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It was hard, walking through those prison gates for the first time, knowing that I was just starting a twentyfive-year sentence. What would my life be like there? I didn’t know, and I felt anxious. But I had given my life to Christ, so I was trusting him to be with me behind bars. What I wanted most was a friend in Christ.
Tired from the long bus ride to the prison, I found a chair in the intake area, where incoming prisoners wait to get fingerprinted, photographed, and so on. As I looked around to get my bearings, I noticed an inmate who was older than me. Hope he’s a man who loves God, I thought.
Seeing I was looking at him, he said, “Did you just get here?” I told him yes. Then he asked where I was from, and we went through the old introduction routine.
Meeting a Shepherd. I didn’t know whether we’d ever talk again, but the next day, he came looking for me and asked me to stop by his cell. His friendliness and openness surprised me—it’s not the kind of attitude you expect in prisons, where people can tend to be mistrustful and isolated.…
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