Prison came as a relief to Kathy Davis, a homeless alcoholic and drug addict. “I didn’t know how to get out of what I was doing,” she explains. “I saw it as my way into a normal life.”

Normalcy had never been Kathy’s lot.

Though he came from a good family, Jerrid Wolflick got involved in the drug scene and developed a reputation as a troublemaker. After serving several years in prison in Oregon and Texas, he stood on the brink of freedom, frightened of what the future held.

Alone in his cell one night, Mark Downs wondered if anyone cared whether he lived or died.

The answer eventually came through a dedicated Prison Fellowship Bible study leader, who showed Mark through Scripture that Jesus loved him and would always be with him.

Robert* was going home—if he could figure out how. An ex-prisoner who encountered Christ behind bars, he felt led upon release to start somewhere new. He sold his possessions, scrounged up $500, and set off in a donated van with no fixed destination.

Tony Davis never thought he would appear on a panel about employing ex-offenders at an Out4Life Reentry Summit for coalition members, but he’s well-qualified.

On most days Tony, 32, works outdoors with his five-man auto maintenance crew in the sweltering heat of Sulphur, Louisiana.

Shipyard training manager Sterling Dolese was skeptical about taking part in a work-release program from a local correctional institution.  The results have exceeded all expectations.

From the shipyard at Avondale, just outside of New Orleans, ring the steel-on-steel sounds of progress.

Tony Chantaca, 16, jumped from the stolen car in the wash of flashing blue lights. Mind clouded with inhalants, legs pumping against the asphalt, he ran. A policeman, hot behind him, sprang and tackled the teenager to the ground. Tony fought to pry the officer’s gun from its holster.

Ever wonder if your efforts as a volunteer really make a difference? Bruce Hood’s story should remove all doubt.

“Volunteering for Prison Fellowship brings love and encouragement to people sitting in dark jail and prison cells,” says Pastor Bruce Hood of Fresno, California.