Journey of Growth

The day August 8th 2008 is the day. Yep the day I grabbed my life and flipped it upside down. There was a stress and a relief of knowing that my life was about to change... I NEVER thought it would change this much.

 I first started by being taken into custody and having to stay in a one man cell, so cold and quiet. I thought only of my family and began my life of prayer and dedication to the Lord.

Buddy's Song 

Later was moved to DelValle Where the Travis County Jail is located. It was therethat one of the most enlightening things in my life ever happened. I was in a dorm with 23 other men and at any given time there was a bible study going on between 3 to 5 inmates. WOW what was happening. I first received a bible and with it came "A Purpose Driven Life" where you read a section a day for 40 days. What an uplifting experience. I grew closer to the Lord and was gaining momentum to the day I live in now. I was always taking notes and asking questions of a young man by the name of Buddy Baker. What a testimony he has. He shared this with me and it put a lot into perspective for me and how selfish I have been in my life.

One of the scriptures he gave is,"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law ( though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in it's blessing." 1Corinthians 9: 19-23 

 I was opened to a whole new aspect of me... I thank him for that. Amen.

 As I kept reading and learning, the Lord was so in control of that dorm. Many miracles were happening and many souls being won. I was priviledged to lead Jose and Hector to the Lord and help many others with the passing on of literature, scripture, and letters from Natalie to help them out. I was beginning to understand that scripture Buddy gave me.

It was an amazing thing to watch this young man Hector stand at the front of the room every night after lights out. He would open the bible and read a complete chapter to us. It was so moving to see him walk around the room first with an open hand like a stop sign stretched out towards us giving us a blessing of "here comes the Word". Then he would read and give us the meat of our spiritual journey we were all on. I know we were all changed in that time we were together... I was, and it isn't stopping. I continue to become less in order to become more.

HEADED OUT

"Time to go... pack it up." is what  I heard at 4am, I was headed to SAFPF. This day is what I waited for but I didn't really know what to expect. When I left I remember sitting in the lobby waiting to go, occasionally a person would come to the window and give a thumbs up ,wave, maybe simply smile. As I sat there it dawned on me," I would never see most of these men that had helped the Lord touch my heart." I had said goodbye, thank you, and all but I knew this was it for my DelValle part of this journey. I was transported to the main building, searched, checked all possessions in, and finally handcuffed and shackled. We were then to an awaiting van that was exactly like a dogcatchers van, metal cage and all. What an experience because it was a two hour ride to the next stop. Byrd Unit which is next door to Huntsville. When I saw that sign I about dropped out because they put more people to death in Huntsville than anywhere else in the USA.

Sept. 6, 09

In side that place was a step back in time. The old iron steel bar cells the whole experience was branded into my head. This whole time I stayed in constant prayer, I approached it as Daniel and the lions and John the Baptist. Many a Disciple of Christ spent days and years in places like this. The cold dungeons of persecutiomforhavinga love for an entity greater thanI could ever imagine but was soon to meet, in spirit that is.

The cell I was in was trribly old in typical movie condition downto the graffitti, what a trip. I was always looking for something positive from the Lord to beshown to me as to why I was there, how to act, what I could relateto the Lord. Well it came to go to sleep and I was reading my bible while lying on my bunk... I would often times put my bible under my mat by my head or sleep with it. Well I lifted up my mat and deeply scratched in the paint of the bunk was, " Let Go Let God". Here I was in the midst of this mentally tormenting place, cold, afraid, and there it is... I had grown so accustomed to saying that with the guys I had just left. It was not coincidence that it was there, they say God speaks to us through coincidence, as we call it, but it was to be that way. I have many things have happened that can only explanation is God. I see life in such a different light and have to remind myself that when you focus on Him that everything becomes coincidence, I mean everything.

Check back because I will be adding more as this story is long from over