“I don’t know what I would have done without Amazing Facts,” the person on the other end of the line said. “Without your letters and resources, I don’t know what I would have done!” The caller was a recently discharged prisoner. During his five years behind bars, Amazing Facts impacted his life so profoundly that he called the office to say thank you once he got out.
Separated from family and friends, prisoners across America are often lonely, and many of them are seeking a better life. And that’s where you and Amazing Facts come in!
Life-Changing Resources
Two different departments at Amazing Facts coordinate a powerful, life-changing ministry to prisoners.
In the correspondence department, a team of eight workers responds to letters, including those from inmates. They answer Bible questions, build relationships, and encourage those who are struggling with loneliness or mental health. The correspondence team also provides free resources, including books, magazines, devotionals, and Bible lessons. An inmate can request up to four free resources a month from a catalog featuring 107 options in English and 44 options in Spanish.
In addition, the Bible School department enrolls inmates in the Amazing Facts correspondence course, in which prisoners receive Amazing Facts Study Guides. There are incarcerated Bible School students in nearly 2,800 different U.S. prisons and jails! Bible School staff also pray together regularly for the requests and concerns expressed by students. They furnish students, upon request, with details about transition homes and information about churches in their area that adhere to the biblical truths they learned in our Bible course.
The Bible School even works to stay connected when incarcerated students are transferred to a different prison. After being transferred, one prisoner called to say, “I didn’t know how to contact you after I was transferred,” she said, “but you followed me! Thank you for caring.”
“This has been life-changing for me,” another inmate wrote. “I’ve prayed for a long time that the Holy Spirit would give me a strong hunger for the Word. … Amazing Facts was the vehicle that He used. … All I’ve learned is being spread around this compound.”
Spreading Interest
It is not uncommon that when a prisoner receives a resource from Amazing Facts, it sparks the interest of other prisoners. Requests often come in groups of two or three within a single letter. Once, a letter requesting resources included a list of 30 names! Another inmate wrote that the Amazing Facts Study Guides had spread to over 100 individuals in his correctional center. Addressing his letter to “Our Family at Amazing Facts,” he wrote, “I have watched the men change and grow in front of my eyes. Over 30 of us honor the Sabbath!”
To meet the demand for resources, the Bible School department created the Chaplain Library Initiative. This program provides prison chaplains with an entire library of Amazing Facts resources, from books to magazines and Bible lessons. In this way, a single book can reach multiple prisoners. In 2023, over 176 prison chaplains and administrators received sample materials, including facilities that currently have no Bible students. The Bible School also collaborates with diverse prison ministries that visit inmates. These ministries pass along the names of inmates interested in the Bible course.
Technology Behind Bars
Since regular internet access is generally restricted in prison, God has opened new avenues to reach prisoners through technology.
In August 2022, the correspondence department began providing content to the Pando app. The app, which is available on more than 150,000 devices in more than 100 facilities, provides Christian videos to prisoners. In just a year and a half, Amazing Facts videos have been viewed more than 4.4 million times, and nearly 60,000 prisoners have subscribed to our Pando channel. Best of all, over 5,000 prisoners have accepted Christ while watching Amazing Facts content!
In February 2024, Amazing Facts will partner with the Edovo app in a similar venture. In addition to videos, the Edovo app will provide a platform in which Amazing Facts can upload e-books and an e-course version of our correspondence Bible lessons. More widely used than the Pando app, Edovo is available in 350 correctional facilities, reaching more than 300,000 incarcerated users every day. We can’t wait to see what God will do with this new partnership!
Sharing Hope
Christ came to set each of us free from the prison of spiritual darkness. What a joy it is to participate in bringing “out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house” (Isaiah 42:7). Thank you for supporting this unique ministry through your prayers and gifts!
Do you have a loved one currently in prison? Amazing Facts wants to help you share light and hope! Inmates can enroll in our Bible School by writing to us at the address below. In addition, families can request enrollment on behalf of their loved one by writing, emailing, or calling us.
To enroll, please provide a name, inmate number (if available), and the prison or jail facility address.
To enroll in our Bible School:
• Email us at afbibleschool@amazingfacts.org
• Go to https://amazingbiblestudies.com/by-mail
• Call 844-215-7000
• Or write to us at Amazing Facts International; Bible School Department; P.O. Box 909; Roseville, CA 95678-9784
To ask a Bible question or request a catalog of free resources that can be sent to prisoners:
• Email us at afbiblequestions@amazingfacts.org
• Write to us at Amazing Facts International; Attn: Correspondence Department; P.O. Box 1058; Roseville, CA 95678
When contacting us, please provide a name, inmate number (if available), and the prison or jail facility address.