True freedom extended to

more women behind bars

Oregon outreach

expands to Washington

  
    PORTLAND — In the 1990s, a little Korean woman who had immigrated to the United States years before, married and had two children, felt a stirring in her heart. She was working the night shift for the U.S. Postal Service in Portland and spent much of her shift praying and thinking about what God wanted her to do as she worked. On her days off, she would ride the MAX train downtown and share the Gospel with whoever God put in her path after asking Him by prayer to show her.
     On one occasion, she gave a Bible to a man in Pioneer Square who confided in her that he was planning to commit suicide in the next few days. After witnessing to him, he promised that he would not kill himself, and that he would go to church. What was developing in Christina Gould was a compassion for the lost, oppressed, downtrodden people of the world. She wasn’t sure how to go about reaching them, but she knew God was calling her to do something.
      Now, almost two decades later, that prompting in the heart of Gould has blossomed into a Portland-based ministry to women behind bars that not only recently expanded from Oregon to Washington, but also overseas to her native South Korea. So today, she is pondering whether to change what is currently Oregon Women’s Prison Ministry (OWPM) to perhaps IWPM — International Women’s Prison Ministry.
     On Saturday, May 7 at 6 p.m., OWPM will hold a fundraising banquet, An Evening of Eternal Purpose, at the Holiday Inn, 25425 S.W. 95th Ave.., in north Wilsonville. It will be an evening of celebration for all God is doing in the lives of women who trust Christ. In addition to comments from Gould, several former inmates will share their testimonies. It also will be an opportunity to meet some of the volunteers and hear more about their role.     

    The prison outreach began in 1998 when Gould started visiting people who were in the Washington County Jail. Before long, she was hosting a Bible study each week that was attended by lots of inmates. They loved her encouraging words and genuine love for them. She offered hope for a future committed to God. She brought a message of salvation and forgiveness in Jesus Christ
      As women were sentenced and the state’s Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville opened up, they begged Gould to come there to continue the Bible study with them. It appeared that the calling on her life was becoming clearer.
     But how does one get into a state prison? Gould contacted the Department of Corrections and began the training required to become a volunteer. So in 2004 Oregon Women’s Prison Ministry was born. Gould began on her own, going in each week to provide a service that included worship and teaching, as well as one-on-one counseling. Before long, she was going to Coffee Creek three times a week. She had quit her postal job and was committing herself full-time to the ministry.
     But Gould quickly needed help. A web site was built and some fundraisers were held. More people became interested in this growing ministry. Today there are about 20 volunteers who minister on four days of the week not only in the Oregon facility, but also in a Washington state women’s prison near Gig Harbor. A typical service includes singing songs of worship, biblical teaching and counseling. Bibles and other Christian materials are provided to each inmate.
    “Jesus is the message spoken and modeled each week, because we know it is only through him that lives are truly changed,” said Gould. “It is only through the Holy Spirit that the women find true freedom.”
     In 2007 Gould found God stirring her heart again, this time to expand the ministry to South Korea. She spent hours calling many people before she finally was able to talk to someone from a South Korea women’s prison. She knew that if God did not open the door, she would never be able to go there. The normal route requires permission from prominent politicians and can take years to obtain the clearance. But she says God not only opened the door for her to visit South Korean inmates, but she was also able to speak on South Korea TV.
     For more information. to reserve a table at the May 7 banquet, or to donate, go to www.owprisonministry.org.