Greetings,

I pray all of you and your families and loved ones have not been directly affected by the virus in the ways of contracting the virus or loss of job and income and are enduring the whole crisis well. Hopefully, you have been able to connect with your church via Google Hangout or Zoom. Michelle and I’ve been connecting with two community groups and it is a blessing to share our hearts in the way of concerns and our trusting in God.

I start on a sad note. I received notice Thomas, a student 07/2018 thru 12/2018 has died. He was 54. He paroled last October. I don’t know any circumstances about his death. I recall having some conversations with Thomas but not enough to say if he was a believer or not. Please pray for his loved ones.

I did communicate with Chaplain McClimans from Sheridan this week. He shared the COVID-19 situation is starting to take a toll on the men being confined to their cells, with very limited movement and calls home are now limited and how they’re in the dark about families and how they are doing.

Chaplain McClimans distributed the letter I sent last week to Dixon to my current Sheridan students. He also visited Juan, a student since May 2019, who was going to be paroled the next day (Wednesday 04/01) and Juan told him, I made a definite impact with him. He is a different man today because of the time I spent teaching him about God. The words are very affirming in knowing God used me as a vessel in Juan’s life. Juan was to parole to his home in California, including his 90-year old mother. He said he has a church he will definitely go to. Please keep Juan in prayer,

The Chaplain also shared while visiting one of the units he crossed paths with several of my students and they were asking how things are going for Michelle and me. It humbles me, even more so when inmates/addicts are often labeled as being selfish and focused only on self. I’ve seen it in a few but the great majority of my students over the years, approaching 1,900, have not exhibited selflessness but very much the opposite. Often in classroom prayer, asking for updates regarding my son and my mom, praying for fellow inmates, and staff.

Please continue to be in for prayer for the inmates and the chaplains (Chaplain McClimans & Chaplain Robert).

On a personal note, my mom has had a setback in her health. Earlier this week she fell and praise God there was nothing broken but she did experience a lot of pain, However, yesterday (Friday) she started having difficulties in breathing. She was taken to the hospital where it’s been diagnosed that the issues she had late last year with her esophagus have flared up again. The nurses have tried clearing it but thus far are unsuccessful. We are praying that the doctors will be more successful. We don't know how long they'll keep her. They do not have any rooms and she is the ER.

If they are unable to clear her esophagus they will probably want to put a feeding tube in, but my mom is adamant that she does not want to have to go that route again. Michelle and I talked to her a short while ago and conveyed to her that if she maintains the position of not having a feeding tube inserted that she will die eventually from asphyxiate or pneumonia. She understood and said she is ready to go home to the Lord. My brother, sister, Michelle and I have all agreed to respect her wishes.

Please pray that the doctors will be able to clear the esophagus and if not that she will be able to rerun to her home with minimal pain and wait out God’s plan for her.

As all of us continue in the trial and hardship of COVID-19 and seek refuge in God the Scripture that I thought I’d share is Romans 8:35-39

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord

To Him be the glory in ALL things!

Scott Kalas
Soldiers of Christ Prison Ministries