“I started running the streets at an early age,” Davy told us. “My dad made some bad choices and was sent to prison when I was a teenager.”
Free from his dad’s supervision, Davy was left to make bad decisions of his own.
“This new freedom allowed me to run the streets, drink, smoke and live in sexual immorality,” he wrote. “I thought I was king of the world—the devil had me fooled—but, oh, how wrong I was. Living in bondage, this was not freedom but death for me. My true freedom did not come until after I was arrested.”
After his arrest, Davy was let out on bail. During this season, he decided to clean up his life and see if he could get the charges against him dropped.
“Boy, was I in for a big surprise!” Davy recalled. “I didn’t know that what I was about to be set free from was a whole lot more than some legal charges!”
While he was waiting for his trial, Davy attended church for the first time. A few months later, he surrendered his life to Christ, and a volunteer at the church walked him through the Romans Road, a series of verses in Romans explaining the good news of salvation.
“After he was sure I understood what had just happened,” Davy said, “he asked me the question that has forever changed my life: ‘Now what?’’’
As a brand-new Christian, Davy didn’t know how to answer. So, the volunteer shared Romans 12:1–2 with him:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Davy went to trial the following year and was sentenced to twenty-two years in prison. He told us, “God gave me one year to learn what a personal relationship looked like. I got plugged in, got discipled, got baptized, got equipped for this mission trip I have been on since April 2013.”
As he serves his sentence, Davy clings to these words from Romans 8:28:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
He explained, “You see, I don’t speak Chinese, so God didn’t send me to China, but I do speak knucklehead, so here I am—not looking at this as a prison sentence but a mission trip. I can look back over my life and see how God has been preparing me for this moment my whole life.”
Shortly after arriving in prison, Davy was introduced to Crossroads. Through his Crossroads studies, he has been able to keep Christ at the center of his life.
“These courses have meant so much to me,” he shared. “The mentors have come alongside me to edify and build me up. Not only has Crossroads helped my knowledge and understanding of the Word of God, but it has helped me have a real personal relationship with Jesus Christ, so much so that I love introducing others to Jesus.”
When COVID-19 hit, volunteers were no longer allowed to go into his facility. Yet, through Crossroads, Davy has found confidence as he shares his faith with others. “God allowed me to be part of building His Church back up in here,” he wrote. “I believe we get so we can give, and I’ve had so many invest in me, I can’t help but invest in others. Discipleship is a lifestyle for me.”
Like Davy, many of our students are gaining the confidence to disciple others in their facilities. In fact, our students are our leading referral source. Please join us in praying for students like Davy who are committed to sharing their faith with others.
Would you like to come alongside men and women in prison as they grow in their faith and learn how to disciple others? Consider signing up to be a Crossroads mentor.