Participants: Pr. Marquis Johns (Host), Sam Young
Series Code: TNJ
Program Code: TNJ000038
|
00:01 The following program discusses sensitive issues.
00:03 Parents are cautioned 00:04 that some material may be too candid for younger children. 00:08 Welcome to The New Journey, 00:10 a program about real life people 00:12 with real life testimonies, 00:14 doing real life ministry for Jesus Christ. 00:16 I'm your host, Pastor Marquis Johns. 00:18 Join us on The New Journey. 00:54 On today's show, we have a very interesting story. 00:57 One that flies in the face of exactly what Jesus said 01:00 in Matthew 25:31. 01:02 He admonishes us and this is the few, 01:04 one of the only times in the Bible 01:05 where you see Him saying, 01:07 "Depart into everlasting fire." 01:09 It's when we don't feed, clothe, 01:13 or visit those who are in jail. 01:16 On our show today, we have Mr. Sam Young. 01:18 How are you doing today, Sam? Just fine. Thank you. 01:20 Good, good, good. 01:21 So let's just get a little background. 01:23 Tell me about your upbringing? 01:25 Okay, I'm born and raised from Washington DC 01:27 by a single parent. 01:29 I have two brothers and two sisters. 01:33 Went to school in Washington, 01:35 didn't graduate high school, got a GED. 01:37 And after that, you know, little part in military, 01:41 and got married. 01:42 So help us understand something today. 01:47 Did you have a conversion story? 01:48 Or were you born into the Christian faith? 01:51 I mean, tell me? Oh, no. No, no, no. 01:52 Okay, tell me a little bit about that? 01:54 No, I got Christian faith when I got married. 01:57 My wife's family was Adventist. Okay. 01:59 And Pastor Elder Karlow baptized me back in 1970. 02:03 1970. 02:04 Yes, then I went into military, came out, 02:06 and then I left the church 02:08 and had a nice little walk there. 02:11 Now you often hear these stories about people 02:13 who start off in the church, but then leave the church. 02:16 What caused you to leave the church? 02:20 I guess just, I didn't know who I was. 02:23 You know, I'm just trying to be one of the fellows, 02:25 you know, trying to be cool, 02:27 you know, had a great job and everything, 02:28 but yeah, I want to be out there, be cool. 02:30 Okay, so just painting the picture. 02:33 Here's a guy who grows up in the streets of DC, 02:37 gets married to a lady who is Adventist, 02:40 then embraces the Adventist faith, 02:42 but then decides that you be more comfortable hanging out 02:46 with the boys, and doing what they were doing. 02:48 And tell us where did this lead you? 02:50 It led me to jail. 02:53 That's where that led me to be incarcerated. 02:55 Okay. 02:56 Just doing some dumb stuff like 02:58 kind of try over some drugs, you know. 03:00 The judge decided I need to go in and take some time off. 03:04 Okay. 03:06 So were you using drugs, selling drugs? 03:08 Oh, yes. Okay, so tell us about that? 03:10 Never sold drugs. 03:11 I got started off smoking little marijuana 03:13 and then it led to smoking cocaine. 03:15 So would you say that anybody who is using marijuana, 03:18 it's gonna lead them in smoking cocaine 03:19 or is that just what happened to you? 03:20 That's what happened to me. 03:22 But it's not a good choice either way around. 03:23 Okay, okay. 03:25 So, okay, grew up DC, married, Adventist, 03:29 started using marijuana, 03:30 then it progresses to a cocaine addiction. 03:32 Yes. 03:33 And as a result of your cocaine addiction, 03:35 you get into a fight, you go to jail, 03:37 and how long were you in jail? 03:38 I had a five years stay. 03:41 Thirteen months. Okay. 03:42 Thirteen months in Denver County. 03:44 And that's where I've reestablished myself 03:47 with the Lord at that point. 03:48 Okay, so tell us about this time 03:50 when you were in jail. 03:51 Is it everything that everybody's heard? 03:53 No. It's worse, you know. Okay. 03:55 Now I really miss is what's you make up, 03:57 you go in a man, you come out a man. 03:59 Okay. 04:00 When I went in, the Lord started leading me, 04:02 right then and there 04:04 because my wife was a Christian. 