Hi, my name is Paul - I'm 32, I live in Australia and I'm new here.

I've been writing to inmates in the US for about 18 months now.

I'm gay and I guess about half the blokes I write to in prison are either gay or at the very least bi.

My closest penfriends was abandoned by his family after telling them he was gay - he has had a tough time. We have been writing 6 months and have become good mates. In his third letter he asked me if I loved him - I was a little bit taken aback by this and told him that yes, I loved him as a friend.

In the time we have been writing I have to say that he really has enriched my life and that I truly do love him. He has very little self esteem and sense of worth and I am trying to help him to believe in himself despite the fact he has been abandoned by his family and friends.

At first when we started writing I must confess I wasn't sure if he was being honest with me or not (I feel terrible about saying that) - the truth is, he seemed too good to be true and I really feared I was being taken for a ride once again, mostly because I really liked him and I guess I was frightened of being hurt.

I have found my penfriend to be a funny and intelligent man who I would not be without. All he has ever asked for is stamps - which I send every now and then, he would write me 7 days a week if he could, he makes envelopes as he can't afford to buy them and while he says I have brought light to his life he has done a lot for me also.

It's his birthday next month and I'm gonna send him a book - he wants to phone me later in the year which I'm really looking forward to.

This intro post was a lot longer than I had intended, its just good to share my special somone with others who would understand.

My partner,friends and family are all really supportive of me writing to inmates but it is nice to share it with y'all.

Welcome to PTO! It sounds as though you are a Godsend to your friend, and as though that's mutual:) we know a little about that kinda feeling around here!

Welcome to PTO!! Glad you found us!!

JJT

We are so glad you found us!! I wish you and your friend all the best, and if this pen-pal relationship prospers, I hope that you both have a happy and prosperous life. Best of luck to you both!!:thumbsup:

Cheryl:broken:

Cool....I'm happy when any inmate finds a friend.....love is a bonus! It means everything to them and is a huge commitment. I hope since you have found love for him that you don't fall off the others....it may mean the world to them too. Good luck.

Cool....I'm happy when any inmate finds a friend.....love is a bonus! It means everything to them and is a huge commitment. I hope since you have found love for him that you don't fall off the others....it may mean the world to them too. Good luck.
Of the 18 or so blokes I write to there are about 6 I feel particuarly close with. It's strange but for some reason, despite having been writing now for some time, the closeness has almost developed overnight.

Inpart I think that is due to the time it takes to get to know one another - writing from Australia to the US is a time consuming process. Also many of them tell me that the majority of their penfriends simply abandon them, stop writing and perhaps after 18 months they now realise I am in it for the long haul and that I really am here for them.

Hello Pauli and welcome to the PTO Family!! :wave: You will find unconditional support here, thank you so much for sharing you're story with us!

Paul - welcome to PTO! Happy to have you here with us and thank you for sharing your story!

I met my partner of three plus years now as a pen pal. Love can happen in the strangest of circumstances - so just go with your feelings and enjoy!

If you want to PM me please do! I would love to chat with you! My name is Ken.

Welcome!

Hi Paul welcome to PTO, from one Australian to another :D

Thanks for sharing your story, I agree, it is more time consuming here, cause of the delay in the mail going back and forth, but ITS SO WORTH IT!!!!
Glad you found us :)