“This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” the inmate murmured, stroking the leather cover of my H.M.S. Judy had been visiting and studying with the female inmates at the Johnson County Jail in Buffalo, Wyoming, for several months. It was the first time she'd realized these ladies had never seen, much less owned, a beautiful Bible. With this comment the Binding Broken Hearts ministry beg
an. Over 13,000 inmates in 36 states from coast to coast have received Bibles, letters, and Bibles studies through the efforts of Binding Broken Hearts, Inc., a supporting ministry of the Sheridan Seventh-day Adventist church. Between November 2012 and May 2017, over 12,000 bonded leather, special edition Andrews Study Bibles have been donated to inmates in more than 544 county jails, state and federal prisons. Currently there are 4,000 inmates who have received a Bible and are continuing to receive monthly letters with Bible studies. We have over 300 on the waiting list for a Bible. It began with a couple of church members visiting inmates in the local county jail. This led to leading out in Sunday and Wednesday worship services. That door closed after a year, and the focus changed to a correspondence ministry. Letters were written, and free Bibles and Bible studies were offered to any inmate who requested them. We started with around 22 inmates in the Wyoming prison system, but a letter to an inmate in Missouri led to an explosion in the ministry! In 2012 we gave away 2 Bibles; in 2013 we gave away 218. Every year since then has seen the number of requests multiply exponentially. In 2013, the director of Andrews University Press became aware of a tiny ministry in Wyoming which was donating their Bibles to inmates. Arrangements were made to provide these Bibles to Binding Broken Hearts at a reduced rate when purchased in bulk. In 2014, at the request of a prison ministry in Washington, Andrews University Press created a special, large print, monochrome version of the Andrews Study Bible available only for prison ministries. They realized that this Bible would be of interest to our ministry, so they contacted the Founder, Judy Mackie, and asked if she would be interested in getting in on this large order. Taking a leap of faith, Judy ordered 750 of these special Bibles. Within six month of receiving the first order, the Bibles were completely distributed, but the requests kept coming. God provided generous donors who came together and enabled us to purchase 5,000 Bibles. These too disappeared within a few months. And then came the famine. Enough money came in to mail letters, but not enough to buy more Bibles. But, trusting in God to provide, we kept telling the inmates they would get one when God provided. Finally, by borrowing everything possible, we were able to purchase another 5,000 Bibles. Some inmates had waited for over a year for their treasured gift. Currently, Andrews Study Bibles have been placed in 544 Federal and state prisons and county jails. Each inmate who requests a Bible is placed on the mailing list and receives a personalized letter with one or two Bible studies every month. Since 2012, we have mailed over 140,000 letters. This ministry is entirely powered by volunteers from ages 7 to 89. Every family in the Sheridan Seventh-day Adventist church receives a box each month with addressed envelopes along with personalized letters and Bible studies. The envelopes are then stuffed with the corresponding letter and Bible studies, sealed, and returned to Binding Broken Hearts’ headquarters for mailing. Whenever we have the money available we ship out 300 Bibles at a time. Getting a shipment ready takes the loving labor of the entire church which gets together for “Bible boxing parties.” The boxes are built, packed, labeled, sealed, and bagged. When the Postmaster picks up the hundreds of Bibles, it fills the back of the truck. This ministry is totally donation based. Each shipped Bible costs $24.50, and every letter mailed costs $.50. Were it not for God’s faithfulness, the tiny church with 45 active members could not carry on this ministry. Every month it appears that we will not be able to send out letters, and, every month, just in time, we get just enough money to cover the mailing costs. We are currently praying for God to provide the funds for us to mail the 900 Bibles we still have on hand and for Him to enable us to purchase and send more Bibles when these are gone. Binding Broken Hearts’ focus is on encouraging and supporting lonely, broken people through monthly letters, and by providing Bibles when we have them available. Most inmates get no mail, and some even write letters to themselves just to hear their name called for mail. Over 80% of Bible recipients have asked to remain on the mailing list. Every month Binding Broken Hearts receives over 300 pieces of mail from inmates sharing their lives, fears, and joys. Each letter is read by at least one volunteer, and the return letter is tailored to respond to the inmate. Because they know they are being heard, over 400 inmates who have been released are still receiving monthly letters and Bible studies. The only requirements an inmate must meet to receive a Bible is that he or she must be incarcerated at the time the request is made. And, each person must request a Bible for themselves. However, Binding Broken Hearts has received requests from family members of inmates who want to receive the letters and Bible studies. But, why these Bibles? 1) They are study Bibles with Seventh-day Adventist commentary and study guides; and 2) They are beautiful and the inmates treasure them for their beauty and because they recognize their value. Binding Broken Hearts is totally dependent upon God’s providence for donations and volunteers. We invite you to join us in this exciting work of introducing people to Jesus.
