Mission USA -- Ministry Letters

February, 2010

If you were to visit THE BRIDGE, you would see the same couple on the front row every week leaning forward with deep concentration so they don’t miss a single word. That couple is Lewis and Angel, a young married couple who are making choices every day to follow the Lord and turn their backs on a past of addiction and crime.

We first met Lewis a couple years ago when he was attending Hope House, a Christian recovery home that brings their guys to THE BRIDGE each week. At the time Lewis was learning to follow the Lord after 10 years of struggling with his addictions and jail. He and Angel were just married and we met her a few times, but she was finishing a year long program at a women’s residential recovery home, overcoming years of addiction.

After that Lewis and Angel disappeared for several months. We found out that Lewis had left Hope House and ended up back in jail on a drug related charge and Angel had relapsed on her addictions and had returned to the women’s center to repeat the program. Through all this time they were still married, but barely saw each other.

This would be a discouraging story if it ended here, but Lewis and Angel are not quitters! When Lewis came out of jail, he returned to Hope House and recommitted himself to the Lord and his marriage with Angel. They began attending THE BRIDGE together and taking their recovery very seriously—attending Bible Studies, 12 step meetings, and being mentored by several Christian couples at Lawndale Community Church, where they attended each Sunday.

Last July, we celebrated with them when they got their first apartment together after being married four years. Lewis has received several scholarships to a Chicago Community College and has nearly completed his Associate’s Degree with almost a straight “A” GPA. He has a dream of becoming a psychologist. Angel has a paid internship as a baker’s apprentice at a local bakery committed to giving half their profits to help those in need (www.sweetmissgivings.com). It’s hard work for someone who has never successfully held down a job. For several months she got up each morning a 4 am to ride two buses to get to her job. Now the Lord has blessed Angel and Lewis with their first car (a 1998 vehicle that requires daily prayer!), so she can sleep until 5am! When Angel’s internship is complete, she plans to return to school for her GED. Her dream is to get a child development degree and work in a day care center.

Angel and Lewis love THE BRIDGE and report that it has taught them the deep love that God has for them, no matter what they’ve done in the past. Angel is full of joy and encouragement. She has learned to run the PowerPoint at THE BRIDGE and her she enjoys learning new ways to help. Her favorite segment is the “I don’t get it minute”, and she says she sings the songs from THE BRIDGE to herself in the cold dark winter mornings when she has to get herself to work on time. Angel is famous with our team for sending out encouraging text messages on her way to work while the rest of us are sleeping! Lewis is thoughtful and intelligent. He carefully chooses his words and strives to honor the Lord with every decision he makes, especially as he leads Angel in their marriage.

Angel and Lewis are honest about their weaknesses and know they need a lot of support to continue their journey with the Lord. They are learning to work as a ministry team and working to build a strong marriage. They have beat amazing odds both as individuals and as a married couple and their story has the power to spur others to fight their addictions. They are the type of couple I would love to have more and more involved with Mission:USA.

I want you to know Angel and Lewis, because they are great fruit that has grown from your sacrifice to support this ministry. These are your children, too, and you can be very proud of them!

Lewis & Angel at THE BRIDGE

Gratefully,

Glen Fitzjerrell, President

Mission:USA Prayer Report – February, 2010

Committed to launching every battle from our knees!

Praise Reports:

Jed has completed a CD of live BRIDGE worship songs! Email Jane at jf@missionusa.com for the free download link.
A group of 20 teenagers from one of our inner-city BRIDGE churches presented a Christian drama and the guys and gals loved it!
Year end giving was solid, meeting our immediate needs!

Prayer Needs:

Mission:USA Staff Development—Glen is working with all the Mission:USA team to develop leadership and management skills. Pray that God would equip him to teach and the staff would rise up to the new challenges.
BRIDGE expansion to Southern California—Glen and Mike and Jed are visiting California in late January. Pray the ministry would be fruitful and lend greater insight into God’s leading into our expansion to the area.
Mission:USA Financial Needs—Please pray that Christians would give abundantly to consistently support our ministry, according to God’s leading.

