When Pastor José first stepped into the prison in Comayagua, Honduras, he wasn’t sure why he was there. No one in his family had ever been incarcerated. But everything changed the moment he recognized a childhood friend behind the bars. “I realized I wasn’t there by accident,” José said. God was calling him into a ministry he never expected.
His church had been visiting the prison for years—offering prayer, preaching, and encouragement. But something was missing. There was no way to walk with people long-term or to help them keep growing in their faith after his team left each week.
Everything shifted when José learned about Crossroads.
Through the support and training he received, José and his congregation launched the Crossroads mentoring program in their local prison. What began with a handful of volunteers quickly grew into a network of three churches, more than twenty mentors, and a committed team serving week after week. For many in his church, this was the first time they had ever written a letter to someone in prison.
“Our people used to see the incarcerated as invisible,” José said. “Now they pray for them, remember them, and encourage them by name.”
Students in the prison, some longtime believers and others brand new to the Bible, are studying Scripture consistently for the first time. They treasure their lessons, letters, and certificates of completion. One student told José he plans to frame his certificate when he’s released because it symbolizes his growth and dignity.
José shared the story of Fredi, a former student who joined his congregation after release and is now training to serve others. Another student inside the prison volunteers to help collect lessons each week. The prison pastor and several students are helping others grow in their faith. “They feel restored,” José said. “Some feel freer inside prison than they ever did outside.”
Seeing Crossroads in action during a visit to Colombia deeply moved him. He watched mentors, coordinators, pastors, and churches working together there—not as separate ministries but as one Body. He witnessed officers participating in training, formerly incarcerated people sharing testimonies of restoration, and current students studying Scripture with sincerity and hope.
“What I saw touched my heart,” José said. “This is the Church. This is who we’re called to be.”
Now José is working to expand the program across his region and into new churches throughout Honduras. He dreams of a network of congregations walking alongside people in prison, and after they come home, providing with dignity, discipleship, and love.
José cannot do this alone—and neither can the churches of Honduras.
Crossroads is equipping pastors and volunteers around the world to disciple people in prison through correspondence-based Bible studies. But we can only grow this work with the support of people who believe, like José, that no one is forgotten by God.
Will you help bring long-term discipleship and hope to students in places most people never see?
Your gift strengthens pastors like José, trains mentors, provides Bible study lessons, and ensures that people in prison know they are seen, valued, and loved.
Join us in restoring lives—one letter, one lesson, one student at a time.