Participants: C.A. Murray (Host), Lemuel Vega (Host), Sidney Fox, Timothy Englert, Rick Hayes, Kenneth Hopkins, Joe Asher, George Whirley, J'arius Beck
Series Code: FIN
Program Code: FIN000013
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00:08 On today's program, we travel
00:10 to the Putnamville Correctional Facility in Indiana. 00:14 Program has a lot to say, 00:16 we have a message from Lemuel Vega. 00:18 Then we have an interview with the program coordinator 00:22 who sort of coordinates the inmate population 00:25 with people who come in 00:26 and try to supply services and programs to them. 00:29 His name is Rick. 00:30 Lemuel Vega gets a chance to talk with him. 00:32 We have found that many of the individuals 00:34 who are incarcerated have 00:36 really quite outstanding musical talent and ability. 00:39 Some are singers, some are singers and musicians. 00:42 Some play piano, many play guitar, 00:44 others play various kinds of instruments. 00:46 Well, there is a surprising wealth of talent 00:50 that is behind these bars and in these institutions. 00:53 We get to meet one today one such young man, 00:56 his name is J'arius. He is a singer. 01:00 He is a songwriter. 01:01 He has a very interesting message. 01:03 He's gonna sing a song called "Use me Lord" 01:05 and one of the things that he says 01:07 is that he used to sing for the wrong reasons. 01:10 Now he's singing for the right reasons. 01:12 He is singing indeed for Jesus Christ. 01:15 We meet Chaplain Joe. 01:16 We meet Kenneth and Tim. 01:20 We meet Sydney who has a lot to say, 01:23 who gave his heart to the Lord 01:24 through Christmas Behind Bars 01:26 and through contact with 3ABN. 01:29 And of course we meet George. 01:30 We've got a good program. 01:31 We've got a lot to say to you. 01:33 Listen and give ear, you'll be blessed. 01:48 I'm reminded of John, the Gospel of John in 14, 01:53 Jesus really starts talking about how, 01:56 "If you love me, you'll keep My commandments." Amen. 02:00 And He goes through that, and He talks about 02:01 His peace being in us and our joy, His joy being in us. 02:07 And somewhere and about the middle of 15 02:09 and He says that joy will be complete. 02:12 But when you take all that within its context, 02:15 it's serving like Christ did as where you get the joy 02:20 and where you get the peace. 02:21 You know we work with a lot of people 02:23 and we've all experienced trying to get joy 02:27 outside of Christ and that's what sin is. 02:30 Taking joy or peace or comfort, 02:33 and chasing after anything before Christ 02:35 and then when you really do, you know, 02:40 because of His love, love Him back and by doing, 02:43 that's where you really get joy, 02:45 and that's where you really get the peace. 02:47 And if we watch your DVDs, you see that in the people 02:50 that are putting those sacks together. 02:52 I mean it's a joy just to watch them. 02:55 When you can get 350 people together in a warehouse 02:58 and put together 15,000 packages 02:59 and fill three or four semi trucks, 03:01 that's amazing. Yeah. 03:02 But here's where the rubber meets the road 03:04 is once the packages are full 03:06 and the trucks are full, we come down 03:08 and ask you if we can come into your prison 03:11 then you have to coordinate dates, 03:12 extra staff and all kinds of things. 03:14 So we thank you in the volunteer position, 03:17 we thank you and we wish you 03:18 God's rich blessings. Thank you. 03:20 I've been struggling, 03:24 trying to do things on my own 03:33 I've been now, lots of up and down 03:40 Seen the whole world 03:42 come to the ground But this is what I did 03:46 Fellows you got to mind 03:47 Give it to the Lord Give it to You Lord 03:51 Everything, everything I'm going through 03:57 Yes I did So give it to the Lord 04:02 Give it to You Lord All the problems 04:05 that seem so small How many don't know 04:08 You can fix them all 04:11 I don't know about job But I just want Him 04:14 to have His way in this place Lord 04:16 Here in Love At this very second till now, 04:20 I'm standing in the need of a blessing right now Lord 04:25 Have Your way, have Your way, 04:28 have Your way till now In this very place, 04:33 no matter who's looking, who's watching 04:36 have your way till now And if You don't mind-- 04:41 Before we guys came in, you know I've done 04:43 several live shows on a street but my heart wasn't right. 04:46 I was just up there playing the music, mike goes smoke 04:48 and we don't bite, honestly. 04:50 So when I heard you guys were coming to us, 04:52 so this would be the first time 04:53 I've actually get to look over my heart is right 04:55 and I'm dong this for the right reason. 