Christmas Behind Bars

07/21/2024

01/16/2022

This box truck is loaded and ready to be delivered to a facility right here in Indiana that we have never been to before it is the Edinburgh Correctional Facility Edinburg Indiana,
We received a letter from an inmate asking us if we could visit that facility he had been a recipient of the Christmas Behind Bars gift packages at another facility in his letter he told us who we should contact and they were very receptive we thank you so very much for your sponsorship of this ministry as it continues to grow we are certainly willing to go“

This year we were also contacted by a supervisor at a county jail asking us if they could be included for Christmas Behind Bars ,

Also we were delivering gift packages to the Branchville Correctional Facility and I figured I would call the local county jail which would be in tell city Indiana,
The person that answered the phone says I know all about your program I was a correctional officer at a prison and he approved the program _ Sharing with us what a blessing it is to the inmates and staff alike…

12/26/2021

As Christmas 2021 comes to a close the true meaning of Christmas will continue on as 5685 gift packages were delivered to over 30 of our county jails here in the state of Indiana, 700 gift packages to the Madison Correctional Facility for women, 1200 boxes of chocolate and soap were delivered to the Rockville Correctional Facility for women
650 gift packages were made for the Indiana women’s prison and delivered,
Pendleton Correctional Facility received approximately 1700 gift packages,
Correctional industrial facility received 1600 gift packages December 22, as well as some nice boxes of chocolate for staff,
Plainfield Correctional Facility received about 1600 gift packages,
The reception diagnostic center received about 650 gift packages 📦
Heritage Trail Correctional Facility received gift packages for all of their inmates and some items for staff as well”
6000 gift packages were delivered to the state of Nebraska on December 20 with the promise all of them would be delivered by Christmas Day,
Minnesota and North Dakota also received gift packages for Christmas this year,
The Statesville Correctional Facility in Illinois along with the Danville Correctional Facility Robinson Correctional Facility and Taylorville correctional Facility all received gift packages for Christmas this year“
As the ministry continues to grow we thank you for your sponsorship making it possible that we can continue to go”
May the Lord continue to keep and bless all of the efforts of this ministry bringing hope to those who are behind bars letting them know that lasting positive change is certainly attainable , we pray that hearts and lives will be receptive to the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ…

Some inmates made this plaque for us”

10/19/2021

Being seen is a basic human need and the reality for many incarcerated men and women is that they feel forgotten by the world. With your help we want to continue sharing the love of God with prisoners.

10/12/2021

The main Muslim leader of one prison in Kentucky wanted prayer for his mother who was sick with cancer. One year later he came up to Lemuel Vega and said, “you probably don’t remember me.” Lemuel asked, “how’s Mama doing?” The man said his mother was doing so much better. Then he stood there in silence for a long time and finally said, “I would like to know if you would have prayer with me. I am thinking about becoming a Christian.” They had prayer together in that same corner where they had prayer for Mama one year earlier.

Lemuel took his name and number and his wife sent him a study
Bible. Last year they saw him at another prison in Kentucky where he continues to read his Bible every day.

Speaking of Bibles, Christmas Behind Bars is asking if you and your church family would be willing to put a box out and start collecting used Bibles for their ministry. Please send any and all used Bibles you may have available to the address below. A used Bible has so much meaning. It was someone else’s. It has been underlined. It has been highlighted. It has little scriptures sometimes written in the margins. It gives them a place to start where most have never, perhaps, even opened a Bible before.

If you can help, our contact information is here; https://christmasbehindbars.org/contact/

04/26/2021

We just want people to know that lasting positive changes are available and certainly attainable through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ...
Christmas Behind Bars is no longer a seasonal out reach ministry but we visit jails and prisons across this country all throughout the year,
Your sponsorship of Christmas Behind Bars continues to make it possible that we are able to visit more people every year “
We are working on a huge project currently preparing for 6000 gift packages this coming week to be assembled and delivered here in the near future”
Please visit our website for Monica‘s story,
Arrested,
For Murder
Convicted to a double life sentence,
Six part series she will be writing to you from a Alabama maximum-security prison...

