Greetings
Week 35 of the lockdown ๐.
COVID-19 cases as of 11/14/20; Dixon: confirmed staff 138, recovered staff 76, confirmed inmates 330, recovered inmates 185 | Sheridan: confirmed staff 46, recovered staff 22; confirmed inmates 23, recovered inmates 22 | IDOC: confirmed staff 1816, recovered staff 1272; confirmed inmates 3179, recovered inmates 2461. The numbers for COVID-19 cases at Dixon continue to increase, as well as IODC as a whole. The numbers at Sheridan are stable amongst the inmates but higher for staff. not find a current number. Please pray the increase would come to a halt and safe recovery for all.
With the above numbers, neither the Dixon nor the Sheridan chaplains expressed any possibility of volunteers returning in the next few months. It was seven months yesterday, Friday, March 13th, when I last had the joy of teaching and having fellowship with my guys. ๐ฅ
However, it's looking good for getting Malachi Dads back into both Sheridan and Dixon via video. As I shared last week, Lifeline Global Ministries, the ministry that develops and produces all the Malachi Dads curriculum, has put the first book of the curriculum on video. I forwarded the download links for all 12 lessons to Chaplain Thomas at Dixon, and he'll burn them to DVD. He hasn't shared how he plans to utilize the videos, whether he'll broadcast them over the inmate channel or organize one or more small-sized classroom settings. With the rampant number of cases of COVID-19 at Dixon, I'm figuring he'll broadcast them over the inmate channel.
Over at Sheridan, Chaplain McClimans asked if I could burn them to DVDs and deliver them to Sheridan next week with 13 copies of 'The Heart of a Father' that I have in stock. Lifeline Global has not made a PDF version of 'The Heart of a Father' available as of yet, plus being the book is 180 pages, would require a lot of printing for Chaplain McClimans. I will be placing an order for 100 copies of 'The Heart of a Father' to be shipped to Sheridan next week.
I'm having mixed feelings on Malachi Dads returning via video, genuinely am happy for the fathers and others who will watch and pray it will be a blessing to them and glorify God. But it also brings a tear or two. I feel my days of doing something I love, being in a classroom of men teaching fatherhood and discipleship in knowing Christ, will be no more.No need to bring in a volunteer when Sheridan and Dixon can keep it in-house. Please pray for God to remove my sorrows and replace them with joy and for me to keep looking for a return to teaching Malachi Dads and Discipleship or a new door to serve and glorify Him.
I placed an order for Ligonier Ministries to ship 1-set Crucial Questions booklets to Dixon. Hopefully, they will arrive soon so, Chaplain Thomas can add them to Dixon's Chapel Library.
There was no movement of SOPCM Alumni this past week. There was one former student admitted to Stateville and another paroled. However, each of the men-only attended one class, and unless it was a New Life Corrections two-day seminar, a student has to be in attendance for one month of a SOCPM class to be considered SOCPM Alumni.
My Bible in a year plan had me start both Isaiah and Revelation this week, praying on doing a more in-depth study of one of the books. Please pray for God's discernment and my motivation to remain intact.
Until next week, thanks for support and prayers.
To Him be the glory in ALL things and to Him alone!
Scott Kalas
Soldiers of Christ Prison Ministries๏ปฟ