Linda Strom is the driving force behind Discipleship Unlimited, a thriving prison ministry that reaches out to men and women in need of spiritual and emotional healing through Jesus Christ. In 2003, Linda followed God’s call to take this much-needed ministry to Texas. But only a week after relocating from Wisconsin to Texas, Linda’s life—and life plan—was turned upside down with some devastating news. In the wake of it all, she wondered, “Did I miss God?”
Linda herself is a true testament to the transformative power of Christ. She grew up in the peaceful countryside of western Pennsylvania. Yet her home life was anything but. For 17 years she suffered through physical and verbal abuse at the hands of her parents. Linda’s one pillar of strength was her grandmother, who reminded her “God is always greater.” These words gave her hope.
In 1963, Linda married the love of her life, Dallas Strom. But while there was great love, Linda also carried with her parts of her broken childhood. One night, after a fight that caused Dallas to leave, Linda fell to her knees. She cried out to God, “Help me.” She opened her heart, confessed her sins, and admitted her deep need for His grace. From that night on, her life was never the same. Joyfully, Dallas soon accepted Christ as his Savior too.
Growing up in a volatile household, she knew all about the negative behaviors you can model and carry with you throughout your life. She also knew how pain and fear could harden your heart and close it off from God’s love. Yet through her own experiences, Linda also knew God’s love could break through any prison – spiritual or physical.
With her background in teaching and training, Linda knew it was part of God’s plan for her to be in ministry. Soon, both she and Dallas entered the ministry as laypersons. In 1974, they established Discipleship Unlimited. After raising their three sons in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Linda and Dallas moved to Texas in 2003 to be closer to those they served “behind the fences” in prison. A week after the move, Linda’s world turned upside-down – her beloved husband Dallas was diagnosed with cancer.
From a vantage point near her house, Linda could see the prison where she ministered. During those dark, uncertain days, she questioned the move. She wondered, “Did I miss You, Lord? Am I too late?” Even though she was uncertain of her path, Linda pressed on. And God made it clear that she had not missed Him. The prison ministry began to thrive. But it was a bittersweet time, as in March 2008, Dallas was called to his heavenly home.
Today, Linda continues Discipleship Unlimited with her son Terry, a songwriter and speaker, by her side as Executive Director of Ministry. She continues to minister to women in prisons across the United States and even overseas. And no matter where she goes, she knows she never “misses God.”
Just Between Us (JBU) had the wonderful opportunity of sitting down with Linda to hear more about her ministry, her adjustment to loss, and how to follow God’s calling.
Linda Strom
JBU:
How have you experienced healing for your own damaged emotions?
Linda: I have been healed by the love of Jesus. I personally had a revelation of His love as I read His words. One favorite verse is Ps. 103:11: “His love reaches to the heavens and is more than enough to heal any wound.” I gradually allowed that truth to move from my head to my heart. Daily, I am still receiving His love and choosing to walk in His healing. I have learned to filter my decisions through His Word and try not to rely on my emotions. I have been challenged to step into the unsafe and dark areas of my childhood and past. Through loving sisters and the prayers of those who believed God for me, I have been set free. My husband, Dallas, was a firm rock for me, as well. He walked with me to places I did not want to go to help me in the healing process.
JBU:
You minister to a lot of women with wounded hearts. How can we come alongside wounded women?
Linda: By sharing and being examples of Christ’s love. The seed of God’s love was planted by my grandmother. During my turbulent childhood days, she modeled faith. She believed in God for me. She spoke words of life into my broken heart. She was a woman of courage and hope and of influence. By sharing our own stories with women, we show them “You’re not alone. You’re not the only one who’s gone through this.” Doing so provides such hope, and hope can heal hearts.
JBU:
Why did you think you had “missed God” 10 years ago?
