From an addict, ex-convict,
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and drug dealer to a man of God.
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Stay tuned to
meet a man whose life
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was turned around
by the power of God.
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My name is Yvonne Lewis,
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and you're
watching Urban Report.
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Hello, and
welcome to Urban Report.
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My guest today
is James Van Etten,
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a man whose journey has
been full of ups and downs.
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But God has shown
Himself to be present
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and powerful in his life.
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Welcome to Urban Report, James.
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Glad to be here.
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Well, when I first
heard your testimony,
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I was just so
riveted because God has just
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brought you through everything.
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From this place to
this place to this place
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and I thought
whenever I hear good testimony,
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I want our Urban
Report viewers to hear it too.
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So thank you for being
here to share it with us.
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Glad to be here.
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So let's get started
because your journey is just,
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is just really interesting.
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Where are you
from, first of all?
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Vicksburg, Mississippi.
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And you were born
there? Born there.
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What kind of
family did you have?
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I had a good family life, uh,
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up till I was about 11years old.
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My mother and father
started having problems.
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But up, poor they are. I
was also a baseball player.
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You know,
first-string football player
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and in high score in
basketball, you know,
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who won a long
while in track, you know,
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I was pretty active in sports.
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And my father
always bragged on me,
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every time he is
seeing my name in a paper
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for some home run and
then hear it some, you know,
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and it was amazing, you know.
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But then all of a
sudden, all this stopped.
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My daddy and mamma
started having problems.
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I started acting
out before you know it.
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You know, I jumped on
my daddy and got kicked out
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of the house and...
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How old were you when
you jumped on your dad?
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13.
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So you got into an...
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a physical
altercation with your dad.
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Yeah, I worked him pretty bad.
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At 13? Yeah.
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Where you a big guy at a
13 'cause you're a tall guy?
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I was 6' 1". I was 6'1".
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I was same height that I am now.
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I just want this, "what?"
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So, you were about 6' 1" at 13,
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and you
physically fought your dad?
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Right out and went to Taekwondo,
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I had been to boxing
training, and stuff like that.
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Done some Koni's
wrestling, you know,
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I was pretty active.
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And people in the neighborhood,
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they didn't mess with
me, so you know what I mean.
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When I started
acting out, it was because,
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stress, you
know, doing that acid.
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I actually not
marijuana, not anything else,
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just one, the plain acid.
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How did you get
caught up in the acid?
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Just the kids in the
neighborhood, you know,
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just somebody said "try
these" and I tried these
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and I liked it and
we started taking trips
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never leaving the farm.
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Yeah, I hear you, I hear you.
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So you were 13,
you fought your dad
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and you were
put out of the home.
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Right. Where did you go?
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I went to New Orleans.
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Alone like...
where was your mom?
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Yeah, Hitchhike... my mom was...
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well, at that time
they were separated,
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and daddy had remarried.
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And, and, and my
step momma resident.
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You know, at that
point, I didn't realize,
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how much she was
trying to help me, I mean,
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I was singing
in the quiet church
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and all ledged up.
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But yet, you know,
the rules were changed.
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Everything was
against what I was brought up
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to believe.
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I could do the stuff and
I jumped on my stepbrother,
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then on my daddy and I
was out of house, you know.
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My momma was
living with another man
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and I didn't see
that right, you know, so,
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I wouldn't go
stay there, you know.
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So, I went on my
own, I tried to stay
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with different
relatives, but I had a problem
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of authority, you know.
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With that problem of authority,
I couldn't stay anywhere.
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I didn't want to go by
anybody rules but my own.
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And that pretty much
put me on my own, you know.
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So at 13, you
left your dad's home
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and you went by
yourself, to where?
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Hitchhiked in New
Orleans, Louisiana.
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Hitchhike? Which
is super dangerous.
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I slept on a park
bench at the Jackson Square.
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And at the Jackson Square,
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New Orleans are
lot different then,
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than it is now.
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They made a big
improvement done there now.
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They got backed
in that park benches
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down the river.
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And a river walk like deal.
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And they had the
Square itself for the bands
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and stuff played.
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Well, you know, we
panhandled around the square.
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So we could go to
busters to get a pair of ribbons
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and rives for 35
cents, which you know,
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that will tell you
how long the load was.
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But, while we were sleeping,
we just go down on park bench,
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down about the
river and sleep, you know,
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we would fight
mosquitoes all night
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and get up and go panhandling.
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Well, I learned...
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I met a black guy, he
taught me how to sale dope.
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And at that point,
that was, you know,
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to me I didn't trust anybody.
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You know, but at that point,
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when I started
learning to make money,
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I got wow...
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full along, I had an apartment
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and I had everything I
wanted, you know, and then...
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By the time I got 16
years old, I had done,
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altered my birth certificate
so it showed me to be 18.
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You know, and I went
and joined the draft,
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sat and registered at the draft
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when I was 16 saying I was 18,
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I joined the army
and then, you know...
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And they didn't know
that you had doctored the...
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They didn't know, I was in army.
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I got discharged from the
army on August 23rd of '73.
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I was actually 17 at the
time when I got discharged.
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Wow, did you have
an honorable discharge?
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No, it was undesirable.
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So what
happened? Why did you get--
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I got busted...
well, methamphetamine.
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So what's happening
now is, you leave home,
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you go and you live
on the streets basically.
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You learned about drug dealing.
