“I felt like the prodigal daughter—I had to return to the Father.”
When Nataly entered prison in Peru, she felt overwhelmed, but what hurt most was being separated from her three children. She wrestled with anger, guilt, and regret, feeling the weight of her decisions and unsure if her life could ever be restored.
Then she was handed an enrollment card for Crossroads’ mentorship program.
Nataly joined immediately, longing to understand if God still loved her. As she studied, one lesson changed everything: the story of the prodigal son.
“When I read it, I said, ‘That is me,’” Nataly remembers. “I had wandered far, but I knew I needed to return to my Father.”
Through each lesson, Nataly discovered not condemnation—but grace. She began reading Scripture daily, sometimes waking at two or three in the morning just to spend time with God. The lessons helped her confront her past honestly and see herself through God’s mercy instead of her shame.
Mentors walked alongside her, reviewing her lessons, praying with her, and encouraging her through personal letters. One letter moved her deeply.
“No one had ever written to me before,” she says. “I cried with joy. It reminded me that God saw me and cared for me.”
The transformation was real and visible. Nataly became more patient, more peaceful, and more hopeful. Instead of reacting in anger, she began sharing what she learned with other women in her cell, encouraging them to seek God too. Even in prison, she helped lead others toward faith.
After serving more than seven years, Nataly was released in February of 2024. Today, she faithfully attends church and is sharing God’s Word with others. She often reflects on how God met her in her darkest place.
“If it weren’t for those lessons and the people who brought them,” she says, “I don’t know where I would be.”
Nataly’s life is a testimony to the power of God’s Word and the compassion of mentors who serve faithfully. Because someone reached out to her, she found forgiveness, healing, and a new beginning.
You can help someone else experience that same transformation. Your support provides Bible lessons, mentor encouragement, and the message of God’s love to men and women still waiting behind prison walls. Give today to help more students like Nataly find their way home to the Father.