Hello

all! Sorry that its taken me so very long to get round to sending another of theseits been on my to-do list for an age! Thank you all so so very much for your continued support and prayers over the past months (even if youve not known what to pray about!). Things here in Bristol have definitely picked up so that theres a lot more for me to be doing, which is great. As its been a while since my last one Im afraid this is a bit of a bumper edition (go straight to the end if you just want prayer points!), but it will hopefully bring you up to-date, and provide fuel for any prayers Bristol Prayer and Support Group (PSG) I am currently trying to set up a Daylight PSG in Bristol, made up of people, churches and organisations who are passionate about the gospel work that is going on behind bars. The idea for this group is that I would head it up (at least initially), and we would meet together on a monthly basis in order to pray for the local prisons, staff, chaplains and guys inside them. The work here is three-fold in that a successful PSG really relies upon having good relationships with: 1) local chaplains, 2) local agencies and organisations who provide services relevant to ex-offenders, and 3) local churches keen to get involved in the work. The good news is that when I talk to churches and organisations, their responses are often very positive and along the lines of weve been wanting to do something like this for ages!, the down side is that I am finding that people can be very delayed in getting back to me, and so it can feel like very slow progress! Wonderfully though, a great number of Bristol-based people and churches are keen to be involved. So, although there is more recruiting and networking to be done, I now just need to get on and organise our first meeting, in the hope that some people will come along to it so that we can start praying and seeing God answer prayer and open doors for his gospel, which so many people behind bars still need to hear!

May 2012 Update

What does a Prayer and Support Group do?

The initial focus is prayer, however the hope is that PSGs can help to meet other needs identified by local prison chaplains, whether inside the prison or out. For example, members of the PSG might write to prisoners, visit them, or help lead bible studies on the wings, or might provide post-release support to offenders as they reintegrate back into society. Post-release support or follow up ministry is something were very keen for the Bristol PSG to be involved in. This could involve meeting men at the gate on their release day and driving them to their accommodation, informally mentoring them, and helping them to access relevant help (drug addiction recovery, housing, education, mental health services etc). PSGs also provide an opportunity for prisoners whove shown an interest or made a commitment to Christianity during their time inside to be invited along to a church and welcomed into a community where they can be encouraged in their faith after leaving prison.

HMP YOI Ashfield This is a Young Offenders Institute that houses about 230 boys aged 15-

18 and is only about 20 minutes drive from central Bristol. Over the past couple of months I have had a couple of meetings with the head chaplain, a lovely Christian guy called Mark who is extremely keen for Daylight to get more involved there, which is brilliant. We have decided that we will run a Christianity Explored course there in September, and he has also invited me to go in on a weekly basis to start building relationships with the lads 30% of boys and 47% of and get ideas on how best to interact with them and keep their focus (which seems to me to be almost impossible with girls in custody reported boys of that age!). He has also said that, because so many of having had no visits in the lads do not get visited by friends or family while serving the last month or never their sentences, it would be good if members of the PSG having had a visit during could visit them on an informal basis, building relationships their sentence. through which the gospel can be shared. HMP Bristol This is a category B prison for male adult offenders in central Bristol, literally five minutes walk from where I live! This place is brimming with possibilities as there are so many churches on its doorstep (mine included) that are keen to get involved in ministering to the guys imprisoned there, and such a high percentage of the guys incarcerated are from the Bristol area so theres huge scope for establishing a follow-up ministry. However, so far it is proving very hard to penetrate the walls! God has been wonderfully good in providing contacts on the inside, but unfortunately the head chaplain, who is an evangelical Christian, has just been permanently suspended. Replacing him as head chaplain is a Muslim guy called Muhammad, who has temporarily put a stop to all external people coming in, and has asked that we present him with a proposal for the work that wed like to do, so thats something Im currently working on. Christianity Explored In the last few weeks its been a Coming to Christianity real privilege to go into Cardiff prison on a Tuesday morning as Explored is the Gillian and Stephen lead four guys through the Christianity highlight of my week Explored course. Im really impressed with the way that theyve tailored the material to be so interactive and relevant for M Cardiff prisoner prisoners, and whats been really touching is to hear the guys talk about how much they value the sessions. Ive also been really struck by how humbly they accept their own ignorance (in contrast with university students perhaps!) and how comfortable they are with asking stupid questions, because theyre hungry to know more about Jesus. At the end of the session focused on Jesus resurrection, the final question asked how the guys felt they should respond to the fact that Jesus will come again as a judge, to which one bloke said I think I need to get back to my cell, get on my knees and repent!. Its great to have moments like that to remind me why Im doing this internship and to motivate me in the times when Im doing slightly duller admin tasks at home. Usk Prison Ive also been going into this prison in Monmouth on a weekly basis recently. The plan was to run Christianity Explored here, but due to problems with refurbishments weve been unable to have a regular room and so instead have been doing bible studies and giving testimonies. There are around 10 men who are committed to this group and its really amazing to see the wonderful fellowship that has developed between them and how they all encourage each other and have fostered a sense of honesty and openness, as well as a collective thirst for wisdom and really wrestling with Biblical texts.