May, 2004
Since you can’t be at THE BRIDGE each week, we want to let you hear what people have told us about their BRIDGE experiences.

We’ve passed out over 20,000 Bible Bookmarks with information about THE BRIDGE to Illinois prisoners and have received a steady flow of letters from inmates. Here are some of their comments:

“I am not a Christian and I know very little about the Bible, but I am teachable and reachable. I know that God has carried me for a long, long time, and I just want to learn how to thank Him and find out what my covenant is from God to me!”

“I’ve always wanted to change my life, I just never met anyone who was genuinely concerned about me and others like me. Gangbangers and drug addicts really are good people with good hearts. We are just misunderstood and we sometimes allow the influence of what others think of us determine who we are. I just thank God today that I know who I really am (a child of God).”

“My biggest problem when I get out will be to stay strong and focused so I won’t do drugs again. To answer your question, YES I would like to go to THE BRIDGE. God bless you for trying to help people like me. You’re truly blessed.”

We’ve had 70-100 attendees at THE BRIDGE each week. Here’s what they’ve written to us about their experiences. “I think THE BRIDGE is a wonderful place. It’s a place of worship, fellowship, fun, gifts, food and great Christian brothers and sisters. Thank you for THE BRIDGE. I’m learning so much and having so much fun. I’m truly grateful.”

“THE BRIDGE is a place where you can find the Word and remove pain that the soul has been collecting.”

“I think THE BRIDGE is a great way to fellowship and gain exposure to different churches.”

“THE BRIDGE is a Christian growth experience for everyone. Love is shared here.”

“I think THE BRIDGE is a wonderful place. It’s a place to make me feel at peace. It’s a place of God.”

Each week we feature three pastors from three churches that we’ve hand-picked for quality. Nearly every week a pastor will remark about being spiritually fed themselves and enjoying the fellowship of meeting and associating with the other pastors. Here’s what some of the pastors have said at THE BRIDGE.

“This felt more like church than our Sunday service each week. And I think we have a great Sunday service!”

“Being here has made a world of difference for our people. Reaching out at THE BRIDGE has made reaching out to our neighbors seem so much easier.”

“Being here has made me a sharper preacher. It keeps me on my toes when I start reading a verse and THE BRIDGE finishes it out loud from memory.”

Our Host Team is a group of 8-10 Christians who make the meeting a “welcome home” party by adding lots of love, hugs, gifts, and hot food each week. Host Teams come from churches all over the Chicagoland area. Here’s what some said about their night at THE BRIDGE.

“Serving at THE BRIDGE is like a mini missions trip in my own city. We grew as a team, got recharged and excited to tackle our own mission field at home”

“We decided to start doing the greeting at our church on Sundays the way we learned how to greet people at THE BRIDGE.”

Each week we bring in a different music team to lead the worship. We’ve had everything from Gospel to Salsa to (can you believe it?) Bluegrass. Our group loves it because it makes every week special and unpredictable. Here’s what we’ve heard from our music team:

“I loved playing here. This is the most authentic Christian experience I’ve ever been a part of.”

“I’ve been leading worship for a long time, but this is the first time a group has sung so loudly that I almost couldn’t hear myself play.”

So much has happened over the past decade to prepare this ministry to launch THE BRIDGE, and we are thankful for every person who has helped along the way. You may not be able to attend THE BRIDGE each week, but your help is essential to continuing this amazing ministry. After our first couple months of running the weekly meeting, we see that our program expenses are about $1600 per month. Please pray for this need and consider whether you might be part of the answer. It may not seem to you that $25 or $50 per month really makes that big of a difference to a ministry like ours, but let me assure you it does! All we need are (20) new $50 per month givers and (24) new $25 per month givers and we’ll meet our current BRIDGE operating expenses. No matter where you live or what you do, you can be a valuable part of THE BRIDGE. Join the team today—there’s a spot open just for you.

March, 2005

Each week we talk about THE BRIDGE helping ex-offenders connect with a new church family, but here’s a connection you’re not going to believe!

