Forty-four Cent Investment Yields Great Return
by Ann Woodmore

Got your attention in these tough economic times? This is for real. For the cost of a postage stamp, you can yield much good will in return and make a difference in the life of a prisoner.

Last fall I began participating in West End’s Pen Pal Ministry. My pen pal, Charles, is incarcerated at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in West Nashville. I was told that he is a hard-core long-timer and might not respond. But Charles did respond! He wrote candidly and thoughtfully answering questions about his life and pondering his future. He expressed feelings of loneliness and despair but also told me he writes poetry and is studying to pass the GED, an equivalency to a high school diploma. He talks about spending time in self reflection and reading the Bible.

When I say I get more out of this relationship than he does, I mean it, at least from my perspective. In the well-known passage in Matthew 25, Jesus said that in visiting the prisoner, you have visited him. Recently Charles has been in trouble with prison administrators and was placed in isolation. He has taken responsibility for his actions and hopefully is behaving during this time of punishment. Having a pen pal may be his most meaningful contact right now.

If you are looking for a volunteer opportunity that takes time but not money, this is for you! The only required money outlay is for postage stamps. If you want immediate feedback on your efforts, here it is. The first letter you receive from your pen pal will confirm the great need for these men to hear from real people in the real world.

Charles’ family is far away so he has no visitors. After our friendship is more established, perhaps I will visit him. For now, I can send him words of encouragement and hope in cards and letters.

If you have questions about this ministry or feel a calling to participate, contact Davis Turner by e-mail at dturner2@bellsouth.net or by phone at 400-5621.