04:57 So, you know, when I heard this opportunity was coming, 05:00 I just had to give all thanks to God. 05:02 You know that actually I'm doing it 05:04 for the right reason this time. 05:05 And since you guys have been doing this, 05:07 God gave me just so much favor. 05:09 I've been just over in teachings things, 05:12 I've never thought I'll ever be able to doing leadership roles 05:15 and the plus program that were made, 05:17 you know, I've been doing so many things 05:18 that I used to see other people doing, 05:20 but I was like, oh he is police 05:21 or why would you want to do that in prison. 05:23 Now God is just using me as vessels. 05:25 It's hard to explain but I'm so free right now. 05:29 It's just--it's hard to say when you guys come in 05:31 to see out of those barbed wires 05:32 but just to know that I've a out day coming 05:35 real soon and know that I could be free 05:37 and now my heart is right, thank God 05:39 that I wasn't free before this time. 05:42 Today...Lord, please use me, Lord. 05:51 Use me Lord. 06:01 God Be the Glory. 06:02 The value that you've sensed over these 06:04 many, many hours and days 06:06 that we've been in this prison, 06:08 share with me the value of this program, "Free Indeed!" 06:12 Well, what I like most about it is 06:14 the fact that when you come in 06:16 you really show that you care. 06:17 I mean you take time to meet with these men, 06:21 I mean, I see you when the cameras aren't rolling. 06:23 You interact and you listen to needs 06:25 and you make a connection on a personal level 06:29 as really a friend, as a person 06:32 who has a bond in Christ, really a brother in Christ. 06:35 And I think that the men really appreciate 06:37 that the most. 06:38 But beyond that a lot of times 06:41 it's also the gifts that they never get. 06:42 I mean it's the Bibles, it's the books 06:45 that are brought in for Christian growth 06:47 and commitment and it's the, you know, 06:49 the food, the hygiene articles 06:51 that they often really need because 06:54 they don't often have a lot. Right. 06:56 So you are saying the value of the gift packages 06:58 and the sponsorship for those packages are worthwhile? 07:01 Very much so. 07:03 I think that when a gift is brought in 07:05 and it supports the caring approach 07:08 that you have for these men. 07:09 I think that it really underlines the ministry 07:12 that you have for them and the men don't forget it. 07:16 And you deal with that and you know bring 07:18 the good news of Christ 07:19 and the blessing of forgiveness 07:21 really to everybody, you know the word, 07:23 we challenge people with the word 07:26 and with what they need. 07:27 You know the commitment to Christ but then 07:29 at the same time the message of forgiveness 07:32 and the cross is always crucial 07:34 to every single person that I talked to, 07:37 both on the outside and on the inside. 07:39 So they can be free indeed 07:40 even though they're incarcerated. 07:42 Yes. Christ makes us free. 07:44 That's the key thing. Amen. 07:51 Okay, brothers, I don't know what you come to do, 07:54 but I come to praise the Lord. 07:56 Amen. Amen. 07:57 Okay, if you came to praise the Lord, 08:00 who do I have out here that wants 08:02 to come up and praise the Lord? 08:04 Come on, big guy. 08:06 Who do I got over here that wants to praise the Lord? 08:09 Okay, come on up here. 08:13 Now we did not talk before, 08:15 he don't know me, I don't know him. 08:18 But he said he came to praise the Lord. 08:19 So we just want a message of hope to go to the world. 08:23 Because we're tired of this way of life. 08:25 And there's a suffering society out there, 08:27 suffering, pain and it's terrible 08:30 and it's getting worse. 08:32 9/11 was a symptom of a problem a long time ago. 08:35 We had the oil spills and we got all kinds 08:38 of trauma going on in our world today. 08:40 What is your name? 08:41 My name is Kenneth Hopkins. 08:43 Kenneth, is this your first time in prison? 08:45 No, it is not. It's not your first time. 08:47 How many times have you been in prison, Kenneth? 08:49 I've been in prison six times. 08:52 Six times in prison. 08:54 You know you don't want to come back to prison 08:56 after the first time or the second time. 08:59 What happened that you got side tracked 09:03 from your vision because when a person's in prison, 09:05 they desire to be with their family, 09:07 they desire to be different, 09:09 you don't want to come back to prison. 