These words of praise and appreciation were written by Jill Colon, an ex-prisoner in Florida who was mentored by PF volunteers Ginger Martin and Esther Martinez. However, they echo the sentiments of many prisoners and former prisoners whose lives have been touched by caring and consistent volunteers like you. Your ministry makes a difference!
For 10 years, I was lost in a world of drugs. I was broken, homeless and alone. I had destroyed my relationship with my mother and my husband. I was sentenced to prison in July 2005 for theft and drug charges. It was there I was introduced to Prison Fellowship Ministries’ reentry program. For 18 months, members and volunteers of PFM visited me regularly. I was leery at the beginning when I was assured they would help me get a job, housing, and other resources after release. What PFM did for me was above and beyond anything I could have dreamed.
My mentors in prison were not working alone. PFM staff and volunteers collected clothes, money for my medications, and gift cards from various stores. Most important, they solved my biggest challenges, a safe place to live and a job.
PFM is dedicated to people who are lost, who have given up all hope. They don’t blame, they don’t pass judgment, they encourage, and they care. They are living testimonies of putting faith into action . . . They have played a vital role in helping me to overcome my past and have given me the opportunity to live a life I could never have imagined.
* Sadly, since Jill wrote this, her husband, Frankie, passed away.