Good afternoon, everyone! It's been a very busy week and two days here at the CPP Veterans' Ministry! So far things are rolling along wonderfully, and I thought it was time for the first of what I hope to be weekly (give or take a day or two) updates.
A Sneak Peak...
Let me give you a brief, behind-the-scenes look on what we've been doing since the creation of this website & branch of ministry. Beth, the Executive Director of Christian Pen Pals/Pen Pal Connection, has been going through her files of inmates who are still waiting to be matched with penpals (going as far back as 2006!), and sending me all the ones who mention they are veterans. Upon receipt, I use an online "inmate locator" to verify the addresses of the inmates. Some have moved to different facilities and their new addresses have been noted; others are still at their original address.
Once that's done, I send letters to each inmate, telling them about Christian Pen-Pals' new Veterans' Ministry, and asking them to please send in an updated application with all their current information. A copy of that letter goes in the inmates' file (each inmate has his own file which contains a copy of their original application and a copy of all subsequent correspondence to or from the inmate). Next, I enter their information on an alphabatized spreadsheet, so I can tell at a glance who is still in need of a penpal, what they are looking for in a penpal, their interests, etc.
A similar procedure is followed for our wonderful penpal volunteers (except that there is no need to verifiy their addresses, since of course the information they give me is current ). The volunteers are likewise listed on a spreadsheet, and I have a "master file" of all the volunteers' applications.
When I match an inmate with a penpal, I update the spreadsheets to note who has been matched with whom, and print off copies of the emails I send to the volunteers with the inmates' information... one copy goes in my "master file" of penpal information, and another copy goes in the inmates' file. I then send a quick note to the inmate, letting him know that they have been matched with a penpal and should be receiving a letter shortly (I NEVER say who, or give any information at all about the penpal). I ask the inmates to let us know if they have not heard from their penpal after 30 days... it's really important to please write them as soon as you are able to... as I said, this particular bunch of Veterans has been waiting two years for a pen-pal! (We have a huge need for pen-pals!). I plan on checking in with our penpal volunteers via email once a month or so to see how things are going.
Where We Are Now....
Currently, we have well over 20 veterans in our program who have been waiting since 2006 for a Christian pen pal. Over the next several days, I'll be receiving copies of applications submitted in 2007, and the process described above will begin all over again.
So far, we have three WONDERFUL pen-pal volunteers who have "adopted" a combined total of eight of our incarcerated Veterans. As mentioned earlier, we have 20+ still waiting for pen-pals (since 2006), and several more to come (from 2007) over the next couple weeks or so.
Please pray for the CPP Veterans' Ministry, that God would send laborers to the harvest... for it is full indeed! The volunteer application to write to one (or more!) of our Veterans can be found by clicking HERE. Please help get the word out about our website and ministry - or rather, the LORD'S website and ministry! We are simply stewards, working to share His love and grace with a lost and hurting world.
God bless you!
In Jesus' Love,
Mama Kat
PS - dont' forget to stop by ourDiscussion Forum and chat with other volunteers or potential volunteers!
Well, it's official - the Christian Pen Pal Outreach Veterans' Ministry is off and running!!!! Full steam ahead... here we go!
Our most urgent need is for PENPAL VOLUNTEERS to write to our inmate Veterans. Please sign up if you feel so led, and help us get the word out about this new ministry!
We currently have several incarcerated Veterans who have been waiting close to two years for a penpal through CPP. I'd like to get these guys matched up with Godly penpals quickly... one may not have that many years left and is in need of encouragement and exhortation for sure. Stay tuned for more updates as things develop!
Stay tuned... the Christian Pen Pals Ministry is currently developing an exciting new program to minister to incarcerated military veterans! Stay tuned for updates, and please keep us all in prayer as we follow God's leading!