Linda: I had just read The Purpose Driven Life. I had followed my call to Texas, where I would be doing prison ministry. A week later, my husband Dallas was diagnosed with cancer. Everything was upside-down. Here I was, I had sold my house and moved my life to Texas. I was ready to start doing the Lord’s work in the prisons, and then it felt like all the doors were shut. I wondered, “Did I miss God?”
It was a very tumultuous time with moving and then Dallas getting sick. I just didn’t know what to do. From where we lived, we could take a golf cart out and see the prison. I would go there and pray that God would open the doors to that prison. There were about 13,000 inmates there at the time. So close, but so far away. The doors were closed and locked tight! But God doesn’t “miss”—and those doors were eventually opened. Now, we have a thriving ministry in that prison.
JBU:
How do you rebuild your life after such a loss when you’ve had such a wonderful ministry partner?
Linda: Dallas always said, “No regrets.” We wanted to live a life of no regrets. Even when he was sick and I was sad, he’d say, “Remember, no regrets!” He also said, “You’re going to keep running the race,” and I am.
I’ve learned to rebuild…when there is nothing left, to cry out to God! Let Him hear you and heal you. When you feel sad, press into God! Psalm 68:6 kept coming to mind: “Father of orphans, champion of widows, is God in his holy house.” Truly, God is the champion of widows! He has championed for me and given me strength. I’ve found that I need to press into Him when I’ve felt I had nothing left; that has helped me to heal. It’s also helped me build a deeper intimacy with Christ.
JBU:
Tell us about God’s unique call on your life into prison ministry.
Linda: In 1975, I visited my brother who was a physician for the Kentucky State Penitentiary. I remember hearing about solitary confinement on death row. My brother also provided a list of inmates to pray for, and one was a man named Billy. Billy had recently come to know Jesus Christ.
On Easter morning in 1975, I met Billy. We knelt in prayer on the floor. I could feel the hard cement floor and I could hear Billy’s handcuffs and leg irons. I realized, “Jesus takes off our chains—He sets people free.” It’s the power we sing about, the resurrection. We can provide God’s light in the darkness. That’s when I knew. I thought, “This is what I am called to do.” I wanted to help free others through Jesus Christ.
JBU:
Tell us about your first faith-based dorm.
Linda: Our first faith-based dorm was Murray Prison in Texas. Building it was similar to giving birth in that we were creating and birthing an entirely new program. It was something that had never been done before. We had to learn the ground rules—but then the rules changed! It was a tough learning process, but very valuable. Now, in Mountain View Prison in Texas, we have the full support of the warden and chaplain. They saw that the rates of recidivism were going down. They saw the program worked! God was truly transforming lives.
JBU:
What happens during the faith-based dorm program? What is a typical visit like?
Linda: Inmates apply for the faith-based dorm program. We interview them and with approval from the chaplain and warden of the unit we accept those who have a heart for God and a teachable spirit. They live in a separate faith dorm community—the dorm is separate from the rest of the housing units in the prison. We take 12 to 18 months to prepare them to be “sent out” to other housing units in the prison.
We have both men and women’s faith-based dorms. In these dorms, there are classes at least three days a week, plus special seminars. The men and women have homework in addition to their prison responsibilities. They also have daily devotionals as a dorm and individual quiet time.
They are ready to be taught the Word. They live in forced community, so their rough areas are exposed. During our community meetings, they own their issues. Grace is freely given.
JBU:
Is it difficult for women to go back into the general population after they graduate?
Linda: It is a challenge, but we are preparing them to be missionaries from the beginning. When they graduate, we send them out in twos or threes to the other dorms, much like a church plant. It’s all about equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.
Graduations are highlights. Graduates share how their lives have been changed. Some of these women have never received a diploma before! Recently we had a reunion for participants as well as volunteers. There were many tears shed! Tears of joy. So much embracing. It was amazing to see so many people back to share positive stories of where they are now.
JBU:
Can you share one or two stories of women’s lives you’ve seen transformed in prison?
