“When I walked into prison the first time, I knew—I would never turn back.”
For years, Elizabeth prayed for a clear way to serve God. She tried different ministries, but nothing felt right until the day a friend asked her to visit the local prison.
“The moment I stepped inside,” she remembers, “I felt it. This is where I belong.”
Today, Elizabeth coordinates Crossroads mentors at her church in Soroti, Uganda, overseeing Crossroads mentoring, training new volunteers, reviewing lessons, and coordinating the Crossroads program at Soroti Women’s Prison, home to more than 120 women on any given day. The women there call her “Mama,” she told us.
“They have no one else,” she said. “For some of them, we are the only family who comes to visit.”
Walking with Women Who Feel Forgotten
Elizabeth has learned that it doesn’t take much to make a big impact. A simple visit. A returned lesson. A kind word backed by Scripture. She has watched the Crossroads program soften hearts, rebuild hope, and even give women strength when no one from home will answer their calls.
She shared the story of a young man in the men’s prison who completed the program. He had been arrested unexpectedly, and no one knew where he was. “He cried at first,” she said. “But as he learned the Bible and found Christ through his lessons, he stopped crying. He found peace. Even in yellow [the color of prison uniforms], he knew he wasn’t alone.” Later, he received a presidential pardon and returned home.
For the women she sees weekly, the transformation is just as powerful. When one woman fell ill and had no family to help, Elizabeth went straight to her mentors. “We collected money and bought her medicine,” she said. “People want to help—they just need a reason. Crossroads gives them one.”
A Ministry That Changes Mentors Too
Most of Elizabeth’s mentors had never served people in prison before Crossroads. Now, they eagerly line up each Sunday to pick up lessons, read Scripture, and write encouraging letters to women they may never meet outside the prison gates.
“I tell them: you cannot encourage someone with what you do not know,” Elizabeth said. “So, they read the Bible more. They pray more. And as they build others, they themselves are built.”
Their commitment is heartfelt and contagious. When students are released and have no way to get home, the church gathers funds for transport. When Elizabeth announces a need, they respond without hesitation.
“Crossroads gives them a purpose,” she said. “It shows them how to serve God.”
Elizabeth often reminds the women at Soroti Women’s Prison of a truth that keeps them hopeful:
“Your yellow uniform is only cloth. One day you will remove it. One day the Lord Himself will clothe you. He has not forgotten you.”
That message of dignity, forgiveness, and grace carries through every lesson and letter.
You can help bring this message of hope to more prisons across Uganda and around the world.
When you give to Crossroads, you make it possible for prison ministry coordinators like Elizabeth to train new volunteers, deliver Bible lessons, walk with people around the world who feel forgotten, and remind them that God has not abandoned them.
Give today. Help someone in prison discover hope, healing, and the love of Christ.