09:11 What has happened in your life 09:13 that you went back to prison second or third time? 09:16 Well, first of all, giving honor to God 09:19 who is the head of my life. 09:22 What caused me to come back is simple, self will. 09:28 Self will is what caused me to come back, 09:30 trying to do things outside of God's will 09:33 and once that happens your flesh can lead you 09:37 into some obstacles that can be very difficult 09:41 for you to come out yourself. 09:43 Amen, without Jesus I know that those obstacles 09:47 can and will lead me 09:50 into a state of desolation and stagnation. 09:53 Without Jesus. 09:54 And then with that desolation and stagnation, 09:56 then comes the whisky bottle, 09:58 then comes the needle in the arm, 09:59 the crack pipe whatever to try to heal that brokenness 10:03 and it doesn't work, it takes us farther down, amen. 10:06 Amen. Exactly what drugs is, 10:08 it's just simply a cheap substitute. 10:12 Anytime you begin to allow drugs to rule your life, 10:16 you give up your own life 10:18 and you succumb to the things and the situations 10:20 and circumstances around you. 10:23 What would you share with the person 10:24 in the world that's still suffering today 10:27 with drug addiction or alcoholism 10:28 but really the sin problem? 10:30 Well, what I would share to you is simply two words 10:34 and these words are found in the Book of Saint John, 10:39 and that's Jesus Christ, amen, 10:42 because Jesus, the Bible says, 10:44 "Whom the son sets free, amen, is free indeed." 10:50 Somebody ought to say amen. 10:52 Amen. 10:56 Kenneth, Kenneth, let me ask you, let me, 11:00 you need to let these people know Jesus Christ, 11:04 that they don't have to get all cleaned up 11:06 before they come to Jesus Christ. 11:08 Amen. Now you can't clean yourself up. 11:11 Amen, if you could clean yourself up, amen, 11:14 it would be no need for Jesus. 11:16 But the Bible says, amen, for--the Bible says, for God 11:22 so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son 11:26 that whosoever shall believeth in Him, amen, not outside 11:30 of Him, not just believing that He exists 11:33 but you got to believe in Him, in the realm of Salvation, 11:38 in the manipulation of the power of God, 11:41 causing the blood to wash away those things 11:44 that cause you to be caught up 11:46 in situations that you can't get yourself out. 11:49 I wish I had somebody that knows what I'm talking about? 11:52 Amen. Amen. 11:53 Share with me John 3:17, John 3:17. 11:57 Share with me that one in closing. 11:59 Amen. John 3:17, it says, 12:02 "For God sent not his Son 12:03 into the world" amen, 12:05 watch this now, he said, 12:07 "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; 12:10 but that the world through Him might be saved." 12:15 We have a choice, we have a choice 12:19 who we will serve and today there's nobody 12:22 in the penitentiary anywhere 12:23 in the world that's satisfied serving sin. 12:26 Brother, thank you so very, very much and God bless you. 12:29 God bless you. 12:38 Kenneth came tonight to praise the Lord 12:42 and may his daily life, a six time down, 12:45 society say we're a three-time loser, 12:48 he's a double negative by society 12:51 but yet he has this Gospel message, 12:54 he made God use him 12:56 and each and everyone of you to, 12:57 to sound this message to the whole world 13:00 wherever you go from this place. 13:02 That when Jesus comes, many, hundreds and thousands 13:05 millions of people will be ready on that day 13:08 to meet Him and hear those words, 13:10 "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." 13:17 Is this your first time in prison? 13:19 No, sir. 13:20 It's not your first time in prison. 13:22 Do you know that this can be your last time in prison? 13:25 Amen. 13:26 How can this not ever reoccur in your life 13:30 that you have to come back in shackles 13:31 and chains but you may come back as a volunteer? 13:34 Well, if I keep my focus on Jesus Christ 13:37 and put him first. 13:38 Okay, put him first. 13:40 What people, group and society 13:42 would you like to share a message of hope with 13:45 to let them know not to give up? 13:46 You are in prison with nothing by society standards 13:50 but yet they're free by society standards 13:53 but yet locked up inside. 13:55 Well, to all the ones out there strung out 13:59 on dope like I was, the ones in the street, 14:03 that think there is no hope, there is hope. 14:07 I've been in a street. 14:08 I've been showing out on every dope 14:11 there is, alcohol, all of it. 14:14 I was putting needles in my arm when I got locked up, 14:17 raving people, I mean I've done it all. 14:21 I've been to prison four times 14:23 because my focus was on drugs 14:27 and street life and not on my Lord and Savior. 