The Angel Tree sleigh ride has begun! Three Prison Fellowship interns are traveling from Virginia to Tampa to connect with Angel Tree churches, their volunteers, and families affected by incarceration at Angel Tree parties down the East Coast.
Last Christmas, 551 children of prisoners in Tampa went unsponsored at Christmastime, so this year, Angel Tree is raising awareness for these kids through local marketing efforts. As part of this “It Starts With a Gift” campaign, the Angel Tree sleigh will be landing in Tampa and spreading joy to families impacted by crime. Although their parents’ are away, these children need to know their parents have not forgotten them. Angel Tree allows this to happen through a simple Christmas gift sent on behalf of the incarcerated parent. And through Angel Tree volunteers and parties, these children also get to hear the Gospel – the Good News that God loves them unconditionally.
I’m Sophie, and I first joined Prison Fellowship as a 2013 summer intern. Awhile back, prison ministry hit really close to home for me, so to be active in Prison Fellowship is amazing. And now I’m on this incredible adventure called a sleigh ride. It’s certainly a dream come true for me. As an intern at Prison Fellowship this past summer, I spent my time researching Tampa for marketing efforts and planning this sleigh ride. It felt so far away and seemed like a pretty adventurous project. Now, as I sit on this Amtrak train traveling to Atlanta where we will start our road trip, it feels very tangible and maybe even more adventurous than I imagined. I joined a team with an amazing vision: to connect with people face-to-face during the height of Angel Tree season. Prison Fellowship staff told me it was wildly innovative, and that might just be why I was instantly hooked on the idea. It makes me happy that Prison Fellowship wants to be out in the field as Angel Tree Christmas is in full effect. I feel so blessed to be one of the girls that gets to hang out with Angel Tree kids this season!
On this journey to Tampa, I am accompanied by two wonderful co-pilots: Brittany and Janell. Janell and I spent the summer together working as interns at Prison Fellowship. She is super fun and easygoing; she is the person who can walk into a room and manage to talk to every single person before she leaves. Even after our surprisingly long first day of travel, she’s still smiling at every person we pass. Brittany and I grew up together and have stayed in touch ever since; she has a heart for ministry and is also a superb photographer (which is not reflected in this first photo, but keeping watching the blog and newsletters). That’s a little about us – your slightly goofy, elf-hat wearing, Florida-orange-juice drinking sleigh ride team!
On Tuesday morning we started out at Prison Fellowship headquarters, packing and repacking gear and getting briefed on our mission. Eventually we got dropped off at Union Station in Washington, DC. We wandered around for a few hours until it was time to board our train, at which point we realized our train had already been boarding for a while. We ended up sprinting for the train and my suitcase fell down the escalator, but we made it onto the last car. A sigh of relief was had by all when we finally slumped into our chairs. Now it’s quiet. When we arrive in Atlanta, we will pick up our rental car and start the eight hour drive to Tampa. We are pretty excited for real beds and palm trees! Once there, we will meet with churches in the area to get a feel for Angel Tree in Tampa and the local pulse on prison ministry. Thank you for all the prayers. We are grateful the trip has been without incident thus far, and we are all excited to hit the ground running tomorrow.
About Angel Tree Sleigh Ride: Three volunteer college interns – Sophie Nagle, Janell Daniels, and Brittney Julian – are traveling down to Tampa in an Angel Tree “Sleigh” to visit Angel Tree churches, personally thank our volunteers, and share in the joy of Angel Tree Christmas with the children and families of prisoners. Follow them on Twitter at @prisonfellowshp, and look for the hashtag #ATSleighRide.