Kathy Lang's first day on the job was met with angry stares, bitterness, and harsh words.

"I hate you!" one girl shouted.

"I love you," Kathy replied.

So it goes when your workplace is a prison, a place Kathy never thought she'd be. But God clearly had other plans.

A veteran surgical nurse for over 25 years, Kathy was looking for a new job. An agency that staffs nurses offered her a position at a prison. Without hesitation, Kathy replied emphatically, "No!"

A few days later in the car, she was listening to a Keith Green CD when her ears were startled by the lyrics: "I was in prison, and I rotted there; I'd prayed that you'd come."

Over the next ten days she was bombarded with prison references everywhere she turned. On the TV and the radio—prison news. Her devotion book had references to prison. Kathy finally relinquished: "Okay, God, I get it!"

When she arrived home, she called the agency, but the job had been filled. Undaunted, she visited a local youth detention facility to inquire if they needed a nurse, only to learn there was a hiring freeze. For the next four months she kept calling agencies to inquire. And she prayed.

One night, Kathy and her daughter Jessica were driving home from the store. As they passed the prison at exactly 9:00 p.m., she and Jessica prayed, asking the Lord to open the door if it was truly his will for Kathy to work there. She promised to never stop praying for those girls.

Exactly 12 hours later, at precisely 9:00 the next morning, the agency called to offer her that job. …

[As Kathy worked in the clinic,] she had the idea to give every girl a Bible. But which version? Some of the girls could barely read. After much research, she discovered the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) of the Bible produced by World Bible Translation Center. The translation is written at a third-grade level with cross-references and Bible helps. Through a small grant, Kathy was able to get a few hundred for the cost of shipping. …

At the end of each appointment [Kathy had with a female prisoner], she offered the girl an ERV Bible, briefly explaining how to use it. Their responses were mixed between joy and refusal.

Kathy's heart ached for these girls, most of whom were from difficult backgrounds with little hope for change. Some had lived on the streets for a long time before being incarcerated. One girl told Kathy that her family never paid for anything—they just stole it. Not only was this girl serving time for theft, but so were her parents. …

After [Kathy] gave out the first batch of Bibles, her vision was expanded to do more. She contacted various prison chaplains and was able to place more than 6,000 Bibles in four years. …

Kathy's goal is to see a Bible in the hand of every prisoner. And she has kept her promise to God—she never stops praying for them.

Kathy's guiding verse for her mission with these troubled youth comes from Isaiah 9:2: "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."