FROM PEOPLE ON THE INSIDE…..
WORDS OF HOPE
Taken from a letter from Anthony) “Dear Christian pen pals, I am a 41 year old Christian man. I have been incarcerated since I was eighteen years old. Prior to this, I was in a foster home… I don’t have very much in the way of family. None-the-less, God has really been good to me. I have seen many men crumble under the same circumstances; somehow God saw fit to show me favor.”
Anthony M
Dear Christian Pen Pals, First of all I give all honor to God. He put this on my mind to write and tell someone the wonderful news I have received. My name is Anthony… I’m here at California Men’s Colony. I was saved by the grace of God, and so proud He saved me!, even though I know I don’t deserve it. But He loves me so much He allowed it to happen. I didn’t finish school, but I’m 53 years old now, it was too late for me. But when you belong to Jesus and he put something on your mind to finish, you will do as He said. That is what I did; I went back to school and with the Lord’s help, I finished. The ceremony is August 7, 2013. We already have our pictures taken in cap and gown. I wish you could have seen my face – smile from ear to ear. Funny, you feel like your life is over, but you let the Lord take over and He shows you life has just begun. I love my Father and my new life!!! Well, God bless you all, and I hope to hear from you soon. Love, Anthony
Dearest Jesse & Beth, Oh, Beth & Jesse, how can I properly express the joy I derived from reading your brief letter within the card you sent to me. I must tell you that it has lifted my spirits to heights undreamt – a very welcome change from where I had been for so long.
Wow! Who would have thought that people of your angelic nature existed?! I have been incarcerated for almost half of my life; you are the epitome of a true servant: devote Christians that renders to all in the quest to help another merely for the sake of Christ. Now I dare not take my life, as you are symbolically the kind gesture of our Lord & Savior’s mercy. Oh, how I weep with joy, how my soul rejoices…. I have received cards and letters from people all over the country, and it fills me with so much love. I am so grateful to have this moment to thank you!
Your brother & Friend, Damon W.
Brothers & Sisters of Christian Pen Pals,
I pray our Heavenly Father God will pour his grace, peace and love down on each and everyone. Who reaches out in the name of Jesus to help those who look forward receiving mail from someone who cares. (Amen)
I pray also the Holy Spirit will fill you with his goodness, meekness & a burning desire to keep reaching out helping those who are in need.
My name is: James. I am 63 years old, I am now 36 because May 6th 1990, I accepted our Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior May 6th. I be 63 going on 36 I been in prison since 1980 and still am praising Jesus each and every day. Yes I must share this When I accepted Jesus into my life, that was the most precious gift I could had given myself. May 6th 1990
I know I am saved from all my sins because Jesus said so, (Amen) J I have no one to write or received mail. I pray there is someone that will have that burning desire to drop a few lines. May God keep you all in his peace and love.
Brother James
Dear Sharon ,
Greetings and happy days!!
I hope and pray this letter fines you doing well and in good spirits. First and foremost I want to thank you for your letter. There always welcome, I do appreciate your time. Informing me of the penpal you found for me. J
I did receive a letter from him. Bill & I have been fellowshipping now for a month or so. It’s a blessing, thank you It’s great to be able to fellowship now with a brother outside of these walls. Being able to share with other Christians will help my personal growth in our Lord Jesus.
I just think that’s very gracious of you finding us pen pals to share with. I’m grateful! I can’t thank you enough. You all are awesome & may the Lord’s blessing continue to come upon you all and show you favor in all the things you do. God is watching over you and he is smiling…
God Bless You
Yours in Christ, Vincent
Dear C.P.P.
I just wanted to drop a letter to you all to check in and see if you found me someone to correspond with for encouragement, fellowship, friendship and spiritual growth. As I have been praying daily for that to happen as I have no one to write or write me and I feel so alone. I try to keep my feelings and spirits up as I have life mandatory in here, but it gets hard and hopeless with no one to write. I’ve wrote you often to find out anything but the only letter I received from you all was the Christmas Card (of which I cherished so much) and when I’m feeling hopeless/depressed, I pull that card and read it. It lifts me up knowing that you are trying to find someone and my daily prayer of that will soon be answered through the grace of our Lord God Almighty.
Please write me and let me know how things are going with this and if anyone or anything needs any prayers. Let me know so I can pray over it because there is mighty power in prayers. I pray the Lord fills all your lives with love, joy, happiness, protection, blessing and good health mentally, physically and spiritually daily.
God Bless, John J
PS I want to thank you all for all your hard work for everyone, brothers & sisters in Christ. J
Hello & Greetings in the name of our Savior! I want to write this short note and thank you for the very thoughtful Christmas card; it really cheered me up! Also, I’d like to thank you for your ministry and prayers. Because of you, I have a really great pen friend named Kris from Iowa and we both build each other up in Christ Jesus. I really needed this friendship and fellowship, so I want you to know how much you have blessed me. Know that God is truly working through you and people like me have been touched and changed.
