Angie
I am just grateful that God gave me another chance. I thank him for my mentor, and all the good people he put around me. I really am thankful that I am back in my daughter’s life.
Crystal
What a privilege to be able to share with you all the journey so far. Thirteen years ago, started my journey of realization that a personal intimate relationship with Jesus Christ is critical in living a victorious, abundant & free life in Christ. It was during a 3 ½ month incarceration that God used the ministry of Life Abundant along with other mentors to show me this truth. Praise God that during my incarceration God opened my eyes to see that Christ alone, and a daily intimate walk with him, was needed to stay on the path of recovery and live free from the bondage which so easily beset me.
I cannot say the last 13 years has been easy, but I can say that it is worth it. I can say that Christ alone is enough and a daily intimate relationship with him is the best decision I continually make. I am here to testify that the redemptive, transforming power of Christ is real and available to all who will put their faith and trust in Him. There are a few verses that have been paramount in helping me to stay the course and continue to trust in His perfect will and plan for my life:
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me”
Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
I have gone from prisoner to a successful sales professional. I owe it all to God and amazing people like those at Life Abundant that have been faithful and patient to guide me. I am living proof of what amazing things God can do if you surrender and trust.
Monica
I am writing to express my appreciation for the wonderful experience I have had with the Life Abundant Mentoring program. My experience and relationship with the members of Life Abundant goes way beyond Bible Study. They are a constant source of support both in and out of prison. It has been encouraging to know that I had someone in my corner…someone who has been and continues to be willing to listen when I have a silly request or needed advice. I remember very specifically reading the Bible for the first time…reading the first word and just thinking that this was magic. I experienced a new found hunger to grow deeper in my walk with the Lord. What Life Abundant did for me was give me the ability to cultivate new, good and healthy habits, as well as give me tools to use for the rest of my lifetime. I have confidence in the efforts of the people of Life Abundant as they bring hope to those that would otherwise not believe in the Lord. I am an example of this and the Lord’s Grace – a sinner saved by Grace. I feel it safe to say that having my mentors from Life Abundant has put me on the right path. Life Abundant was also instrumental in find me a wonderful, sober, Christian home for me to live and continue my walk with the Lord. – Turning Point 2, Bristol, PA. I look forward to my continued mentor-mentee relationship and would strongly advise the Life Abundant mentorship program to all inmates.
For this and all of your help I thank you.
Monica was referred to a residential facility and is still doing well in her new community.
Morris
After a twenty year set-back (incarceration), Morris felt like he had let down his family and friends and wrestled with feelings of regret and shame. He also knew that the people who were the closest to him were dealing with a myriad of emotions: empathy, hurt, anger, and even bewilderment and for some.
The next chapter of Morris’ life would take twenty years to unfold. God in his rich mercy began to work on Morris through the soft spoken, steadfast, unwavering woman of God…his wife, Vivian. Morris often quotes, and perhaps understands more than most, the power of Peter’s words in chapter 3:1-4: “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the Word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.” Morris allowed the Word of God to take a hold of his life and he began to think, behave and live differently.
Morris was housed in an institution almost three and a half hours away in one direction. Vivian and her son traveled this route faithfully for twenty years visiting Morris month after month year after year. Never once complaining but always having a good word to share with her husband. Vivian’s church family became her extended family and many took interest in her plight. Some began to correspond with Morris.
Once Morris was released, he was embraced by his wife and family, his newly found church family and Life Abundant staff and volunteers. Morris landed a job and to date continues to attend his home church and assist the ministry when he can. God can truly do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ever think or imagine.
Peter
My biological parents were teenagers and gave me up for adoption, and I always struggled with why they didn’t want me. At age one my adopted parents divorced. At age fifteen, I was introduced to alcohol and marijuana and by seventeen I was doing acid (LSD). I was suffering from depression, anxiety, racing thoughts, trouble concentrating, but told no one.