14:30 And now when you come here, 14:32 it gives you sometime to heal 14:35 if you seek His will for your life, amen. Amen. 14:37 So even though we're in prison with the, 14:40 God is in the business of mending broken people, 14:43 of setting people free indeed. 14:45 But we have to continually keep 14:47 our hearts' door open because he knocketh 14:50 but we're the ones that have to answer, amen? 14:52 Amen. 14:53 We were born with a free will and we want to surrender 14:55 that unto our creator and our Lord 14:58 that he can be King of our life 15:00 and then our life will be different on this earth. Amen. 15:03 I'd like to say I was never free until I came here. 15:08 That sounds a little strange, I know, 15:09 everybody is probably like free, 15:11 but yeah, I wasn't free out there, 15:14 I was locked up, I was, like I said 15:17 I was strung out on dope. 15:18 That was--I mean I was a slave, slave to sin. 15:21 Now, I'm free, I'm free indeed. 15:24 Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior 15:25 and I'll always be free through Him. 15:28 What would you share with the-- 15:34 in closing, brother, 15:36 what would you share with that person 15:38 that's perhaps putting a needle in their arm 15:41 at this very moment, that person that's seeking 15:44 that fix to get the sick off of them? 15:46 What would you share with them? 15:48 Who would--should they call out to? 15:50 Jesus Christ. You will never get 15:52 what you're looking for through that needle. 15:56 You're looking for the relationship 15:59 with Jesus Christ, He made us 16:01 to have relationship and that's what we're seeking for. 16:04 We're looking for to other things 16:06 but you're not gonna find it. 16:08 And I would like to share Philippians 4:13, 16:11 He said do all thing, we can do all things 16:14 to Him who strengthened us, 16:16 so as long as we focus on Him 16:19 and rely on Him, we can do it all. 16:22 He says it. Thank you so very much. 16:24 I love that Bible verse. 16:26 Thank you, brother, so very, very much. 16:29 Brothers, I have to confess to you something. 16:31 Philippians 4:13, six years clean, 16:37 somebody told me, 16:39 then in a prison 25 years on a life sentence. 16:43 He said, Vega, I owe you 16:45 'cause when you got out of prison, 16:46 you would run a Lincoln or a Cadillac 16:48 and you'll drive to the neighborhood 16:50 and pick mama up, which was 70 years old, 16:53 who didn't drive and bring mama down 16:56 because the bus and the transit, 16:57 the transit system didn't bring mama down 17:00 to the prison to see her son. 17:03 That dude stood up for me in prison. 17:06 He told people, "see mate you all leave Vega alone, 17:08 Vega don't bother nobody, you leave Vega alone." 17:10 And I mean they took it to the hilt 17:13 to leave Vega alone and I appreciated that. 17:17 Then I took mama down to the prison. 17:20 I met my partner after I had five years clean. 17:22 I used to take dope back to the prison, 17:24 money would come in my post office box. 17:27 I would buy schematics and convertibles 17:30 and all kinds of stuff, gold watches, many of them, 17:33 I don't even have a watch today. 17:36 Brothers, I'll tell you what, 17:38 I met my partner and he thanked me. 17:40 He said, Vega, whatever you want it's yours. 17:43 Gold, drugs running around the room, 17:46 whatever you want it's yours. 17:48 I said no man, don't you understand 17:50 I don't do that nomore. 17:52 He said, yeah, man, one day you're a preacher, 17:54 one day you're a doctor, he said, Vega, 17:55 whenever you want it, it's here. 17:58 And I begin to drive home. I didn't have a T.V. 18:02 in my home because I gave up caffeine, 18:04 nicotine, Hollywood, sexism. 18:07 I gave it up for Jesus and I had been blessed. 18:10 My cup was full to running over for Jesus 18:14 but yet on the way home, I stopped at a garage sale 18:18 because I was tired and I just went in 18:20 and I brought three or four DVDs. 18:24 My wife is in Chicago, two weeks on 18:26 two weeks off and one night I was done 18:27 with my grocery business 18:28 and I went into the room and I flipped in a DVD. 18:32 It was recorded, home recordings, 18:35 Dennis Hopper flying drugs from Miami or where Central America. 18:39 This drug, that drug, this gangster show 18:43 and I began to watch that. 18:47 I said wow, I got clean once, I could go back and get 18:51 clean again if I got high for two, three months, 18:54 nobody would know, I would hole up 18:56 somewhere and get a big pile 18:58 and nobody would know. 19:00 I could get clean again. 