11/05/2020

To Our Friends , Families and supporters Of Christmas Behind Bars,

You are bringing hope into the lives of those who are behind bars for the furtherance of the kingdom of heaven…

We just received a call this past week from an Amish lady who said her husband is in prison. He is incarcerated in a prison of 3000 inmates, She wanted to know if we could bring the Christmas Behind Bars gift packages and the outreach ministry to the prison where her husband is incarcerated and has been for the last 11 years.

We are asking you today for your financial sponsorship to make this request a reality. Bibles and gift packages for all of those prisoners where her husband is incarcerated are approximately $10 for each, and any additional funds will be able to purchase hygiene items as well as Bibles.

Christmas Behind Bars is making a tremendous difference in the lives of thousands of people Who are behind bars as well as bringing Hope to their families and to their children here at Christmas Behind Bars.

We would like to take a moment to share with you of our deep appreciation and gratitude for your sponsorship in the past.

Christmas Behind Bars is a ministry that endeavors to bring the everlasting gospel message to those who are incarcerated,
Letting them know that they are not forgotten,
Letting them know that they can find peace and forgiveness,
Letting them know the plan of salvation through Jesus Christ” Brings true freedom.
Christmas Behind Bars receives products through your sponsorship.

We make gift packages filled with All kinds of snack items, granola bars, pretzels 🥨 chips, nuts 🥜 Ramen noodles 🍝 cereal 🥣 some candy Bars and devotional materials sometimes hygiene items like soap and toothbrushes, devotional materials like the daily bread and the path to peace, Bibles as Donations permit, we do use King James Bibles and if you feel impressed, to do so, you can give specifically for Bibles.

Two weeks ago we put together 4600 gift packages 📦 those packages were delivered to three major prisons in the state of Alabama, the majority of those incarcerated have been forgotten by society and most have been forgotten by families but not (one) of them have been forgotten by God”.

One inmate told me as we were unloading the semi truck that probably 65 to 70% of the inmate population in that prison was indigent, that means they have no outside financial support for simple things such as soap 🧼 or toothbrushes deodorant or any kind of snack items, They can’t get stamps or paper, 📝 the things necessary to stay connected with the outside world.

Right now during the pandemic, those that do have family are not allowed to come and visit them. If they are fortunate enough to have jobs inside the prison they do get paid for that work, but when I say get paid, it is not even $0.10 an hour.

On the way to Alabama our Thermo king unit or refrigerated unit which keeps the gift packages cool and the candy from melting stopped working during the night, the next day it was supposed to be in the 90’s in Alabama So I was driving through the night and able to get to Nashville Tennessee looking for a Thermal King dealership, I got lost in a rough part of town as I was looking for directions this young man named Andrew was sitting on the street corner homeless, hopeless, Hungry and tired; He had been using drugs for days he said he was 32 years old had no family in Nashville and felt so bad. He wanted to know if he could use my phone to call his sponsor. I was able to contact his sponsor as well as give him a peanut butter sandwich 🥪 two bananas 🍌 a apple 🍎 a bag of cucumbers 🥒 and two bottles of water 💦 we had prayer 🙏 together at 4 o’clock 🕓 in the morning as we departed. I promised him that God would walk beside him as he makes that decision for the right way of life.

$857 Dollars 💵 later 😢 The Thermo king unit was repaired and was on my way to the prison by 10:30 🕥 AM
Those charges we’re applied to a credit card and if you would like to help pay that off just specifically mark your donation for repairs Alabama trip”

Where Andrew is today I do not know, but the words that were shared that night I pray will forever be present in his life as he continues to move forward staying clean // sober and helping others.

