I'm "Free Indeed."
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Willie Simon was a
sonar technician in the Navy.
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He's also a trained barber.
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And after he
came to this facility,
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he did some of
his best work in here.
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He's got a right sense of
humor, he's loves to laugh,
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he's loves to smile, he's loves
to joke, loves to have fun.
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But his life has changed.
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He realizes now that
its, its not all about
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laughing and
joking and having fun.
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It's about having joy.
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Same smile, same sense of humor
but now that's driven by joy.
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Joy comes when you
have Jesus in your life.
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You can't always
laugh, you can't always smile
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but you can always have joy.
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Willie Simon has found
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that as long as you
have Jesus, you've got joy.
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Thank you, Jesus.
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When I think about the Lord
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How He saved
me, how He raised me
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How He filled me
with the Holy Ghost
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How He healed
me to the uttermost
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When I Think about the Lord
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How He picked me up
and turned me around
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How He placed my
feet on solid ground
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Help me out, guys.
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When I think about the Lord
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How He saved
me, how He raised me
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How He filled me
with the Holy Ghost
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How He healed
me to the uttermost
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When I Think about the Lord
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How He picked me up
and turned me around
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How He placed my
feet on solid ground
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It makes me want to shout
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Hallelujah Thank you Jesus
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Lord, your worthy of all
the glory and all the honor
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And all the praise It
makes me want to shout
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Hallelujah Hallelujah
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Thank you Jesus Thank you Jesus
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oh, the Lord, your worthy
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of all the glory
and all the honor
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And all the praise
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When I think about the Lord
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How He saved
me, how He raised me
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How He filled me
with the Holy Ghost
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How He healed
me to the uttermost
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When I Think about the Lord
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How He picked me up
and turned me around
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How He placed my
feet on solid ground
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It makes me want to shout
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Hallelujah Thank you Jesus
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Oh, the Lord, your worthy
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of all the
glory, and all the honor
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And all the praise
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It makes me want to shout
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Hallelujah Thank you Jesus
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Lord, your worthy, of all
the glory, and all the honor
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And all the praise
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For those of you,
who're singing out
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under my voice today I
want you all to know something.
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Jesus is real.
See, I know He is real.
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There's no doubt in my
mind that I know He is real
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because according
to 2 Corinthians 5:17,
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"If any man is in
Christ, he's a new creation.
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old things have past away,
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behold all
things have become new."
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That's why I can
shout. Hallelujah.
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Hallelujah Thank you Jesus
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Lord, Your worthy, of all
the glory, and all the honor
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And all the praise
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It makes me want to shout
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Hallelujah Thank you Jesus
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Lord, your worthy, of all
the glory, and all the honor
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And all the praise
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It makes me want to shout
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Hallelujah Thank you Jesus
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Lord, your worthy, of all
the glory, and all the honor
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And all the praise
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It makes me want to shout
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Hallelujah Thank you Jesus
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Lord, your worthy, of all
the glory, and all the honor
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And all the praise
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When I think about the Lord
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I was born in Mississippi.
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I have brothers and
sisters who--we're staying,
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grew up staying
together in church,
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you know, going to
church religiously.
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For me in church was,
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it was a party of my
early, early childhood.
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I--I really
enjoy for the most part
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for I knew about church.
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Well, later in
life as I got older
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when out to college I began
to experience other things,
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I would say, worldly things,
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more or less
like the prodigal son.
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Here I found
myself, I found myself
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and, you know, what I
mean in comprising situations.
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It's kind of led me to
making even more bad decisions.
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Willie, it's a blessing to
have you here this evening.
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It's a blessing to
be called your brother.
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And I-- and we're brothers.
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Amen. Amen.
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Amen. Praise God.
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You know, and you're my
brother from another mother.
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Amen. Amen.
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You know, but as
we think about it
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we all go back
to God's creation.
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We all go back to Adam and Eve.
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So when we
disrespect another brother,
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we're disrespecting God
because God loves us as all
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and we all bleed the same,
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we all come from
the royal bloodline.
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Amen. Amen.