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So, you start dealing
drugs, you making money,
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you not going to school, right?
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No. So, you
dropped out of the school?
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Didn't have your
high school diploma
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or anything like that.
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Dropped out of the
school, selling drugs,
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then you decided to
go into the service.
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Right.
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What made you decide to do that
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since you were
making money in the street?
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Well, I was trying to--
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Jobs that I tried to get
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required a high
school education.
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Well, I didn't do any.
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And I knew that
I could get my GED
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through the military.
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So I joined the service.
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Well, I was in
trouble with the authorities,
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they gave me an option.
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To join the
military or go to jail.
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So I went to military.
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Then they don't do
that option no more,
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back then they would.
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So I went to Mere
church, trying to go to Vietnam
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all the way.
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Well, of course by
the time I get in there...
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You were trying
to go to Vietnam?
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Right. I wanted to go to fight.
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Wow. So you have lot
of anger? I was stupid.
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Well, you know,
unfortunately before Christ...
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that's how we are, I mean...
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thank God, you're a
new creature in Christ.
00:07:16.90\00:07:19.30
But you had a lot of
anger, it sounds like?
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Mom and daddy
brought me up in church.
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I went to Sunday school
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like vacation type of a
school, stuff like that.
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I mean, that was
given, when I was five, six,
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seven, eight year
old, even up to nine
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I think I stayed in
it, right up till I got to
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with my trainer,
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when I got kicked
out of karate school
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because of my anger.
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They you know,
I have just got...
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kind of getting away
with everything, you know,
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we got away from
everybody and I started
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doing it on my own way.
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And in my own way was
worst way in the world.
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I ended up in the
training school at 18,
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where I should...
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What kind of training school?
00:08:01.28\00:08:02.61
Oakley Training School for boys.
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Is that a reform school?
00:08:04.91\00:08:06.25
Yeah, I went to reform school.
00:08:06.28\00:08:08.08
Okay.
00:08:08.12\00:08:09.52
But I was 18 years
old and just got...
00:08:09.55\00:08:11.39
It was in a military.
00:08:11.42\00:08:13.12
At that time, well, I just
got discharged from military.
00:08:13.15\00:08:17.49
And...
00:08:17.56\00:08:20.33
when I take it
back, I wasn't 18,
00:08:20.36\00:08:21.93
I was 17 and I was
on a Wolfram military
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whenever they
want the assignment
00:08:25.73\00:08:27.07
to the training school.
00:08:27.14\00:08:28.77
Did they know that
you were in the military,
00:08:28.80\00:08:31.47
when they sent you
to the training school?
00:08:31.51\00:08:32.84
Yeah, when the judge Garry said,
00:08:32.87\00:08:34.21
he gave me an opportunity
to go back to military,
00:08:34.28\00:08:36.11
but they wouldn't take
me as long as the charges
00:08:36.14\00:08:37.55
were pending.
00:08:37.58\00:08:38.91
I see.
00:08:38.95\00:08:40.32
And if he dropped the charges,
00:08:40.35\00:08:41.68
they would let me comeback.
00:08:41.72\00:08:43.05
But if they
didn't, he wouldn't hold
00:08:43.08\00:08:44.42
and drop the
charges and let me go back.
00:08:44.45\00:08:45.79
So I ended up
going to training school.
00:08:45.82\00:08:47.16
Well, I escaped
seven days later.
00:08:47.19\00:08:49.66
You escaped?
00:08:49.69\00:08:51.03
Yes. Wow.
00:08:51.06\00:08:52.39
By yourself or...
00:08:52.43\00:08:53.80
Right.
00:08:53.83\00:08:55.13
Oh, yeah, I was real good...
00:08:55.16\00:09:00.47
I'd guess you call
a good criminal mind.
00:09:00.50\00:09:02.30
Rebellious ah? Right.
00:09:03.74\00:09:05.27
So you escaped
from reformed school,
00:09:05.31\00:09:07.78
training school,
where did you go from there?
00:09:07.81\00:09:10.18
Well, I went back to New Orleans
00:09:10.21\00:09:12.18
and then we went to Las Vegas,
00:09:12.21\00:09:13.88
and I worked at
there for a man named,
00:09:13.95\00:09:15.38
Darren Pollard.
00:09:15.42\00:09:18.05
We painted houses.
00:09:18.09\00:09:19.42
Probably, I
stayed there for a while
00:09:20.42\00:09:21.79
and then I got picked up
and sent back to the military
00:09:21.82\00:09:26.56
and they put me in a
stockade and I got undesirable
00:09:26.59\00:09:29.50
discharge for being AWOL.
00:09:29.53\00:09:31.80
Then I tried to go
back home, and when I did,
00:09:31.83\00:09:34.64
they left me back in
the training school again.
00:09:34.67\00:09:37.67
And I escaped from
the training school
00:09:37.71\00:09:39.14
the next day from that
00:09:39.17\00:09:42.38
and five and half
months later I went,
00:09:42.41\00:09:46.35
found the judge, and he
gave me a discharge from there.
00:09:46.38\00:09:48.58
Told me, "Next time,
it would be penitentiary."
00:09:48.62\00:09:50.59
I told "There
won't be next time."
00:09:50.62\00:09:52.49
I got my girlfriend
pregnant and we got married
00:09:52.52\00:09:56.52
because I wanted
to do right thing.
