Remembering a forgotten people

    Christmas is often thought of as a time for family, but one Holyoke woman’s love stretches far beyond the traditional definition. On top of the 60-some cards she’ll be sending to friends and relatives this year, Susanne Drescher is writing to 75 others who won’t have the luxury of celebrating with loved ones during the holidays.
    The recipients of her Christmas cards are men and women throughout the United States who are incarcerated. Some are new to the experience of facing a holiday within prison; others have been serving their sentences for many years. Despite their diverse backgrounds and stories, Drescher knows they all have something in common: they’re loved by God and deserve to be remembered at Christmastime. Through her leadership, a total of 800 Christmas cards will be sent from Holyoke to prisoners nationwide this year, and through them, the love of Christ will radiate from her small town.
    Anyone who has met Drescher knows that she treats everyone like family. Be it with neighbors, co-workers or the congregation at her church, she is quick to share a smile, encouraging words and often delicious food. When she found out there was a way to extend her love to even more people, she did what comes naturally to her.
    During a presentation at Holyoke First Christian Church several years ago, a representative of Prayer for Prisoners International spoke about their ministry. With a nephew who is incarcerated, Drescher was immediately touched by the work they described.
    Following the presentation, the speaker suggested to Drescher that she could be a local coordinator for their Christmas card program. Initially she said “no,” thinking she wasn’t cut out for the role, but that very night, she woke up with the unshakable sense that she needed to say “yes.”
    And so it began. In 2013, Drescher worked with a few others from her church to send 220 Christmas cards to prisoners. In their second year, the volunteers doubled that number, and each year more people have joined her cause and more letters have been mailed out from Holyoke. Now in their fifth year, they’re up to 800.
    Though she certainly wouldn’t take credit for it, Drescher has helped her community become the second-largest contributor to the PFPI Christmas card project.
    Deep-seated compassion is truly at the center of the undertaking. It would be easy to go about life without giving a second thought to the 2.3 million people in the American criminal justice system, but Drescher can’t help but think about how hard life must be for them.
    Some of the prisoners who have been written to in the past have responded, noting it was the first card they had received in years. Yancey from Michigan said, “I’ve been forgotten because of my incarceration.” Dennis from Arizona wrote that since being in prison he’s been “deserted and neglected.”
    While Drescher acknowledges that this particular ministry isn’t for everyone, she thinks that if more people were aware of the need and the opportunity to serve, then more would do it. “Most people just don’t know about it, but I wish more people did,” she said.
    As a coordinator, Drescher recruits volunteers each fall. Some are individuals, while others are families or Bible study groups that want to write cards together. Once she knows how many cards they will need, Drescher gets names and addresses from PFPI, which keeps a database of prisoners who have signed up to receive letters.
    Volunteers each have a code number, so if a prisoner sends a response or thank-you to PFPI, it can be forwarded to the appropriate volunteer. Each Christmas card sent includes a prayer request form that prisoners can fill out and send back to the writer. Drescher doesn’t send cards with the expectation that there will be a response, but she did note that sometimes hearing back from a prisoner can be very meaningful.
    Some have shared stories about how they’ve become Christians since being incarcerated. Others asked for prayer for their family members on the outside. Many have said that getting mail — even from a stranger — is a rare and welcome occurrence.
    A woman in Texas responded to PFPI, “Thank you for the card and for reminding me that I am a child of the most-high God who has not forgotten me.” That sums up the very goal of Drescher and all the volunteers who send Christmas cards — to let prisoners know that, despite their circumstances, they are not forgotten and Jesus is still the reason for celebrating Christmas.
    Each year, when it’s time to write the Christmas cards, Drescher hosts a get-together for volunteers. Some prefer to write their notes at that gathering, but others choose to take time alone, as the task can be very personal. Volunteers often pray for the prisoners they are writing to and ask God to use the cards to make a difference in their lives. They write a thoughtful note, often including Scripture, and it takes time.
    For Drescher, who commits to sending many cards, time is taken at the end of each day to write a few of her notes. Her daughter, Sherri, also gets involved, helping to seal and stamp the envelopes.
    Though it would be wonderful to continue sending more and more cards from Holyoke each year, Drescher said, “I think it’s still important if we can send even 50 cards.” That’s 50 people, 50 individuals whose lives are touched.
    It’s recorded in Matthew 25 that Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me,” and he spoke of prisoners specifically. This Christmas — and all the time — Drescher aims to remember those incarcerated brothers and sisters.
    For more information about PFPI or their Christmas card outreach, visit http://www.prayerforprisoners.org/.