By Mark L. Earley|Published Date: June 04, 2009

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A few days before Christmas in 2003 I got to hear first-hand about the impact of Angel Tree. My wife was out of town with our two oldest boys and not being one to want to unduly mess up the kitchen, I took our three youngest children out to dinner at Red, Hot & Blue, a barbeque diner in Leesburg, Virginia. It was a bitterly cold evening, and there was not much of me that was not bundled up even as I began to order. Mentally, I was in the same mood, I just wanted to huddle with the kids and keep to myself.

I felt a stirring in my spirit to reach out to this woman, and at the same time felt quite another stirring that simply wanted to "tune out" any interaction and just enjoy my kids and our meal. My better instinct won out; I introduced her to my three children.

As the conversation progressed, I felt the prompting of Spirit to specifically ask her about her faith. "Do you know Jesus?" I blurted out, awkwardly.

"Oh, yes, I do!" replied Yolanda as an incredible smile came across her face. We chatted a bit more and off she went to put in our order. When she returned with the food, we began to talk some more, and she asked me what I did. I told her that I worked with an organization called Prison Fellowship and she smiled again eagerly.

"Oh, I know all about Prison Fellowship;" she said full of emotion, "it delivered Angel Tree gifts to my children for three years while I was in prison, and I am so grateful to God. Christmas was the lowest time of the year," she said. "My children’s birthdays were hard, but Christmas was the hardest. To know that someone cared enough to purchase a gift meant so much. I thank God for Angel Tree!" As for her children, she says, "It kept us connected. They always called so excited to thank me!"