The metallic clang of the prison cell door and the jingle of the correctional officer’s keys were the sounds of Charles’ conversion. At that moment, he realized that he desperately needed God in his life. And in the months to come, God would bring about another transformation—and your loving gifts to Amazing Facts would help create something brand new behind bars.
Charles grew up in a Christian home and gave his heart to God when he was nine. However, asthma made his childhood difficult. Few treatments were available at the time, and he often struggled. Once, he nearly died of a 107-degree fever. “I survived by the grace of God,” he shares. Today, Charles can see God’s hand even in the health challenges of his early years.
But by the time Charles had reached adulthood, his life was consumed by drugs, alcohol, and pornography. He spent every moment feeding those addictions—until he landed in federal prison. There he found a Bible and started reading it. He began to understand more about God’s love for him. Every day for five years, Charles read his Bible openly. Others took notice and began to ask him questions. Soon, he was leading a Bible study in his cell. As the days ticked by, the small group grew. Eventually, his cell couldn’t fit the number of men who wanted to attend.
Charles went to the prison chaplain and asked permission to move his Bible study to the chapel. The chaplain agreed, and the Bible study began to grow again.
Questions and Answers
Charles loved his work with the other inmates. Their desire for God’s Word thrilled him. But there was a problem. Occasionally, the men asked questions that he didn’t know how to answer. What’s more, Charles himself had questions. How could he possibly answer other people’s questions when he had so many himself? He felt the weighty responsibility of being a teacher, and he wanted to be sure that what he shared was true.
God had a plan in place—and He used your generosity and support to kickstart it!
One day, Charles was leafing through a pile of discarded literature when an Amazing Facts Study Guide caught his eye. He began reading. To his delight, the guide had just the answers he needed! The clear, Bible-focused responses gave him confidence that he was sharing truth with his friends. “It helped me to understand and research the Bible,” Charles says. Soon, he had collected Study Guides on many different Bible topics.
God continued to bless Charles’ small group. Eventually, 25 inmates were meeting together in the chapel, studying God’s Word and finding answers to their questions in the Study Guides. One of the men was a Muslim from Iraq. As they studied together, the man concluded that the Bible was God’s Word. Charles had the privilege of leading the man to accept Jesus as his Savior. When Charles was released at the end of his five-year sentence, the former Muslim took over leading the Bible study! “God was working wonders on the inside,” Charles says.
Homeless—and Happy
Once he left prison, Charles was homeless. But even in this situation, Charles is finding a way to live his life for God’s glory. He still reads his Bible every day and finds joy in developing studies for others in his homeless shelter. “I’m not sad or depressed about being homeless,” he confesses. “I consider it to be the greatest opportunity to teach others. This isn’t a setback—it’s the greatest challenge the Lord could have given me.”
Charles also writes, “Amazing Facts was important to my learning process. I had so many questions about my loving Creator that weren’t getting answered. Because of the literature that I found, I was able to get those answers.”
Finally, Charles shares, “God loves each one of us so much that He sent the only sacrifice sufficient for our forgiveness.”
And who needs God’s love more than those trapped behind bars of sin? With the help of your prayers and gifts, Amazing Facts can continue sending literature to thousands in prison. Together, we are following the Bible’s instruction to “remember the prisoners as if chained with them” (Hebrews 13:3).
Thank you for changing Charles’s life!