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Well, how long have you
been in prison, my brother?
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Oh, man, as I
known for about 20 years.
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20 years. Yeah.
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Brothers, how did this--
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were you raised in
a functional family?
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Yes, I was raised
in a two parent home,
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grown up in Mississippi.
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We were in-- we
were basically like
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Sharecropper's in Mississippi.
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It's interesting
that you're talking about
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like we're brothers from
another mother, you know.
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Because growing up I
was, I had to experience
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a lot of
atrocities of civil rights
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in being a Mississippi,
you know what I mean.
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When--during
growing up I had this,
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you know, hate toward whites.
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You know what I
mean, which kind of led me
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to become like a gang banger.
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Be involved in a pretty notable
gang here in United States.
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Fortunately, you
know what I mean,
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that life is behind me now.
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You know what I mean.
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And actually, Brother Vega here,
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he said it best, you know.
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I've learned to
embrace, you know,
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my brothers from another
mother, you know what I mean.
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It's a blessing
because God has--
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He stilled in
me, poured out a love
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that I never knew
that I could have.
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You know, what I
saying. It's amazing.
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I'm still-- He's not
finished with me yet,
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you know what I mean.
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Because I still, I
still hold on to resentment,
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I still have resentment.
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You know, I still
struggle with a lot of things
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that's going on in
my past because so my--
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you know, for what happened to
my brother, my younger brother.
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That's why I'm in here now.
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So God is still working
with me, you know what I mean.
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And I'm thankful for that.
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Willie, what happened
to your younger brother?
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Oh, man. He-- he got killed.
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He got-- I'll just say he died
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from being
poison, being poisoned.
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And I was really, oh,
man, I was really, really,
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really too careless back then.
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I was-- I
finished, I finished college.
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You know, and I had
quite a really good job.
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Within a month I'm getting out.
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A month later, my
little brother got killed.
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That hit me kind of hard
because he's my little brother.
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He was my only
little brother, you know.
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And I was like--
my mother passed away,
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so it's like my
brother passed away.
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so it's like my It's like
then I felt responsible for him.
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Because coming from Mississippi,
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we don't-- they
come from Mississippi
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and we had kind of
made a vow to each other
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that kind of
looked out for each other.
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So I kind of set out, I
set out to find the person
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who was responsible, was
responsible for his death.
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I began living these
double lives again, you know.
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Worked and then in my off time
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I would go back to the
neighborhood, you know,
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for information,
seeking out information.
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In other words, I
felt like the detective
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wasn't doing his job good enough
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and then people
were-- God was telling me,
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I'm not gonna say
people because you know,
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God was telling me
that vengeance is His.
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And my attitude was, you know,
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God I'm sorry but
You're not working fast enough.
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You know what I
mean, that was my attitude.
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So when I got the information
that I needed I shoot,
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shoot the person
out, seek attribution.
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You know, and that's
why I'm in here for now
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and I received 45 years
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for probably
attempting murder on the person.
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And I was kind of
like well, dramatic for me
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because it happened at a time
where my mother passed away.
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And I was-- I
couldn't attend her funeral
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because I was being detained,
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you know, in a
federal isolation unit.
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And that really, that
kind of like really hurt me,
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you know what I mean.
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It was really painful.
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I didn't want to look
at, I didn't want to look at
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my reason, the
reason that I was there.
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I didn't want to
accept the responsibility
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that it was
fault that I was there.
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I began to blame everybody
for it basically not putting
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in any effort in
getting me out of it.
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I just wanted everybody
to feel that type of hurt
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and pain that I felt
with the addition to,
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I mean, you know, compounded
with drugs and alcohol.
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I began to inflict as much pain
on others as I felt, you know.
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So and that's
what my incarceration,
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my times of incarceration began.
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I hate the fact, you know,
what I mean, that I have to,
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you know, be here.
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You know, nobody
likes being in a prison.
00:12:35.23\00:12:37.32
But I'm thankful,
you know what I mean,
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that He given me
another opportunity in life,
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you know what I mean.
