Another day, another transfer.
In his twenty-fifth year of incarceration, Dwayne was used to being moved from prison to prison, but that didn’t make it any easier.
“I was in my lowest point in my twenty-five years in prison—no mail, no one who cared if I lived or died. I also did not care,” he stated. “I had given up, to the point of planning suicide.”
Then, shortly after the transfer, Dwayne heard his name at mail call.
“To my surprise, it was Crossroads returning my latest graded lesson with another kind, caring, loving letter from a Crossroads mentor,” he said. “How did Crossroads find me or keep up with all my moving around? Through God! I was so blessed and inspired. Someone did care for me.”
A few days later, he received another piece of mail from Crossroads—a new Bible study lesson to complete.
“I went right to work,” Dwayne said. “Needless to say, through all this, my mind and heart got off the suicide thoughts.”
For the first fifteen years of his incarceration, Dwayne had followed Christ. But life in prison had caused him to become jaded.
“I walked away from Christ and did all the ‘prison things’ for close to six years,” he said.
Realizing that those pursuits offered nothing but emptiness, he returned to Jesus.
“Since 2014, I read my Bible and study it daily,” he said. “The only happiness I have in this life is when I am in church services or in my Bible or watching my religious TV programs. I know Christ lives in me—my only reason to still be alive after many attempted suicides.”
In 2016, he discovered Crossroads Prison Ministries and signed up for the mentorship program. He recently began studying his first Tier 2 course with a personal mentor.
“God has been so good to me through Crossroads,” Dwayne said. “I have so enjoyed and looked forward to all my lessons and letters. I don’t know what I would have done or thought without all my loving friends at Crossroads.”
Although he won’t see parole in his lifetime, that doesn’t stop Dwayne from living out his faith right where he is.
“I’m meant to be here to help others,” he said. “Many people seem to come to me for advice and help when in trouble. I help all I see in need or that the Spirit leads me to.”
For some men and women in prison, letters from Crossroads mentors are their only source of love and hope. Will you share God’s love with them? Sign up to become a mentor.