04:06 And I ended up being the chapel's assistant, 04:09 I started from one job to the next job. 04:12 I worked in a commissary, 04:13 and the Lord was leading me back and forth say, 04:15 you know, and I was in dorms. 04:18 And I knew what things are going on. 04:20 I would be in a dorm, you think, you call it home, 04:23 and you get comfortable. 04:25 Well, I would be in there couple of months, 04:26 and then I would get moved. 04:28 Couple of months and I get moved, you know. 04:31 Well, I was doing a lot of Bible studies 04:32 and stuff at that time. 04:33 So I asked a lady, 04:35 the counselor at the time was Snowden. 04:38 "Why you keep moving back and forth?" 04:40 She said, "You know what, 'cause God's working with you." 04:44 Every time you go into the dorm, it quiets down. 04:45 Mercy. 04:47 You know, guys stop doing all kinds of crazy stuff. 04:48 Well, it was different, 04:50 I remember in Los Angeles being incarcerated 04:52 a couple of times myself. 04:53 They have a system in Los Angeles 04:55 where they will move you from the county jail 04:57 to the state prison and move you back. 04:59 And it's basically a hustle. 05:01 They're making money every time they move someone, 05:03 but what you're saying and she's saying, 05:04 this wasn't because they were hustling, 05:06 you were a good influence everywhere you were going. 05:09 Yeah, but they didn't tell me that 05:11 after about the fifth move, 05:13 you know, it would be a maximum security 05:15 and I'd get comfortable, you'd get your bunk, 05:17 and as you call it your house setup. 05:19 Yeah, yeah. 05:20 And, you know, they... 05:22 I'm moving, I'm moving, you know, 05:23 but all in the process, 05:25 you know, I was writing to judge 05:26 for my verification on my sentence, you know. 05:29 And finally, after a while, I finally got that, 05:33 you know, I wrote it and judge Philips Williams, it was funny. 05:36 Anytime they give you, the judge says yes, 05:39 he will hear you back in court, you know you're going home. 05:42 I'm the only man they had around in the county. 05:44 The judge called up in there, after the chaplain, 05:48 the superintendent of the jail 05:49 and several other COs went to court with me. 05:52 Judge said, "You're doing that kind of work in jail, 05:55 you might well go back and finish out your time." 05:58 He actually sent me back. 05:59 Wow. 06:00 After that, the guys exude part in everything, you know. 06:07 I thought it was bad at the time 06:08 'cause I really missing my family life, 06:10 I had done them so much harm as long as I'm gone. 06:13 But ended up being the best time 06:15 because of I've met some good people 06:18 and just, you know, reminded me that I had to get my faith back 06:22 and really walk in the Lord. 06:24 Now I want to go back to something that you just said 06:26 because we can be a very resilient people. 06:30 And I remember on a number of occasions where, 06:34 you know, you go to jail, 06:35 you actually meet some good friends. 06:37 You go in initially and you're kind of like 06:38 let me stay to myself, let me, 06:40 you know, not really ruffle any feathers or anything, 06:43 but you begin to develop relationships with people 06:46 that as you develop these relationships, 06:47 you actually grow to see them 06:49 as your friends and as your buddies. 06:52 So did you have a similar experience? 06:54 Well, not really. 06:56 No. 06:57 You know, well, I'm more or less 06:59 wanted to better myself. 07:01 I had a prayer in jail, and I asked God, 07:05 you know, if He'd give me back, 07:07 allow me be the man 07:08 I'm supposed to be in Him, 07:10 that I'll promise to bring His word back in jail. 07:12 So I was just concentrating solely on myself. 07:15 I wouldn't even go outside for breaks, 07:17 you know, they would give me one hour 07:19 out in the yard or whatever. 07:20 I didn't think I deserved it. 07:22 Okay, so wait, wait. 07:23 So while you're in jail... 07:26 You went in jail from the Adventist Church. 07:29 You were already Adventist when you went to jail. 07:31 I was baptized Adventist. Baptized Adventist. 