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Because I can sit
back, and I sit back
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and I'll listen to my brother.
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Vega testimony a few minutes ago
00:12:49.68\00:12:51.71
and he's talking
about loving someone
00:12:51.74\00:12:54.56
when he was spending Christmas.
00:12:54.59\00:12:57.28
Spending
Christmas in the dope house,
00:12:57.31\00:13:00.04
you know what I mean.
00:13:00.07\00:13:01.10
I can relate to that, you know,
00:13:01.13\00:13:03.55
I can relate to that
testimony because that was me.
00:13:03.58\00:13:07.50
You know, how can
I say I love my wife,
00:13:07.53\00:13:09.85
you know what I mean.
00:13:09.88\00:13:10.91
When I was spending Christmas,
00:13:10.94\00:13:12.57
you know what I
mean, on a stake out
00:13:12.60\00:13:14.17
getting ready to rob
someone, you know what I mean.
00:13:14.20\00:13:17.59
And that was just, that
was the life that I was living.
00:13:17.62\00:13:22.77
I'm not proud of it, you know,
00:13:22.80\00:13:25.58
it's something to be ashamed of.
00:13:25.61\00:13:28.73
I'm just fortunate now, man, God
is giving me opportunity, man.
00:13:28.76\00:13:32.91
You know, what I mean,
to share and his gospel
00:13:32.94\00:13:35.27
because lot of
people don't get a lot--
00:13:35.30\00:13:40.10
second chances, man.
00:13:40.13\00:13:41.44
Lot of people don't
have second chances, man.
00:13:41.47\00:13:43.13
I've seen-- I've been shot,
00:13:43.16\00:13:44.62
I've been
stabbed, being the best.
00:13:44.65\00:13:47.70
I've done some of
that stuff to people too.
00:13:47.73\00:13:50.12
Taking
responsibility for my actions
00:13:50.15\00:13:54.52
that's a very big point, that's
a big step in a healing process.
00:13:54.55\00:13:59.39
And matter of fact is
pivotal in healing, you know.
00:13:59.42\00:14:04.62
Because if you can't own up,
00:14:04.65\00:14:07.47
if I can't own up
to what I've done,
00:14:07.50\00:14:10.63
just like I'm still
in denial, you know.
00:14:10.66\00:14:13.96
I'm still in denial.
00:14:13.99\00:14:15.40
I'm still not willing
to accept my short comings
00:14:15.43\00:14:21.44
and my faults, you know.
00:14:21.47\00:14:23.76
And there's a scripture
in the Bible that says,
00:14:23.79\00:14:27.15
"Pride goes before destruction."
00:14:27.18\00:14:31.22
You know, the Holy
Spirit before the fall.
00:14:31.25\00:14:34.19
I've learned humility, a
lot of people seem to think
00:14:34.22\00:14:36.80
that I haven't got.
00:14:36.83\00:14:39.55
I've learned to, I've
learned to humility in this
00:14:39.58\00:14:43.68
and peace of course.
00:14:43.71\00:14:45.48
I got to say God is
not through with me yet
00:14:45.51\00:14:48.37
so let's just
waiting for Him in life.
00:14:48.40\00:14:52.41
Today, you say you have
some peace in your life. Amen.
00:14:52.44\00:14:55.33
Today you say even
though you're in prison
00:14:55.36\00:14:56.93
and it's not a
pleasant place to be.
00:14:56.96\00:14:59.23
What would you look
to our viewers out there,
00:14:59.26\00:15:01.12
there's many people
that living a double life.
00:15:01.15\00:15:03.84
What would you say to them
and encourage them for Jesus.
00:15:03.87\00:15:06.47
Well--reminiscing
about how it was in the past,
00:15:06.50\00:15:09.64
it can be very embarrassing,
shameful, you know what I mean.
00:15:09.67\00:15:16.22
It could be very sad
'cause I've done some--
00:15:16.25\00:15:18.45
I've heard a lot of people
done some very horrible things
00:15:18.48\00:15:21.81
to myself and to other
people, you know what I mean.
