equipment for prison presentations.
- THANK YOU! Donation of a second wireless headset with transmitter and receiver. These are used by our platform speakers in the prisons. We still need one more, at $439.
- THANK YOU! Donation of the huge movie screen, projector, and DVD player! Now we don't have to depend on the often worn-out equipment in many of the prisons. They have NO budget money for such things, and they exist in a prison only because volunteers bring them in. Now, we can bring our own equipment when we go and have already taken it to churches who don't have "huge" screens.
- God bless you for helping us, dear friends.
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 The Heart of Texas Foundation, Inc.
An IRS Approved 501(c)(3) Tax Exempt Charitable Organization
PO Box 991, Fulshear, Texas 77441
info@HeartofTexasFoundation.org
Office: 713-418-6990
FAX: 713-932-9578
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