"You Should Read Them"

Since the beginning of our ministry, VOM has encouraged Christians in the West to write letters of encouragement to prisoners. Over the years VOM has sent out lists of prisoners, pre-printed postcards to send and even encouraged readers to put a stick of gum inside their letters to a particular prisoner.

But do those letters matter? YES!

Again and again we hear from released prisoners the difference that the letters make and the impact they have. Stories like this one, excerpted from Captive in Iran, written by former prisoners for Christ in Iran, Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh:

"While our guard was alone with us, he asked, "Are you the two Christian prisoners who get all the mail?"

"Yes, we are. How many letters are there?" Marziyeh asked.

"There's a whole roomful of letters and postcards, with dozens more arriving every day. Several soldiers open and read them, and then report the contents to the authorities."

"What do the letters say?"

"Many of them are in English, and most of them say the same thing. They talk about the sheep and the shepherd, they say they are praying for you, they encourage you to keep resisting, they send you Bible verses, things like that. Some people send drawings."

"Since they don't give them to us, maybe at least you should read them and benefit from their contents," Marziyeh suggested.

Maryam and Marziyeh saw first-hand the difference letters make, and they credit all of the mail received at Evin prison as one factor in their release from prison.

VOM equips you to write letters to Christians in prison in two ways. We have created an online tool at www.PrisonerAlert.com where you can compose your letters online, and they will be translated into the language of the prisoner. We also offer Prisoner Letter Writing kits that will help you to write with pen and ink to prisoners around the world. We often pray that God will encourage Christians in prison. Writing letters is one way that we can be a part of the answer to that prayer.

As Maryam and Marziyeh's story proves, it DOES make a difference.

Excerpted from Captive in Iran by Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh. You can purchase a copy of Captive in Iran through VOMBooks.com. You can also watch a video of Maryam and Marziyeh talking specifically about the letters that arrived for them at the prison, or the complete video of their time speaking to VOM staff.