“Your Voice Sounds Different”: Prisoners’ Stories of Transformation

We recently held a Bondage to Freedom seminar with twenty-five prisoners and twelve volunteers. The focus of the seminar was healing and offering forgiveness for past wounds. As the men shared, we experienced many new freedoms and breakthroughs as the Lord spoke and moved among them. One young man shared that he was a Luciferian…

Why Did God Let Him Die?

By Krista Burkholder – Social Worker It was Monday, the start of the week of Camp ARK girls’ camp! The afternoon brought twenty-six girls and twelve counselors, including fourteen returning campers from the previous year. Energy and excitement were high! There were happy greetings between the staff and the girls who remembered each other from…

Reflections on the InsideOut Dad Class

InsideOut Dad is a weekly class held in prison led by Jim Swartzentruber. Jim invites men to share childhood experiences that affect them today. In class they wrestle with the question of “How can I break the cycle, not only the cycle of incarceration, but the cycle of abuse, and lack of fathers in the…

Nancy’s Story

Nancy came to the Pregnancy and Childbirth Class at Denver Women’s Correctional Facility feeling overwhelmed and terrified. Her last birth had been a traumatic one—she had been high on drugs when she went into labor, and the hospital staff treated her rudely and unprofessionally. She was terrified of giving birth again, and then to be…

Unburdened: Joey’s Journey of Forgiveness

By Dorcas Swartzentruber – Bondage to Freedom Volunteer Joey* was quiet and sat in the back row at the Bondage to Freedom seminar. He seemed withdrawn and detached from what was happening at the front of the room, where several men were openly sharing their pain and finding healing. However, during the first lunch break…

A Second Chance: Brian’s Story of Redemption

By Caleb Mast – Prison Chaplain I see the dark red diesel truck rolling through town regularly. The bed sports a large blue welder, among other equipment, stained with the look of regular use. I have to smile when I see this as I recall the memories of first meeting this hard-working young man in…

Finding Freedom at Territorial: A Bondage to Freedom Seminar

By Stephen Stoltzfus – Director of Offender Ministries Last weekend, twenty-four men at Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility gathered for a weekend-long Bondage to Freedom Seminar, seeking healing and transformation. Alongside them, thirteen volunteers from New Horizons Ministries walked with them through the journey of forgiveness, restoration, and hope. The seminar is designed to give men…