DAVID | Belize

By the age of 29, David had already been incarcerated six times.

Growing up in Belize, he came from a society where gangs, drugs, crime and violence were how youth filled their days. David started using crack and committing crimes, eventually landing him in a supermax prison where he further lashed out in violence.

I was a roaring lion. I was mad not only with everything around me but with myself.

When David learned that his child’s mother died he was broken. He asked the prison warden to go to her funeral in exchange for his full compliance once he returned to his cell. David stuck to his word and joined a Christian program, where he found Christ.

I didn’t realize that my submission allowed God to start molding me. I fully surrendered to God.

David quickly became a role model for others – heading up prisoners committees, giving his testimony and spreading the word that prisoners like him could change. However, the status he built got to his head and he became prideful.

Once he was granted parole, he found that his success in prison was worth nothing if he couldn’t back it up with action. He rapidly fell back into addiction, having to be recovered by a parole officer from a crack house where he was higher than a kite.

I was ashamed. I felt dirty, I felt embarrassed that I had failed.

Back in prison, the warden told him that the only way to treat his addiction is through God, as only He can grant the strength to beat that habit. Through in-prison programming, David learned to rely on the power of Jesus Christ for each day – power to beat addiction, power to choose the right path, power to be the father that his daughter desperately needs.

While he still fears living in addiction, falling back into his old habits again and losing the loved ones in his life, David has fully surrendered everything to God. By walking in Jesus’ way and experiencing His forgiveness, he now walks a straight life. Watch the videos below for David’s full story.

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