00:15:21.84\00:15:24.88
And this--the devil always
likes to remind you of the past,
00:15:24.91\00:15:30.61
but it's God that
reminds you of the future.
00:15:30.64\00:15:33.44
So I've tried to
forget those things
00:15:33.47\00:15:35.65
that are behind me
because I'm a new creation,
00:15:35.68\00:15:38.06
you know what I mean.
00:15:38.09\00:15:39.12
I'm no longer that old Willie,
00:15:39.15\00:15:40.55
so why worry about him?
00:15:40.58\00:15:45.36
I'm more
concerned about the one now
00:15:45.39\00:15:47.97
and that's why I continue
to press toward the mark
00:15:48.00\00:15:50.90
now, you know, towards
the high call in Christ Jesus.
00:15:50.93\00:15:53.50
Well, I want you to
know that Paul he was faced
00:15:53.53\00:15:58.02
with a dilemma in the
book of Romans in 7 chapter.
00:15:58.05\00:16:03.63
He said that the
things he wanted to do,
00:16:03.66\00:16:06.68
he find himself
not doing the things
00:16:06.71\00:16:08.37
that he didn't wanted to
do he found himself doing.
00:16:08.40\00:16:11.33
He went on to say that
he was a ratchet person.
00:16:11.36\00:16:14.78
Who would deliver him
from that body of sin?
00:16:14.81\00:16:18.41
And then he gave the
rhetorical question of saying,
00:16:18.44\00:16:21.25
praise be to God
Jesus, you know what I mean.
00:16:21.28\00:16:24.59
So we know now
through God's word
00:16:24.62\00:16:27.56
that is Jesus that will deliver
us from any and every thing,
00:16:27.59\00:16:32.16
that double life,
you know what I mean.
00:16:32.19\00:16:34.95
So I just want to
encourage you guys
00:16:34.98\00:16:38.20
and everybody who's
under the sound of my voice,
00:16:38.23\00:16:41.01
you know what I mean.
00:16:41.04\00:16:42.39
God is real, Jesus is real.
00:16:42.42\00:16:44.37
I don't have a-- now
that my brother's gone
00:16:44.40\00:16:47.87
and my wife and I, we divorced.
00:16:47.90\00:16:49.01
I don't have a family
that-- my family that comes
00:16:49.04\00:16:51.50
and visit me as Pastor
Vega, you know what I mean.
00:16:51.53\00:16:55.33
A lot of the
volunteers that come here,
00:16:55.36\00:16:57.55
a lot of my brothers
here 'cause I sing in a choir,
00:16:57.58\00:17:00.16
that's my family,
you know what I mean.
00:17:00.19\00:17:02.18
Those are my family,
you know what I mean.
00:17:02.21\00:17:04.48
I'm thankful for that family,
I'm thankful for the brothers
00:17:04.51\00:17:07.93
that God has
given me as a family.
00:17:07.96\00:17:10.50
You guys are my family
now, you know what I mean.
00:17:10.53\00:17:12.37
I don't, you know,
that's the visits that I get.
00:17:12.40\00:17:16.09
And I'm thankful for that.
00:17:16.12\00:17:17.41
I'm reminded by a
scripture in the Bible that,
00:17:17.44\00:17:20.72
that my brother
John always says,
00:17:20.75\00:17:23.66
it's a one thing
that I desire of the Lord
00:17:23.69\00:17:25.99
and that's the
one thing that I seek
00:17:26.02\00:17:27.35
that I may dwell in His
house and choiring His temple.
00:17:27.38\00:17:30.84
So as far as I've left
that life of gang banging
00:17:30.87\00:17:34.55
and having
money and all of this.
00:17:34.58\00:17:36.52
So only thing I have
left, you know what I mean,
00:17:36.55\00:17:39.21
is to see His face.
00:17:39.24\00:17:42.10
So all I want to
do is see His face.
00:17:42.13\00:17:45.13
Your favorite
Bible scripture. Yeah.
