Merry Christmas

– Merry Christmas –

Merry Christmas from your good friend in federal prison 😉

Celebrating my first Christmas behind a barbed wire fence comes with a lot of mixed emotions and feelings.

On one hand, I’m experiencing intense pain and sorrow being thousands of miles away from Noél, Cambria, Willow, Lula, and Zion. I’m talking about the kind of sadness where your soul and your body physically hurt.

But…

On the other hand, I’m in absolute awe of God’s goodness and all the breakthrough transformation that has been birthed through my family’s brokenness.

Unfortunately, it took me almost 40 years of life on this earth — and a federal prison sentence — to finally realize that pain and breakthrough can exist in the same reality. A person’s pain does NOT need to stop for supernatural breakthrough to happen. Honestly, I think the opposite is true now.

Living in the pit of prison has taught me to ALWAYS choose Jesus during the darkest days. Something shifts in the atmosphere when we CHOOSE to worship HIM while we hurt. That choice — worshiping in the middle of pain — gives God space to go to work and begin birthing something beautiful from our season of suffering.

God truly is THE GREAT REDEEMER. I’ve personally witnessed HIS REDEEMING POWER in a place that was created to punish and destroy a person’s soul.

Getting to tangibly experience the power of Jesus in prison does something to a man. Especially a convicted criminal like me who carries so much shame. I NEED the grace that only Jesus can give.

If I had to summarize all the complicated emotions I’m feeling during my first Christmas in federal prison, I would choose one simple word:

GRATEFUL.

And I’m NOT choosing this word because “The Bartletts’” season of suffering has ended or because everything suddenly feels like rainbows and butterflies.

I chose the word GRATEFUL because Jesus has taken the mess I created and started turning it into a stunning miracle. THIS IS OUR GOD!!! THIS IS THE GRACE AND FORGIVENESS THAT ONLY JESUS OFFERS!!! I am undeserving of this kind of unconditional love. God, You are so good.

Our family is in pain — but that pain now has purpose.

Can a season of suffering survive when it’s been surrounded by divine purpose?
I THINK NOT!!!

Shame has lost its sting, and brokenness no longer binds my family. The Bartletts chose Jesus when it hurt, and now our hearts are being healed.

Smile through the suffering, my friends — God’s got you.

Let HIM get to work and turn your pain into purpose. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.

Merry Christmas from your friend in federal prison!!!

Love all of you,

Brett(The most blessed prisoner in the B.O.P.)

– A Note From Noél –

Oh man… I miss Brett.
I miss his light, his humor, his optimism, and his ability to see the absolute best in every situation — even the impossible ones. Letters like the one above are what keep me standing. They breathe strength into the parts of me that feel worn thin by this strange and surreal season of life.

This holiday season has brought a level of sorrow I never imagined I’d experience. Brett’s incarceration continues to take a toll on me and the kids every single day. There are moments when the ache feels physical — like a heaviness I can’t shake.

BUT…

Right alongside that pain, I’m witnessing God’s mercy, grace, and goodness in ways I didn’t even know were possible.

HIS GOODNESS IS REAL. IT IS TANGIBLE. IT IS CARRYING US.

I’m beyond thankful that our family’s shame and suffering have been mercifully transformed into something supernatural — a strength we never knew we had. Somehow, in the middle of all this hurt, God is allowing our story to give other families hope during their own seasons of suffering.

And while nothing will ever erase the sting of waking up on Christmas morning without Brett for the first time ever…
knowing that our pain now has purpose softens it just enough to breathe.

The Bartletts have chosen to worship Jesus right in the middle of our storm. And slowly, gently, God is healing our hurting hearts — covering us with His grace, His peace, and His unshakeable presence.

If you are walking through your own unimaginable season this Christmas, please hear me with every ounce of love in my heart:

God sees you.
God hears you.
God has not abandoned you — not for a single breath.

Choose Jesus when it hurts the most.
Let Him into every broken corner.
Let Him turn your pain into purpose and your mess into a miracle.
He is faithful. He is near. And He is not done with your story.

And so, as I sit here watching my beautiful children open their presents … I just want to say:

Merry Christmas from the bottom of our hearts!

Today we celebrate the birth of our Savior —
and even in the middle of our pain, Jesus is HERE.

He is the God who enters the sadness.
He is the God who sits with us in the quiet.
He is the God who turns graves into gardens, even when we can’t yet see the bloom.

My prayer is that this Christmas, you feel His nearness the way we do —
tender, steady, unmistakable.
And that His peace wraps around your heart the same way His grace continues to carry ours through this season of deep hurt and deeper hope.