00:09:56.56\00:09:58.76
Moved to Brookhaven,
Mississippi and we were
00:09:58.79\00:10:01.63
having our Christmas
party taking pictures and stuff.
00:10:01.66\00:10:05.43
She bought a TV and
a camera from somebody
00:10:05.47\00:10:09.67
that came back
with cases of grocery
00:10:09.70\00:10:12.17
and she paid $50 for
it, got a receipt for it
00:10:12.21\00:10:15.98
and all that, come home.
00:10:16.01\00:10:17.45
She was all proud
by what she done now.
00:10:17.51\00:10:21.05
Pregnant she
was, we took pictures,
00:10:21.08\00:10:22.92
now I try to tell her,
I said "baby this camera
00:10:22.95\00:10:26.65
and this TV gotta
be hot, it's too cheap,
00:10:26.72\00:10:29.52
it's color TV, it's a
photographer's camera,
00:10:29.56\00:10:33.06
you know, I said, it's gotta--
00:10:33.09\00:10:34.40
Well, I got a receipt.
00:10:34.46\00:10:35.76
Well, I said, "I
don't care what you got,
00:10:35.80\00:10:37.87
the police is trying to
put me in jail for long time.
00:10:37.90\00:10:41.40
We can't keep this,
00:10:41.44\00:10:42.80
I don't know we got to keep it."
00:10:42.84\00:10:44.17
Well, I, instead
of arguing with her
00:10:44.24\00:10:46.61
and making her take a rid of it,
00:10:46.64\00:10:47.98
I just showed my
hands up and walked away.
00:10:48.01\00:10:51.15
Well, we've been
smoking marijuana
00:10:51.18\00:10:54.68
and the next door neighbor
complained about the smell.
00:10:54.72\00:10:57.95
Police after came
up the next morning.
00:10:57.99\00:11:00.96
The camera was
sitting on the counter,
00:11:00.99\00:11:03.09
TV was sitting in
the corner and they just
00:11:03.12\00:11:06.19
walked into my house.
00:11:06.23\00:11:07.60
And walked
straight back at to it,
00:11:07.60\00:11:08.93
no search warrants, no nothing.
00:11:08.96\00:11:10.37
One day they asked me
about where did I get this?
00:11:11.27\00:11:13.30
I told them "We bought it."
00:11:13.34\00:11:16.47
"Let me see your receipt."
00:11:16.50\00:11:17.84
I showed them the receipt.
00:11:17.87\00:11:20.74
They put handcuffs on me
00:11:20.78\00:11:22.98
and they told me
to get my wife up,
00:11:23.01\00:11:24.45
put handcuffs on her, of course.
00:11:24.48\00:11:26.01
I tried to-- I was gonna resist
00:11:27.12\00:11:29.08
whenever they started telling
about putting us in jail,
00:11:29.12\00:11:31.15
but when Burton
pulled pistol on me
00:11:31.19\00:11:35.12
and stuck it at
the side of my head
00:11:35.16\00:11:36.49
and put my handcuffs,
00:11:36.52\00:11:37.93
hands back and he
put handcuffs on me.
00:11:37.96\00:11:39.96
I made him stand up there while
00:11:40.00\00:11:41.33
my wife got up and got dressed
and they put handcuffs on her
00:11:41.36\00:11:45.27
and they took us to jail.
00:11:45.30\00:11:47.20
Well, I couldn't let
my baby be born in jail,
00:11:47.27\00:11:50.64
you know, and
they kept on saying
00:11:50.67\00:11:53.17
"We know you're done here."
00:11:53.21\00:11:54.54
I said, "Man,
you see her receipt,
00:11:54.58\00:11:56.38
my wife ain't
done anything wrong.
00:11:56.41\00:11:58.05
Why you got her here?"
00:11:58.08\00:11:59.41
You know, anyway it
was such a bad experience
00:11:59.45\00:12:04.39
that I want to plead guilty
00:12:04.42\00:12:05.75
to charge to
get her out of jail.
00:12:05.79\00:12:07.66
Ended up doing a
four year sentence
00:12:07.69\00:12:09.29
in penitentiary for
something I didn't do.
00:12:09.32\00:12:11.26
So they made a
deal with you to...
00:12:11.29\00:12:14.56
if you would say you'd
done it, then she could go.
00:12:14.60\00:12:18.77
Right. Even though... Right.
00:12:18.80\00:12:21.40
They knew you didn't do it
or you said you didn't do it.
00:12:21.44\00:12:23.77
And I tried to go back on a deal
00:12:23.81\00:12:25.21
when I stood in
front of the judge,
00:12:25.24\00:12:26.57
I told the judge that,
00:12:26.64\00:12:28.44
we had bought
that, but in order for me
00:12:28.48\00:12:30.75
to get her out of
jail, I had to say this.
00:12:30.81\00:12:33.68
And he said "Are you
pleading guilty or not?"
00:12:33.72\00:12:36.18
I said "Well, yeah, I have to."
00:12:36.22\00:12:40.76
"So, you being
forced to do this?"
00:12:40.82\00:12:43.73
I said "No".
00:12:43.79\00:12:45.13
I mean I am
being coerced into it.
00:12:46.70\00:12:48.46
He said "Will you
won't plead guilty
00:12:49.83\00:12:51.30
or not" I said
"Yes, I plead guilty."
