Posts by jemmorey
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 on television. Your son committed…
Read MoreI 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 would continue to enable us…
Read MoreVisiting 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 your sanity in this place?”…
Read More“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 this program to a central…
Read MoreHope 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 the wedding of our daughter,…
Read MoreHope 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 found the Boxes of Hope…
Read MoreSpecial 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 may involve helping them understand…
Read MorePassing 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 to donate to a visitation…
Read MoreLetter 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 your old furniture and your…
Read MoreSpeak Up For Hope Representatives
Many people ask about being a Speak Up for Hope representative in their area of the country. That is flattering, but it isn’t necessary. You see, we don’t have a special monopoly or license that certifies someone to bless others. We simply do whatever we can do right where we are, and that is exactly…
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