May God continue to bless you with health, happiness, and a ready heart.
In Christ Jesus, Michael
To Jesse & Beth,
God bless you for thinking of the ones behind bars looking for some human kindness. I am blessed with people like you helping me to see that Jesus is close and loves & cares about me. By the words of John 14:27, I am opening my eyes & seeing His kindness; this gives me hope I don’t think I can thank you enough!
Thank you, Jim
FROM PEOPLE ON THE OUTSIDE…..
SUCCESS STORIES and MORE BLESSINGS
I’ll tell Tony to be patient. A Biker from New Jersey, He has spent most of his adult life in prison – ten years in Jefferson City, Missouri before Angola. He was a piece of work, tough, combative, and cynical, when I met him eight years ago in the Kairos Prison Ministry. He’ll never get out and has no family to speak of. I have seen God touch him, lift him up, and make something new out of Tony. He has a servant’s heart and is a wonderful, tender Hospice volunteer. I can attest to the effectiveness of ministries such as yours. Self esteem is about zero in prison. Knowing that a Free Man (or woman) cares enough to write, with no strings attached, is a powerful statement that God cares. Bless you and your work. Clint (a Lay Chaplain)
Dear Beth & Jesse & ALL,
God is doing such wonderful things in the life of one of my best friends, and consequently in the prison where he is, that I just have to share it with you! I’ll try to do it briefly! I met William in 2003 after I had received his name from you to send him a Christmas card. He came to know the Lord because he was bored one day and asked his cell mate if he had something to read. The cell mate handed him a Bible. William started reading it and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. Since then, he had been through some frightful trials, but I won’t go into that, I’ll just start with the “good part” that is happening right now. The Lord has blessed him abundantly and used him to start a Bible study group there in his prison. This is a max security prison but the warden allowed the men to meet together for a Bible study; it has grown, increased even with guards attending at times! William began encouraging the men to sing, very reluctantly at first, but after a time the guards had to ask them to “tone it down”! Well, they don’t have to tone it down now because out of that Bible study has come a choir and they will be putting on a Christmas concert! It has grown & grown until outside guests are invited to come to it; the local TV station will be covering it and making a VCR tape for each inmate to give to his family. Since we are William’s “family”, we will get his copy. We have never even seen a picture of him so this is so exciting for us! At one time, a church donated choir robes to the prison so they will be wearing those. William said they are really nice and beautiful so they will not only sound like a choir, but look like one! Just think of the witness that this is to the other inmates, and to the community! To God be the praise, honor, and glory! He is truly doing great things! In Jesus’ love, Sandy
Beth, I received the first response yesterday from the six letters sent out. It was from Mr. Brandon in Raiford. Carolyn and I cried as we read his letter. If we had any doubt about the purpose of this ministry it was much dissipated last evening as we read his correspondence. It was lengthy. He said … and wishes we would write more. We are in touch with him and the others. I’ve witnessed the ugliest of cases but this is one that has my heart. Please feel free to forward any way we can help. Take care and God bless. If we can help with cards please let us know. Jim & Carolyn (Silent Ministries)
Beth, I just wanted to share this with you, because it just brought me to tears….Sometimes I wonder if some of the things I do matter. I have so much on my plate. I have 3 student inmates from Crossroad Bible Institute and 5 pen pals through Christian Pen Pals. I always seem to think I can do “one more.” And I wonder if I matter. Then today, I get a letter from Damien. I’m totally in tears. He wrote in his letter a heartfelt prayer to God that He would give him my burden so I could be healed. He told me that my family, simply by caring about him, has drawn him closer to God, and he has “accepted Jesus wholeheartedly as my Lord and Savior.” I am so humbled. THAT is what it’s all about. Thought you’d like to know. 🙂 Kerri Sweeris
Hi Beth,
I was assigned a prisoner by the name of Roy Adkins. When he began writing me, he had embraced Islam while in Prison. I’d like to share with you a portion of his most recent letter to me: “Dear Lindsey, I have a lot to tell you in this letter but first please read James 5:19-20. (then he writes the verse out) Lindsey, you brought me back to Christ. On Feb 23, 2013 I accepted Jesus into my heart. For the past 5 years I had been practicing Islam. Well the night before I got your very first letter I simply asked God, what was right? The next day I got a letter from you and a family member whom I haven’t spoken to in over a year. With the letter was a booklet called ‘Divine Guidance’. After a while I started to brush these signs under the rug as chance and began to doubt but then your second letter came in with your address. So I said ‘God I’m gonna make sure she knows why I’m in prison, I’m not gonna let you hurt me by losing another friend.’ I really believed you wouldn’t ever write me back but you did and you said you wanted to grow in Christ together, you to me, and me to you, then for 12 hours straight a day, for four days, me and 42 other inmates hung out in the gym with 52 Christian volunteers who brought us real food, who fellowshipped with us, loved us, and gave testimonies and sermons and we sang hymns and gospel songs and I felt the Holy Spirit. So I submitted. On the 3rd day of the KAIROS program, I went to Pastor Lynn Parsons and got saved. I never would have gone to that program if it wasn’t for you. God gave me salvation and you un-knowingly gave me a huge boost in the right direction. Thank you.”
