Giving Time to Those Doing Time

Texan mother of four gives Bible studies to hundreds of inmates.

By Andrew McChesney, adventistmission.org

Tracey Lee, a mother of four living in a suburb of Fort Worth, Texas, wondered what gift she could give to God.

She didn’t have much money, and she has struggled for years with attention-deficit disorder. But between homeschool and five pets, she realized that she had one thing that she could dedicate to the Lord: time.

So, Tracey volunteered to correspond with inmates through a prison ministries program at Grandview Seventh-day Adventist Church in Grandview, Texas.

“The more I did it, the more I enjoyed it,” Tracey said in an interview. “I felt like I was making a difference, so I have continued doing it.”

Six years later, she is responsible for a prison ministries program larger than her church of about 35 members. She guides dozens of inmates through Bible correspondence lessons every week and maintains contact with about 300 people. In addition to inmates, she sends Bible lessons at their request to family members. She even has special Amazing Facts lessons for children. The previous week, she worked with 44 inmates, including eight new individuals.

It is unclear how many people have been baptized through her work, but several inmates have described big changes in their lives after accepting Jesus.

One inmate wrote that a family member exclaimed during a prison visit, “What did you do? I see something different about you. There is like a glow about you.”

“I got an opportunity to witness to this person because they saw a difference in me,” the inmate wrote to Tracey. “Thank you for taking the time to teach me.”

Tracey said those kinds of letters filled her with joy.

“I don’t see the changes with my eyes, but I see them in their letters,” she said.

Tracey, 46, was raised in a Sunday church, got married, and spent several years visiting various churches, trying to find a place to grow her children. One day, she was browsing at a half-priced bookstore with her eldest son, Kyle, when a customer struck up a conversation.

“He mentioned Grandview as a church and invited us to come try it out,” Tracey said.

The family attended a couple church concerts and began to attend worship services on Saturdays. About seven months after joining the church, Tracey volunteered to help with prison ministries.

She said inmates are often suspicious, especially when they first start taking Bible lessons. One scribbled beside his lesson, “Why do you always write, ‘God loves you. Smile!’ on the lesson?”

Tracey wrote back, “Because God does love you. No matter what.”

The inmate replied, “Well, I’m not going to do this much longer.”

Tracey said, “If you want to quit, why are you still doing them? If you are waiting for me to quit sending lessons, you are going to be waiting for a long time. We have enough lessons to last until you decide not to take them anymore.”

Through the personal notes, the inmate shared his sorrow for his crimes and said he didn’t deserve God’s love. Tracey sent him information about forgiveness from God and the need to forgive self and others.

Tracey has corresponded with drug users and convicted murders. She remembers a female prisoner who was released and sheepishly asked for more Bible lessons after ending up back in prison. She has received letters from inmates deserted by family and friends.

“These prisoners write, ‘All I have are these lessons and God,’” she said. “Other than that, they have nothing.”

Tracey has a growing collection of prison-made gifts, including drawings and bookmarks. One prisoner made her a dreamcatcher and a cross.

“I wouldn’t trade this for anything,” she said. “There are a lot of times that I am feeling that I’m not doing good and a student writes to me, ‘Thank you. You have been a Godsend.’”

It also has helped her self-esteem.

“I had such low self-esteem growing up,” she said. “My Mom always put me down, and I was slow at school because of my attention-deficit disorder.”

But working with the prisoners has helped control the attention-deficit disorder, she said. It has forced her to stop procrastinating and to organize her week in such a way that she can assist the inmates in a timely manner — and care for her family at the same time.

Tracey still doesn’t have much money, but she is eager to keep giving her time.

“That’s what I feel that I need to give,” she said.