Hope for Incarcerated Moms

“We want you to please bring more volunteers, so we can have a Moms in Prayer group every day!” exclaimed one inmate mom – and the others vigorously agreed.

Like most incarcerated mothers, these women in a large city prison are full of fears, worries, sadness, and guilt over their children. They deeply want the comfort, hope, and joy they experience by praying the Four Steps together in the weekly group, to be a part of their daily lives.

Incarcerated mothers also typically feel helpless and hopeless. They often believe they can’t do anything to help their children, or improve their relationships with them.

Over 60% have children under ten, and were their primary caregivers. Now they don’t always know where their kids are living, who is caring for them, or how they’re doing.

And those mothers with adult children, especially with long prison sentences, can experience a lack of communication and outright rejection by their sons and daughters. God works through Moms in Prayer to reach these women.

Two very sad mothers recently prayed in agreement for communication from their adult sons who had refused contact for years. Neither was hopeful of change. A couple of weeks later, they couldn’t wait to share that each of them had received a wonderful letter from her son!

In a short-term rehabilitation facility, one woman came reluctantly to Moms in Prayer at first, saying “it will make me too sad to pray for my children. I’ll just cry, and it won’t change anything.” Despondent and tearful, she could only whisper a request that her little child was being well cared for.

The next time she was visibly transformed, saying, “Now I can smile!” because she learned a few days after the group prayer that her grandmother agreed to care for her child until she was released!

God works through Moms in Prayer in prisons, jails, transition homes, rehabilitation centers, and similar facilities.

With “compassion on all He has made” (Psalm 145:9), God imparts his tender mercies and transforming love to hurting inmate mothers, and answers their prayers for their children.

Tears of sorrow turn into eyes glistening with gratitude and hope, that despite being separated and incarcerated, they can still do their best for their children – pray for them!

Many of their prayers for their kids are:
  • That they will belong to the Lord and live a Christian life
  • For safety and protection
  • For caring teachers and success in school
  • For Christian friendships
  • For financial stability
  • And a chance to realize their dreams

In the process, we’ve also seen how Moms in Prayer changes the hearts of these incarcerated women, connects them with other Christian mothers in their facility, gives them a new attitude and cooperative spirit as they serve their time, and helps them return to their communities and lead changed lives.

For more information about the Moms in Prayer Prison ministry, contact:
Your USA State Coordinator
Outside the USA, contact Kay West at:  kwest@momsinprayer.org 

Comments 3

  1. The email address doesn’t work. Can you assist with getting free resources to prisoners I know who are requesting prayer for their children? I serve with Crossroads prison ministry in their correspondence bible study program and would like to give them an address is there. Is there a website where I can request free MIP resources for them?

    1. Post
      Author

      Hello Cicily, Thank you for your comment. I have forwarded your email address and message to the Moms in Prayer USA Director. She will be sending you a message. God bless you.

  2. I have been blessed with a contact (who is an inmate at a correctional facility, she was a friend of my daughters 20 years ago), that I am now sending bibles and Christian books for the last 5+ months, for her to give out to other inmates after she prays and waits on the Lord to lead her to who He wants to have the book/Bible. It has become a very special ministry where she sends me back a short testimony about the one receiving the gift. So many of them are moms and are truly thankful that someone cares enough for them to want to help them with spiritual training. As your writings have stated .. They are so worried about their children. I have been so blessed to be a part of their lives, encouraging them to trust in The Lord with all their hearts! Many of the women would also like to have a Christian pen pal who they could email with about the Bible and growing in their Christian walk. Half of them are Spanish speaking. Much more that I could share about how God is moving there through this small act of kindness that God led me to do but for now just wanted to know if you have a group of moms in prayer there that I could refer the women to or how to get one started…thank you for your ministry and heart for incarcerated women who need the love and knowledge of God in their lives. Karen (For confidentiality, this comment has been edited to removed references to locations and last names. Our MIP Prison Ministry Liaison will contact Karen personally to help.)

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