00:17:45.16\00:17:47.32
My favorite Bible,
one of my favorite,
00:17:47.35\00:17:49.19
I have a lot of them but one
of my favorite Bible scripture
00:17:49.22\00:17:52.94
is the one that I
like to speak on a lot.
00:17:52.97\00:17:56.62
A lot of people had probably
heard me say it, it says,
00:17:56.65\00:17:58.66
it's in Romans also.
00:17:58.69\00:17:59.97
It says, "I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
00:18:00.00\00:18:03.09
for it is the power
of God unto salvation
00:18:03.12\00:18:05.52
for anybody who believes."
00:18:05.55\00:18:07.44
Amen. Amen.
00:18:07.47\00:18:08.50
So that's a start for everybody
in the world to believe,
00:18:08.53\00:18:11.62
humble their heart, come
to Christ just as they are
00:18:11.65\00:18:14.11
and then the lights
will begin to come on.
00:18:14.14\00:18:15.92
Amen. Blessings to you.
00:18:15.95\00:18:17.28
Thank you so much, brother.
00:18:17.31\00:18:18.83
Did you know that you
can have joy even when you--
00:18:23.58\00:18:27.89
you forgive my
perjure of English.
00:18:27.92\00:18:29.78
You ain't happy? No.
00:18:29.81\00:18:33.06
Yeah, you can have joy
when you are not happy.
00:18:33.09\00:18:35.99
My dad ran from
the Lord all his life.
00:18:36.02\00:18:40.79
And in his 81st
year, I went home
00:18:40.82\00:18:43.23
and baptized him with
my own two hands. Amen.
00:18:43.26\00:18:46.59
One month later, one month
later, he had a stroke and died.
00:18:46.62\00:18:53.77
So he was only in Jesus 30 days.
00:18:53.80\00:18:58.08
And folks couldn't understand
00:18:58.11\00:18:59.14
why at the funeral my sister
and I were just dancing around.
00:18:59.17\00:19:03.02
We're just as
happy and we had joy
00:19:03.05\00:19:09.28
'cause we got him in.
00:19:09.31\00:19:12.30
He made it in.
00:19:12.33\00:19:14.12
So we weren't, we
weren't happy but we had joy.
00:19:14.15\00:19:20.25
And folks said, how
can you be so happy?
00:19:20.28\00:19:23.83
This is nothing to do
with happiness, we got joy.
00:19:23.86\00:19:26.31
See joy comes when you
know Jesus for yourself.
00:19:26.34\00:19:28.82
The first lesson
from this is the mistake
00:19:28.85\00:19:30.60
that you can't
preach Paul's Jesus.
00:19:30.63\00:19:35.12
My Jesus is not gonna
do any of you any good.
00:19:35.15\00:19:39.89
You got to know
Jesus for yourself.
00:19:39.92\00:19:41.84
Your roommates'
Jesus can't help you.
00:19:41.87\00:19:43.95
Your parents' Jesus, you know,
00:19:43.98\00:19:45.44
people say, I grew
up in a Christian home.
00:19:45.47\00:19:47.00
Well, that's not
gonna do any good.
00:19:47.03\00:19:49.60
You don't get any credit
for your parents' prayers.
00:19:49.63\00:19:52.01
You got to know Jesus for you.
00:19:56.16\00:19:59.47
Power comes, you know,
they tell about personal Savior,
00:19:59.50\00:20:02.27
personal Savior,
personal Savior, it's true.
00:20:02.30\00:20:06.35
Your neighbor's
Savior can't help you.
00:20:06.38\00:20:10.31
Your neighbor's Savior
can't fight your battles.
00:20:10.34\00:20:13.49
Your neighbor's Savior
00:20:13.52\00:20:14.58
is that don't keep
the devil off your tracks.
00:20:14.61\00:20:17.61
You got to have your own Jesus.
00:20:17.64\00:20:20.92
So they went in
preaching of Paul's Jesus
00:20:20.95\00:20:24.49
and the devil said,
yeah, I know who Paul is
00:20:24.52\00:20:28.03
and I know who Jesus is
00:20:28.06\00:20:31.29
but who are you,
coming into my territory?
