Tiffany is a young mom living in California with her husband and son. She came to faith in her early 20s after her sister miraculously recovered from a very serious car accident. Now she shares the Gospel with men and women in prison as a Crossroads mentor. As a volunteer mentor, she reviews prisoners’ Bible lessons and writes them letters filled with hope and encouragement.
Find out why Tiffany is passionate about reaching out to prisoners in this short interview:
How did you find out about Crossroads Prison Ministries?
I was introduced to Crossroads through a woman at my church. She had given a presentation to the church about Crossroads. She told me her stories. She was a Tier 2 mentor and was mentoring a student one-on-one. And you could see the profound impact it made on her. You could totally see it in her life.
What has your experience been like as a Crossroads mentor?
I actually wasn’t expecting it to be as challenging as it is. A lot of the lessons and Roadmaps will have Bible verses in there that I’m not familiar with. So I need to do some study. I like that aspect of it. It keeps me on my toes.
Why do you enjoy volunteering as a Crossroads mentor?
It’s really rewarding. In their letters, the prisoners can’t thank you enough and appreciate so much what you’re doing. It’s hard for me to comprehend how much it means to them.
How do you go about writing a letter to someone in prison?
I try to personalize it as much as I can. If they have questions in their lesson, I try to address that. Tell them, “This is what I thought about this verse.” I’ll try to give them another verse that I think would help them. I just try to make it really personal. If I was in their situation, I would want something more personal. I want them to know there is someone out there thinking about them and praying for them.
What have you learned through corresponding with prisoners?
I have learned more about prisoners. It breaks my heart. They say things like, “As soon as I get the money for a stamp, I’ll mail my lesson in.” I mean, some of them can’t even afford a stamp to write their friends and family.
It’s also made me more aware of my choices. Some [prisoners] have just made bad choices. If I make a bad choice here or there, I could be there too.
Interested in joining the Crossroads team as a volunteer mentor? Reviewing prisoners’ Bible lessons and writing them encouraging letters make a big difference in their lives. Click here to find out more about how to become a mentor.