Marc entered prison twenty-one years ago feeling lost.
Raised in a Catholic family, Marc found himself separated from them at an early age. After his parents’ marriage ended in a divorce, he found himself in the foster care system at the age of eight, and he began acting out. Despite his Catholic roots, Marc hadn’t made the faith his own, he said, leaving him without a sense of direction.
At sixteen, Marc ran away to live with his girlfriend. And, by the time he was twenty-one, they were raising a daughter. To provide for his family, Marc joined the Navy, but this led to relationship strain, drug use and an eventual discharge.
During this time, Marc began to believe that his life didn’t matter, and “lived without care for [himself] or others.” A few years after leaving the Navy, at twenty-five, Marc found himself serving a life sentence.
As Marc waited for his trial, different men began ministering to him in small ways. But it wasn’t until he entered prison that he drew closer to God. He began studying the Bible with some Christians who befriended him. Four years into his sentence, at a chapel service, Marc felt like he was finally starting to reconnect with God.
As Marc lay in bed one night, he struggled to fall asleep contemplating how lost he was, and he began to pray. It was during that time of prayer, that something shifted in his heart.
“It felt like an oppressive weight was removed from me. I am so thankful that He never gave up on me.”
Marc says, “It took some time, but God managed to get through to me how lost I really was, and without Jesus, I had no hope whatsoever. I eventually broke down, gave my life to Jesus, and accepted his sacrifice for my redemption.”
Since then, Marc has been walking with Jesus for seventeen years. He began studying with Crossroads in 2014 and is currently on his seventh course, Biblical Interpretation.
He wrote, “When I am at my lowest, correspondence courses like Crossroads have kept me grounded in the Word. It has been a great benefit to have my mentor give me feedback and share her thoughts. After so long inside, I have lost all friends and family on the outside, and this program is very encouraging to keep me in the Word. I pray that Lord will continue to bless and provide for Crossroads.”
Will you join us in bringing encouragement and hope to others like Marc? Consider supporting Crossroads Prison Ministries. You can donate HERE.