Prison ministry

[Guest guest]

need the address and web page of the Prison ministry...

thanks

Pandava

[adi kavi das]

Here is the address:

Bhakta Jerry

ISKCON Prison Ministry

1716 Lunt

Chicago, IL 60626

I have just started writing to prisoners and I have three who wrote back. One is a famous murderer who they wrote a best selling book about who said he got so much out of Srila Prabhupada's books. More in one hour of reading than five years of reading other things. He was very happy to get some mail from this fallen devotee, me.

Another was a bhakta from twenty years ago and knows a mutual acquaintance, Madhuha Prabhu. Somehow he is back in jail I hope he becomes a little serious. He liked an article in Back to Godhead and I contacted the author who is now writing to him about it since he asked about it.

My third person really wants to have Krishna Consciousness explained to him he is new to the entire philosophy but believes in reincarnation and seems very interested and sincere.

I don't write my own address on the letters I use the Prison Ministry's and when I get a response the letters are forwarded to me. It is an ecstatic service I look forward to this very much and there is a list right now that Bhakta Jerry has in need of devotees to write to.

Bhakta Jerry also said that they need articles for the IPM (ISKCON Prison Ministry) newsletter so any devotee who wants to try his hand at writing something and hasn't gotten published by Back to Godhead yet can start out here, at the IPM!

If lots of devotees would just write to just one or two prisoners think of how enlivened we all would be. I don't get to preach much so sending out the few Back to Godheads and letters I have done lately is the most ecstatic thing I am doing. I can't wait for new letters to arrive, the only problem is I don't want to take on too many devotees. We are all fallen devotees and being sent to prison is very heavy and just what some people might need in order to force them to surrender. I'm sure if you want a specific type of person, for example, if you want a low security inmate or someone already familiar with devotional service, and you ask Bhakta Jerry he will be able to help link you up with someone. Men write to male prisoners, and women devotees write to females, and you don't have to give out any information you don't want to, there are several devotees around the country who might be closer to you than Chicago.

My own personal feeling is that these people have plenty of time so I take it slowly with them as far as seeing how sincere they are about Krishna Consciousness. I don't necessarily accept everything they say, and the ministry sends them literature so all we have to do is write. :namaskar: Hare Krishna!