By nineteen, when the first young women showed any real interest me, I dove deep and fast into a relationship with her. She was pregnant by twenty and we were married by age twenty-one. By the time I was twenty-five, I had three children with her, but was not ready to be a husband or a father. I did not know how to properly handle my problems. Under the stress of being head of a family, I struggled with anger, lust, lying and stealing. I felt lost and insignificant. In an attempt to “get ahead,” I committed embezzlement, forgery and identity-theft. I lost my marriage, custody of my children, the respect of my family, friends, and ended up in prison. But GOD was bigger than my problems and He began working on my soul as soon as I entered prison. While I sat in my cell feeling completely empty and alone, GOD touched me.
Over time, GOD put believers in my path, ministering to me and leading my path. I found myself in a Bible study one evening and when I heard the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, I was overcome. It was such an overwhelming experience that it is hard to describe. That night, December 10, 2008, I accepted the Lord Jesus as Messiah, my Savior, and Redeemer. My life was never the same.
Peter continues to work in ministry and is very active in his local church. We thank God for the opportunity we had to meet Peter and to minister to him.
Kelly
I heard about Christ when I was a child, when my family made me to go Sunday School and church. I believed in God while I was young. I stopped believing in God when I grew defiant of my family. As a teenager I started using drugs and my whole life was based on drugs. My life became hell ever since. I got locked up and through Life Abundant, and Sandy B. whom I love, I came to believe in God again. HE has done lots of wonderful things for me. I am more at peace and living a clean and sober life. Also He helped me deal with my anger. I want to thank Life Abundant for opening up my faith again.
Nancy
The Lord wants me to realize that I don’t need to depend on anyone but HIM. Things like this continue to be evident to me because Life Abundant helped me to open up to the Lord again.
Angela
My name is Angela and I wanted to write about my great experience with the Life [Abundant] program. I spent nine months in the Bucks County Correctional Facility in between 2014-2015. Back in 2014, I had gotten picked up on an outstanding warrant from 1994. I didn’t realize it then, but it was one of the biggest blessings in disguise. Since I was about 13 years old, my life was a mess and chaotic. I had found drugs at 13 and that’s when my life started to take a turn for the worse. I had been in and out of jails and rehabs for years, but nothing seemed to help fix the problem, me. While they picked me up on the warrant, I didn’t realize I had a controlled substance in my pocket and because of that, I had now picked up a new charge. I felt the same feeling I had felt since I was 13, hopeless. I was depressed and not knowing what my life had become. While incarcerated, I decided to attend church and that is where I was told about Life [Abundant]. I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try. I was willing to try anything at that point. My first time meeting with someone from the program, I was so nervous. It ended up going so well, that I couldn’t wait for the next one. I was paired with a woman who truly helped save my life. Every Tuesday, I could not wait for her to get there. For the first time in a long time, I was given hope that everything would be okay. My mentor knew how to help me through some of the darkest times in my life. She placed my hand in God, and assured me that with Him, everything would be okay. I looked forward to her coming and knowing just the right thing to say or her ability to relate my situation with that of one in the Bible. The lifestyle that led me to jail was one that felt like I was going to be a prisoner to the demons that had a grip on me, addiction and all that comes with it. That was until I met my mentor. I then knew with her and God on my side, I was okay. I was safe. And I was saved. Through my work every week with my mentor, I learned and accepted that the mistakes I had made were for a reason, to be taught a lesson. I now have over 3 years clean from my drug addiction, which is something I never thought would be possible. I am a trustworthy employee at a drug and alcohol facility, where I am able to share my experience and hope with others who felt like I once felt, dead inside. I am building a relationship with my daughter, who I had not spoken to in 10 years. And she wants to come up to spend time with me. So many good things have come to my life since Life [Abundant] and my mentor. But I believe the most import thing that happened, was that I was able to fully trust and rely on God. And with that, I know that everything I go through in life has a purpose. I know that I am where I am supposed to be and that everything will be okay, no matter what. Without this program, I am sure I would have gone right back to the only thing I know, drugs. But thanks to [all who helped], I am now living life to serve not only others, but God. And I have never been happier. Thank you!
Angela is employed in the clinical field and is helping others avoid some of the mistakes that she has made. She is a model of a changed life.