00:20:31.32\00:20:37.48
The Bible says
the devil beat him up,
00:20:37.51\00:20:39.92
sent him home
naked and bleeding.
00:20:39.95\00:20:43.20
And sometimes we get beat up,
00:20:43.23\00:20:44.28
naked and
bleeding too, don't we?
00:20:44.31\00:20:47.71
You see, there's nothing about
you that frightens the devil.
00:20:47.74\00:20:52.30
Bad as you may think you are,
00:20:52.33\00:20:55.39
you can't fight Satan
'cause he's not flesh and blood.
00:20:55.42\00:20:59.89
You're fighting
principalities and power
00:20:59.92\00:21:02.47
and you got to have
Jesus to fight that battle.
00:21:02.50\00:21:05.55
Spirit's got to
fight the spirit.
00:21:05.58\00:21:09.24
But you know what?
00:21:09.27\00:21:10.88
He's there any
time you want Him.
00:21:10.91\00:21:14.20
Amen. Amen.
00:21:14.23\00:21:15.68
Any time you want Him.
00:21:15.71\00:21:18.06
You know, a
preacher and a microphone
00:21:18.09\00:21:20.78
are a bad combination.
00:21:20.81\00:21:23.55
'Cause I'm running out of time,
00:21:23.58\00:21:24.61
so let me take you to a text.
00:21:24.64\00:21:25.97
That is my--it's my
newest favorite text.
00:21:28.63\00:21:33.69
This is the one that I'm--
00:21:33.72\00:21:35.49
I showed to the guys in
Pendleton just the other day.
00:21:35.52\00:21:38.25
Hebrew 13:5, 6.
00:21:38.28\00:21:42.26
Powerful, powerful
text. Powerful text.
00:21:42.29\00:21:48.16
Paul says, "Let your conduct
be without covetousness."
00:21:48.19\00:21:54.53
He's actually saying, don't
always look at everybody else,
00:21:54.56\00:21:57.22
you know, live your
own skin, in your own life.
00:21:57.25\00:21:59.58
Don't look at what
your neighbors doing,
00:21:59.61\00:22:00.82
what your neighbors got.
00:22:00.85\00:22:02.28
What--you know, what's
going on in their life?
00:22:02.31\00:22:04.05
Look into your own life.
Don't be coveting anybody.
00:22:04.08\00:22:06.90
I wished I had what she
has. No, you got what you got.
00:22:06.93\00:22:09.59
Praise God. Amen.
00:22:09.62\00:22:11.65
And you got Jesus.
00:22:11.68\00:22:13.66
And you never know
that Jesus is all you need
00:22:13.69\00:22:16.22
till Jesus is all you got.
00:22:16.25\00:22:19.53
So Paul says
don't covet anybody.
00:22:19.56\00:22:21.37
"Be content with
such things as you have."
00:22:26.74\00:22:30.42
Jealousy just
makes you old and ugly.
00:22:30.45\00:22:33.75
So be content with what you got
00:22:38.99\00:22:41.44
and pray for God
to give you more.
00:22:41.47\00:22:42.89
Sometimes God
doesn't give you things
00:22:42.92\00:22:44.70
'cause you can't handle it.
00:22:44.73\00:22:46.26
I got a good friend,
deacon in other church
00:22:46.29\00:22:47.82
has a pin in each hip
'cause he wanted a motorcycle.
00:22:47.85\00:22:51.51
Prayed for a motorcycle,
got to have a motorcycle.
00:22:51.54\00:22:54.46
Lord, let him have a motorcycle.
00:22:54.49\00:22:56.31
On the way from church
he had a manhole cover,
00:22:56.34\00:22:59.09
ripped up half a side, now
he's got a pin in two hips.
00:22:59.12\00:23:03.04
Lord, let him have what he want.
00:23:03.07\00:23:05.63
Now that didn't
seemed like such a good thing
00:23:05.66\00:23:06.87
so he's got a motorcycle
sitting in the garage,
00:23:06.90\00:23:08.52
hadn't driven it in 7 years.
