It started the end of last year and has really not stopped. First The General Conference and North American Division contacted us telling us they accepted us as the authority in Prison Ministry. Then three different small churches contacted us offering to make the Pen Friend Program a part of their outreach. We received a bunch of phone calls and emails giving us the names of people who wished to join with us by writing inmates. Thank you Jesus! I also contacted people who had asked for a Pen Friend and who were not writing and 90% got one or more new Pen Friends. Then we received many calls from parents that have children in prison.

We have a stack of letters that we don�t know where to mail them. Here are the names on the envelopes - Cory Bolivar. Sarah Carson, Min Carr, MS Carolina, Leah Cordeiro, Diana , Jerry Donnelly, Diana Ebel, Jo Blev, Grace, Dawn Pallozola, Venn, Berta Tarin, Jeff & Carey Reimer, Mrs. Lee, Mrs.C Munn, Dianne Moore, Jennifer Townsend, Mary Lou Huffaker, Barb Nurmi, Diana, Angela Pelna, J.Smith, Kate Lewis, Kimberly. Please call us if any of these are yours. Thank you

We developed this Paper Sunshine program so you can fulfill HIS wishes from the comfort and safety of your home. You write the inmate and send the letter to us. We forward your letters so the only address the inmates ever have is our PO Box. In prison there are many bad people - very bad. There are also some very nice ones when they are given direction. We are as close as the phone or computer to help you. We send paper work telling you everything that is important for you to know. Because of prison overcrowding, men and women spend as much as 23 hours a day in their cells with no radio or TV. The food is rotten and often eaten cold. As we have said before, inmates are sent to prison for punishment, not as punishment. Martha & Jim write to 60 inmates. They are retired and this is their Ministry. Many of you do this as a family project. All who do it help defeat Satan.
If you are asked by an inmate to do or give something and you are not sure about their request, please ask us.

This ministry was started with a prayer many years ago. At that time we had a mobile home in California. Many moves find us in a manufactured home in Indiana. No fancy offices or huge staff. You all do most of the work. We keep it moving and God keeps us going. Sally and her sister have retired and both are shut ins. They receive some income and have no church so they pay their TITHE to us. They also write 10 inmates.

Our web page www.someonecares.org will tell you so much. Go to the archived newsletters and see what God has done with and for us. Over the years we have taken some videos with inmates in prison. We are getting them edited and adding some instructions of what we do and how we do it. Any suggestions are welcome. I was going through one interview and remembered the person we were talking to had a Pastor Brother. We called and got his number, finding out he is free. He is not only free but he is doing what we are doing in his own way - ministering. Not thinking, we wish we had kept up with many more former inmates. But what a party we will have in Heaven and free in Jesus.

This is a letter that I received and wanted to share with you.

Dear Someone Cares Ministry, I first would like to thank you for all the wonderful work you are doing. Thank you to all your staff and volunteers who take time to reach out and write to those in prison. You truly stand on God�s word �Remember the Prisoners� Hebrews 13:3. I have been in Prison for about seventeen years, and over these years there have been many harsh trials, and I have fallen on my faith. But through the grace of God I stand today, and through that grace I am able to give praise to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Coming into prison as a Christian and trying to maintain the Lord�s righteousness in a negative environment is a real struggle. Without the grace of God, it would be very hard. Being in prison all these years, I am no stranger to abandonment. It was your Ministry that shed light in my darkest moments. One of your staff or volunteers named Jonathan Herricks wrote to me over a year ago and my life has never been the same! Instead of being in the dark, he shed his light. Instead of being locked up, he showed me freedom. Instead of not having anyone to talk to because of abandonment, he gave me my voice back. Instead of not having friends and family for all these years, he became my family, brother and friend. I am standing on Gods word �But there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother� Proverbs 18:24. I will never take for granted your hard work and caring ministry. I never go through the day without praying for your ministry. I thank God daily for trusting you with his grace and mercy to share with us behind the wall. I believe I speak for all of us who are incarcerated. Thank you for giving us HOPE when everyone else gave up on us. I will continue to stand with you as you reach out to those who need someone who cares in their life, like you did for me with my brother and friend Jonathan.

In his name, your brother in Christ, Phillip.

I joined your ministry many years ago. We helped raise cloths for the dress out program. Every month we visited several inmates, and then got several pen friends. I became ill, moved and lost contact. I kept writing two inmates in prison until they both were released. I visited a local church and a lady was making an appeal for folks to write through you all. I, of course, signed up. I am only 81 so God Bless! I called and chatted with you, Don, and thanked your ministry for keeping me nearer to God. I was blind so long. One man in for double murder while on drugs started teaching in prison what he had learned. God gave him a lot of help. Jimmy died a year ago. A reminder to me. I was an atheist, on drugs, an alcoholic, uppers and downers. Giving up all when I gave my life to Jesus. Never had any Bible at all. Thanks to Jesus, Yvonne, and an accident I ended up at Soledad Prison. Teaching Bible as I learned it. One rule I had was if they had a question I had a week to get the answer. I spent hours in the Bible - neat huh? Again with all of God�s power we - Yvonne and I - got his work done.

To me and so many others, you gave me peace of mind by being the middleman for my pen friend and myself. When I left college, I went to work for Pendleton Reformatory as a mail censor. I was so innocent, and that job made me fearful and suspicious.

Only a few weeks later, I was transferred to the women�s prison at Indianapolis as a receptionist. I lived on campus in one of the cottages. This changed my personality from positive to negative. I was threatened with death by an inmate. I then quit my job and never thought I�d have anything to do with prison ever again.

The Lord and your testimony over the radio changed that. I can truly believe in the power of the word of testimony. God Bless you richly.
Constance.

Pray for us and the inmates. Write an inmate or 2 or 3 or 4. Please support this tax deductable ministry.

I called Don & Yvonne to share a burden some of us have. I have seen them on the TV and listened to them on the radio. They have walked the walk and do talk the talk. We took a love offering for them and it was a good one. When folks like them do come to churches many Pastors are scared of what will happen. We have quotas and goals set on us. When a pastor refused to transfer their membership to his church he declined wanting to know what they would do for his church. Not the Lords work or his people? As I have known these folks for a long time, they say what they need and do and it is done. They drive old, used, donated cars and have used equipment that was handed down. Only the Lord knows how many will be in Heaven because of their work and you who support this ministry. If you read the newsletter on their web page you will see a job well done. I checked on a couple of ministries who do prison work. They go to the prison and either teach a class or preach. They are escorted every where. Even I am amazed at Don�s progress. He went to prison to teach Bible three months after he became a Christian. A massive amount of study went into him. Yvonne rose up in the church and helped a lot. They were made full time staff chaplains seven months later. Drew Keys walked the cell blocks, and Yvonne walked the yard with only God looking on. I met them after they returned from Washington. They were at a meeting to put creditability into this work. Some claimed to do a lot just to raise money. Their effort helped put creditability and accountability in prison ministry work and fund raising. They worked at two prisons under me and all were blessed. The black, hard-core inmates made them honorary blacks. This told all gang members not to fool with the God Squad. Two separate States tried to keep them out but God had other plans. My health is bad or I would be doing much more. Because like they say �Because of you Someone Cares.�
Chaplain Stan Read (deceased)

Please pray for the Sylvester family who lost a 8 month old grandchild. This is so hard to handle.