Last October we got a letter from Antoine, an inmate in an Illinois prison. We hadn’t met Antoine, but this is not unusual. We get 2-3 letters per week from inmates who have received one of the 25,000 Bible book marks we’ve distributed through prison chaplains we’ve recruited to our BRIDGE sender team.

Antoine wrote: “I received this book mark eight months ago. I read the front about THE BRIDGE and getting connected, but never read the back that explained what Mission:USA was and where to write you. Praise God this bookmark has continued to journey with me (a prime example of Romans 8:28). I’ve been diligently seeking God to see where I fit in when I’m released and God has led me to you. Now that I have finally read the back of the bookmark, I know exactly what I need when I’m released. Christ and you. Please would you be supportive of me and help me build my life on solid rock—Jesus Christ?”

I wrote Antoine back myself, as I do with every inmate, and assured him we were excitedly waiting for him. A few months later, we got a message on our voice mail. I chuckled when I heard his matter-of-fact voice that life long friends use, “This is Antoine. I just got home. I’m ready to come to THE BRIDGE.” I’m so thankful that we’re able to connect so intimately with inmates by letter that they feel perfectly at ease the first time we speak on the phone.

Antoine’s first BRIDGE day was a busy one for us. Mike had several men to pick up, so he called one of our faithful pastors and asked him to bring Antoine to the meeting. Our pastors love this opportunity to spend one-on-one time with BRIDGE attenders. It gives them a head start on inviting them to their church and their address for picking them up on Sunday morning.

When this pastor and Antoine arrived at THE BRIDGE meeting together, they were hugging each other and excitedly repeating the same story to every person there: When Pastor Hardnett arrived at Antoine’s house, they recognized each other from several years before when Antoine had been a hardheaded street kid and Pastor Hardnett had lovingly tried to minister to him and keep him from making the kind of mistakes that eventually put Antoine in jail. The moment Antoine saw Pastor Hardnett, he felt complete love and huge confirmation that God really wanted to give Antoine a second chance to start over and live his life righteously. Pastor Hardnett was so blessed, his feet barely touched the floor all evening! Pastor Hardnett and Antoine have been inseparable ever since. These connections are what THE BRIDGE is all about.

Imagine being a recently released inmate, feeling unsure about spending an evening with strangers, but trusting God for the courage to do it. Then one of those “strangers” shows up at your door and turns out to be the one person in the whole city of Chicago that you know and trust to help you follow the Lord! It’s been amazing to see God reveal himself in so many different ways to those attending THE BRIDGE. I write this so you know that you are a part of every miracle that takes place at THE BRIDGE. Although you aren’t there physically, we consider you a vital part of this team. Thank you for keeping the gas in our tanks!

Pastor Hardnett with the BRIDGE crew in the first row, third from the left.

May, 2005

People like you, who financially support our ministry, are the gas in our tank and the shoes on our feet to keep us out there. You mean more to us than we can say. But last month was the first time one of you loaded up the family in the van and drove 150 miles to personally help out. It was a night to remember!

The Spares family have four girls, ages 4, 7, 9, and 10. The girls, along with mom and dad (Karen and Randy) and a family friend, served as our host team for a recent BRIDGE meeting. Usually our host team consists of a church group with 6-10 adults and sometimes some teenagers. Occasionally younger children tag along and try to stay out of trouble. But this was altogether different—the family was serving as a unit and the children were helping the same as adults!

As the men filed into THE BRIDGE meeting, they had to reach WAY down to shake the tiny hand of four-year-old Kerri as she smiled boldly and loudly chirped “welcome to THE BRIDGE!” The men were impressed with the large banner created by all the girls urging them to “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” Kerri was quick to point out she’d drawn the watermelon.

During the meeting, Kate and Jill, ages 9 and 10, took turns giving cues to the pastors when they had 2 minutes to go (when you have three pastors preaching in a night, you have to keep them all on a tight schedule). As the girls jumped in the air in the back of the room holding up two fingers, barely visible over the crowd, the pastors grinned and were quick to comply. Seven-year-old Amy passed out the gift bags to the newcomers and tried to take over running the PowerPoint from Jane.

