“I was not a Christian before I came to prison,” shared Brooke in an interview with Crossroads staff members. “Even before I came to jail, I spent my life as an Odinist.”
But after entering the prison system, someone encouraged her to give God a chance. “So I did, and I kept with it, and I kept with it,” she said. “And it became the greatest thing I’ve ever done.”
Today, Brooke’s faith gives her strength to face a sentence that could keep her in prison for decades. “I can’t focus on not getting out until I’m 70 without the fact that I’ve got somebody holding my hand walking me through it,” she says. “If I didn’t have God, I’d be one of those people that was completely lost.”
Through Crossroads, Brooke has found a personal connection with a mentor who walks alongside her as she studies God’s Word.
When she got started, she shared that she had never done a correspondence course. “So getting it back graded with little notes on it was really exciting,” she said. What really stood out to her was the personal letter she received back. “I put it in its own little folder.”
“I like that the communication is there. It’s not just mechanical,” she says. “I like that there’s a personal connection there. It makes it so much easier.”
That connection has helped Brooke grow emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. When she struggles, she turns to her Bible. When she talks with family members who are going through difficult situations, she shares Scripture with them. Even her mother, before she passed away, would encourage Brooke to turn to God’s Word when she was angry or having a difficult day.
Now, Brooke wants others to experience the same kind of connection she has found through Crossroads. She keeps her completed lessons and mentor letters so she can show others exactly what the program is about.
“It’s a good connection to the outside world to have, even if it’s just that one person on your side,” she says. “The letters, the little notes of inspiration when they write—it is helpful in more ways than they will ever know emotionally, mentally, spiritually.”
Through Crossroads, Brooke has discovered a personal relationship with God and a mentor who reminds her that she does not have to walk through life alone.
Help someone like Brooke discover they don’t have to walk through life alone.
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