RAPID CITY, S.D. — Don and Janet Hallock want people to understand one thing right away.  “We are nothing special,” they said. “Our Heavenly Father called us to serve Jesus Christ in this ministry, and that is what we do.”

The couple also shares a connection rooted in the very ministry they now serve, having met through a Crossroads Zoom call before continuing their work side by side. But what they are doing from their home in the Black Hills is quietly impacting lives inside prisons across the country and around the world. Through a program called Crossroads, the Hallocks serve as mentors, corresponding weekly with individuals who are incarcerated. But they are intentional about how they describe the people they work with. They do not call them inmates. They call them students.

“Yes, these people are in prison,” they shared. “Some will be there for life. They have done some terrible things. But once enrolled in Crossroads, they are now students.”

That distinction matters.Because for the Hallocks, this is not about a label. It is about a decision, a decision made by someone behind bars who wants something better for their life. Each week, the process is simple, but deeply meaningful. A Bible lesson arrives in the mail from a student somewhere. Don and Janet carefully read through it, make notes, offer encouragement, and then write a personal letter back. There are no cameras. No recognition. No stage. Just a lesson, a letter, and a connection. And for someone sitting in a prison cell, that connection can mean everything.

Crossroads is a global prison ministry, reaching tens of thousands of students worldwide. Each year, thousands of lessons are mailed back and forth, creating a steady line of communication between those behind bars and those willing to walk alongside them.

Here in western South Dakota, that impact is closer than many realize. At Parkview Evangelical Free Church, there are 16 Crossroads mentors. Across West River, about 45 men and women are involved in the ministry, each committing their time to writing, encouraging and guiding students through the program. And still, there is a growing need.

Crossroads is actively looking for more mentors, especially those who can speak and write in Spanish, as the number of Spanish-speaking students continues to rise. Because every lesson sent in is a person waiting. Waiting for feedback. Waiting for encouragement. Waiting for someone to respond. And sometimes, the impact comes full circle.

The Hallocks shared stories of men who once sat in those same prison cells, enrolled as students, who are now on the outside serving in ministry themselves, giving back in the very same way someone once reached out to them. Lives changed. Stories rewritten. Purpose restored. The Hallocks are quick to say they do not need anything for themselves.

“All this ministry costs us is a postage stamp each week,” they said. But Crossroads as a whole relies on support. The cost to serve each student is about $125 per year, much of that covering postage as lessons travel from the student, to Crossroads, to a mentor, and back again. Still, what they ask for most is simple. Prayer. Because behind every letter is a person trying to become something more than their past. And from a quiet home in the Black Hills, Don and Janet Hallock continue to show up, week after week, one letter at a time. Because the work they are doing reflects something deeper, a belief that no life is beyond redemption. That the people society often overlooks are the very ones worth reaching.

For more information or to support Crossroads, visit cpministries.org.