The Happy Starfish

It was a beautiful day on the beach and Churchperson was having a stroll. It was his common practice to walk on a andy trail that ran along a small cliff that overlooked the beach. You see Churchperson liked to walk barefoot so that he could feel the warm sand between his toes.

This particular beach had a very serious problem because it was overrun with starfish that had washed upon the beach. They were alive when they beached but they could not help themselves you see. So the little starfish lay upon that each day after long hot day. They grew calloused and hard and eventually they just died. Churchperson did not like starfish because they were hard like sharp rocks and they hurt his feet when he stepped on them. "Ahh! its good to be alive," he sighed, as he thought of how refreshing the smell of salt water in the air made him feel. If only it wasn't for those blessed starfish he could wade along the edge of the sea. Suddenly his eyes fixed upon a sight that so amazed him that he shouted, "stop that !" as he gazed upon a young lad who was busily engaging himself in tossing the starfish back into the brine. "What do you think you're doing" shouted Churchperson. "I am saving the starfish" chirped the youngster cheerfully. " There are thousands of starfish on this beach," Shouted Churchperson. "What makes you think you can make one bit of difference in the lives of those dry hardened starfish?" The joyful young man looked thoughtful as he bent down and picked up another starfish. He paused for just a moment and then he zestfully flung the starfish far out into the blue sea. "I made a difference to that one," the lad replied.

Church person became thoughtful as he recalled the words 0f his good friend Christian. You see Christian did not like criminals because they too had become hardened and were a real problem to honest citizens like himself. Christian was a prosecuting attorney and he knew better than anyone the hardness and corruption of the criminal element. "They should lock them up and throw away the key!" Christian's word's rang out in the mind of Churchperson. Churchperson thought indignantly that they should bury those blasted starfish down deep in the sand then I could stroll the beach without being bothered. Then he thought, "but that would be a lot of hard work for me to do," Then Churchperson had an idea, "I'll get the government to do it" He mused., "that's it !" He proclaimed. They sure do a good job of locking up those blasted criminals. "this is a public beach and I voted for senator Blow." He recalled how Senator Blow had promised to solve the crime problem by burying the criminals. "Its a terrible world," he thought, as he recalled how the situation had only gotten worse since the crackdown. the population of the prisons had doubled in the last ten years and experts were predicting that it would double again by the year 2000.

Churchperson became agitated in his mind as he recalled that it was those blasted starfish that was keeping him from his beautiful sandy beach. "Perhaps we have a situation that cannot be solved from the church pew or from the beautiful sandy trail above the starfish studded beach," thought Churchperson. All at once a movement on the beach caught his eye. A little baby starfish had washed upon the beach and was struggling in the hot sand. Churchperson's heart was moved as he scurried down the side of the small cliff on his way to make a difference in the life of the helpless little starfish.

The Invisible One seemed to give a sigh of satisfaction as the sun set upon the lonely beach. He seemed to smile as He watched the two shadowy figures shouting joyfully as they flung the little starfish back into the foamy welcome sea.

Greetings in the matchless name of Jesus Christ. The month of July has been a month of pulling and stretching in the spirit and I find myself in awe of all that has happened in just one short month. First of all I purchased a home at 4332 N.W. 18th. St. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73107. Please stop now and make note since it is a permanent move. I am now living with my 22 year old nephew, Larry Joe Holt. Please pray for both of us. He loves the Lord and we have come to an agreement whereby I can help him walk as a christian and get a steady job, get his G.E.D., his driver's license and so forth.

The correspondence school is growing into a real move of the Holy Spirit and the enrolment list grows daily. I am not actively trying to enroll bible study students but they are actually using the lessons to evangelize other prisoners. I have 32 people enrolled at this time. Two of those have already received a certificate of acheivement and have started on their next course. Carol Austin a friend from the old days received Christ in the Oklahoma County Jail after getting a 35 year sentence. Her testimony is written in this issue.