In other news...
New flat (see picture) I moved into a gorgeous and extremely spacious flat near the Gloucester Road in Bristol at the end of February, where I live with two other girls Kellie (primary school teacher) who I knew a bit from church, and Clair who is a nursery nurse from Essex whos very lovely. Weve really enjoyed having a place where we can invite people over for dinner and parties. Also, we are less than two minutes walk from the very beautiful St Andrews Park in one direction and St Werburghs City Farm and its adorable lambs and piglets in the other! For those who might want to get in contact my new address is: First Floor Flat, 114 Chesterfield Road, St Andrews, Bristol, BS6 5DU (Id love to hear from you!)

Mediating I have just completed a 56 hour training course that qualifies me to mediate neighbourhood disputes in Bristol. This means getting all of the parties involved in a dispute to meet together and helping them to resolve the conflicts they have by reaching an agreement between themselves. Ive really enjoyed this training and have formed some meaningful friendships with other trainees, though Im glad to have my weekends back now that its over!

Crisis Centre I spend quite a lot of my week helping out with various initiatives run by an organisation called Crisis Centre Ministries. My boyfriend Jonny and I help out at the homeless caf each fortnight, and then I stay on to help at the womens night shelter that theyve recently set up. More recently Ive started volunteering on Wednesday afternoons in classes that they run which aim to provide people from chaotic backgrounds (homelessness/ addiction/personality disorders) with life skills, self-confidence, and training for employment. All of this is helping to develop useful skills in me, and this work is often a highlight of my week!

Priory I continue to do occasional shifts at Priory Mental Health Hospital, mostly working with people who struggle with eating disorders and addictions, which has been tough but rewarding.

Prayer points
Praise = For more to do in my week, and a better relationship with other Daylight staff For all the enthusiasm around the Bristol PSG and the partnerships that have already been formed For the great relationship with Ashfield thanks to the chaplain Marks gospel focus. For all those whove heard the gospel through Daylights work in Cardiff and Usk. Petition = That Id organise a date for the first PSG meeting soon, + that people would come! Wisdom in knowing how to effectively reach the lads in Ashfield, and recognising and implementing changes that might need to be made to Christianity Explored to make it more accessible for them when the course starts in September. For God to miraculously open doors in HMP Bristol, and help for me and others who Im partnering with as we put together and present our proposal for the new head chaplain to consider (Ive never done anything like this before!). For prisoners C, C, A, and M in Cardiff that in the final week of Christianity Explored they might accept Christs call on their lives and that myself, Stephen and Gillian would help them to better understand gospel truth. That many of them might sign up for the Discipleship Explored course running for a week in June. For my attitude towards the men in Usk to be more like Jesus in seeing them as being created in Gods image and in need of salvation. To continue to build healthy relationships with them and for wisdom as I prepare and lead a bible study with them this week.