– Roy Adkins 3-1-2013
I am so blessed to hear this and just thought I would share this with you since it is proof that Christian Pen Pals Ministries truly works and saves souls. Lindsey Hand
I really look forward in working with your ministry. It is always a blessing to see someone grow in the things of God. Many don’t really understand the need for ministry in prisons, because of those who are in, but God loves them just as well and He is raising up men and woman from prison to teach and preach His word. In my experience with prison, it was a time to know God on a one on one relationship that I crashed for life. Even though I did not like the reason I was in for, God still blessed and ministered to me. I have been out for 19 years now and have grown must since then. I really didn’t have anyone to help me in my walk with the Lord, but seeing that I have the chance to help one else, I’m happy and blessed to do so. Thank you once again. Your Fellow Servant In Christ, Jacqueline (Former Inmate)
Thank you so much for offering me the opportunity to see God at work. I have heard from both of my “pen pals” – and wept when I heard that both of them have been waiting nearly two years for someone to write to them. I thought of “surely the harvest is ripe, but the laborers are few. . .” Jason was invited to see “the Passion of the Christ” by a volunteer at his facility. He was given a Bible, and he said “because you asked me if I had ever read the gospel of John, I read the whole book! I was amazed to see how Jesus forgave those who were so mean to him. . .” He wants to continue to “talk about” what he is reading. Jamie enjoyed the birthday card I sent. It actually wasn’t a “birthday” card, but a notecard with a drawing of Dall sheep by an Alaskan artist, Doug Linstrand. Thank you for telling me of his interest in art and drawing. He stated that he has only had 3 “free” birthdays since age 18, and he just turned 40. He said, “it is truly time for me to change” I appreciate your hearts for these men and women to connect them with “pen pals.” I am praying for more people to have a heart to minister. Beverly Schlomann
CPP Ministry,
I have received a letter from each. I wrote back as soon as I could, and I think we are underway now. I feel good connections have been with both of them. It’s kind of funny, but when I got my first letters from each of them on the same day at church I started grinning from ear to ear. One lady saw me come out of the mail room with this huge stupid grin on my face and she must of though, “What is he smiling about?” But Ironically I felt the same as I did when each one of my children were born. I don’t understand having the same feeling, but it felt good none-the-less!
Maybe you understand. Thanks for your all’s ministry, Mark Brady
Hello Beth, I’m almost finished with your book. Very powerful stories. I greatly admire your ministry. Feel free to send me the names of 3 more inmates. I’ve been searching for a ministry for years that I love and that utilizes my spiritual gifts. I finally found it, and let me tell you it feels great! I’ve tried doing everything, but when I came across your website I knew that was it. Thank you for allowing me to serve the Lord in the way that maximizes my strengths and abilities. Like I told Gene Mooney, I got just as much out of his letter as he got out of mine. Bless you for your ministry, I’m sure it hasn’t been an easy one. David Schipull
This pen pal ministry is such a blessing. I write to 35 inmates regularly and I have never been treated or addressed with such respect as these men and boys have shown to me. I let them know that I am planning on posting their artwork, poems, and other writings on our website and offer this avenue to them in my introduction letter. One of my letters today included 10 poems that had been sitting in a locker for over a year and no avenue to share the work; excellent work! I just wanted to let all of you know how thankful I am for your faithfulness to continue with your correspondence and somehow, hope and pray the Lord will send more laborers to this field!
Sue, Mission of Hope Ministries
Hello Elizabeth!
I did receive the information about Enrique. I wanted to let you know that I received letters from both Van Dena and Joe yesterday! I was excited and surprised to get letters from them both the same day! Joe wrote me a 6 page letter that absolutely broke my heart. He told about every family member he has and mentioned that he has been praying so long for someone to write to him. Apparently another person just stopped writing. He mentioned that he writes to family and friends but no one writes back and he feels forgotten.
I have to tell you that I had some trepidation about doing this despite praying about it, but when I got his letter the Lord showed me clearly what a difference something as simple as a letter can make in someone’s life. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your ministry. It is truly changing lives.
Blessings to you,
Linda Morris
