Brianna Cassidy
Pilot ~ Photographer ~ Scuba Diver
TESTIMONIALS
One inmate wrote:
My name is GC and I am currently incarcerated in the Arizona Department of Corrections. I am a believer and have accepted the Lord Jesus as my personal Savior. I heard of your ministry from another brother in Christ in our weekly Bible study. I am an indigent and really have no funds but I really need a study Bible to further my learning and knowledge of our Lord's word. What I am asking is could your ministry please help me in getting a study Bible from your catalog at no cost. I chose the Thomas Nelson NKJV study Bible.
I just would like to say to who may get this letter that I am so very grateful for your ministry as I have needed more than wanted a Bible of my own. Than you so very much and my our Lord Jesus continue the great works through this ministry.
-God Bless from a brother in Christ
GC
Another inmate sent us this hand made card (click to read inside)
This inmate's letter is here attached:
This inmate's expression of gratitude really touched us:
September 9, 2023
The new Bible has arrived! Praise God from whom all blessings flow. It is absolutely the most beautiful Bible I have ever owned. I am so grateful to you and your entire team associated with "Brianna's Wings of Passion" for making this possible. I'm so excited to begin reading, memorizing and studying God's word with my beautiful new Bible. I am truly overwhelmed complete with tears flowing as I write you. This is a wonderful new memory made while I'm here in prison, that will last the rest of my life, and you and your team made that possible. God bless you. I've recorded today's date, and from whom this Bible was sent, and will never forget you.
Thank you, this is truly a blessing,
BB
Another fellow believer, who writes us regularly, that we have grown fond of, wrote us a special Sabbath blessing in the Summer of 2022:
Mary,
"Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women." Luke 1:28
Good morning, and happy Sabbath! I would have inserted your name into that scripture but the Angel of the Lord was already speaking to a Mary. I just want to thank you for your last message and actually all of the corresponding you do with us inmates. Thank you for your prayers for me and my family. I hope all is well for you, and you are feeling the presence of our Father on this special day. I know I am.
I was a little late going to service last night so they denied me entry, but God... had a plan. I sat and talked with a friend at a table as lightning shined in a distant storm. God was brought up several times in the conversation. He always has a plan, and it is comforting to see Him work even in a place like this.
I hope you have a great weekend and week ahead. God bless you and all that your hands touch. Thank you again for all of your ministry and prayers.
Your brother in Christ,
CC
PS: The picture above of the hand with our names inscribed was from this inmate.
Many of these men have quite the drawing talent. You can see how much time goes into their artwork, which they then send us in appreciation of BWP's ministry for them.
A grateful inmate once an atheist
From a regular writer to BWP and the ministry opportunities he has being incarcerated
Grateful from the bottom of my heart
I’m getting together all the brothers in here and we’re pitching in on feeding after church next week something for Thanksgiving. We’re having a group singing Christian music and have this big thing with the Chaplain and some outsiders coming in to preach. We’ve been talking about it trying to figure how to give back and help.
After study group, this older man came up and asked me if I can pray for him. When I said yes, I told him to bow his head and when I looked down, he had these shoes that were ripped and nasty looking. I could see he had tried to sew them up, but I closed my eyes and prayed out loud. When I was done, he cried. I told him, “you’re gonna be just fine, Jesus loves you.” I handed him a Bible I had before you bought me the new one, and said, “here you take it read, study, and learn. Let Jesus show you He never gave up on you.”
I wish you knew what I do every day in here. I have this box, I have these daily Bibles and other materials. Every morning I stand next to the chow line, me and this other guy, handing out stuff and we made this prayer box…you’ll love it…people come and drop off prayers and every day at 3 pm we take ever one of them and pray over them. Also, every night, I make out these little papers and write Scriptures from the Bible… every night we have a group prayer outside on the yard.
It was so hard when I first got here, but now we got so many people just walking up to pray. I even had this guy who just wanted to sit next to us, because he needs to feel Jesus presence. This is what he said, I couldn’t help but smile. I knew right then and there I’m doing something right.
- Your brother, LV
From an inmate who is going through a series of Bible lessons we've sent in, known as the truth[LINK] lessons. After he read the lesson on the Sabbath he wrote us, with these words ~
Thank you for sharing with me what the Sabbath has done for you both. Its always nice to hear the joy in someone's testimony so that I can by faith see, hear , and believe for myself.
I'm happy to shar that I devoted my time this Sabbath to prayer and I read 2 lessons and I read the book of Revelation :) It was a nice feeling and I plan on committing my time to God every Sabbath from now on as I'm sure it will only become more humbling as I continue to do so. I proved to myself that I can do it and it cost me nothing. My time and attention belongs to God so be it. Thank you for your prayers, brother Rod.
