More about Penwork Ministries

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Writing to someone you know little about is not something that comes easily to most people so the penning of that first letter can seem some task.

What do I say...?
What can I write...?
What if I pen something wrong?
Will my letter reach the person I'm writing to?

Many questions run around in ones head, but don't worry! Pick up your pen and share as much or as little as you are comfortable with - about yourself, family, pets, the place you live in, hobbies. Just write as if you are talking one to one...friends chatting...

Do not...

The 'do nots' are few:

• DO NOT: discuss politics
• DO NOT: comment on the prison or the treatment of prisoners
• DO NOT: discuss the country they are held in!

All mail is censored into and out of prisons in many counties. Should you write into a country where persecution is rife you will get comprehensive advice on how to cope.

Many prisoners reply to letters but some are unable to. A few prisons allow mail in but will not let any out. In other countries the cost of a stamp can be as much as a weekly wage. And a number of prisoners cannot write in English...

However ALL need the love and encouragement that a letter brings, to know that they are not forgotten and that people in the outside world do CARE. So it is that a letter (it does not have to be pages; a page, or just a note, makes all the difference), card or postcard (of your town, or a place of interest) will be treasured and is like the visit so many long for...

Imagine never receiving a letter for years, and then...

In one prison all the men (building by building approx 1,000 men per building) each day are called to stand in rows, while a roll call is carried out and the mail is then handed out... one by one, names are called out and letters placed into joyful hands. But for many this is the most painful time of the day as they stand, day after day, month by month, and the long years pass by and they remain empty-handed.

One young man told of how he had done just that, until one day his name was called... He stood, unable to believe the letter could be his... but it was! Once dismissed he just stood staring at that envelope, hardly able to take in what he held in his hand yet knowing that out there somewhere was someone who cared enough to put pen to paper and visit him, in Jesus' love.

How can I help?

People often ask us how they can help the prisoner they write to.

Can they send a small gift for birthday or at Christmas?

Sadly many prisons have parcel bans, so we do ask that NOTHING is sent without contacting us. In many countries we do have faithful Contacts who help us to gift things that are so badly needed. And often there can be a way... to gift your friend, but it's not expected. As many say, it's the letters, read and re-read, that are the lasting gift.