August 2012 Newsletter

July 23, 2012

Friend of The Forgiveness Foundation

100 2^nd Street NW

Charlottesville, Virginia 22902

Re: August 2012 Newsletter

Dear Friend,

The Forgiveness Foundation has received a letter from a friend of death row inmate, Joseph Christopher Garcia. The friend is seeking to have Joseph’s death sentence commuted to life without the possibility of parole. On December 13, 2001, seven men (the Texas Seven) escaped from the John B. Connally Unit, a maximum security prison near Kenedy, Texas. Joseph was a member of the Texas Seven. On Christmas Eve, the men chose to rob Oshman’s Sporting Good Store where police officer Aubrey Hawkins was killed. Texas, like most states, adheres to the felony murder rule – a rule of law that imputes murder to all participants in a felony when someone is murdered. At the time of Joseph’s escape he was serving a 50 year sentence for a prior murder. Like Joseph’s friend, Christians should love and care for all, seeking out their needs.

“(16) And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he (Jesus) was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (17) And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’” Mark 2:16-17 (ESV) Jesus’ instruction to us (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15) is to take the redemptive (healing) grace of the Gospel to the sinners (sick) of the world. Jesus is interested in redeeming sinners from their sin and that crime, no matter how horrible, is nothing greater than a branch of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:6). Please pray for Joseph Christopher Garcia.

One of the ways The Forgiveness Foundation shares the Gospel of Jesus Christ is through our annual Christmas card outreach. The Christmas card outreach is designed to share the love that Jesus Christ has for us with every man and woman on death row. It is to show them that they are loved. The Forgiveness Foundation purchases 3,500 blank card stock and envelopes, colored pencils and colored pens, and postage. Volunteers use the colored pencils to draw a “Christ” centered Christmas scene on the front of the blank card. Isaiah 9:6 is written on the inside of the Christmas card in colored ink. The Bible verse is accompanied by a personal note to the recipient of the Christmas card. The envelope is addressed by hand using seasonal colored ink. By the time the card is finished, the envelope addressed, stuffed, posted, and mailed approximately seven people have been involved with making a handmade Christmas card that shares the love of each of us and most importantly, the love Jesus Christ has for the recipient.

Do you want to help with this mission of sharing the Gospel? The Forgiveness Foundation still needs to raise $1,933.94 by August 15 to fully fund The Forgiveness Foundation Christmas Card Outreach 2012. To date TFF has raised $1,140.00 of the 3,073.94 needed to fully fund Christmas Card Outreach 2012. You may make a gift by going to our website at, www.theforgivenessfoundation.org, clicking onto the PayPal logo and following the instructions. If you prefer, you mail your gift to: The Forgiveness Foundation

100 2^nd Street NW

P.O. Box 2634

Charlottesville, Virginia 22902

If you are not able to help financially, I encourage you to join us in prayer for our financial needs, our artists, inscribers, envelope addressers, and a receptive heart with the recipient of the hand drawn Christmas card.

Executions Scheduled For August 2012

As I write this newsletter, Warren Lee Hill is waiting to learn if he will be executed tonight at the Georgia Diagnostic and Placement Prison in Jackson, Georgia. To date, 24 men have been executed this year. That is six less men than were executed during the same time period last year. I am thankful for the people who have joined with The Forgiveness Foundation in prayer and financial support, helping us share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with every man who was executed this year.

Seven men are scheduled to be executed during the month of August:

· August 01 – Marcus Druery, Texas

· August 03 – Michael Tisius, Missouri (Stayed)

· August 07 – Marvin Wilson, Texas

· August 08 – David Cook, Arizona

· August 14 – Michael Hooper, Oklahoma

· August 15 – Jason Reeves, Louisiana

· August 22 – John Balentine, Texas

Please pray for Marcus, Michael, Marvin, David, Michael, Jason, and John. Pray for salvation if unsaved, peace if saved, and if any of these men are innocent that it be discovered before they are executed. Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ died for the forgiveness of Marcus, Michael, Marvin, David, Michael, Jason, and John’s, sin at Calvary. All that remains is for them to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, to receive the free gift of salvation and eternal life. Please pray earnestly for these men, keeping in mind that in God’s eyes, murder is a sin and in the eyes of Texas, Missouri, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, murder is a crime that, in these cases, is punishable by death. At Calvary, over 2,000 years ago, Jesus accepted the punishment for the sin of the murders these men are convicted of committing and now they need to accept the salvation and forgiveness Jesus desires to give them.

Please check our website, www.theforgivenessfoundation.org, for current information regarding stays of execution and additional people being scheduled for execution during the course of the month.

Mission work is generally regarded as going off to a foreign land to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I encourage you to reconsider your definition of mission work. Mission work is the effort you put into sharing the Gospel with every person you meet: a neighbor, a friend, a chance meeting, even men and women on death row in the United States. Jesus’ great commission instructs us to share the Gospel everywhere! “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, (20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV) Do you want to share the Gospel with men and women on death row? Do you want to share the Gospel with men, women, and young people all over the world? In closing, I encourage you to help us with your prayer and financial support. If you are unable to help us financially, I encourage you to pray for God’s provision for TFF. If you are able to make a gift to our ministry, you can make it online at, www.theforgivenessfoundation.org, click onto the PayPal logo and follow the instructions. If you prefer, you may mail your gift to:                   The Forgiveness Foundation

100 2^nd Street NW

P.O. Box 2634

Charlottesville, Virginia 22902

Do you have a prayer need? We want to pray for you! Email your prayer request to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Godspeace!

Rodney Rexrode