00:12:51.33\00:12:52.93
And he sentenced me for
four years to penitentiary,
00:12:52.97\00:12:55.30
you know, I
have been arrested...
00:12:55.34\00:12:56.67
I don't know, probably...
00:12:56.74\00:12:58.07
just to be on a safe side
00:12:58.11\00:12:59.44
I would say 150
times in my life.
00:12:59.47\00:13:03.04
You know, I was in penitentiary
six different times.
00:13:03.08\00:13:06.51
Now were you...
00:13:06.55\00:13:08.15
in all fairness...
were you at those times,
00:13:08.18\00:13:10.79
did you deserve to go to jail?
00:13:10.82\00:13:12.15
Every other time I was
deserved to go to jail.
00:13:12.19\00:13:14.59
No, one other
time I went to jail
00:13:14.62\00:13:17.33
for burglary of
an SSW warehouse,
00:13:17.36\00:13:20.20
that I copped out in charge
00:13:20.23\00:13:22.23
because a friend of
mine, who had done it,
00:13:22.26\00:13:24.63
wife was pregnant,
for him to have a kid,
00:13:24.67\00:13:26.80
and I would...
00:13:26.84\00:13:28.17
didn't want him to go to jail.
00:13:28.20\00:13:30.11
I didn't want his kid to be born
00:13:30.17\00:13:31.51
without his daddy.
00:13:31.54\00:13:32.87
And I knew I can
make it, he couldn't.
00:13:32.91\00:13:35.31
You know, that's
twice though that I...
00:13:35.34\00:13:38.25
and I have my cousin
one time, went back for him,
00:13:38.28\00:13:42.58
but as a violation,
that's pro violation.
00:13:42.62\00:13:45.65
So what do you
think... why do you think
00:13:45.69\00:13:49.66
that you were so caught up
00:13:49.69\00:13:52.99
into that life Vs a life
00:13:53.03\00:13:56.70
that where you
weren't doing that?
00:13:56.73\00:13:58.73
What do you think was
besides the obvious satin?
00:13:58.77\00:14:02.14
But what do you
think was the obvious,
00:14:02.17\00:14:04.61
were the obvious reasons
00:14:04.64\00:14:05.97
why you got
caught up into that...
00:14:06.01\00:14:08.28
'cause you ended up
00:14:08.31\00:14:09.64
going to jail a
lot of different times
00:14:09.68\00:14:11.18
for the things
you have admitted,
00:14:11.21\00:14:12.55
Right. you've done?
00:14:12.58\00:14:13.92
Why do you think you are
caught up into that life?
00:14:13.95\00:14:17.09
I was a drug addict.
00:14:17.12\00:14:18.45
Okay.
00:14:18.49\00:14:19.82
You know, I was strung
out on speeding, cocaine,
00:14:19.85\00:14:22.32
stuff like that, you know.
00:14:22.36\00:14:24.23
I like to stay awake.
00:14:24.26\00:14:25.59
I didn't want to
miss on that thing.
00:14:25.63\00:14:27.40
When I was out on the street,
00:14:27.40\00:14:28.73
I said, "Well, I'm
gonna do as much as I can,
00:14:28.76\00:14:30.53
party as long as I
can till I go back."
00:14:30.57\00:14:32.80
Because I knew I was going back,
00:14:32.83\00:14:34.20
because I wouldn't know
conformed to this system.
00:14:34.24\00:14:37.47
You know, I had been so--
00:14:37.51\00:14:40.18
I mean, I'm a machinist,
00:14:40.24\00:14:41.84
I grew up in a
machine shop, you know.
00:14:41.88\00:14:44.25
I can weld, I'm
an ace carpenter,
00:14:44.28\00:14:47.85
a journeyman painter, I mean,
00:14:47.88\00:14:50.65
I've made hot
dollars everywhere I work.
00:14:50.69\00:14:52.49
I was mostly supervisor
00:14:52.52\00:14:54.26
on just about
every job I ever went on.
00:14:54.29\00:14:55.99
So it wasn't like
you were trying to work,
00:14:56.02\00:14:58.16
it wasn't like you
weren't trying to...
00:14:58.19\00:15:00.73
you had traits, you
had different traits,
00:15:00.76\00:15:03.67
but you were an addict.
00:15:03.70\00:15:05.03
I was an addict.
00:15:05.07\00:15:06.40
So how did God get you,
how did he change your life?
00:15:06.43\00:15:11.44
Well, from 1993 to 1998,
00:15:11.47\00:15:16.24
I had three wrecks,
00:15:16.28\00:15:18.58
all three of them,
sure have killed me.
00:15:18.61\00:15:21.32
It didn't stop me.
00:15:21.35\00:15:22.85
It didn't make me
change, but it shook me.
00:15:22.88\00:15:27.72
'Cause the first
one, I had my ear cut off
00:15:27.76\00:15:31.19
and glass pulled
out lot of my throat,
00:15:31.23\00:15:33.60
my head and all.
00:15:33.63\00:15:34.96
And I was walking around
when all of a sudden my truck
00:15:35.00\00:15:37.53
looked like a horse shoe
around the front of the car
00:15:37.57\00:15:40.20
while I was in tent.
00:15:40.24\00:15:41.77
My bed was knocked
50 foot to other side,
00:15:41.80\00:15:44.91
above where we sat,
they skidded 50 foot
00:15:44.94\00:15:47.24
before they hit me.