On the 7th and 8th of July I drove to Stigler, OK. and testified at the 1st Freewill Baptist Church at the Sunday morning service. That evening I spoke at Hope Baptist in Checotah, OK. The next morning I held services on death row at the Oklahoma State Prison in McAlester,OK.

The meeting with U.S. Congressman J.C. Watts was very fruitful. I outlined my plan to start a major correspondence ministry to him and he has agreed to write a letter of endorsement. Others that were there to support my plan was Dr. Dan Maxwell, and Rocky Hails Pastor and Associate Pastor of Heritage Baptist church of Oklahoma City, Ok. Keith Brawe of Keith Brawe Financial services in Oklahoma City, OK along with Howard Hardegree, National Director of Justice Linc.

On saturday July 20th, I traveled to Stringtown, Ok. for a day on the yard at Mack Alford Correctional Center. I was in the company of Roy Clay, Carl Dutton, and Jerry Turbeville all of these guys are christian ex-offenders who have been serving Him in the ministry for several years. Once we got on the yard it was like old home week for everyone as all of us, with the exception of Carl, had served time there in the past. We visited with a lot of old friends such as J.W. Hunnicutt, Buddy Fesmire. And some new ones such as Shawn Cain. Shawn has been enrolling others in our free bible studies. That evening about 7pm we held a meeting in the Chapel and Benny Boeck Preached. During the service one man that I know quite well stood up in the middle of the preaching and went to the alter to get cleansed from his past. As I was praying with him he said, "I can't get this blood off of my conscience, I've been trying for 30 years." As we begin to pray, we could feel the power of the Holy Sprint, and the blood was gone! Praise God through Jesus Christ he was set free. Before the meeting was over the chapel was so full of prisoners praising god that there was hardly room to stand. One of the men that went with me told me that he wept the next day because he was so overwhelmed with joy from the memory of it.

I held services at Heritage Baptist in Edmond, OK. on Wednesday July the 24th. I held two services at the First Baptist Church in Jones, OK. on Sunday morning July the 28th. The Holy Spirit bore witness to to the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Please remember to keep me in your prayers. I am and will continue to pray for each one of you.

I am planning a trip to Chicago September 12-15 for the Cook County Jail Weekend of Champions. I hope I can see some of you at that time.

Please remember to pray for my friend Irvin Judd who had some tumors removed from his bladder. May God continue to bless you as you serve Him. See you next month. Don

Carol Jean Austin

"Three times a loser, now forever a winner"

I am a 43 year old Woman but I've been down roads most men would not enter into. I learned to work on cars so that I could steal them, then tear them down and sell them. I was one of the best theives in town. It wasn't beneath me to set fire to a drerssing room, so that I could get a rack of leather coats out the door.

Ounces of dope and illegal weapons were a way of life. All of it was a play thing to me. Nothing meant anything to me. I I thought the neatest thing about being a woman was that I could wear a dress and high heels up to a house ...Kick a door open better than most men and take everything of value. If any one walked by. I acted like "your friendly avon lady."

Armed robbery was also one of my weaknesses. I wanted so much in so little time. I thought "I love being a woman" but emotions were something I did not show. I was the backbone of my family. If they needed something, I got it. If anyone bothered them I stopped that too. "TAG," you're it was my motto with an AXE HANDLE. I've been shot, stabbed and beat up so bad, my head was shaved...to be sown up and you couldn't tell what I looked like. 'yep," I was real tough on the streets. This now makes my fourth time to prison. I didn't say I was smart, "just tough!"

My first husband was shot and died in my arms at a club. My second husband got 100 years for armed robbery. I told my third husband to, "stick with me and we'll go places!" We were married 27 days when we were arrested and he is already serving 10 years for this arrest. I came in the county jail hating everything that breathed. How unfair for them to put a Crimestoppers Reward out on me. You can probably guess who collected the reward on me. Yes, my best friend ! The one that'll stick by you through thick and thin. "Ha!"