07:33 So of course, there were a lot of people coming to visit you 07:36 and make sure you were okay, right? 07:38 No. No? 07:39 No. 07:41 Not at all, other than... 07:43 My wife visited me once. 07:47 She visited me once. 07:48 And that was to tell me 07:49 she was giving me divorce papers. 07:52 Mercy. 07:53 And I said, at that time, I truly accepted God, 07:58 I was a chaplain's assistant. 07:59 And I said to her, I just looked at her and said, 08:01 "You know what, if this is what you want, that's fine, but..." 08:04 I asked her, looking through that glass, I said, 08:06 "If God wanted us to be together, 08:10 I hope you'd be open for it." 08:12 And we're still together today, 46 years. 08:15 Mercy, mercy, praise God. 08:17 So was there an Adventist presence in the jail 08:20 when you were there beside yourself? 08:22 No, not at all. Okay. 08:24 Even in that trial. 08:25 They allowed the Muslim to have a service, 08:28 but they didn't have one in our county, they didn't. 08:32 So did you serve the extent, the full sentence? 08:35 Yes, I did. The full 13 months? 08:36 Yes, I did. 08:38 So for 13 months... 08:39 Again, so you grow up in DC... 08:41 Just painting the picture 08:42 so that we can have the full vision. 08:44 You grow up in DC, 08:45 you get married to a woman who's Adventist, 08:46 you become Adventist, 08:48 and then you find yourself in some trouble from marijuana 08:49 to a cocaine addiction, 08:51 cocaine addiction lands you in jail. 08:53 Was this your first offence? Yes. 08:55 First offence, 13 months. 08:56 Yeah. 08:57 Crazy. That's crazy. 08:59 And you did the whole 13 months. 09:00 Yes, I did. 09:02 In Los Angeles, you do a thing, 09:03 you do a stint with what they call a county lid. 09:05 County lid is where you have to do 50% to 70% of your time. 09:08 But no person gets on their first sentence 09:10 something like 13 months 09:11 and then do 100% of that time. 09:13 So you do 100% of your time, and while you're in there, 09:16 what's happening is you're growing closer to God, 09:19 but there is no one coming to bring God to you. 09:21 There's no one coming to tell you about God, 09:23 no one that's in here, 09:24 ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ, 09:27 although there is a Muslim presence, 09:28 and so this begins to tug at your heart 09:30 and you start sharing the gospel with people. 09:33 I started, yes. Okay. 09:34 We didn't have any Saturday services. 09:37 They'd have Sunday services, morning and afternoon. 09:40 So we just continued, I will have the guys. 09:42 We had one room in the dorm. 09:45 It was like a sweat box. 09:46 And I admit, they kept lockers in there, 09:49 had as many 13, 14 guys at a time. 09:51 And we'd be packing a lot of good resource, 09:53 took the advantage of teaching 09:54 with a little pink kids' Bibles, 09:57 you know, and they would teach them. 09:58 Did you have the brown paper and the little pencils? 10:02 No. 10:04 It looked a bit better than that, but it was really... 10:06 sweat would be running off us, 10:08 you know, and another ministry, heard about it, 10:11 ROAD to New Life Ministry, 10:12 they started coming in, 10:14 but they were still Sunday service people, 10:16 but they were good people. 10:17 Okay, and so now you're in jail, 10:19 you're sharing the gospel, 10:20 you're in a sweat room with 14 guys, 10:22 guys who can't read, 10:24 guys, I'm sure, who had greater offences than yours. 10:28 What was that interaction like? 10:30 And just to give you a little bit of background, for me, 10:32 I remember when I went to... 10:35 I was an Adventist 10:36 and had something hanging over my head. 10:38 And I went in jail and I said, 10:39 "Okay, here's what I'm not gonna to do. 10:40 I'm not gonna bother anybody, 10:42 I'm not gonna ruffle any feathers, 10:43 I'm gonna stay to myself." 10:45 And I saw someone with the Bible 10:46 and then I started reading the Bible. 