Linda: Vanessa is a wonderful example of the transformative work of God. She was in our very first faith dorm at Murray Prison. She’s now the women’s chaplain at Harris County Jail! To see that change is amazing. But it’s also so inspiring for the women who are in prison. To see someone who was in their place be released and then come back to minister to them as a chaplain gives them hope. It shows them that they, too, can change their lives.
April is another amazing woman whose life has been changed by the program. When prisoners are released, they are given a bus ticket (to a halfway house or relative’s house) and $50. There was a mistake with April’s bus ticket. She was given a bus ticket to her mother’s house, but her mother would not let her in. That night she slept on a park bench—while it rained. She said, like the song, “I Will Praise Him in the Storm!” – that’s what she did!
The next day she called for help. We were able to arrange for her to go to a farm in Kentucky. The most wonderful part, however, is that her mom visited for Christmas. They were both together and both were and are being restored by Christ. To see that—that’s really part of my passion. It’s what drives me.
JBU:
What is your vision for the faith-based dorms in the coming year?
Linda: We’d like it to keep growing. We’d like to continue growing our resources—group homes, “forever families,” so that when women leave prison they have continued support on the outside. It would also be great to have more churches involved.
JBU:
How has Discipleship Unlimited expanded to Africa? What are some of the challenges and rewards you have experienced there?
Linda: My first trip to Africa was in 2001 after a group of ladies who read my book, Karla Faye Tucker Set Free, invited me to speak at a conference in Johannesburg. The first part of the conference was for pastors’ wives. It was at that conference that I made many close friends and connections. Much to my delight, I was invited to return. I said I would love to go back, but I had one request: to include the prisons in Africa in my schedule. God granted that desire. That very same year I had the privilege to speak in a large prison. I just made my seventh trip in August 2012. I traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, ministering in 10 prisons. I also had the opportunity to speak to the wardens and officers of those prisons. God has allowed me to team with existing ministries there to minister the message of forgiveness through restorative justice. By teaming up with other ministries, I grow and so do they. It’s God’s plan. Together we can train and send out many to spread God’s message of hope.
JBU:
Has there ever been a time when you found this ministry to be too hard and wanted to quit? If so, how did you work through that?
Dallas and I have three sons. When our oldest son, Terry, was 15 he put us through the wringer. Among other things, he became addicted to drugs. A board member in our ministry questioned whether we should continue in ministry. At that same time, my husband Dallas took a summer course at Dallas Seminary. He spent some time with Dr. Howard Hendricks. Howard asked Dallas a wonderful question: “Are you going to let a 15-year-old dictate your future?” That question really encouraged us. Today, that 15-year-old, who is now over 50 and his lovely wife, are on staff with me. He is leading addiction recovery programs in our prison ministry and is also our worship leader!
JBU:
What should women do when they feel they’ve missed God on something?
Linda: Pray! Have faith. God brings people and situations together for a reason. But everything is done on His time—we don’t always know how things will unfold and when! So we need to put our faith and trust in God, and know that He does things for a reason. If we are faithful, He will not disappoint.
JBU:
How do you keep your passion for ministry alive?
Linda: It’s really seeing the transformations in the people I work with. Seeing how God has changed lives. I recall being in South Africa the first time. I had the privilege to speak to a large prison packed with inmates. We had no equipment—no PA system—so we had to stand on a picnic table. There were so many people packed in, you had to push out your voice so it would carry to the crowd. You had to have His power to reach everyone!
I shared Jesus with broken-hearted women who had their children in prison with them. As I was speaking there were interpreters providing the message of grace and mercy in other languages and dialects. The energy and desire for God’s Word was amazing!
When visiting Africa, at times I feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the need there. Yet, I am so encouraged by the resourcefulness of the people. They do so much with so little. That’s what keeps me going. It keeps the passion alive.
~ By Susan Vanselow. Susan is a freelance writer and editor, and JBU volunteer. She holds a B.A. in English and has an MBA. She mentors adults and teens in her community and is active in her church.