God works in mysterious ways, I assure you, I never have thought I’d be as joyful and content as I am here in prison, considering my story and how I got here. I’m an inmate in Pennsylvania serving time for charges from 2009. I am 34 years old and this is my testimony and my way of giving glory to God.
My name is Aaron Love. I grew up without my parents, I lived with my Aunt; my cousin whom I was a victim of sexual molestation. I have been a disturbed person ever since I can remember. I was severely depressed growing up, which ultimately led to drug abuse. I’d been on antidepressants trying to make the pain go away. I felt that Aaron was a bad person. By the time I was in the 7th grade I was smoking cigarettes and even sexually active. I was slowly getting out of control and running with the local out casts. I would do vandalism, robberies and plain disrespect was fun to me. I was out of control, everything that I knew as my life, was gone. The geographical change didn’t cure anything. At age 14 I was selling my body and by 18 I was on drugs, I found the local drug dealers. I attracted them for some reason, so I lived in the streets and the streets lived in me.
After a few years of insanity, being on the run from my parole officer thinking this was a game, so at the end of my rope, I gave up. I just couldn’t run another day. I couldn’t smoke another hit, I sat down on one of the corners I usually worked at and I cried. I asked God to help me. What happened next was amazing; my cell phone rang, it was my best friend telling me to come to her house so as I turned the corner, everything in me screamed, “Get Up”! Move! Walk! But I stood there and told myself “this is it.” I stood, held my hands out, I was asked what my name was, and then I heard a voice say this is your lucky day. Needless to say I have not smoked crack since. I had no one out there but one friend. Yet God sent me a lady from my church whom I owe my life to and my obedience to God. Now I have some contact with my friends and my church once again.
On 12-9-09 when I turned myself in; the judge gave me two consecutive five year sentences. I walked out of court with my head down low. I can now say with God in my life on June 6th, 2010 I got a letter from my lawyer saying I am now going to do two ½ to five years. At that time my family stopped writing me, has nothing to do with me still to this day. But I will not give up on contacting my family. God has brought me this far in life so I thank Him every day. So I sit here almost two years later waiting to be paroled. I’m so grateful that God has saved me from the streets.
Every day is a good day, although I have to carefully choose my thoughts not to complain no matter how bad I think I have it. One thing I’ve learned in here is you don’t have to be behind a barbed wire or electric fence to be locked up. I am the care free, joyful person I was meant to be in life.
I hope the Lord has revealed something to you using my testimony. There isn’t a day that goes by that God doesn’t remind me that he’s right here with me and He loves me. I believe God is working behind the scenes. Believe with me. One of my favorite verses is Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Also God says; He will not give you more than you can handle.
I hope this testimony has been a blessing to you. If you would like to read how others in similar situations have experienced the life transforming power of God please write to me at the address below. We now have over 35 testimonies of those whose lives have been transformed by God’s amazing Grace. Please send us your testimony as well. We would also like artwork and poetry to use in this ministry.
Bro. Otto Ball
C/o Crossroads Ministry
C/o Crossroads Ministry
P.O. Box 363
Hyde, PA 16843
The Roman Road
I had a pretty good opinion of myself until a friend invited me to take a walk down the Roman Road. He used a single book in the Bible to open my eyes to my relationship with God, and I haven’t been the same since.
He warned me that the trip might hurt, and he was right because he started by revealing my real status before God.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God …
Romans 3:23.
Then I learned of sin’s penalty.
For the wages of sin is death …Romans 6:23a
He went on to tell me that God loves me so much he offers an alternative called “Eternal Life” …but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ … Romans 6:23b.
Then he showed me how God provided his son Jesus as a atoning Sacrifice for my sin. Jesus took my penalty! But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8.
I wondered if God would accept me. He assured me with even more good news. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved… Romans 10:13.
My friend showed me what I should do to receive Eternal Life. That if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God raise him from the dead, thou shall be save … Romans 10:9
We prayed together, and I gladly accepted God’s gift of Eternal Life through Jesus Christ.