Blessings Beyond Bars

Some of you may remember a post I wrote around Christmastime about the wonderful hand soap made by the monks at Holy Cross Hermitage that was being sold and part of the proceeds went to The Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry.I mentioned in the post that I thought prison ministries were easily overlooked, they were sort of hidden in the shadows of other charity works like feeding the poor, providing for orphans, or gathering materials for disaster victims.  And while all of those causes are of the utmost importance, prison ministries are too.It was then that I realized how little thought I'd really given prison ministries and I knew I wanted to get more involved.A few weeks later, I was asked if I would be interested in creating a simple lesson plan and DIY project for The Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry this Lent.  It was the perfect opportunity to both introduce the concept of helping those in prison to my children and also provide something that may help other families do the same.So, we teamed up and are so excited to bring you Blessings Beyond Bars!We talked about how everyone makes mistakes and even though punishment is necessary when we are disobedient, it also makes us feel better and stronger when we are reminded that God still loves us and forgives us.  I also explained to them that prison is a dark and sad place and that it is our responsibility to "let our lights shine" even in those dark prison cells by helping people like The OCPM help those in prison.  Then, with God's help, those people have a second chance to learn about God and His love and their prison cells don't feel quite as sad and lonely with the presence of God and His saints.It was a really nice afternoon, filled with their sweet thoughts and questions.  The craft is really simple and easy to do requiring few supplies and really giving you an opportunity for quality conversation about sharing the love of God with even those behind bars.To view the entire lesson plan and DIY instructions, click here.