SOCPM Newsletter | Janaury 15, 2022

Greetings,

I once heard the last two weeks of January and the first two weeks of February are the depths of the winter season. So whether it is factual or not 🤷🏻‍♂️, I hope you all are warm and dry through God's blessings of our homes.

SOCPM Inside the Prison Gate: Once again, COVID has resulted in a lockdown at Dixon due to COVID. The number of current inmates at Sheridan is dumbfounding.

SOCPM Outside the Prison Gate: A word from our brother David in Uganda, while I work on several other tasks

On the Home Front: A continuation of keeping busy; OPS (Operation picture scan), health concerns.

On the Prayer Front - All things family and SOCPM

These are the topics for this week's SOCPM Newsletter. I hope you enjoy it, despite my lack of an editor. Michelle would like to edit my newsletters (I think she has a deep-seated desire to be an English teacher with a red pencil in hand), but her work voids the time.

To Him be the glory in ALL things and Him alone,

Scott Kalas
Soldiers of Christ Prison Ministries

SOCPM Inside the Prison Gate

The surge of Omicron is taking a toll on IDOC. As a result, Dixon's Chaplain Thomas notified volunteers this past Monday (January 10) that Dixon is in full medical quarantine lockdown. Between staff and inmates, there are 90 cases of COVID (01/14). Sheridan's Chaplin McClimans in an e-mail last week (01/05) informing volunteers that Sheridan was in a full medical quarantine lockdown as of the previous evening (010/04). When I took a look at the number of COVID cases, I found there were 55 among staff, but I was dumbfounded when I saw the number of 440 cases among inmates. To put the number in better perspective, Sheridan's average population is 1,249. Therefore, the 440 cases of COVID are 35% of the inmate population.

The Omicron variant, thankfully by God's mercy, is less potent than previous COVID variants; nonetheless, would you please pray that IDOC administrators can curb the spread of COVID and the health of those afflicted by COVID will have a speedy recovery.

Sheridan Correctional Center Lockdown 95 Weeks 🥺🙏

SOCPM Outside the Prison Gate

I received an e-mail from David, SOCPM's friend in Uganda. He expresses his thanks for how God is using the Bible studies provided by SOCPM's ministry partner Metanoia Ministries. My greatest passion in prison ministry is my time in the classroom teaching and having fellowship with my guys, but not far behind is God blessing SOCPM with ministry partners uniting in Kingdom work for His glory,


Would you please give praise for God's provision of the Metanoia Bible studies to David in his prison ministry and his overall spreading of the Gospel in Uganda? Also, would you please pray for David, his family, and the many incarcerated men and women God brings in his path?

I mentioned in the last SOCPM Newsletter of SOCPM's 2022 ministry goals. Among them was Gospel in a Box. The sending of books and other printed material to inmates in another prison in the US. It would be a joy to say the path is well paved to the fruition of GIAB, but such is not the case.

I'm encountering obstacles, but I see none as an unmovable closed door, but some awareness of some hurdles. The first was my discussion with the USPS (United States Postal Service) on the rules of what qualifies and doesn't qualify as acceptable content in a media mail. In short, any printed pages that are not explicitly related to any of the books in the mailing cannot be in the box. Of course, some would say just include it anyway; it's not like the USPS has time to go every box to make sure no one is violating the rule, but God calls us, SOCPM to integrity should be our guide, crookedness (disobeying the mail media rule, destroys (Proverbs 11:3). 

It will be more cumbersome when possibly doing two separate mailings. Media mail for books and first-class for print media from the SOPM library, perhaps instead of the name, Gospel in A Box, it should be called Gospel in the Mail. 🤔

Another hurdle I'll be exploring in the coming weeks is the various policies for each state's Department of Corrections in what inmates can receive via mail. Perhaps most will have policies prohibiting receiving books that are not sent directly from the publishers. Some will make exceptions for religious organizations, but what qualifies as a religious organization? Simply claiming to be a religious organization would be pointless if anybody akes a stand of being a religious organization.