00:15:47.28\00:15:49.48
But I was
walking at ambush driver
00:15:49.51\00:15:51.25
and said "Sir,
would you stand still,
00:15:51.28\00:15:52.75
so we could put
you in stretcher."
00:15:52.78\00:15:55.82
That didn't wake
me up, the next moment
00:15:55.85\00:15:58.82
was when I was driving on road,
I hit backend of an 18 wheeler,
00:15:58.85\00:16:01.62
pitch black at night,
00:16:01.66\00:16:03.16
he didn't have no tail
lights and I ploughed into him,
00:16:03.19\00:16:05.66
and then split my sternum.
00:16:05.69\00:16:08.10
Motor's sitting in
the front seat with me.
00:16:08.13\00:16:10.17
I kicked the door open,
00:16:10.20\00:16:11.53
got out and was walking around
00:16:11.57\00:16:12.90
when I almost got there.
00:16:12.93\00:16:14.54
The next one, I was
on the side of the road
00:16:14.57\00:16:16.27
changing the
chain of my motorcycle,
00:16:16.30\00:16:18.74
a drunk guy run off
the road and hit me.
00:16:18.77\00:16:21.98
It lacerated my
son's liver and spleen.
00:16:22.01\00:16:25.95
It cut my nephew's leg off,
00:16:25.98\00:16:28.78
my wife was running
around trying to help us all...
00:16:28.82\00:16:32.65
and it crushed this
leg, you can see that.
00:16:32.69\00:16:39.26
Oh, yeah...
00:16:39.29\00:16:42.10
But I'm still walking.
00:16:42.13\00:16:44.03
My leg was laid inside,
00:16:44.07\00:16:45.40
my bone's
sticking out of the pants
00:16:45.43\00:16:47.00
and I want to,
when I almost got there,
00:16:47.04\00:16:48.54
I'm seeing is at
my leg, you know.
00:16:48.57\00:16:51.41
That didn't wake me up.
00:16:51.44\00:16:53.74
What woke me up...
00:16:53.78\00:16:55.11
as I was sitting in
the jail and Brookhaven,
00:16:55.14\00:16:58.08
Mississippi, I had charges
00:16:58.11\00:17:01.28
pending for
possession of methamphetamine,
00:17:01.32\00:17:05.22
possession of precursor
with the intensive manufacture,
00:17:05.25\00:17:08.76
possession of over three
grams of methamphetamine,
00:17:08.79\00:17:12.53
possession of marijuana
with intent to distribute,
00:17:12.56\00:17:15.93
and I had the same
charges in Vicksburg.
00:17:15.96\00:17:19.27
I had grand arsony
charges in Jackson.
00:17:19.30\00:17:21.97
I had suspended
license charges and car thefts
00:17:22.00\00:17:24.21
and I was out on three bonds.
00:17:24.24\00:17:26.11
When I finally come to a halt
and I'm sitting in the jail.
00:17:26.14\00:17:30.45
My son has been arrested,
my nephew has been arrested,
00:17:30.48\00:17:33.28
my wife has been
arrested, all behind me.
00:17:33.31\00:17:37.29
And I'm sitting there
on the side of my bed.
00:17:37.32\00:17:40.06
My head hung down and
I'm thinking "Oh, my God,
00:17:40.09\00:17:43.29
what have I done," you know,
00:17:43.32\00:17:46.03
my bond is $250,000.
00:17:46.06\00:17:49.23
They booked me in as a John Doe,
00:17:49.26\00:17:50.83
because I had so
many different IDs
00:17:50.87\00:17:53.17
and I heard a little voice said,
00:17:53.20\00:17:54.90
"God answers
prayer," it was so audible.
00:17:54.94\00:17:58.24
So I looked around
to see who said it,
00:17:58.27\00:18:00.71
and there wasn't nobody there.
00:18:00.74\00:18:02.88
Then I thought,
what have I got to lose.
00:18:02.91\00:18:06.05
So I got on my
knees, I said, "Lord,
00:18:06.08\00:18:08.12
I come to you in
the name of Jesus.
00:18:08.15\00:18:09.78
And I'm not
coming to you for me,
00:18:09.82\00:18:11.15
because I know I'm not worthy.
00:18:11.19\00:18:13.19
I'm coming to you for Marsha.
00:18:13.22\00:18:15.32
I'm asking you,
Lord, let me settle,
00:18:15.36\00:18:17.73
it's gonna be all right.
00:18:17.76\00:18:19.66
Let me better
know when we take this.
00:18:19.69\00:18:24.00
I feel her tears, Lord.
00:18:24.07\00:18:26.60
I don't know what to do.
00:18:26.63\00:18:30.14
Just let me tell
her Mary Christmas
00:18:30.21\00:18:32.07
and I love her."
00:18:32.11\00:18:34.41
Jesus named my prayer, Amen.
00:18:34.44\00:18:36.85
And I stood up,
well, this jail hated me.
00:18:36.88\00:18:40.52
I went back to this
jail start giving a cigarette
00:18:40.55\00:18:42.65
breaks twice a day.
00:18:42.68\00:18:44.35
I then made them,
take us to the yard
00:18:44.39\00:18:47.09
for an hour every day.
00:18:47.16\00:18:49.09
I made them take me across
the street three times a week
00:18:49.12\00:18:51.49
to the law library
00:18:51.53\00:18:52.86
so that I could
do my legal work.
