This November marks 20 years since I entered Denver Reception & Diagnostic Center, aka DRDC, as a scared 21-year-old. DRDC is the first stop on the Colorado prison journey. I thought I knew who I had to be on the inside, but I had no idea how to become that person. During my first few days at DRDC, I met someone who would show me the ropes and teach me what it meant to be a “good dude” in prison. He was serving a life sentence, and I made it a point to listen to every word he said.
Just over a year later, I was sent to supermax, where I spent more than three and a half years in solitary confinement, following the “good dude” lessons I had learned during those few weeks with him. Over the next seven years of my first sentence, we exchanged many letters, and after I was released, we had one phone conversation before he was sent to supermax.
Now, here’s why I’m telling you this.
Recently I felt called to request a transfer back to DRDC. Because DRDC is the first stop, I knew if I was there, we could get personalized Bibles into the hands of more and more of the scared, unsure, and hopeless men entering the system. God made a way and my transfer request was granted!
As I sat in a holding cell waiting for the bus to take me back to DRDC, I glanced out the window and was completely shocked. There was the man who taught me to be a “good dude,” shackled in an orange jumpsuit, heading somewhere unknown. We only had a few seconds to acknowledge each other through the window, but in that moment, I realized just how profound it was. Today, I am bound by God’s grace, to show the young men coming in what it means to be a good person, not a “good dude.” A person who knows God’s grace and strives to be better every single day.
God is so good and faithful, providing us a way to deliver His word to so many! I thank God for all of you who make this ministry not just possible but a reality. We’ve been back at DRDC just over 30 days, and God has gone before us in ways only He can.
As we launch our mission to give out 5,000 Bibles, we will have countless opportunities to share the work you are helping us accomplish. Every bit of our effort is meant to glorify God, call the lost to repentance, and support those who arrive or are released with nothing. Through our efforts, we will help build better people, ultimately creating safer communities and a safer prison system for everyone.