Thank you so much for loving on our family in this season.
For showing my kids what a truly beautiful community looks like,
and for every single one of you who has blessed them — and us — this Christmas.

We are so beyond grateful for each and every one of you.
Truly… we would not be standing 10 months in without you.

Merry Christmas, sweet friends.

Love & Many Blessings,
Noél
(A prison wife who is hurting deeply… yet choosing hope anyway)

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IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
I, Noél Bartlett, am committed to following all applicable Federal Bureau of Prisons policies and procedures while sharing, documenting, and memorializing our family’s prison journey and the letters and manuscripts Brett sends to me.
For complete clarity, I alone am the owner, operator, publisher, and financial beneficiary of Proud Prison Wives and this website. I am also the sole publisher and beneficiary of any books or other works published through Proud Prison Wives, including SPEAK DOG, SHATTER YOUR SHAME, and any future manuscript of Brett’s that I independently choose to edit, develop, and publish.
Brett is currently incarcerated in federal prison. He does not own, operate, manage, or conduct business through Proud Prison Wives, nor does he receive any financial benefit from the publication, sale, or promotion of these books, letters, manuscripts, or website content.
I am incredibly proud to take my husband’s raw letters and manuscripts and transform them into beautiful, meaningful books that allow others to witness his journey and cheer him forward as he chooses to use his time in prison productively.
Brett and I also take the safety, security, and privacy of the institution extremely seriously. In the letters and manuscripts he sends me—and in the material I ultimately choose to publish—identifying details may be intentionally changed, combined, omitted, or rearranged. This may include characters, conversations, events, timelines, locations, and other details in order to protect the privacy of staff, fellow incarcerated individuals, and the institution itself.
The heart and spirit of Brett’s writing are based on his lived experiences, but these writings should not be interpreted as a literal, chronological, or identifying account of daily institutional life. Some details of Brett’s experience will simply have to wait until he has fully completed his obligations to the Department of Justice.
Again, I, Noél Bartlett, am fully committed to respecting and following applicable Bureau of Prisons policies and procedures. I consider it a privilege to preserve our family’s story, document this chapter of Brett’s life, and share the good that can still come from an incredibly difficult season.
Thank you for reading, supporting our family, and respecting the purpose and boundaries behind what we share.
— Noél Bartlett
Owner & Publisher, Proud Prison Wives

Shatter Your Shame- Sneak Peek

Shatter Your Shame, Chapter 1

Shatter Your Shame, Chapter 1

Shatter Your Shame, Chapter 2

Shatter Your Shame, Chapter 2

Shatter Your Shame, Chapter 3

Shatter Your Shame, Chapter 3

Shatter Your Shame is NOW AVAILABLE

Brett and I are so excited (and honestly still a little in awe) to officially announce

Shatter Your Shame is LIVE on the site.

This book was written inside a federal prison—on random pieces of scratch paper, with a dull pencil, behind razor-sharp barbed wire and an electrified fence. What started as handwritten prison letters has turned into a powerful testimony of redemption, responsibility, faith, and purpose.

Shatter Your Shame is for anyone who carries the weight of their past, the burden of regret, or the quiet pain of shame—and is ready to see how God redeems what the world calls broken.

Brett writes with raw honesty about the worst decisions of his life, the consequences that followed, and the miraculous way God met him in the pit of prison and transformed his shame into purpose. These are one-of-a-kind prison stories that will help you heal, rise, and walk forward unchained.

(Perfect for small groups, book clubs, churches, or gifting to someone who needs hope.)

Every order directly supports me and my 4 beautiful children during this season Brett is away.

This journey hasn’t been easy. Prison is heavy. Shame is heavy. But God is proving—once again—that He specializes in turning massive messes into healing miracles.

Thank you for believing in redemption.
Thank you for supporting our family.
Thank you for helping us share this message with the world.

With so much love,
Noél

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SPEAK DOG is NOW AVAILABLE

Speak Dog is not your average dog-training book. It is a testimony, a powerful blend of storytelling, breakthrough psychology, and the real-life prison puppy training program that God used to transform countless lives, including Brett’s, and our family’s.

This book carries redemption on every page. It shows what God can do with a broken man, a hurting dog, and a second chance. It’s hope, healing, laughter, purpose, and breakthrough all wrapped into one unforgettable journey.

I am SO beyond excited for everyone to get their hands on this book and experience the same heart-shifting, faith-building transformation that we did.

Shop Now