10:48 And inevitably, it seems that 10:51 when we are in the darkest points of our lives 10:53 is when we start grasping for light 10:55 and someone seeing me reading the Bible said, 10:58 "You don't know anything about that." 10:59 And I said, "Well, you know, I know a little bit." 11:01 And so then they started asking for Bible studies, 11:03 they started asking for Bible studies. 11:05 I had a guy come to me 11:06 and asking me to help him to read. 11:08 And for me, it was there 11:10 that I realized that I was actually called to ministry. 11:12 They say you can't con on a conman. 11:14 Right. Right? 11:15 And so here I am in jail doing more Bible studies 11:18 and more sharing of Jesus than anything else. 11:21 And I realized that there was a call on my life. 11:25 Was there something similar that happened with you? 11:27 Absolutely, yeah, I'm still having 11:30 prison ministry right now 11:32 'cause I made a promise to God, it's been 24 years now. 11:36 Twenty-four years you've been going back to the jail. 11:38 Going back into the jail and giving the Word. 11:41 I came out. 11:42 I'm now the president of ROAD to New Life Ministry. 11:44 Say that one more time, president of...? 11:45 Of ROAD to New Life. ROAD to New Life Ministries. 11:48 ROAD stand for redeemed offenders as disciples. 11:51 I love it. 11:52 And we take it back in. 11:53 And I made that promise to God, and I won't break that promise. 11:58 He gave me back my life. 11:59 So basically, you realized 12:02 that there was something missing in the jail system 12:06 because no person from the Adventist church 12:08 was visiting you. 12:09 Right. 12:10 And you saw a need 12:12 because of what was missing in your life 12:13 for others to hear about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 12:15 Yes. 12:16 And so at this moment, you began sharing... 12:17 Now tell me this, did you run into any opposition 12:21 during 13 months of sharing the gospel with people? 12:24 A lot. Tell us about that? 12:26 The superintendent, Mr. Averson at one point of time 12:29 did not want that. 12:31 He thought that religion was just a cop-out 12:34 for a lot of guys. 12:35 Wait, wait, wait. 12:36 When you said the religion was a cop-out, 12:38 break that down, unpack that a little bit? 12:39 Okay, like I went to worship on the Sabbath, 12:42 he said, "Well, you guys just want to get out of your dorm." 12:45 You know, they don't want to be locked up in the room. 12:47 You know, they want to get out and mingle around. 12:49 But when you come to my service, 12:51 you come to hear about God. 12:53 You're not coming there to mingle with your buddies 12:57 or whatever, you know. 12:58 One time, one guy threatened me. 12:59 Mercy. 13:01 One of the guards or one of the...? 13:02 No, one of the inmates threatened me 13:03 'cause he want to talk to his buddies. 13:05 And he said, "What are you gonna do to me?" 13:06 So I've told and made the point, 13:08 I said, look, you're in church 13:09 and you have to learn about the power of my God 13:11 'cause He is the Son of the lightning bolt down 13:13 and it will go through my left arm 13:15 and when I strike you with the right, 13:18 you just won't know. 13:19 I said, you just sit down, 13:22 I told him to sit down and learn about God, 13:24 and you go back to the dorm and press your button. 13:26 And he gave me some regard that day. 13:28 My Lord, my Lord. 13:31 So he realized the power of your God 13:34 in more than one way. 13:35 Amen. Amen. 13:37 So you're sharing the gospel with people in jail. 13:40 You're meeting with some opposition. 13:43 What was it that caused you to keep going? 13:47 Other than my promise to God, I just knew that, 13:50 the men needed leadership, they needed some focus. 13:53 But I went in there, the one thing I realized is that, 13:56 there were good people, 13:58 a lot of good people were incarcerated. 13:59 They just didn't know how to give focus. 14:01 They needed God in their life. 14:04 The worst thing I would say, 14:05 "Well, I got to get myself ready for God." 14:08 No, you just come to God and just teach them that, 14:10 you know, you just got to come, make a decision now. 14:12 I would tell them, "Look, this is Jonah's great fish, 14:15 you're just in it for a little while. 