00:18:52.89\00:18:54.20
I was a...
00:18:55.63\00:18:56.97
jailhouse lawyer
and the jail hated me.
00:18:57.03\00:19:00.60
They would had
standing orders in the tower,
00:19:00.67\00:19:03.00
under no circumstances
was anybody allowed
00:19:03.04\00:19:06.84
to pass notes for me and Marsha.
00:19:06.91\00:19:09.04
If any inmate was
caught passing the note,
00:19:09.08\00:19:11.11
they would be locked
up and sent to prison.
00:19:11.15\00:19:13.01
If any officer was caught
allowing us to communicate,
00:19:13.05\00:19:15.72
they would be fired on the spot.
00:19:15.75\00:19:18.35
So I knew, I didn't
have any help coming,
00:19:18.39\00:19:19.85
nowhere.
00:19:19.89\00:19:21.36
And then I, I
made a little prayer,
00:19:21.39\00:19:24.19
it's day before Christmas.
00:19:24.26\00:19:26.49
Christmas morning, by
8' o clock at morning,
00:19:26.53\00:19:28.63
the officer coming at
door says "Smoke right"
00:19:31.73\00:19:34.34
and take us all downstairs,
00:19:34.37\00:19:35.70
now says "Smoke."
00:19:35.74\00:19:38.17
I get up to get my
two cigarettes, I said,
00:19:38.21\00:19:40.68
"Aren't you going to
get women next", he said,
00:19:40.71\00:19:43.65
"Yeah."
00:19:43.68\00:19:45.51
I said "well, let me
go around with you man
00:19:45.55\00:19:48.58
and tell my wife
Merry Christmas."
00:19:48.62\00:19:51.09
He said "Can't do that
man, I'll lose my job."
00:19:51.12\00:19:54.06
I said "Well, I won't
let you lose your job,
00:19:54.09\00:19:55.69
I don't want to lose your job."
00:19:55.72\00:19:57.53
So I got my cigarette,
went over the line to get
00:19:57.56\00:19:58.93
swollen smoking.
00:19:58.96\00:20:00.30
After everybody got up and
we had to go back upstairs,
00:20:02.43\00:20:05.40
some tells me stand back.
00:20:05.43\00:20:08.00
So, I stand back.
00:20:08.04\00:20:11.81
Officer gets to everybody
in and I walk up to him
00:20:11.84\00:20:13.74
and said "Aren't
you get to women now?"
00:20:13.78\00:20:15.68
He said, "Yeah."
00:20:15.71\00:20:17.51
I said, "Let me
stand over by the door
00:20:17.55\00:20:19.18
when she comes too,
00:20:19.21\00:20:20.58
I'm gonna tell
her Merry Christmas
00:20:20.62\00:20:21.95
and love her."
00:20:21.98\00:20:23.32
He said, "You can't do that man,
00:20:23.35\00:20:24.69
I'll lose my job."
00:20:24.72\00:20:26.05
I said, "Well, Sir, I
don't want you to loose
00:20:26.09\00:20:27.42
your job."
00:20:27.46\00:20:28.79
I said, "Well, I
get behind the door
00:20:28.82\00:20:31.09
and if anybody
asks me, I'll tell them,
00:20:31.13\00:20:32.46
I hid from you."
00:20:32.49\00:20:34.36
And I don't know how to
explain the way he acted.
00:20:34.40\00:20:37.00
I don't know how to
explain what happened,
00:20:37.03\00:20:39.53
but all I know is,
his whole body anguished
00:20:39.57\00:20:41.47
everything all at
once, he just looked at me
00:20:41.50\00:20:43.84
and he smiled.
00:20:43.87\00:20:45.21
He said, "All right, man."
00:20:45.24\00:20:46.57
And I knew right then,
God did answer that prayer.
00:20:46.61\00:20:49.04
Yes... yes... yes...
00:20:49.08\00:20:50.98
I knew it right at that point,
00:20:51.01\00:20:52.75
that was an answered prayer.
00:20:52.78\00:20:55.45
Is this the first
time that you ever really
00:20:55.48\00:20:57.22
reached out to God?
00:20:57.25\00:20:58.59
Yeah. Wow...
00:20:58.62\00:21:00.56
And many times
somebody would come to jail,
00:21:00.59\00:21:02.29
try to talk to me about Jesus,
00:21:02.32\00:21:04.43
I quote them John 3:16, 17.
00:21:04.46\00:21:07.50
And I'd tell them "I
don't know what the Bible says.
00:21:07.50\00:21:09.60
But I can't take
Jesus from going."
00:21:09.63\00:21:11.63
You know.
00:21:11.67\00:21:13.00
But when she
walked through that door,
00:21:14.87\00:21:16.20
she was looking
in a glass to see
00:21:16.24\00:21:18.07
if you've to waive
it, like she always did.
00:21:18.11\00:21:21.01
And... I would never
share my voice from behind...
00:21:21.04\00:21:25.51
I said, "Merry
Christmas, baby, I love you."
00:21:25.55\00:21:28.15
She saw me, she smiled
around and she dove into my arms
00:21:28.18\00:21:32.59
and she was just trembling
and shaking and crying.
00:21:32.62\00:21:36.16
And I was
trying to let her know,
00:21:36.19\00:21:37.99
it's gonna be all right.