00:23:08.55\00:23:10.90
Be content with what you got
00:23:10.93\00:23:12.94
and then ask
God to give you more
00:23:12.97\00:23:15.39
and then let God lead, okay.
00:23:15.42\00:23:18.14
Two more lines and I'm done.
00:23:18.17\00:23:20.54
"For He Himself has
said," here's the good part,
00:23:20.57\00:23:23.11
"I will never leave
you nor forsake you."
00:23:23.14\00:23:26.53
Come on. Amen.
00:23:26.56\00:23:28.47
I'll never leave
you nor forsake you.
00:23:28.50\00:23:30.84
"So we can boldly said,
'The Lord is my helper.'"
00:23:30.87\00:23:34.36
How many feel the
Lord is their helper?
00:23:34.39\00:23:36.36
Yeah, don't be ashamed
of making that statement,
00:23:36.39\00:23:38.06
God's on my side
'cause I'm on His side.
00:23:38.09\00:23:40.91
"We can boldly say, the Lord
is my helper, I will not fear.
00:23:40.94\00:23:46.07
What can man do to me?"
00:23:46.10\00:23:51.42
Amen. Nothing.
00:23:51.45\00:23:54.03
Let me tell you a
secret and I'm done.
00:23:54.06\00:23:56.31
I had a little
in my last church,
00:23:56.34\00:23:58.08
my last church was 2,142 members
right in Manhattan, New York.
00:23:58.11\00:24:04.04
I preached 117 funerals
in the time I pastored there.
00:24:04.07\00:24:08.95
One of the saddest
funerals was the boy of 13
00:24:08.98\00:24:11.40
happened to be driving
by, riding by on his bike,
00:24:11.43\00:24:14.61
a skating ring when
there was a drive by shooting,
00:24:14.64\00:24:18.19
took two bullets in the neck.
00:24:18.22\00:24:20.77
So now I got to
tell those parents
00:24:20.80\00:24:22.45
something to give them courage.
00:24:22.48\00:24:24.63
Came up with a
sermon called bulletproof.
00:24:24.66\00:24:26.52
Simply this. Jesus
makes you this promise.
00:24:26.55\00:24:33.77
Once you
surrender the life to Him,
00:24:33.80\00:24:37.97
you become bulletproof.
00:24:38.00\00:24:41.13
Amen. Now what do I mean.
00:24:41.16\00:24:44.56
Jesus says, "If you
live in Me and die in Me,
00:24:44.59\00:24:51.19
you will live forever."
00:24:51.22\00:24:53.52
Do you hear me?
00:24:53.55\00:24:55.05
So that means even
if they take your life
00:24:55.08\00:24:59.68
they haven't hurt you
00:24:59.71\00:25:02.68
because you exchange
this life for eternal life.
00:25:02.71\00:25:09.42
That makes you bulletproof.
00:25:09.45\00:25:11.31
Amen. Amen.
00:25:11.34\00:25:12.82
So I told that
mother, your young boy
00:25:12.85\00:25:16.55
who sang in the choir,
00:25:16.58\00:25:17.88
was a junior deacon in
the church, who loved Jesus.
00:25:17.91\00:25:22.10
You got a promise from Jesus
00:25:22.13\00:25:23.52
as solid as the God who gave it
00:25:23.55\00:25:26.29
that that little boy
is gonna live forever.
00:25:26.32\00:25:28.84
He's bulletproof.
00:25:28.87\00:25:30.75
You can't hurt
somebody who's in Jesus.
00:25:30.78\00:25:33.90
You can't, you
can't curse them out,
00:25:33.93\00:25:35.78
you can't swear them
out, you can't beat them out,
00:25:35.81\00:25:38.69
you can't stop them
out, and even if you kill
00:25:38.72\00:25:42.41
them you haven't
hurt him 'cause Jesus says
00:25:42.44\00:25:44.94
one day they're
gonna have eternal life.
00:25:44.97\00:25:49.47
How long is eternal? Forever.
00:25:49.50\00:25:53.46
Oh, no, but is
pretty long. Amen.
