Matthew 25 Ministries

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Category: 'Newsletters'



July 2009

July 22nd, 2009 | Category: Newsletters

THE

   Grapevine                                                                NEWSLETTER         

July 2009 Matthew 25 Ministries, Inc. A Ministry of Prison After-care

P.O. Box 5690, Lake Worth

, FL. 33466 (561) 670-5564

Dick Witherow  Maggie Witherow  dickwitherow@comcast.net Visit us on the web: www.matthew25ministries.org


THIS IS

AMERICA?

 

0n June 16, 2007th Dick & Maggie went to Miami Beach to see where five sex offenders had been forced to make their home under the

Miami Beach Causeway Bridge. Now, two years later their are 40 living there, and the powers to be have decided to put a park in close proximity to the bridge to force these squatters to leave. The only problem is, where do they go? It is the restrictive laws as to where sex offenders can live that forced them to take up residence there. Those laws state that most who have served time as a sex offender cannot live within 1,000 feet of anyplace where children congregate, including schools, parks, daycare centers and school bus stops. Many municipalities have passed ordinances extending this invisible barrier to 2,500 feet. Our investigations have shown that in most cases there is no where these people can live in Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Broward, or

Dade Counties. Now negative publicity surrounding the plight of these individuals has forced the City of

Miami to take this drastic action. Since most of them will not be able to find housing that conforms with the conditions of their probation, their probation will be violated and they will go back to prison.

Pray that we will be able to help some of them.

 

HOW CAN YOU KEEP YOUR CHILDREN FROM GOING TO PRISON?I know what you’re thinking; “My kids will never have to go to prison!” I certainly hope not, but statistics tell us in today’s society, that is a very strong possibility. The PEW Report of March 2009 titled “One in 31” states, “including the number of people on probation or parole the population of the American corrections system is now more than 7.3 million, or one in every thirty one U.S. adults.” Recent studies indicate that children of inmates have a 70% chance of ending up in prison. That’s not the kind of odds we want for our children or grandchildren. Today many parents are worried that their children will become the victim of an attack by a sexual predator! The greatest risk is not so muchof being sexually molested, but of your children becoming a sexual offender. Probably 50% of youth between thirteen and eighteen years old will commit a sexual crime before their eighteenth birthday. In spite of all the publicity about the alleged danger of sexual predators, the very real danger is that our children may end up being labeled a sex offender.How do we protect our children from becoming sexual predators? The problem involves the breakdown in our families. Children are growing up without a father’s love. The result has been an epidemic of alcoholism, drug addiction and sexual perversions among our youth. Think back to when you were entering adolescence.  Remember the confusion you had when those hormones kicked in?  If you had a struggle back then, consider the culture our youth are living in now. I recall my teenage years when sexual fantasies bombarded my thought life much of my waking hours, and hormonal reactions created wrong desires. Since that was over 60 years ago, imagine the struggle youth have in today’s sex saturated society. Reducing victimization is our number one objective. 

 

 

 

 

 

WESLEY STONE


I am 21 years old. I was born in Pahokee and lived most of my life in Okeechobee in four different foster homes until I went to live with my grandparents at age 12. I was very happy there for six months, but when Grandma died I was again placed in a foster home, until I was 14. Then I was allowed to move back with my Dad. I started getting into trouble and at 16 I was given a two year prison sentence. Prison is no place for a 16 year old. I had no place to go when I was released, until Matthew 25 Ministries agreed to help me. From day one my life started to change as God became an important part of my life. I learned to talk to God and to trust Him. As a result my life has been changing daily. I still screw up, but not as often or as bad as before. And I know with God’s help, I am going to succeed. I have become a part of a church family for the first time in my life, and I like it. I am now employed here with Awesome Lawn Maintenance. The work is hard and sometimes I get so ticked off with Pat. He always says there is no such thing as can’t. He says you won’t, or don’t want to, but there is no such thing as can’t. I am beginning to believe him. With the help of God and the guidance of the staff, I am going to make it, and someday I will own my own home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MINISTRY NEEDS:Cars in good running condition; Pressure Cleaner; Wet-Dry Vac; Golf Carts; Front End Loader; Single Bed Mattresses; Chest of Drawers, small Tables and Chairs; 34” Venetian Blinds; 13 gallon Trash Baskets; Micro-wave Ovens; Coffee Pots; Pots & Pans and Bibles for the church. 

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

July 7th - Chapel Service Martin C.I.

July 19th - Chapel Service Okeec. C. I

July 26th- Chapel Service Glades C.I..

Monday’s – Alcoholics Victorious Meeting  Glades C. I. *

Wednesday’s  Sexual Purity Glades C.I.*

Thursday’s -Men’s Work Release. *

 

* These programs are conducted by volunteers 

 

 

 

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