“I couldn’t change through my own strength. But from the day I followed Jesus, everything changed.”
For more than 20 years, Samuel was trapped in addiction, crime, and a cycle he couldn’t escape. He described himself as a “hardcore drug addict,” living a life that kept pulling him back into prison.
At age 38, he was arrested again and sentenced to five years. It would be his last time in prison, and a turning point in his life.
While serving his sentence in 2008, Samuel began attending chapel services. Slowly, as he listened to the Gospel week after week, something stirred in his heart.
“I knew I couldn’t live like this anymore,” he said. “I had tried to change many times. I couldn’t do it.”
In 2010, a volunteer introduced the Crossroads program inside the prison. Samuel enrolled.
At first, he didn’t know much about the Bible. But the lesson questions pushed him to search Scripture for answers. “Because of the questions, I had to go and read the Bible,” Samuel shared. “God spoke to me in many different ways.”
Soon Samuel and his three cellmates had all enrolled in Crossroads. In their small prison cell, they studied Scripture together, discussed what they were learning, and encouraged one another.
“We didn’t know anything,” Samuel said. “But we learned—and we encouraged each other.”
Through those lessons, Samuel discovered who Jesus is. One day, he prayed a simple but desperate prayer: “Lord, I don’t want to be like this anymore. I cannot change on my own. Please change me.”
God answered.
Samuel surrendered his life to Christ. Over time, his addiction loosened its grip, and he discovered a new purpose. When he was released in 2011, he walked out of prison not just physically free, but spiritually free.
Today, at 53, Samuel is married with two children and serves full-time at Breakthrough Café, part of Breakthrough Mission, a halfway house ministry in Singapore that has been serving men in recovery for more than 40 years.
“The mission here is to sow seeds,” Samuel said. “To share the Gospel with non-believers and those still in bondage to drugs.”
Each day, Samuel shares his story with customers and people in recovery, pointing them to the same hope that changed his life. He also serves faithfully in his local church, continuing to grow in his faith and encourage others.
Looking back, Samuel is filled with gratitude.
“Because of your support, prisoners like me met Jesus—and found freedom,” he said. “From the day I followed Jesus, everything changed. Everything I lost has been restored.”
When you support Crossroads, you provide Bible lessons, mentorship, and the hope of Christ to men and women in prison.
Your gift helps someone like Samuel open a Bible, seek answers, pray for the first time, and discover true freedom.
Will you help bring hope to someone behind bars today? Give today.