Faithful for Forty Years
This year, Crossroads Prison Ministries celebrates forty years of serving men and women behind bars with Bible studies and encouraging letters from mentors. The ministry that began at one family’s kitchen table grew into a global ministry now serving nearly 25,000 men and women annually in the United States and 6,000 people through our global extension centers. At every turn in the organization’s history, God faithfully provided the volunteers, funding, and vision to keep the ministry relevant and thriving. Join us as we commemorate the people who responded to the call to serve and to be served.
Faithful Students Through the Years
Walter began his Crossroads journey in 2001. With the support of Crossroads mentors, Walter’s faith grew.
“Now I know I am loved no matter what I have done. God is on my side, and He is my all [in] all, and no one or anything can take that away from me. That is why I read, study, and pray every day,” Walter said.
“[I] thank the Lord for all the people that helped me find Him to be my Lord and Savior, all the staff at Crossroads for helping keep me on the right road, and all the other people that are praying for me that I don’t even know. All I do know is that I can trust the Lord and will do anything and go wherever He wants me to go. I just want to do His will for the rest of my life,” he said.
–Walter M.
Raised in the Church, Steven first accepted Jesus as a teenager. “I soon got off track,” he said. “It was years later that Jesus got me on the same page.”
In his free time, Steven enjoys painting, crocheting, and creative writing. Over the past six years, after a thirteen-year break from the program, he has sent us a dozen pieces of art alongside his lessons, many of which depict scenes throughout Scripture. Others convey scenes from nature.
–Steven D.
“I was sentenced to fifty-five years to life. In 2003, they resentenced me to 105 years to life. I still never gave up, and I know I am free,” he said. “Jesus’ love is with me always. . . . He has saved me from destruction. I know without Him, I would not be here today.”
–Jeffrey H.
“I knew in my heart God pulled me away from the streets,” he said of his sentence.
“Arriving at prison was a numbing feeling,” he said. “Sleeping was difficult unless I read Scripture and prayed. . . . Throughout my years in prison, God has never let me go.”
–George R.
“I studied with Crossroads many years ago but lost the study due to other courses and correspondence classes,” he wrote to us in 2020. “The study came back to me through the [Our] Daily Bread publication. It was remarkable; a sense of nostalgia rushed into my spirit as I remembered the course and how all those years ago, I wanted to advance but got distracted by other courses.”
Last year, Patrick graduated from Tier 3, and he continues to correspond with his mentor today. He hopes one day to use what he has learned from Crossroads and his academic studies to share the Gospel with others.
–Patrick R.
Faithful Mentors Through the Years
“Every week, when I write the Tier 1 letter, I’m so thankful I can get up and have the freedom to do what I want with my day. . . . I feel blessed to be one of the many, many mentors who invest an hour a week in bringing someone closer to the Lord.
“As I tell many of my students, this life is like a brief second compared to the hundreds and thousands of years we will spend in eternity. How much time do we spend thinking about where that eternity will be? If being in prison is the reason someone gets right with God, it will have been worth it 100 percent!
“I can’t wait to meet my many Crossroads students when we all get to heaven. . . . What a celebration that will be!”
–Lois
“In 1997, Crossroads was asking for mentors. I felt God calling me to respond to this opportunity to share the good news. That’s when my husband and I both became mentors. We began with Tier 1 students, and in 1998, I added a Tier 2 student.
“I’ve had some students who share their lives with me by writing me a letter. I tell them I will pray for them about specific requests, and they appreciate that. Some have gone on to complete their Tier 2 course.
“Our six children and some of their spouses and their children are also now mentors. Recently, my husband passed away. I hope to continue as a mentor as long as God allows me to do so.”
–Grace
“Some of my students have walked with me through the loss of my husband of forty-five years and my [parents]. . . . They were a real source of encouragement to me. We are like extended family. One even called me Grandma Judy! I just loved it! The real truth is that, as a mentor, you are often so blessed by your students. And they so badly need someone from the outside to care for them! I have one student who has NO ONE on the outside. His parents have both died, and his only sister has abandoned him! It is so sad! I feel blessed that I can be his connection to the outside world. It is a blessing to communicate with Crossroads students! I am not sure who is more blessed, me or the student!”
–Judy
“My students have been gracious and loving to me,” she said. “They prayed for me and my family when we were struggling. My husband [Eugene] was blind for many years, and they prayed for him.”
Their prayers also provided comfort through her deepest heartache when Eugene died in 2021.
When Terry met Tom de Vries and heard about Crossroads in late 1990, she felt well prepared to serve. She was an elementary school teacher and a longtime Bible study leader. She signed up and began writing to students in January 1991.
–Terry