00:25:53.49\00:25:57.31
Amen. God bless you.
00:25:57.34\00:25:59.70
It's really sad to
have to lock these gates.
00:26:08.53\00:26:13.27
Have to lock these
gates and have to leave.
00:26:13.30\00:26:15.64
But it's a testimony,
if the power of the gospel
00:26:15.67\00:26:21.10
that you witnessed in real
life of heart's being changed
00:26:21.13\00:26:24.58
in a maximum security prison.
00:26:24.61\00:26:26.69
So this is where the
rubber meets the road.
00:26:26.72\00:26:29.09
We're going home, we
have to leave this facility
00:26:29.12\00:26:32.26
but the gospel
message resonates in us life
00:26:32.29\00:26:34.59
and it will in a
maximum security prison.
00:26:34.62\00:26:38.31
I love my job.
00:26:38.34\00:26:39.59
Honestly, I mean this facility
00:26:39.62\00:26:41.53
and I do enjoy
working at this facility.
00:26:41.56\00:26:44.41
I wake up every
morning, I'm very excited
00:26:44.44\00:26:46.17
and want to come to work
and, you know, do my job.
00:26:46.20\00:26:49.41
The Christians
Behind Borders program
00:26:49.44\00:26:51.07
I was first introduced in it,
00:26:51.10\00:26:52.95
to it when I was an
officer back in 2002.
00:26:52.98\00:26:55.86
You know, back then it was,
00:26:55.89\00:26:59.42
I saw different side of it
and I did see the full of that.
00:26:59.45\00:27:02.62
But I can say in
general that everyone
00:27:02.65\00:27:04.11
was very appreciated by that.
00:27:04.14\00:27:05.91
Now that I've seen
the other side of it
00:27:05.94\00:27:07.41
from administrative side
and an organizational side,
00:27:07.44\00:27:10.21
I see, I definitely
see that the benefit of it.
00:27:10.24\00:27:13.26
And you know, I'm glad for
it 'cause it's my boys program.
00:27:13.29\00:27:15.61
It does show that more
people can have support
00:27:15.64\00:27:19.68
and more people have support
for the prisoners inside,
00:27:19.71\00:27:22.35
other than just their family
00:27:22.38\00:27:23.62
and that there is the
other element of support
00:27:23.65\00:27:25.29
that they have and
know that somebody else
00:27:25.32\00:27:27.13
is looking after them
and does care for them.
00:27:27.16\00:27:30.52
A lot of these guys in
here, man, don't have a thing.
00:27:30.55\00:27:33.06
And for you guys to be able to
come up here and do this for us.
00:27:33.09\00:27:35.97
Man, it just--it's right
here, man, it feels good,
00:27:36.00\00:27:39.54
it feels really good.
00:27:39.57\00:27:40.60
And I can guarantee you, I
speak for a lot of these man
00:27:40.63\00:27:43.06
in here and they can
greatly appreciate you guys.
00:27:43.09\00:27:46.15
And the Lord is with
you guys and He's with us.
00:27:46.18\00:27:48.85
Obviously, you guys coming
up here and helping us out, man.
00:27:48.88\00:27:51.27
We greatly appreciate it
and just want to thank you guys.
00:27:51.30\00:27:55.72
We never imagined
that blessing or the beauty
00:27:55.75\00:27:59.04
that God would bring
out of this endeavor working
00:27:59.07\00:28:01.69
together for the kingdom of God.
00:28:01.72\00:28:04.00
Bringing hope to our
brothers and sisters behind bars
00:28:04.03\00:28:07.15
and now our brothers
and sisters behind bars are
00:28:07.18\00:28:09.60
actually bringing
hope and encouragement
00:28:09.63\00:28:12.33
to our viewers around the world.
00:28:12.36\00:28:14.88
God bless you and
we look forward to you
00:28:14.91\00:28:17.88
partnering with us,
christmasbehindbars.org.
00:28:17.91\00:28:22.16
Blessings to you
until we meet again.
00:28:22.19\00:28:24.99