There are hurdles as I was expecting, but thus far, I do not see any that have arisen in my recent investigations as an ironclad door indicating GIAB or GOITM are of God's will. God id does not promise a clear and well-paved path in Kingdom work. (1 Peter 4:12)

On The Home Front

Though there are minor tasks in the resolve of Operation Garage storage, none of them are leaving me anxious. My most focused project is 'Operation Picture Scan,'

The awesome scanner Michelle gave me for Christmas remains awesome. How awesome you some of you may ask while others 🥱? The total number of scanned pictures thus far is 2,203 😱. As pleased with the number, I estimate I'm not even halfway. Halfway with my family pictures, then comes Michelle's family pictures.

As I'm scanning, I've come across many memories. My mind has a quick flashback of when the picture was taken. So, I'm inserting a couple of pictures, learning proper dating etiquette, a sigh of how I've aged, and one of my fondest memories for your entertainment.

It wasn't an official first date; I think our kindergarten teacher was teaching us proper dating etiquette.😇

I'm not sure of the exact date this picture of youth, but my best guess is it was the early 1990s. The smile is, I'm certain related to my being a young dad. I never remember looking that young. 😱

This picture is one of my most cherished pictures, doing taxes several weeks after the birth of my son Cameron. Is he thinking, I'm going to hate doing taxes? 😳

The above picture is one of my cherished, but it also brings tears. How oblivious I was to God's plans yet to come for both me and Cameron. My tears of joy in the gift of salvation would come for me in 1995. My tears of sorrow for what has occurred in the life of Cameron. 

I can dwell in the tears of sorrow, but instead, I turn to God's Word. 

Psalm 165:5 ESV reads Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! Charles Spurgeon writes in his commentary, "Our mouth would never happen filled with holy laughter if it had not been filled with better grief. We must sow. We may have to sow in the wet weather of sorrow, but we will reap, reap in the bright summer of joy. Keep sowing!"

Life will have many sorrows with a multitude of tears with each sorrow, but those who put our faith in Christ must trust God to remain steadfast in our sowing will reap the bright summer of joy. My hope is in an unknown year yet to come, and I will look at this picture and have tears of holy laughter and joy for the gift of God's salvation for both Cameron and me.

Would you please pray the Holy Spirit will equip me well as I keep sowing for Cameron, loved ones, and others God brings in my life?

On the Prayer Front


Cameron - I've talked to Cameron a couple of times this week. He relapsed on the 3rd. It explains his silence the first he can regain entry if he mains sober for a certain period and goes through the interview process again. Cameron claims it is hard to interview because of his work schedule. He also is looking to get into a sober-living studio, but his calls are going unanswered. I don't know how truthful his comments are; nonetheless, would you please pray he will get safe housing (he is currently staying in a motel). As always, would you please continue to pray for his salvation, sobriety, godly counsel, and getting connected to Christian fellowship. 

Michelle (aka my lovely bride) - My beautiful bride is studying for a certification test in Caboodle, something or other. All I know is it rhymes with poodle. Would you please pray she can steward her time well to study? Michelle has been experiencing some pain on the left side of her lower abdomen. When she sees her doctor, would you please pray that God will give the doctor wisdom and care to make a proper diagnosis? Of course, please pray it is nothing serious.

Self - I won't belabor you with all the details, but I may face serious health concerns. I am scheduled on January 27th to have an MRI cervical spine and a CT of my chest, abdomen, and pelvis. These tests are related to my hospitalization on December 4th and 5th. An MRI at that time and a subsequent visit to a specialist revealed a need to do these additional MRI tests. In addition, on January 18th, I have an MRI on my liver and an OC (Optical Coherence?) of my pelvis and abdomen. Would you please pray that these collective imaging tests do not reveal serious health concerns?

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