14:17 You're just swallowed for little while, 14:18 he's gonna spit you out. 14:20 What are you gonna do when you get spit out? 14:23 You know, he's gonna let you out. 14:24 Focus now, make yourself a strong man now, 14:26 and gel with people who really don't care about you, 14:30 when you walk out. 14:31 You can make something of yourself. 14:33 And last semesters I've taken that's what they like. 14:36 So in 13 months dealing with inmates, 14:38 being an inmate yourself, 14:39 did you find that was the pervasive mindset 14:41 that people in jail for like 14:42 those on the outside didn't care about them? 14:45 Yes. Yes. 14:46 Absolutely. 14:49 Well, they've done so many things. 14:51 They've done something to their wives, their children, 14:53 their family, their friends, 14:55 they had nothing, they just didn't care. 14:57 And but, you have to let them know 14:58 that there's a second chance. 15:00 You know, you get a second chance to start over 15:03 and you just have to want, 15:05 you have to reach out there and grab it. 15:07 You know, it's all about bettering yourself 15:09 and once they realize that, 15:10 you know, they really, really try. 15:13 Sam, wait, wait, you've said bettering yourself. 15:15 Now is there opportunities to better yourself, 15:19 if you will, in jail? 15:25 What I'm trying to say is you make yourself, 15:27 you get a right mind. 15:28 You get the right mindset, you have to know, 15:31 you know, you got time to study. 15:32 Like you talk to a guy that's incarcerated 15:35 and you talk to them about the Bible. 15:36 Most of the time, he can quote the Bible 15:38 better than most people who come to church every Sabbath 15:41 because he is in there 24/7 reading the Bible. 15:44 Now whether he understand in that, 15:46 that's a different story, you know, 15:48 and that's he had to get him to understand the Bible 15:51 and apply it to themselves and really want it. 15:54 And the thing I like about 15:56 the jails I go into, they're locally 15:58 and I work in there and they see me 16:00 and they say, "You're still doing it." 16:03 You know, and I like that. Mercy. 16:05 So upon this charge, so 13 months goes by, 16:08 you've been ministering in the jails, 16:11 at one point your wife comes 16:12 and attempts to serve you divorce papers, 16:14 you guys pray through that? 16:16 That, excuse me, she served me. 16:18 Oh, you got served. Yes. 16:19 You got served. Yes. 16:20 So you got to serve the papers. 16:23 Yes. 16:25 But you told us that you guys are still together. 16:26 Tell us how did that work out? 16:27 Well, I signed them and I sent it back to her, 16:29 and I went through my bump when I did, 16:31 and I gave it to God. 16:33 And I said, "God, you have this, 16:35 I'm not taking it back." 16:36 So when I got out, I didn't go back home, 16:40 you know, I had to stay with friends and everything, 16:43 and I've just kept praying, 16:45 and then they said, you know, she called me 16:46 and she saw that I was really trying 16:49 and through the grace of God, she took me back. 16:57 And so you guys have been married for how long again? 17:00 Forty-six years. Forty-six years. 17:02 Yes, and we have raised 17:04 five grand kids in the process of... 17:06 our daughter's kids, 17:07 we still have two at home now. 17:09 Amen, amen. 17:10 So I want to go back to 13 months again in jail, 17:15 sharing Christ, the day that you get discharged, 17:19 tell us about that day? 17:21 That was a good day. 17:24 No Adventist people came, 17:25 but some of them ROAD to New Life Ministry 17:27 they came out to get me, we're starting out, 17:29 they met me at the door 17:31 and they took me to lunch and that was it. 17:34 I was, that time I called my wife 17:37 and talked to her for a little while 17:39 and see what we can do and that's basically 17:43 that's how I had to find a church I wanted to attend to. 17:45 That's what I wanted to get to. 17:47 You know, I definitely had to find a church, 17:48 that was the first thing, I wanted to find a church 17:51 and I started attending church 17:53 and rest is history since then. 17:56 I will not be a church. 