God bless you,
little brother, ATC
Shortly after Easter this year, we received this email from
a fellow Christian who writes us regularly ~
Resurrection
Rod, Praise the Lord!!!! He is Risen. I feel so amazing today after that very special Sabbath. I was able to watch Passion of the Christ yesterday on our Pando app. I had seen it before with my dad when it first came out 20 years ago, but now that he truly is my Lord and Savior it was so hard to watch. I was crying seeing the pain Jesus went through for us. However, today I feel alive I feel rejuvenated I feel joy springing up from within me. I just keep saying praise the Lord in my head. I read the resurrection stories in the gospels this morning and I am in a good head space. I believe in His resurrection power not only then but now too, I believe I will see great favor and redemption in my future with the things that seemed to be dead in my life, the lost relationships. Praise be to the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit!!!
Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Blessings from above, CC
Sometimes inmates also share some family information, as brother ML did below:
This brother, above gives a lot of detail as to the type of Bible he received. (For ease of reading, we have reproduced it here.)
"I thought I would send you and update on the study Bible you sent me in May 2022. It is the Dake Reference Bible NKJV.
I have had several study Bibles in the past and still own four, but my favorite and daily use Bible is the Dake. It has been a BLESSING to me!!
It has a big commentary that is spot on in this dispensation in this Age of Grace. And the concordance is over 300 pages of 3-column fine print, so its huge. It has been highlighted, underlined, bookmarked & has lots of side note written in it. I am sure the KJV has the same features. I would highly recommend this Bible. I use it for my personal mail-in Bible studies as well.
A Bible that is ragged around the edges, usually has an owner that isn't!! [Very true]
The forward says the author had spent 43 yrs & over 100,000 hrs (that's over a 40hrs/wk) studying God's word. It has 500,000 cross references, 35,000 notes & comments and lots of notations at the end of each book of the Bible.) FINIS JENNINGS DAKE RIGHTLY DIVIDES THE WORD OF TRUTH (2 Tim 2:15)."
He closed with these words~
"Again I thank your ministry for sending me this study Bible.
"May God bless your ministry richly in Grace and Peace.
Thank you for your time.
K.K.
Greetings Mary:
I pray this letter finds you in good health and spirit. I wanted to personally thank you, and your foundation, for all your hard work and dedication. These Bibles mean so much to the men who receive them. I can’t express the gratitude I feel every time one of these men bring their Bible to show it to me. The joy on their faces is indescribable. I have been meaning to send this donation out for quite some time, I guess better late than never. I hope this can help you provide resources for some other men. May the Lord bless you, and keep you. May He make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you, and give you peace.
With Love in Christ,
T.N.
This brother expressed what joy he has when fellow inmates bring their new Bibles to show him.
God bless you Mary...
Its always great to hear form you.
Evan is well and he always greets me. His smile is probably the most wonderful smile you'd see in this place. Jesus live in him. I'm still studying the Bible. Now in the 8th Chapter of Isaiah. I am also about 45 pages shy of finishing E.G. White's Desire of Ages. I am interested in reading her book called The Great Controversy as well. Parts of the Desire of ages has had me in tears. What a wonderful Lord we have and I am such a lowly sinner. Sometimes I detest myself because I knew what I was supposed to be doing in this life and followed the world. Now...I've wasted sooo much life time. I have a hard time now with shame...guilt...abandonment and betrayal. Prison is difficult at this age. 64...in good health...vvery mobile...I will NOT be doing this again...
Thank you for writing and God bless you.
Love in Christ.
B.H.
This inmate never thought we would write him back. Some of the guys lose their families when they become incarcerated. Its a really hard time for them.
Thank you Mary,
Wow! I never thought that you would write me back! Thank you so much for this Amazing Bible! And Thank you for writing back to me!
Before I came to jail, I was sinning pretty bad, and didn't realize how much of an addict I was...then God saved me, He unstuck my life and showed me the way (narrow path) to Him. I thank Him every day now, and pray multiple times a day!!
Since I've come to jail and prison, my mom is the only person to want to continue talking to me. My wife divorced me, and I'm still in a restraining order against my kids, they were under 18, 3 of them. So I have no one, but my mom, on the outside. That is one reason I asked you for a response, I'm trying to better myself, but no one knows...
I'm in the mandatory class, with 3 tests I have to pass, before I can get a job. I've passed 1 test so far, and take 2 more this upcoming week. I pray to pass them, so I can get a job and make some money!!
The Bible I ordered is amazing, and I'm glad I got the NLT! I really appreciate what you are doing for us in here, and I hope and pray for you now in my daily prayers. You are the first person on the outside who has helped me, besides my mom. Please continue to do good works for others, and thank you again!!
God Bless you,
1 John 4:7 - Let us continue to love one another,
for love comes from God.
Thank you for the
Loving Kindness
you have given to me and all the others you
have helped.
Thank you, Brianna's Wings of Passion Foundation
Sincerely,
J.C.