19:02 I made a decision that I was gonna go get what was mine. 19:07 And I'll share with you something, brothers. 19:10 I had a medical person, doctor, if you will, 19:16 in theology but in health and nutrition 19:19 and his wife spoke at a meeting on cocaine. 19:22 How the mind is like a--is like plastic. 19:26 How it's pliable and to me, plastic is not pliable 19:29 and I didn't understand what she was saying 19:32 and I waited in line to talk to this person 19:34 and talk to this person. 19:35 And she was busy, women were lined up to 19:38 talk to this woman. 19:39 And so I'd seen she was busy and her husband says, 19:44 "Can I help you." 19:46 I said, yeah man, I said I'm a drug addict, 19:48 I got six years clean and I'm fixing to go back 19:51 and use but I don't want to. 19:54 And he had prayer with me and I don't remember 19:56 what the prayer was but I remember 19:58 the Bible scripture, then I remember tears 20:00 streaming down my face and I remember 20:02 what the Bible scripture was and when he was done praying 20:05 I said what is that Bible scripture. 20:07 And I remember going out to my van 20:09 at night and turning the light on, 20:11 and I looked up Philippians 4:13 and it says, 20:13 "I can do all things through Christ 20:16 which strengtheneth me." 20:17 And I want you to know, brothers, its six years 20:20 into walking with Jesus. 20:21 I'd already decided to go backward. 20:24 But I prayed that night and I said, 20:26 dear Jesus, I'm sorry, help me. 20:32 It was undone what I had already done in my mind, 20:35 so He will empower you. 20:37 Remember, brothers, I, we, you, the world, 20:41 I, we, you can do all things 20:44 through Christ which strengthen us. 20:47 Talk about free indeed, 20:51 that is the Gospel message, that is the promise 20:55 for the whole world that we can be free 20:58 in these troublest times in earth's history. 21:01 Throughout my whole drug addiction cycle, 21:04 I didn't really tell too many people about it. 21:07 You know, I was always, if you looked at me 21:10 and you ask me how I was doing? 21:12 Hey, I'm doing great. 21:13 You know, I'm doing fine, I got a good job, 21:15 I'm paying my bills and I'm doing fine. 21:17 But really under the rug, I was kind of miserable. 21:22 It was only--I was almost like I'm self destructing, 21:24 but wasn't even admitting that to myself. 21:26 You know, I was like I wanted to get caught 21:28 just because I just was sick and tired off it all. 21:31 And I got caught, you know, and the first time around, 21:34 I ended up getting a three-year sentence. 21:36 And I remember it was like the third night 21:38 that I was there, it was actually day time 21:41 and I heard this tapping on, 21:42 I woke up from out of a dead sleep 21:44 and I heard this tapping on my, on the bars 21:48 and there were these three men standing out 21:50 in front of my cell and these guys were 21:53 just dressed innormal street clothes. 21:54 They weren't dressed in prison uniforms 21:56 and I'm like who are these guys, 21:58 you know, what are they doing here? 21:59 And they told me that there are from 22:00 "Christmas behind bars". 22:02 You know, and they wanted to bless us 22:05 and they stood around the cell 22:07 for like probably a good half an hour 22:09 talking about the word of God to us. 22:11 Jesus Christ will change your life, is that right? 22:14 You see, you got some legend going through now. 22:18 He will bring you through. He brought me through. 22:21 I remember being where you are, exactly where you are. 22:27 I was facing a lot of time, I got on my knees 22:29 and I prayed to God and He brought me through here. 22:32 He'll do the same with you. 22:33 He's got respect for your heart. 22:35 And you want to know something, it just--I felt 22:40 Jesus Christ, I felt Jesus Christ. 22:44 These people took their time out, 22:47 you know, to come back, you know here, 22:50 you know and give me this, not alone just me 22:53 but on the whole, already seen, 22:56 I don't know what the population of RDC 22:58 but I think it's a lot. 22:59 You know, I mean, for everybody, I mean that's, 23:03 that was a blessing I mean, I couldn't, you know, 23:06 I wrote Mr. Vega, there was this note 23:09 on the--in this thing from "Christmas Behind Bars." 23:13 And Mr. Vega had wrote us a letter 23:17 and I ended up writing back to him twice actually. 23:21 And just saying thank you and that night, 23:24 actually when I was, you know, 23:26 eating some of my stuff, I actually got on my knees 23:29 that night and I've always prayed to God 23:33 but I had so much sin in my life 23:36 that now I was afraid is God even hearing me 23:41 and I have a wife and son out there who need me 23:54 and I just want God to hear me, 23:56 you know, it was at that time, 23:59 you know, that I re-dedicated my life to Jesus Christ. 