When the meeting ended and it was time to serve the meal, the girls each took a position and never left their post. Kerri stood behind the serving table, with her head barely clearing the table to reach way over her head to pass out rolls.

BRIDGE Program Director Mike Gonzalez wanted to share this story with you because he wants you to know there’s always a place for you at THE BRIDGE. He came to the Lord later in life and had some early struggles. It touched him deeply, as it did all the people attending THE BRIDGE, to see these children with such sweet spirits, serving the Lord so diligently.

The Spares have had a relationship with us for nearly 20 years. Over the years Karen would call to encourage us and ask for prayer requests. Karen and Randy raised their daughters praying for the men and women we minister to. They’ve shared our lives and these ministry letters with the kids since they were born. When the call to action came, the family team was ready.

The Spares probably felt the same as many of you, “I could never do what you do”. But the hearts that led the Spares to support us were the same hearts that rocked the house for our guys at THE BRIDGE!

June, 2004

How long are you prepared to wait for a miracle? People often ask me: “do you ever get discouraged or lose heart when you see guys doing poorly?” Our answer is always “NO!” and this letter contains the reason.

I met Shawn in 1995 at the Cook County Jail. He was 19 years old, facing serious charges, and a member of the Latin Brothers gang known as “Heavy-B”. Shawn accepted the Lord while he was locked up, then he was released on bond for about 10 months. We all knew he would have to serve time, but I wanted to make the most of the time we had together on the outside.

Shawn became a founding member of a program we called the “Holy Nation”. It was an experimental ministry program that taught us many of the principles that we’re using in THE BRIDGE today. Before Shawn returned to prison he was baptized.

Through the years we lost touch with Shawn as he was transferred from prison to prison. We prayed for him frequently, but he didn’t answer our letters. I had to leave him in the Lord’s hands. At the time he went to prison, he had a tough choice facing him: drop his gang affiliation, follow the Lord, and enter the prison as a “neutron” or keep his gang status which would give him a certain amount of physical protection and turn his back on his new-found faith. Unfortunately, he chose the latter. Every few years we’d get a letter from him letting us know he was still alive, far from the Lord, and deeply involved in the gang. Last week we got an eight-page letter from Shawn. I’ll let him tell you the rest of the story...

How are you guys doing? I hope that everything is fine when this reaches you and God’s grace keeps you with joy and love in your hearts daily.

Man, Glen it’s been one wild ride homie. I’ve lost faith all together at one point. I befriended pagans and even Satanists looking for “true” knowledge and understanding. I dropped off everything that I was taught. Everything I learned in life was given to me not searched for. It was told, not “learned”. So I shed my skin and started from zero.

You know I always kept it real with you and could never be phony. All my time up in here I gave myself to the gang, not God. I even turned my back on Him. I drenched myself in the lifestyle of a soldier for my Nation [Chicago gangs refer to themselves as “nations” and lower ranking gang members are called ”foot soldiers”]. Through all of this I never counted on one thing. And that was God never giving up on me.

I may have gone totally south on Him Glen, but never did He take His grace away from me. Yes, I’ve lost time. I should have been home last February. So my actions did have their consequences believe me, but never did He allow me to fall down. I was still able to stand after it all. He saw me through every step of the way. Even when I didn’t believe He was there, He proved that He was there by protecting me. Ever since I got saved He has been with me. He always had my back to the fullest. He never left my life, even when I tried to push Him away.

