April 2025 Newsletter: Restoration Prison Ministry

April- 2025

 

 

Dear Partners:

 

Arise and Shine, Lord Jesus, for the sake of souls in America.  

Every day is a new day to serve the Master, and I am determined to make each day count.  I know we all try to do this to the best of our ability in Him.  

There is so much to be thankful for that the Lord has done for all of us. I just wanted to share a few highlights from the past and the present.  

 

Last year, during all the meetings I was able to conduct, 2,500 souls received Christ as their Savior and Lord.  These precious souls were primarily in prisons, but there were also some in churches and drug treatment centers as well.  

One young lady in a church, was at the altar when I spoke to her: “the chapter in her life was about to change.”  I spoke from the Spirit of God and said, “The

power of God will be demonstrated in a new way this upcoming year for you.  Jesus will use you to see creative miracles, souls saved, and signs and wonders, too.”  

She received this from the Lord and has since won many to Christ in her hometown, as well as in her ministry of feeding the homeless.  

This week, she is off to Africa with a team of ministers to work in an orphanage, helping to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.  Included in that important work? Assisting fellow servants of The Gospel, serving food, and teaching The Word to those who have never encountered it before.  It is a harvest field for souls.  Her primary reason for going is to just help in any way that she can.  She will be gone from March 29, 2025, through the end of May.  

She is incredibly young, age 22, but the Lord Jesus has used her life for many years now.  

 

Additionally, off to Oregon, at the end of May, for me.  

I have added a church to the list of seven prisons and two churches already scheduled.  

For the past 47 years, there has been a consistent spiritual attack against me for the preaching of the Gospel in prisons.  It would take five pages of stories to explain all that I have gone through, in the mandate God has allowed me to be a part of.  

Since May is rapidly approaching as of the writing of this letter, I am always aware of things that happen that make absolutely no sense “in the natural.”

I will share one today, as I close this letter.    

I have had two flat tires on tires that are brand new.  I know this sounds trivial.  

But with the first one, I led the man who helped me on the highway to Jesus.  He was only 19 years old.  That flat tire produced a soul won to Christ.  

Romans 8:28 in action.  

The second flat tire allowed me to be at Walmart Tire Center on a Sunday.  Thank God someone was open to fix it.  It was a Sunday, with regular tire shops closed.  

This encounter did not have anyone in my path for me to witness to.  

It was not about that.  

It gave me one hour of uninterrupted time as I waited for the tire to be fixed.  

The Lord began to explain to me about the urgency of using all my time wisely.  

As wisely as possible, working full time, and preaching as much as I can.

 

 I recently sent a story to many of you that have received this newsletter.  

This story was about my encounter with a man at an airport.  

Back in 2018, I met a man in a wheelchair, who was 80 years old, and spoke about my family, the ministry, and me.  Specific things only the Lord and I knew.  It was a turning point for me.  

The main message, in that prophesy, given to me that day was:

“Do MORE.”  

So, in the writing of this letter, and remembering the mandate to do more, I am in process.  I am believing God for more opportunities in prisons.  

Like an arrow in God’s quiver, I will go anywhere, anytime, and at any cost, to preach the Gospel in prisons.  

I am His arrow.  He is the Bow.  

“Launch me, Lord.”  

 

Of course, there is a balance to doing more.  I still work full time, with responsibilities where I live, that are ongoing.  

I have scheduled Oregon prisons and a few churches at the end of May.  

I am believing God to open new opportunities to preach in prisons, wherever that may be.  

Please pray and agree that the Lord will continue to use me, and this soul-winning ministry, to do His Will.  

When I return from Oregon on June 4th, I will be going to the Ferguson Unit Prison in Texas with my son, and his friends on Father’s Day.  We are believing for many souls to come to Jesus this special day.  

 We want to provide, like in years past, a bar of soap for each man who lives there. 

The ministry needs 2,300 bars of soap to facilitate this blessing to each one of

them.  We will conduct three services that day, with over 250 men in attendance for each service.  

It’s an annual Father’s Day blessing, as well as during Christmas too, along with Christmas Cards in December with the soap.  

Please pray for everything I have mentioned today.  

And as always, thank all of you for the support, both prayerfully and financially, to see the lost souls come to Jesus that I will encounter very soon.  

Blessings to you, and peace, from our Lord and Savior, Jesus.  

Sincerely,

Evangelist, Joe Wilkins