The Door Opens: Purple Book Approved at Stafford Creek

May 17, 2025

Two weeks after my first visit to Stafford Creek Correctional Center, I returned on May 17 with something greater in hand: The Purple Book—a discipleship tool rooted in the foundations of faith.

This time, I wasn’t speaking to a room of inmates. I was meeting with the leadership board of APICAG (Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Awareness Group), the internal organization of incarcerated men who shape and guide programs from within the walls.

I presented the vision:

To launch a weekly Purple Book class—not as a routine prison activity, but as a structured, Spirit-led discipleship course aimed at raising up bold men of God in confinement.

We spoke. We prayed.
And by the grace of God—they agreed.

The board approved the class and offered their full support. It was a powerful moment of unity—proof that the Holy Spirit is already stirring revival inside Stafford Creek.

In addition to the class proposal, I also submitted my official volunteer application with the Washington State Department of Corrections. I’m scheduled for orientation on June 14th, which will allow me to become a badged volunteer—granting me direct access to minister inside the prison without a sponsor.

This marks a major step forward. No more waiting on permission to enter. No more outside limitations. God is making a clear path for consistent gospel work behind the gates.

I left that day with a burning sense of purpose.

The gospel is not just visiting Stafford Creek. It’s establishing territory.

Every Saturday, starting mid-summer, we’ll open the Word. Line by line. Soul by soul.
A prison may hold men captive—but the truth of Jesus Christ sets them free.

Written by:
Sokha Thorng
Founder, Street Light Gospel