00:21:38.03\00:21:39.36
And officer finally
tapped on my shoulder
00:21:39.39\00:21:40.96
and said, "You got to go."
00:21:40.96\00:21:42.66
I said, "Yes, sir.
00:21:42.70\00:21:44.23
Don't worry, Mr. Woods,
I know what you've done,
00:21:44.27\00:21:45.87
if anybody
asks, I hid from you."
00:21:45.90\00:21:48.60
And I literally
had to pry her arms
00:21:48.64\00:21:50.84
loose from me.
00:21:50.87\00:21:52.37
And I said, "Baby, don't worry,
00:21:52.41\00:21:53.74
you'll be home next year."
00:21:53.81\00:21:56.78
And she went on downstairs,
I walked back into the cell,
00:21:56.81\00:21:59.08
and I was so
antsy, I didn't know...
00:21:59.11\00:22:02.25
I didn't really know what to do,
00:22:02.28\00:22:03.69
I was just sitting
there and I finally look up
00:22:03.72\00:22:05.49
and I said...
00:22:05.52\00:22:06.86
I look over around my bed and
there is a Bible laying there,
00:22:06.89\00:22:09.26
because I always know, I
would like to read Bible,
00:22:09.29\00:22:11.09
I just never did
do anything to see it.
00:22:11.13\00:22:13.83
And I looked the Bible
and I looked up, I said,
00:22:13.90\00:22:16.63
"Lord, show me new world,
what I got to do to follow you.
00:22:16.67\00:22:20.04
And I'll do my best,
00:22:20.10\00:22:21.44
and with your help I can do it."
00:22:21.47\00:22:24.61
And I opened my
Bible to Romans Chapter 8,
00:22:24.64\00:22:27.58
where He is speaking
about walking in a spirit.
00:22:27.61\00:22:30.55
And it was like
God was talking to me.
00:22:30.61\00:22:32.38
Yes... yes...
00:22:32.41\00:22:34.45
At that point I said,
"Wow, so from there on,
00:22:34.48\00:22:40.06
and that day forward, I
have done everything I could.
00:22:40.12\00:22:43.69
I prayed, I didn't ask God
to take drugs away from me.
00:22:43.73\00:22:47.66
I didn't ask him to
take them away at all.
00:22:47.66\00:22:50.00
I asked God, "Take the
desire for drugs away from me."
00:22:50.03\00:22:54.17
And He did it? And He did it.
00:22:54.20\00:22:56.44
How did He lead you
into the Adventist church?
00:22:56.47\00:22:59.47
Well, that was a...
00:22:59.51\00:23:03.14
see, when I
walked into court room,
00:23:03.18\00:23:05.18
I walked into court
room on January 23rd,
00:23:05.21\00:23:07.95
supposed to get
sentence for seven years.
00:23:07.98\00:23:10.62
And the judge
sentenced me to 60 years
00:23:10.69\00:23:13.22
and $750,000 fine, and
it still took me back...
00:23:13.25\00:23:17.03
60, not 16 but 60?
00:23:17.06\00:23:18.66
No, 60, six zero.
00:23:18.69\00:23:21.70
Wow... And I laughed at him.
00:23:21.73\00:23:24.90
And he said, "What so funny?"
00:23:24.93\00:23:27.20
I said, "The Lord has
been asking me 43 years,
00:23:27.24\00:23:30.37
now He's got me, He
won't let me to die in prison."
00:23:30.41\00:23:33.54
And I still had
my faith right then
00:23:33.58\00:23:36.34
and instead of
taking me back to the jail,
00:23:36.38\00:23:39.11
they took me back
downstairs at the jail,
00:23:39.15\00:23:41.62
loaded my stuff up in a
car and took me straight to...
00:23:41.65\00:23:46.09
Rankin county
correctional facility,
00:23:46.12\00:23:48.16
locked me in maximum security
and locked me down for 89 days.
00:23:48.19\00:23:51.79
It was like they were
trying to get me back,
00:23:51.83\00:23:53.80
he knew how to change
and he's trying to give me
00:23:53.86\00:23:56.46
back for I ever got in.
00:23:56.50\00:23:57.83
You really need knowledge
about it doing to avoid me.
00:23:57.87\00:23:59.60
Yes...
00:23:59.63\00:24:01.04
But I didn't
slack up, even in hoe,
00:24:01.07\00:24:04.01
I didn't have
Bible and then first time
00:24:04.04\00:24:05.97
a preacher come by, I
went banging on the door
00:24:06.01\00:24:07.68
and said, "Bring me
Bible, bring me Bible."
00:24:07.71\00:24:10.45
So, I finally got my Bible.
00:24:10.48\00:24:12.98
89 days later I got
put into population in.
00:24:13.01\00:24:15.85
I was sitting back and
reading my Bible every day.
00:24:15.88\00:24:17.52
Me and couple of guys...
00:24:17.59\00:24:18.92
I got this guys,
I am teaching them
00:24:18.95\00:24:20.29
do legal works
right because you know,
00:24:20.32\00:24:22.62
my hands just got to the
point, I boxed, you know,
00:24:22.66\00:24:25.43
all that stuff of
my life and that point,
00:24:25.46\00:24:27.50
my hand just started
getting little arthritis.