17:59 Well, you got to bring us to the pages of this history. 18:02 So you find a church, 18:03 is there an active prison ministry 18:05 at the church that you find? 18:07 No. No. 18:08 It wasn't there. 18:10 I have to say, it wasn't Adventist church 18:11 that I found at firstly. 18:13 Okay, okay. It was not. 18:14 I went to several other churches 18:16 before going back to Adventist church. 18:19 My wife was still attending Adventist church 18:21 and but I was working with the ROAD Ministry 18:25 and doing that attending Calvary temple church 18:28 until that pastor did some crazy stuff. 18:31 And I said, "Okay, all right, I know where I got to go." 18:35 So one day, I told my wife, 18:36 I said, "Honey, I'm missing you, 18:39 every weekend was conscious of, you know, you come to church. 18:43 Okay, fine." 18:44 So I once started going to church, I told the pastor, 18:46 "I want to be re-baptized." 18:48 I wanted Pastor Pavet to re-baptize me. 18:50 And 'cause it was a joy, 18:53 it was a joy being there with my wife. 18:55 Okay. 18:56 So now you've come to the Adventist church, 18:59 there is no prison ministry at the church. 19:04 How do you...? 19:06 I'd show you there is the prison ministry... 19:08 Pastor Pavet and no one knew that I had been incarcerated. 19:14 They never heard my testimony, 19:17 I think Jackie Davis is probably first one to hear 19:19 any parts of my testimony. 19:22 But I was in and no one else knew from Cherry Hill. 19:25 So how did you get involved with prison ministries? 19:27 Now you had made a deal with God. 19:29 You already told God, "Listen, no matter what, 19:31 I'm gonna continue to share your gospel in the presence." 19:34 How did you get involved with prison ministries? 19:36 Okay, a gentleman, Jerry Ackerman 19:40 and part of ROAD Ministry, 19:42 they were just about this ministry 19:44 ROAD to New Life Ministry. 19:45 And they came and said, "Well, we're gonna help you, 19:48 you are one of the first ones." 19:49 And they started. 19:50 I started giving my testimony going back and forth 19:53 and they started working with men and women 19:55 and it went from that point on, and that's it, 19:58 I have to be a part of this. 20:00 Okay, so how long before you got involved 20:03 with prison ministries after you were discharged, 20:05 after you got out? 20:06 Almost immediately. Almost immediately. 20:08 Like I said, they met me when I came out 20:12 and they took me around, they took me to lunch, 20:13 and was helping me look for a job and everything. 20:16 Like I said, we're just getting started. 20:17 So immediately I got involved with that. 20:19 So... I was a volunteer. 20:21 I'm sorry, I was a volunteer. No, no. It's okay. 20:23 So in experience that I had, I remember, 20:25 you know, getting out 20:27 and then seeing some guys that I was in with. 20:30 Did you have some experiences like that? 20:32 Oh, yeah. Tell us about those? 20:33 Oh, yeah. 20:34 As soon as I got out, couple of guys I used to get out with, 20:37 you know, when I went in, they were broke. 20:39 But when I got out, they had plenty of drugs. 20:42 "Come on, man, and let's do this." 20:44 So guys are seeing you, you are out, 20:46 and they are saying, "Hey, come on, man, 20:48 let's get back into what we were into before." 20:50 Yes, let's do this. 20:51 I said, "No, I don't want to do that. 20:52 Not at all." Why not? 20:54 Because I gave up too much, I gave up my home, 20:58 my wife had to sell our home when I was incarcerated, 21:02 she had to take care and raise my kids 21:04 when I was away, she had to do everything. 21:07 I gave up a lot to go to Jonah's great fish 21:09 that mean to be incarcerated, 21:11 and I just didn't want to do that. 21:14 I strengthen my mind 21:15 and I said, "This is not gonna happen to me." 21:17 Drugs isn't that what I wanted anymore. 21:18 And so these guys see you, you are on a new journey, 21:21 you are on a new road, 21:23 and they're trying to pull you back 21:25 into the some of the old behavior. 