The D.A. offered me life without parole. I was not a happy camper. When I got into the cell block that first day, a friend of mine was sitting with a woman who had been in jail(here) for 2 1/2 years. I asked her, "How do you get through it?" She (Jackie) pointed upward. Good deal, I thought, someone upstairs had some dope and cigarettes. She then said she meant God. I shot away from her like Superman's mate. I sure didn't need a "bible thumper" around bothering me. My friend kept hanging around with her so I was stuck, sitting with this "Jesus freak."

One day they said the Chaplain was there to counsel with this Preacher Girl(Jackie). When I looked to see who it was there stood an old 1970's running buddy of mine, Carl Dutton. But they said a chaplain? " surely not!" "O well," I thought, ... "Carl," I said, "Let's talk." When he pulled me out of the pod I thought, "...Things are looking up, I'll get him to do all kinds of stuff for me." The list was endless starting with a cigerette. We talked for a while and ol' Carl just didn't seem the same as I remembered. He kept talking to me about how happy he was since Jesus came into his life. I felt sorry for him, I thought, "Something must have really happened to this ol' boy. He probably got hit in the head while he was in prison." He was talking all this God stuff. I didn't even ask for my long list of favors. He had enough problems, poor guy.

Later on I broke a rule and got locked down for thirty days. As I sat there thinking about my life and the fact that I had only been out of prison for 364 days at the time of my arrest. I knew I was going back to prison and I felt hopeless. The tears started flowing and I got on my knees and I begged God to help me. I could not face all of this alone. "Please God do something before I go insane." Once again I was moved and I was placed in a double cell with the Preacher Girl, Jackie. I immediately told her that I did not want to hear any of that Jesus stuff and she left me alone. I tried to read the bible but it seemed like a foreign language to me. I could not stand Jackie's silence so I began to ask her questions because she seemed so happy. " What happens when you get saved?" ..."Where do you do it at and who all is there?" I asked. She got me an appointment with Carl Dutton. "O Boy, here was poor ol' Carl Dutton again." This time I went in thinking ...about Jesus... Not a cigarette. The more I listened to poor ol' Chaplain Carl Dutton the more sense he was making. Before I knew it He...led me in the sinners prayer. I wasn't sure what to expect after that. I hurried back to my cell and looked in the mirror. I looked the same, no glow or anything. I thought, "I may need to pray about this." I wasn't sure how to pray.

I finally learned that prayer comes from the heart if you want God to hear it. While doing my bible studies I find myself praying a lot during the day. I don't feel so alone anymore. I've been sentenced to thirty five years. I've walked in every kind of life except to walk with Jesus Christ. I feel that to walk with Jesus will be my, " FIRST VICTORY!" "ITS AWESOME!" I FEEL THAT HE HAS BEEN WAITING ON ME ALL MY LIFE. "The peace within, that I have never known...I am finally finding...just to realize that I am worth saving ...that Jesus will be with me...night and day...no matter what prison cell or other part of the world I may be in ...is the biggest comfort of all. I will never feel worthless or alone again. I have found true love and a friend in Jesus! AMEN.

Editor's note: Jackie who helped Carol has enrolled many prisoners in our free correspondence bible studies. Carol is enrolled too. Carol is now serving a new 35 year sentence. Her address is:

Carol Austin. #12733
P.O.Box 11492
Oklahoma City, OK 73136

I am sure she would welcome your letters. She needs all the encouragement she can get. Jackie is still awaiting trial. Her address is:

Jackie Hathcox
201 N. Shartel
Oklahoma City, OK 73102

Thanks Don

Don Holt's Testimony | The Prison Ministry | Contact Information
Campus Crusade For Christ | Breaking Free Newsletter
Photo Gallery | E-Mail | Home Page

Site Design by Terry Fritts and Jason Fritts of E-Mail: jfritts@smartbusiness.com

Last Updated: 07/24/99 Copyright © 1996 - 1999 Don Holt All Rights Reserved. E-Mail: dhholt@ionet.net

Visit Testimonies.com
Hosted By Integrity Network Services