28/08/2025
“During the 13th year of my prison term, a sentence of 72 years, I found myself lost, alone, and without any direction. Having completely rejected religion for my entire life, having persecuted Christian prisoners who tried to convert me, and having ignored the void in my soul, still I received from God a blessing that changed my life forever.
"I asked God to give me something to love, something to believe, and something to light the dark abyss in which I found myself. I asked Him to give me a way to live my wasted life, in a way that would be positive, constructive, and free of hate; I asked Him to forgive me my sins.
"In this moment of immense pain, looking toward the sky, walking among hundreds of prisoners who were laughing, shouting, and going crazy, there in the midst of the chaotic world of the penitentiary, I heard a marvelous sound. A prisoner was playing the guitar, and in that moment, I felt a powerful connection. I felt as if the vibration of the guitar strings sent waves of sound through my body, shattering the walls of stone that had enclosed my heart! In that moment, I realized that God had forgiven me. Without a question, without a doubt, He forgave the liar, thief, drug addict, and murderer that I was … and turned me into a musician.
"[Cut to]: 16 years later, entering my 30th year of imprisonment, I am one of the prisoners charged with teaching music to other prisoners! Hopefully one day I will be freed from prison, but for the moment, I am saved, joyful, and free on the inside.” —Excerpt of a testimony from Inside Journal, Prison Fellowship's newspaper for prisoners