24:04 You know and I told him, you know, 24:06 I'm sorry, you know, it's not 24:08 about me anymore, it's about You. 24:10 And I just--I thank the Lord for changing my life. 24:16 I thank the Lord for giving me His Holy Spirit within my life 24:19 because, you know, there was one time in my life 24:22 where I was down in Miami, Florida 24:24 and I remember bullets flying over my head. 24:27 You know, and I don't want that life anymore. 24:30 You know, I have, yeah, family out there 24:34 who needs me, you know, and I have 24:37 a bunch of people in this world-- 24:44 so many people need Jesus Christ 24:45 and I just want to be alive 24:47 and whatever I can do, and whatever I can say, 24:49 however I can be led by Him to touch people. 24:53 You know, I don't know how He's gonna do it 24:55 but I know He's gonna do it somehow. 24:59 Our next speaker is Mr. George Whirley. 25:01 George, you were once an inmate in this prison? 25:04 Absolutely, yes. 25:06 And now you're a Chaplain. I am. 25:08 Johns of Galadriel. 25:09 What qualified you to be a Chaplain 25:11 when you were once an inmate? 25:13 Nothing qualified me. 25:15 I was unqualified. 25:17 At some point in your life, some point in your life, 25:21 you heard about the Gospel 25:22 and some point in this facility, 25:24 you made a decision. 25:25 Would you share with us about that? 25:27 Yeah, you know, I had an encounter in a 8x8 25:30 at the Regional Diagnostic Center. 25:34 And the encounter that I had was a glowing Bible 25:36 sitting by a toilet, you know, 25:40 and I didn't believe the glowing Bible. 25:42 I didn't believe the voices that I was hearing. 25:45 I thought that I was being attacked maybe by the devil 25:50 or some monster that was interfering with my life. 25:54 But I got up and began to read the Bible. 25:57 And it seemed to not agree with me 25:59 so I put it back where I found it. 26:03 And obviously at that time I decided, you know, 26:05 that lifestyle wasn't for me. 26:09 Well, brother, I'm gonna, I'm gonna just say 26:11 thank you for being willing to pick it up and continue on. 26:13 Did that happen in this prison? 26:15 My encounter with Christ happened in this prison. 26:18 I accepted Jesus Christ at that order. 26:21 I was baptized in that drawer. 26:24 So for the world, it is possible 26:27 for these people to change 'cause a lot of time 26:29 they write them off and they come to prison, amen? 26:31 Absolutely. 26:32 Brother, what keeps you going in prison ministries out there 26:36 on the street, volunteerism? 26:38 Because I'm able to share with my brothers and sisters 26:43 that is incarcerated, a glimpse of hope 26:47 that they may see the light at the end of the tunnel, 26:50 that God-- Amen. 26:52 Can lift them up in their time of need. 26:55 When the world is trying to crush them down 26:57 and put him in a place, 27:00 where there seem to be of no more value, 27:03 in society whatsoever, God lifts you up. 27:06 Amen. 27:07 And brings the claws of Christ to reality. 27:12 Absolutely, brother, thank you very much for being willing 27:14 to come and share the Gospel. 27:18 When I got to RDC, it was such a hard time for me. 27:21 I mean I didn't have any money and I thought my life 27:24 was just in shambles. 27:25 I was there for three days and I was so hungry. 27:28 I woke up in the middle of the afternoon one time 27:30 in July and I heard, you know, banging on my door. 27:33 And there were these three gentlemen standing outside 27:35 of the door and they handed me this bag and a Bible. 27:39 And inside of the bag, from "Christmas behind bars," 27:41 it was just full of food and full of hygiene 27:45 and they actually gave me a study Bible as well. 27:47 And let me just tell you, I didn't have 27:49 any literature whatsoever. 27:50 And that was the best gift I could possibly 27:53 have ever given at that time. 27:54 I mean I didn't have anybody, no family, nobody writing 27:58 to me, nobody, you know, looking out for me 28:00 and it just--it touched my heart. 28:01 I was able to study the word of God. 28:03 I mean at night time you get so hungry 28:05 at RDC because you just don't have that much food. 28:08 And I tell you what just the gifts 28:10 that were given to me, it touched my heart. 28:12 I felt Jesus Christ in a lonely, lonely place 28:16 and I tell you, I just, my heart goes out 28:18 to "Christmas behind bars." 28:20 And I'm just so grateful for what they've done for me. |
Revised 2014-12-17