Testimony shared on CenterPlace.org Discussion
January 6, 2006 -- Jessica Ward

It has been a while since I last posted a testimony on this board. When I was at school this past semester, I'd been trying to post very often in hopes of blessing others with the blessings that I'd received. Once I got home, I got busy and honestly, I just forgot about it for a long time. I remembered the other day and felt sorry that I'd not only neglected the site, but also that I'd neglected observing God's hand in my life as much recently. So here I am again, ready to share a testimony and the one I have brings great joy to my heart.

I have a cousin named Ty. He's had a rough life with his mom and dad in and out of his life. He's always gotten into trouble, ever since I can remember. As he grew up, he got more and more rebellious. Our whole family prayed for him continually and hoped that one day, he'd turn his life around. But I must tell you that my faith was not as strong as it should have been and he was the last person I'd have thought would turn to Jesus. But my faith has been strengthened these past few months.

Yesterday, my mom and I went to see Ty in jail. All we knew was that he was in for robbery and that he'd recently turned his life over to Christ. We'd read some of the letters he'd written to our grandma and were amazed at the change. While we were there, we asked him about his sentence, how long he'd be in, and the Christian programs at the jail. Right now he's in a holding facility called Integrity Correctional Center. He requested to be put there. It is a privately owned facility that is focused on getting people's lives on track. Anyway, I eventually asked him to share his experience with me.

He began to tell us what his life had been like. He'd been involved in drugs and alcohol and steeling and selling stolen goods. He went on and the details, I don't need to share. (I pray that one day he will share them with you.) He and some friends had stolen millions of dollars worth of goods and sold them. One night after this, he was in his appartment and got very scared. He knew there was a bad spirit there. To make a long story short, he was finally told that he needed to turn himself in. So he did. He knew he had a decision that had to be made right then about his life and he decided that he wanted to follow Christ. Now, he's a totally different person. He said that all the bad language, the desire to do bad things, all of it just went away. His story was amazing! Now, when he gets out of jail (7-14 years) he wants to be a minister and help people who have been in the same situation as he is.

Like I said, he's the last person that I thought would turn his life over to Christ, but I am so glad he did. He kept saying, "I don't know why God chose me. I don't know why this happened to me." My mom said something that rings true. "I know why He chose you. Because you've had a lot of people praying for you for a long time." I know that God answers prayers and that no matter how long it takes, He's still listening. We all tried to teach Ty over the years, but he would only listen to God himself. And Praise God! He did!