The only mission of the Forgiveness Foundation is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone we encounter. The primary difference between a long-term inmate sentenced to 10 years or longer and the death row inmate is that the death row inmate has a keener grasp on the importance of eternity. The long-term inmate is more often focused on what his situation will be when he is released from prison. Although a different challenge in ministering to this particular category of inmate it is not daunting. Since over 800,000 men and women fall into this category of inmate it is impossible for us to minister to them all so as names come to our attention we begin to write to them when we are sure that funds will be available to provide them with letter every month until they are released or die in prison. It is important to be consistent because it demonstrates reliability and dependability -- something many of these men and women never experienced before The Forgiveness Foundation began writing to them. Our first letter is the same in style as our first letter to a death row inmate; we share the good news of Jesus Christ with the inmate we write. We tell them that no matter what has transpired in their life that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and has already accepted the eternal punishment for their sin (crime). That Jesus wants to grant them eternal life in Heaven with Him, and all that they need to do is to sincerely ask Him to be Lord of their life. The Roman Road. Some write telling us that they are already saved and want to correspond with us. Others write back to tell us that they accepted Jesus and ask us to help them through the ordeal which they have found themselves in. Still some write back and tell us that they want to correspond with us, they are lonely -- they are alone, but that they want nothing to do with Jesus. Unfortunately a greater number does not write to us at all. I am not discouraged by letters from those who want to correspond but do not want Jesus because we are all about Jesus and we can't help share His love. Some eventually come to Jesus and some die lost forever. Since this ministry is tailored to the individual inmate all I can say is that once we receive a letter our ministry follows the need expressed in that letter wherever it may lead.

The very first institution that God ordained was the family. Sin entered the world and the family, God's first ordained institution, was painted in its sights for attack. It started with Adam blaming Eve for his disobedience to God for eating the fruit. The attack on family continued with Cain killing his brother Abel because he was jealous that God was more pleased with Abel's offering than his. Family discord began with the original family God placed on this earth continuing as man continues to pursue the fleeting pleasure that sin may provide. The Forgiveness Foundation Family Ministry works to restore broken family relationships that arise from a family member being incarcerated. The most common request that we receive is from an inmate who is on death row and his parents refused to have anything to do with him. This request typically asks us to help the inmate restore his/her relationship with his/her parents. We respond by writing the inmates parents and advising them who we are and that their child had asked us to write to them hoping to restore his/her relationship with them. If the parent does not respond we send a letter every three months sharing the love of Jesus and keeping our invitation to help restore their relationship with their child open. Some call and talk with us. Some write to us. But for all who are willing, we help them reopen their lives to their child. For some they need to learn to forgive their child and others it is the hopelessness of their child's fate that has caused them to give up. With God’s mercy it is our mission to share the true Hope in Jesus Christ as through Him we work with families of inmates to restore their relationship.

The Forgiveness Foundation makes every effort possible to help the men and women on death row know that God cares about them. Many inmates are forgotten by their families. Unfortunately some are used as pawns to promote a political agenda either supporting or opposing the death penalty. The only position the Forgiveness Foundation takes with the inmates is that Jesus died on the cross for their sin and that by accepting Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior will spend eternity their eternity with Jesus. It is our desire to share our love of Jesus by helping each inmate feel like a valued member of God's creation. One way which we do this is by providing each inmate with a Christmas card sharing the story of the birth of Jesus, explaining what Christmas is really about. The 2007 Christmas card was very special because every death row inmate will receive a crayon-drawn Christmas card from a Sunday school child. This will mean that nearly 3,500 Christmas cards will have to be prepared before October 1, so I can place a personal message in the card prepared by the child. The child who prepared it will sign the card. I'm already excited. I often receive requests for pictures to decorate their cells. Each will have an original just before Christmas and for many, it will be the only Christmas present they receive.