00:24:27.50\00:24:31.37
So, I was teaching this
guy how to do this stuff,
00:24:31.40\00:24:33.00
he hit me with it and
he watched me every day,
00:24:33.03\00:24:36.00
we're getting up my
Bible study and everything
00:24:36.04\00:24:38.27
every morning and every evening,
00:24:38.31\00:24:40.64
and lunch time stop
and I always stopping
00:24:40.68\00:24:43.55
to read my bible.
00:24:43.61\00:24:45.18
Finally walked up to
me and said, "James!"
00:24:45.21\00:24:49.15
he said, "I see you
reading Bible everyday"
00:24:49.18\00:24:52.25
he said, "You're
gonna take it with you
00:24:52.29\00:24:53.62
when you leave or
you're gonna leave it,
00:24:53.66\00:24:54.99
just to get you
like dress them do?"
00:24:55.02\00:24:58.56
I kind of
laughed, I said, "No man,
00:24:58.59\00:25:01.00
I wouldn't leave it, brother,
00:25:01.03\00:25:02.73
God showed me real,
00:25:02.76\00:25:04.10
I can't turn my
back on him now."
00:25:04.17\00:25:05.87
It's kind of ironic
because, headman a week before,
00:25:05.90\00:25:08.97
I've made three
gangsters catch out,
00:25:09.00\00:25:11.74
because they
stole cigarette lighters
00:25:11.77\00:25:13.11
on from me.
00:25:13.14\00:25:14.48
I can't
remember what was it for,
00:25:14.51\00:25:15.84
but I ran out of
my zone, you know.
00:25:15.88\00:25:18.65
And every time somebody
says to me, I tell them,
00:25:18.68\00:25:20.22
"Well, I'm kind of like
Paul, I'm learning to get there,
00:25:20.25\00:25:23.28
I haven't got there
yet, so if you slap me,
00:25:23.32\00:25:25.25
I'm gonna slap
you back." You know.
00:25:25.29\00:25:26.86
Oh, my goodness.
So you were in row.
00:25:26.89\00:25:29.66
We don't have much time left,
I can't believe our time is up.
00:25:29.69\00:25:33.90
So there was an
inmate there though.
00:25:33.93\00:25:36.03
Did he tell you
about the Sabbath or--?
00:25:36.06\00:25:37.53
Right.
00:25:37.57\00:25:38.90
So he asked me, he said,
"Let me ask you this one.
00:25:38.93\00:25:41.60
What denomination are you?"
00:25:41.64\00:25:43.91
I said, "Well, I'm grew
up baptism Presbyterian,
00:25:43.97\00:25:47.14
being cast to
all lead of churches,
00:25:47.18\00:25:49.04
kind of got confused."
00:25:49.08\00:25:50.41
Reached out to my Bible
00:25:50.45\00:25:51.78
and said "This
is what I believe."
00:25:51.81\00:25:53.15
He said, "Is Bible
00:25:53.18\00:25:54.52
your sole
source of information?"
00:25:54.55\00:25:55.88
I said, "Yes, sir."
00:25:55.92\00:25:58.19
He smiles and
says, "Why don't you
00:25:58.22\00:25:59.55
go to church on Sunday?"
00:25:59.59\00:26:01.62
That felt like he slapped me.
00:26:01.66\00:26:03.16
You know, I had always
been at church on Sunday,
00:26:03.19\00:26:04.53
I never heard of
Seventh-day Adventist,
00:26:04.56\00:26:06.39
you know, and he said...
00:26:06.43\00:26:10.57
I said okay, you know.
00:26:10.60\00:26:13.37
So I said,
"Anyway," I told him, I said,
00:26:13.44\00:26:15.57
"Well, I always
have, Bible teaches that."
00:26:15.60\00:26:19.54
He said, "No, it
don't, let just show me".
00:26:19.57\00:26:21.14
I said, "Okay."
00:26:21.18\00:26:22.51
So instead of me
showing him wrong,
00:26:22.54\00:26:25.65
I showed him to be right
and I wanted to know why,
00:26:25.68\00:26:28.52
and he wouldn't tell me.
00:26:28.55\00:26:30.19
So he made me do my own studies,
00:26:30.22\00:26:31.65
so I studied the
history of church,
00:26:31.69\00:26:33.05
had a little lady in
there called Miss Pat.
00:26:33.09\00:26:35.19
She was a Seventh-day Adventist,
00:26:35.22\00:26:36.56
she gave me The
Great Controversy ended.
00:26:36.59\00:26:38.49
And I was all up to
praying. Praise the Lord.
00:26:38.53\00:26:42.06
Brother James,
thank you so much.
00:26:42.10\00:26:44.60
Thank you so much
for sharing your story.
00:26:44.63\00:26:47.30
It's... God is
just, he's got obviously
00:26:47.34\00:26:51.31
has had a plan
for you, all along.
00:26:51.34\00:26:54.51
And God has a plan for you.
00:26:54.54\00:26:57.15
Keep praying, reading the word
00:26:57.21\00:26:58.75
and seeking God's
will for your life,
00:26:58.78\00:27:01.22
and he will never
leave you, nor forsake you.
00:27:01.25\00:27:03.65
Well, I can't
believe our time is up,
00:27:03.72\00:27:05.95
thanks for joining us.
00:27:05.99\00:27:07.32
Join us next time,
because we wouldn't be
00:27:07.39\00:27:08.72
the same without you.
00:27:08.76\00:27:10.09