The 4600 gift packages That were loaded into this semi trailer and the lives that you touched through your sponsorship of Christmas Behind Bars we want to say thank you 🙏 ❤️ 🙏

How will it make a lasting difference in their lives // the food is probably gone, the toothpaste and the soap 🧼 almost gone, but through your sponsorship you are leaving lasting positive changes in these peoples lives, perhaps you will never meet them on this earth 🌎 but we pray that you will meet them in the kingdom of heaven because you were willing to give and we say thank you for your sponsorship of Christmas Behind Bars outreach ministry’s.

The true meaning of Christmas is the gift that continues to give all year long…

There were 4600 of these gift packages loaded in this semi trailer going to the state of Alabama 4599 people received hope through your sponsorship of Christmas Behind Bars” Please continue to help us reach out helping people help people…

Please send your donation today to help with some upcoming prisons where we know that some Amish people are incarcerated:

One of the prisons has 3000 inmates, remember the Amish lady that called us two weeks ago sharing with us of her husband being locked 🔒 up and has been incarcerated for 11 years now, she made the call asking if there’s anyway that we could visit the prison where her husband is and Lord willing, we are asking you If you would be willing to sponsoring the other 2999 inmates incarcerated in that facility?

We need your help today to make that possibility a reality”

Would you be willing to bring hope and encouragement to 1000 of those inmates ? – A check for $10,000 would do that,
Would you be willing to bring hope and encouragement to 500 of those inmates ? – A check for $5000 would do that,
Would you be willing to bring hope and encouragement to 100 of those inmates ? – A check for $1000 would do that,
Would you be willing to bring hope and encouragement to one of those inmates ? – A check for $10 would do that,

As the Lord has richly blessed abundantly our people would you kindly consider what is in your hand and what is it that you can do today.

You will receive a handwritten response along with letters that some of the inmates have written to us. 100% of your contributions go directly to the work, no one in this ministry receives payment for the work of the ministry”
Sincerely, Lemuel Vega // Staff;
Love ❤️ and prayers 🙏 Your friends at Christmas Behind Bars outreach ministries.

11/03/2020

Inmates looking for hope are often open to receiving a Bible, unfortunately supply is not keeping up with the demand for Bibles. if you have any Bibles collecting dust on your bookshelf and would like to place it in the hands of someone who needs hope behind bars you can post it to us:

Christmas Behind Bars
P.O. Box 474
Bluffton, IN 46714

10/07/2020

We were just featured! https://buff.ly/3lnY56i

09/21/2020

Here is another recent letter we received.
"Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I’d like to thank you for displaying the love of God to me and all the other prisoners that your ministry reaches. Receiving the “holiday sacks” is probably the high point of the year for most of us. It’s certainly the most talked about event. Being made new by Christ while being incarcerated is an interesting situation to find yourself in. There’s so much unrighteousness, so much ministering needed, but the depravity can definitely torment those trying to work with the Holy Spirit to produce piety. It’s encouraging to come in contact (by way of Christian literature) and experience the selflessness of others. Once again, we thank you all so much!"

09/14/2020

Here is a recent letter of appreciation we have received from an inmate
"Hello folks at Christmas Behind Bars!:)
We were just visited here at ISO last week, and I wanted to just say thank you all very much and I appreciated it very much. I’m just sorry the volunteers couldn’t come in this year with all that’s going on these days, but I thought I’d write and express my gratitude. I’ve been locked up for 11 years now, and I look forward to seeing you all each year. I have 8 more years to do. It’s nice to know that some people do think of us and even still care to do something nice for us guys and I’m sure I speak for everyone here. It means a lot and it helps. Doing time is rough and something like this happens and it’s a blessing and a sign from God. I hope you have a good day and thanks again for all you do. I sincerely appreciate it.
Love, Eddie
God bless America and God bless you!
Thank you:)"

09/10/2020

We have a new mission spotlight video ready to go! if you want to tell your friends about this exciting project please share!