Initially, Tony Torrez wasn’t sure if prison ministry was his calling. He didn’t know how he would connect with the prisoners and felt he was already making a difference in the homeless community. However, after a volunteer at the Arizona State Prison at Winslow persuaded him to come to an orientation, he couldn’t say no to becoming involved.

Over 50 percent of prisoners currently suffer from substance abuse addiction, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Another 20 percent either have histories of substance abuse, were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs at the time they committed their crimes, or committed their offenses to get money to buy drugs.

Peter Wiser clearly remembers the night God called out to him. Everything went quiet, and the traffic became invisible. At 35 years old, he cried out to God in his grandmother’s backyard saying, “I know You’re real. If You hear me I need Your help.