Hope Blog – Speak Up For Hope

Our Journey with Jason

The woman in the department store stared at me as I was making my purchase. “Have we met before?” she asked. Nothing about her looked familiar. “I don’t think so,” I responded. She continued to concentrate on my face and then loudly exclaimed, “I do know you! I saw you…

I Love Speak Up For Hope

I LOVE Speak Up For Hope! Would you like to see one aspect of our ministry? As I was packing Boxes of Hope this morning I began by praying over ten empty boxes lined up on a long table that God would bless and encourage the recipients and that He…

Visiting My Son in Prison

I was sitting in the visitation room, picking at the broken tabletop as I talked to my son. At that time, we were approaching sixteen years of visiting Jason, both in jail and in multiple prisons. I asked him, “What is the single most important thing—besides Jesus—that helps you keep…

“Read Me a Story” – Blog

Mothers connecting with their children… a silly, unnecessary idea for a program… unless the mother is incarcerated. What is normally natural and comfortable becomes an unfulfilled longing. “Read Me a Story” provides a moment of connection and joy between the incarcerated mom and her children. Speak Up for Hope took…

Hope Blessing

Hello Friends! Welcome (or welcome back) to the Speak Up for Hope Blog! Jennie Afman Dimkoff here. I am J.P. Kent’s aunt, and I have the privilege of serving on the board of Speak Up for Hope. This past year was a joyful one for our family as we celebrated…

Hope For the Heart Womens Outreach

This year We decided to do something different at our Church’s annual Hope for the Heart Women’s conference. It was suggested by Cassie Fuerst that we incorporate a service project into the event. We did some research into what our speaker, Carol Kent had a service passion for, and soon…

Special Notice: Visitation Ministry

Special Notice: A position is open in the Gene Kent In Line Waiting Ministry. Gene developed this ministry in response to the needs of people waiting in line for visitation at Hardee Correctional Institution. While waiting, Gene talks to people, and when needs are revealed, he responds with help. It…

Passing On Hope

A while back, Jason Kent wrote of how anyone could become a part of Speak Up for Hope by reaching out to the prisons in their own area. We love it when we see that happen. Recently, a widow’s ministry group decided to do that very thing. They collected items…

Letter Writing To Inmates

Saturday night…Hi J.P. (and Speak Up for Hope Blog Readers,) Just now falling asleep, so I thought I’d write. It’s nearly midnight here in our Gaylord home that we’d like to sell – we haven’t lived here for four years. It is a unique situation to visit a place with…