M2W2

Don’t most of them deserve to be in prison? Probably so. It doesn’t mean we need to abandon them to every influence except that of having a christian friend influencing how they live their lives inside the prison and back in the community after release.

It is known that 50% of prison inmates have learning disabilities, 85-90% are from single parent homes (often fatherless), nearly all have been drug and alcohol abusers, 60% of the women have been abused as children or adults, 75% fail to finish high school, and 85% were neglected as children.

Most have never experienced the true nurture of a father or mother who cared. Since less that 10% of the inmates involved in our program receive visits from family, the volunteers become like “family” to the inmate during the inmate’s period of incarceration.

The inmates apply for an M2W2 volunteer, then we match them with a volunteer from the community (like you). The visits are very much appreciated by the inmates as illustrated by the following comments taken from an inmate survey of the M2/W2 Program. (NOTE: These are exact quotes. The grammar, punctuation, and spelling have not been corrected.)

“I feel M-2 is valuable to me because I have gained one more friend who visits and has been a very good influence and blessing because of his encouragement to better myself. I also get to hear about his family and how they interact which helps me strive to work on my own family relations. ”

“The M-2 Program gives a chance, to talk to someone that is real about God. Someone most likely would never have meet otherwise.”

“My family rarely comes to see me, unlike my faithful M-2 friend. I am one who doesn’t have a family that cares. There are a lot of us have no one. The visits from the ladies give us a little happiness that otherwise would not be.”

I really appreciate it. Thanks a million and God bless you and your families.

It is people like you that make people like me want to be people like you.

The results of a recent volunteer survey confirmed what we had come to believe. 93% of the volunteers said they have gained something from participating in the program. Some of their comments: (NOTE: These are exact quotes. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling have not been corrected.)

“I realize that these are people who need God’s forgiveness and they need a friend to visit with. And I ‘m glad that I can go and visit. ”

“I’ve learned how easy it is to make a change in someone’s life. There are only minor differences between me and inmates and two differences may be timing and luck.”

“As seems to be, for me, anything done for the Lord turns out that I benefit far more than the person I am trying to help – I now understand better about receiving bounty from benevolence.”

“A great ministry. Wish I had started sooner!”

“The woman I visit has renewed her relationship with God and was recently baptized! She is more hopeful and her faith is growing daily -praise God! She’s been hesitant to trust people, yet has taken a chance with me.”

“God visited us through Jesus Christ. Now, with Christ in us, we visit inmates so Jesus can.”