21:28 Did you try and witness to them. 21:29 I mean, 'cause in essence what they're doing 21:31 is they were trying to evangelize you. 21:32 Yes. 21:34 Did you find yourself trying to evangelize them? 21:35 Yes, I did. 21:36 And I told them what I was doing and everything, 21:39 but here's the most important thing for me, 21:41 jumping in a little bit. 21:42 When I would get in my car and drive a certain directions, 21:45 you know, I can sense myself wanting to get high. 21:48 And I'll have to pull aside the road and say a prayer. 21:51 You know, till I learn to call on Jesus 21:53 just saying in my mind, 21:54 just to get the urge out of my head, 21:56 you know that, I learnt early on that 21:59 if I call on Jesus, 22:01 you know, that urge wouldn't stay there, 22:03 it would go away. 22:04 And I couldn't even keep it more than $5 or more 22:07 in my pocket at one time. 22:08 Mercy. It took about two years. 22:10 Mercy. 22:11 Two years before I could handle anything. 22:13 So, Sam, you're out, you're on the streets, 22:15 and you're running into some of your old pals, 22:17 but you are able to tell them no. 22:18 Absolutely. 22:20 But you realize that even having more than $5 22:22 in your pocket would be problematic 22:24 because you have this urge 22:25 that you have to literally pull on the side of the road 22:27 and pray through or else you probably would be back. 22:30 I could slip. Mercy. 22:31 I could slip. Absolutely. 22:33 That the pull was that strong? 22:35 Absolutely. Mercy. 22:36 Yes. Mercy. 22:38 So now what I want to get to real quick is, 22:39 so tell me about... 22:41 So you said you're almost immediately involved 22:43 with prison ministries. 22:44 Tell me about now, as a free person, 22:48 having made this covenant with God 22:49 going back into the prison, tell us about that real fast? 22:52 Oh, well, it's a joy really, it really is a joy, 22:56 you know, you never get used 22:57 to the clanging at the doors though 22:59 when they go behind. 23:00 No, no, no. You never get used to that. 23:01 But when I talk to them 23:05 and tell them how good God is in my life and work. 23:08 And talk about what I went through, 23:10 they know that I really went through it, 23:12 they know that is true, 23:14 you know, because they know the language 23:16 and know what I'm saying and everything. 23:18 And they get the feel that, you know, if you can do it, 23:22 you know, I should be doing, some of them tried. 23:24 They really tried. Mercy. Mercy. 23:25 So tell us a little bit about the ministry 23:27 that you're involved with? 23:28 Tell us about how that's helping in the prison system? 23:30 Tell us about that? 23:31 Well, what we do, what ROAD to Life Ministry does is, 23:34 we go in widely inside 23:36 there we help them with Bible studies, 23:39 we try to help their families a little, 23:40 it's a non-profit organization. 23:43 We teach them, and then when they get out, 23:46 we try to help them find a job, place to stay, 23:49 and hopefully, be able to get back with their family, 23:52 but mostly, we find them a church immediately. 23:55 Mercy. That's the first thing we do. 23:57 We would try to take them to one of our churches or, 24:00 you know, one of the other members they're of. 24:03 The members are often from different denomination, 24:04 but we try to, you know, get them into church, 24:06 that's the main thing. 24:08 Okay. Okay. 24:09 So now how long have you been involved in prison ministries? 24:11 Twenty-three or twenty-four years. 24:13 Twenty-four years in prison ministries. 24:15 Do you have a story, have you had an experience 24:18 where someone that you had been ministering to in jail, 24:21 came out, and you actually saw them 24:23 get on the road to a better life? 24:26 Tim Greene, he became a deacon in his church. 24:30 Oh, this guy could sing like I don't know what, you know. 24:34 He really got admired, he'd done everything right, 24:36 he did everything right. 24:41 I mean, he was the lowest of the low, but once... 24:44 he come from a church, his father was a pastor. 