Hello OUA Members,

I am sending you all a copy of a letter I wrote to James Woodward today. It's hard to put into words how rewarding and important facilitating this study group is, and I hope you will all take advantage of this wonderful service. I will be booking the meetings so that we have someone to go every time. Right now they will be on the 2nd and 4th Sunday every month. This may change to every week if we can work it out. Let me know when you would like to go. I will need your Social Security #, Oregon Drivers License #, Full Name and Birthday, and address to send to chaplain for their security check. YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS THIS!!!!!! IT'S GREAT!!!!!!!

God Bless, Pat

Letter to James Woodward
Reader Services Manager, Urantia Foundation
jwoodward@urantia.org

Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 9:28 PM
To: jwoodward@urantia.org
Subject: Prison Study Group

Hi James.

Thank you does not adequately express my gratitude for sending us to jail.

All jail jokes aside. This is the greatest experience we've had in long time. Joy Brandt and I went down there last Sunday thinking that we were going to find Brian Hessle and 2 or 3 other readers possibly with attitude. We prayed together before we left asking God to lead us and work through us.

What we found was mind blowing!

We arrived at 5:30 p.m. and were told to wait in the entryway where we were joined by a group of Buddhists and a gentleman from the L.D.S and a guard who took us into a security room and read a disclaimer about how if we were taken hostage it would be at our own peril and they would not acknowledge us in any special way if that happens. After lots of hand stamping, I.D. checking, book inspecting, and metal detecting we were lead to the Chapel. The Buddhist group went into the main Chapel area and we were put in a side storeroom with a table in it. Soon after a couple of inmates walked in and we started introductions. Then a couple more. There were 11 guys all with there own books they had borrowed from the prison chapel, all the books were boldly marked with property of the chapel stamped all around the sides, and they are allowed to keep them as long as they want or until they leave. Then they are checked back into chapel.

We started out with a short prayer. Then we went around the room with more introductions. How long have you been reading the book? sort of stuff for awhile. We then discussed how they wanted to study, and it was decided to start with paper one and go through in order. So we read and discussed most of the first paper. The next thing we knew the time was up and we still had 3 pages left. Before we broke up they decided that they could read the paper through the week and just use the study group time for review and discussion. Then we all went back to our own realities. they went back to their cells, and we went up the highway. We were floating from our experience, and I think they were too. It's always such a high when you feel Gods love moving through. Two of these men have read the Urantia Book many times, for years. I think all but three of them have been reading for a long time. One of them had never heard the word Urantia until last Wed. And all of them were Agondonters. Very earnest in their belief in the Urantia Book. None of them had ever attended any kind of Urantia Study before, and everyone of them thanked us over and over again for coming down there and making it possible for them to get together. Most of these guys didn't even know each other before this. They are not allowed to congregate in any way, ever, for any reason. So this Study group is their only way for them to talk to other readers.

They were polite and gracious, and very happy that we are helping them get together. They can't do it without outside facilitation, so this service is very blessed.

We need to get more books in there. These guys are Evangelizing to others and I feel that this is just the tip of the iceberg. I was wondering if you could help us by sending a case of books to the Chaplain so there are more to lend. I am going to handle the booking so that this group will meet every 2nd and 4th Sunday, which is the way it's set up now. The men asked if it would be possible to do every week? So I am working on that.
James if you ever get a chance to this, don't pass it up. IT'S AMAZING.
Thank you again for all your help. God.

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