Why? The only answer I could come up with is that He wants me. We are all here for a purpose and I believe He has plans for me. So many signs over the years were like big red stop signs telling me to go back. I didn’t listen. I did “my thang”, you dig? I did what I wanted to do. Now here I am at the end of my bit, and I finally get it. He has shown me where my path leads. And He is also showing me where His path leads. One is Life, the other is Death. Right now coming home to the hood I could have it “all”. But Glen it won’t last. I can’t come up like that without coming down

My out date comes with a crossroads. I have two choices in front of me when they let me go. One is doing things my way. The other is allowing God to take over completely and let Him do His “thang”. Glen you just don’t know what a truly hard choice this is to make. I’ve been a Latin Brother for going on 12 years now. “Heavy-B” is who I became. It’s my identity. The Nation gave me a sense of worth and purpose. It gave me strength and power. There’s just one price to pay and that’s my soul. The life I could have is an illusion. It won’t last because it can’t last. Even with all the stuff I’d have I wouldn’t have happiness. There would be a void in my life. I see this. God has shown me this through the lives of other Brothers in here. Guys who did it their way instead of His. It’s scary

You know how I am about half-stepping right? I don’t play that. I talked to you a long time ago about that on the phone. It’s all or nothing with me. So I’ve done it Glen. I’ve put my life in His hands and am letting His will be done. I dropped my flags already [“dropping your flags” refers to leaving and no longer affiliating with your gang] and there’s no turning back. It’s not over yet. I still have to deal with my violation when I get out [a “violation-out” refers to an extensive beating, that must be taken to totally sever ties to a gang]. But I’m not scared or have second thoughts. I know He has my back and that He will protect me. If it’s meant for me to perish then let it be so. But if my purpose is to still do work here for Him then I know He will heal my wounds and my life will go on with Him as my guide. I have total trust in Him. I’m straight up walking into the lion’s den, but I fear no evil. He will be right beside me Brother. I’m sacrificing my life here.

I love this thug life that I live man. As a little kid it’s all I ever wanted. But it’s not His path. It’s a path of destruction. My paradise isn’t here on earth. This is only a place where I get my chance to get close to God and show Him that I am truly a believer in His Word. Heaven is the reward I will receive when this life ends and the new life in eternity begins.

You never gave up on me. That’s meant a whole lot. It’s taken me a lot of years to figure it all out Bro, but I’ve got it Glen. I don’t expect it to be easy Glen. It’s in His hands and He will guide me to where I need to be. I know He will make a way for me if I only do my part. I will, I must. I am. I’m sure temptation is far from done with me. But I also know that He will not put anything on me that I can’t handle. I will not fail the test. And if I stumble I will get back up and press on.

My entire bit I’ve told younger cats to get right and let this thug life go. But I couldn’t lead by example there. I was being hypocritical, you feel me? That’s done though. I can speak from my own experiences now and in the end show them where I am at today. It’s over Glen and now it’s on.

All the love and strength I put into my Nation I now am giving to God. I’m still a soldier, but I fight for another cause and with a mightier weapon. I truly am proud of you for not giving up on the Brothers and Sisters in this thug life. It’s beautiful Glen.

And I’ll never forget how you were there for me in my times of pain. You helped me pull through so many difficult times. So I trust God’s way. I’m not saying to myself “OK I’ll check this out and if it doesn’t work then “I’ll do my thang.” There is no doubt. It will work. I know it will. I feel it. He’s got me. So I’m not looking back. Tell them Brothers and Sisters out there that I know and feel their struggle. The devil has got a hit out on all of us to fail. He doesn’t want us to go “pancake” on him [pancake…as in to “flip sides”…it’s a good thing I’m bi-lingual huh?]. But if we only give God an honest run I’m telling you that He won’t let us down.

I’m free today. My burdens have been lifted. I have such a contented heart. I’m locked up, but free in spirit and in mind. That’s not my strength, but His in me. The blessings I have are from Him. And I am grateful for Him having

shed His grace on me. My past is just that, the past. I’m on my way Glen. Like I said, it’s on. I still have a lot to change and a lot more growing to do. But step by step He will mold me into who I should be in this world. Keep doing what you are doing out there and representing for Him. I dig this BRIDGE that you have started up. It means a lot to a brother coming home to know that he has a place to go and be accepted wholeheartedly!

How can we ever get discouraged hearing wonderful news like this? Those seeds found such fertile soil, as I read this letter, I could swear I heard him preaching to me, repeating back to me things I said to him nearly a decade ago. Man I love my job!