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"I did everything but join a gang," Roderick McNeely remembers. "I was trying to kill myself."
"I did everything but join a gang," Roderick McNeely remembers. "I was trying to kill myself."
At nine years old, Desmond is already well aware of the troubles of the world. His prayers reflect how his father's incarceration has affected him: "I pray for Jesus to help me and my mom out with our house and food and bills," he shares.
"I can't believe you want to know my story. No one has ever asked me my story. No one has ever cared before."
In high school, Mary Kay Beard placed at the top of her graduating class. A few years down the road, she was on the FBI's top ten most-wanted list.
For the past two summers, Ben Wade has worked as a counselor at Frontier Camp, a Christian camp in Grapeland, Texas. Most of the time, being a camp counselor is pretty straightforward. But the week that the Angel Tree® kids arrive is different.
Life at home was a nightmare for friends Paige and Macie. They desperately needed a refuge. They found support at Angel Tree Camping.
Palmer appeared to be on his way to becoming another tragic statistic. He appeared to be on his way to becoming another tragic statistic—a broken life destined for destruction and possibly prison.
"Prison life is exciting and terrible at the same time," begins Richard in this week's Insider. "There's violence, there's rape—[there are] things that go on that you'll never hear people talk about."
The following article was originally published in Spring 2017 edition of Inside Journal. Inside Journal is a quarterly newspaper published by Prison Fellowship® just for prisoners.
Beau is an Angel Tree Camping® volunteer who spent four years stationed in Hawaii for the military. For three of those years he served as a mentor at Camp Agape, a summer camp founded as a ministry to prisoners' children. Beau has since taken the model of Camp Agape to start a camp in Arkansas.
Camp can be the highlight of a child's summer. Spending time in the great outdoors, playing games, and making crafts—the memories made at camp often last for a lifetime.
A week at camp is a chance for children with incarcerated parents to change their life story.
In the midst of violence, an Angel Tree Bible brought a little boy peace.
How do you explain incarceration to a child?
Crime affects many people. The oft-forgotten victims are the children of the incarcerated.
In this month's issue, Smithsonian Magazine focuses on the millions of American children who struggle every day with the effects of incarceration.
Prison Fellowship® did something new in 2016 for Angel Tree®. We partnered with Christian media and publishing company Zondervan to offer Angel Tree families free Bibles in either English or Spanish.
"What better way to deliver the Gospel message than to put a Bible in the home?"
You did it! In 2016, nearly 300,000 children with incarcerated parents received Christmas gifts and the Gospel message thanks to your support and contributions.
In this week's Insider, Prison Fellowship® CEO James Ackerman thanks all of our Angel Tree® coordinators, volunteers, and donors for the incredible devotion they have shown these children.
Restoration Partners give monthly to bring life-changing prison ministry programs to incarcerated men and women across the country.
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