24:48 And but he got back and he got strong 24:50 and he started going into the jail with us a little bit 24:54 and, you know, then he started his own prison ministry 24:58 through his church. 24:59 And to this day, he is still a success story. 25:01 Mercy. 25:02 So basically what you're saying to us is, 25:04 so as a person who had interface 25:07 with the Adventist faith, 25:08 you went into jail, saw that there was no presence. 25:11 And so that became a burden of yours, 25:14 you got out and now for the last 23 years, 25:16 you've been going back into the prisons 25:18 and you have testimonies of people 25:20 who have come out and gotten on a new journey. 25:22 Yes. 25:23 So now tell us, in those 23 years, 25:25 I'm sure that you've experienced some things 25:27 that let you know that you're on the right track. 25:29 So just if you can... 25:31 'Cause there's probably some people listening right now, 25:33 who they have been through the prison system 25:35 and maybe they felt like nobody cared about them 25:38 and nobody was there for them. 25:39 I want you to right now look into this camera, 25:41 I want you to look into the audience, 25:43 and I want you to just now talk to that person. 25:45 Talk to that person about 25:46 the goodness of God in your life. 25:47 Well, having God in my life 25:49 is, like I said, it's been a big joy. 25:51 Before that, I lost everything, you know, I gave it, excuse me, 25:55 I gave everything to Satan, my home, my family everything. 25:59 But once I found the Lord 26:00 and decided I gonna stay with Him, 26:02 He gave me my home back, He gave my wife back, 26:05 you know, He gave me my pride back. 26:07 You know, as a man, if we have true faith, 26:12 I learnt about true faith 26:14 knowing that He would supply everything for me. 26:16 You know, He keeps His promises, 26:19 you know, all we had to do have faith in it, 26:21 just have faith, He will make sure. 26:23 We wanted a house, we were trying to get a house, 26:26 they turned us down for a house, my wife and I. 26:29 And I was working, I met a man 26:31 who asked to pray for me, 26:33 and I tell him about our ministry, 26:35 he said, "He prayed for me." 26:36 I told my wife that day 26:38 that gentleman is gonna be a big part of our life. 26:40 Real quickly, about seven months later, 26:43 he became a part, 26:44 he gave me money towards to get a house that I didn't need. 26:48 And we went, my wife and I we bought a house 26:51 that the same people who actually turned us down 26:53 before in the same development turned us down, 26:56 said, "No, we couldn't afford it, 26:58 we couldn't do anything." 26:59 We went to it, bought a bigger house from the same people. 27:02 Mercy. 27:03 A bigger house when we went into settlement... 27:06 Thank you, Jesus. 27:07 When we went into the settlement, 27:09 we walked out of settlement with more money 27:11 than we took in. 27:13 Mercy. 27:14 I called my prayer partner on my way there, my wife and I, 27:18 and we told him we're going there 27:20 and the gentleman that loaned me the money 27:21 was in real estate, 27:23 he told me my credit was too bad. 27:24 I said, "Mike, you know Jesus, you know our Lord, 27:28 He said this is our house. 27:30 He said this is our house." 27:31 And when we went in, came out I called him up 27:34 and said, "Mike, I'm coming back 27:36 to bring you your money back." 27:37 He said, "Yeah, I figured you didn't get the house." 27:38 I said, "No, Mike, I got the house." 27:40 They just gave me some money back. 27:42 And they gave us that money back. 27:43 God really, really worked in our life there. 27:47 Thank you for sharing, Sam. Thank you. 27:48 Brothers and sisters, we've seen here today 27:51 that you never know 27:52 where there is someone who needs Christ, 27:54 even in the prisons, 27:55 there could be a Sam Young right now 27:57 waiting for someone to bring them Jesus Christ. 28:00 So I say to you, visit those who are in prison. 28:05 This has been The New Journey. 28:07 God bless you. |
Revised 2017-11-28