Testimony of an inmate, written January 18, 1993
I greet you in the Name of the Lord Jesus. I thank God always for the wonderful family that I have been born into, for the brothers and sisters of Christ who care for us who are in prison.
I wanted to write to let you know a few things about me, and to let you know my walk with the Lord Jesus is in all sincerity. I love the Lord with all my “whole” heart, soul and body. He has done many miracles in my life in the last five years, and I would like to share a few of them with you. To begin with my birthday is October 19, 1963. I am 29 years old. At the present time I’m serving an 80 year sentence. It started in 1987. On October 7 I was found guilty in a jury trial. The jury recommended 30 years for possession of cocaine, 40 years for possession of a weapon while committing a felony, and 10 years for possession of a firearm after former conviction of a felony. It’s a long story but I had a $500-$700 a day cocaine habit with a wife and two sons. I was really in bad shape with no way out. I can remember saying a prayer one night in June of that year. I was high on cocaine and wanting more and didn’t have it. About 3:00 AM in the morning, laying beside my wife in bed, realizing my life had been destroyed, I prayed and asked God to restore my life and my family, to restore all I had destroyed.
Little did I know God had heard my prayer and little did I know what was in store for my future. But God knew! After my trial I was laying in the Oklahoma City County Jail waiting for sentencing, thinking of suicide, withdrawing from drugs and alcohol. I had lost my freedom, my family, my dreams and all hope of ever regaining any of it! Death was my next step. Then at seven o’clock on a Tuesday night the door pops open in the cell I was in. This never happens past 5:00 P.M. I lay there thinking about why the door popped open. About 3 minutes had passed. I didn’t know that what was about to happen would change the rest of my life! About that time a little old man came storming through the door. He said, “I came here to tell you God Loves You!” Well I sat up in my bed that night and listened to him and started thinking about my life. How could a God love me after all I had done. But it was true, God did love me. During this time I gave my life to the Lord. Every Tuesday night that old Baptist preacher would come storming through the door with those same words, “I came here to tell you, God Loves You!”
I made Jesus the Savior of my soul. But most of all I made Him the Lord of my life. That was in October of ’87. On December 2nd the judge sentenced me to 80 years. But during this time I was waiting to be sentenced, I was spending about 8 to 10 hours a day studying God’s Word. It became my only reason for living, my only hope was in Jesus Christ. Tears would flow down my cheeks as I would learn of God’s love for me. My heart would become crushed and broken from the wrongs I had done in my life. But my repentance would bring forth peace and joy from God’s Word!
It was beautiful to see and feel the changes God was making in my heart. But I still needed some miracles in my life! On the day I was sentenced, I had thought I had died! In the courtroom was my mother and wife. It sounded like a funeral. As I left the courtroom I went back up to my cell in a state of shock! They came and got me for a visit with my sister-in-law. I couldn’t see my wife that day! After the visit I was returning to my cell and ran into Bud Hamm. That was the preacher’s name who would come on Tuesday nights. I told him what had happened. He looked at me in the eyes and said, “We are going to pray about this. “About 30 minutes later he came and got me out of my cell. We went upstairs to a room…me, him and another brother. We joined hands in prayer. First they prayed, then I prayed. In that prayer I prayed for three things. One for a contact visit with my wife before I left the county jail. (Normally visiting was done through plastic.) Second, for my wife and I to be reconciled in our marriage. And third, for me to be set free from prison. Well Glory to God, He answered the first one 4 days later with a contact visit with my wife which was a miracle! Then I left the next day for prison.
Being 24 years old with an 80 year sentence, I was concerned with what was ahead of me. But God kept His hand upon me the whole time and I had peace in my heart that everything was going to be all right. God watches over His Word to perform it and it will not return void, but it will accomplish that which He has set it out to do! God sent me to the prison he wanted, to train me, to mold and shape me, to be what he wanted me to be. For 15 months every day I would seek God in His fullness. He was all I had. My wife had left me and I was 200 miles from home. But in this, Galatians 2:20 became real in my life, where Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
I knew someday God was going to return my wife to me. But it wouldn’t be until God had all of me!…spirit, soul and body! Then on January 1st 1989, my wife came to see me, and saw a wonderful change in my life. Each week she kept coming back and each week we would draw closer. There were times it was rough, but God would bring us through. I remember a promise God said to me right after He brought me to this prison 200 miles from home. He said not to worry, “For in the fullness of time, I will bring your wife to you!” Glory to God, He did, too. Every week! He gave her a job and a car so she could come and see me! Glory to God! The third part of my prayer is soon to be answered…Him setting me free. I’ve served two and a half years on the 30 year sentence and was paroled to my 40 year sentence, with my 10 year sentence afterwards. I don’t know how God is going to work this miracle in my life, but I know He is! He has truly restored my life and given me my wife and two beautiful sons back to me. He has set me free from drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, cursing!, and has put a love in my heart for people.
He has done miracle after miracle in my life and I truly love Him and give Him the praise, the glory, and the honor for all He has done. I would be writing for weeks to tell all He has done in my life, and in the lives of the people around me, the souls that have been saved and set free by the power of God! He is so real and so true to His Word. And His love is past finding out. It is so deep and so full! Praise God! I pray that you are blessed by the testimony of the things God is doing in the lives of His people. I do my best to use all the literature I receive for the furtherance of the Gospel. Philippians 1:12 – But I would you should understand, brother, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel. This is my life now, ministering to others. I am grateful for any books or tracts that might help a baby Christian get started and grow in the Word. The packet you sent me was a blessing. Thanks. I’m sharing them with the other guys! I try to be obedient to the Holy Spirit. I love you brother with the love of Christ! May God richly bless you!
Love Always, Your Brother and Fellow Laborer in Christ. Dixie
PS: Update!! 7/25/93 I am blessed, I mean blessed, pressed down, shaken together, running over! Remember I said God was going to set me free. I said I didn’t know how, but I knew He was going to do it. Well Glory to God! I received last Monday that the court dismissed and vacated my 40 year sentence, Praise God! I’m going home! In John 8:32 Jesus promised to set me free if I would continue in His Word! Well Glory to God, He has done it. But not only has He set me free from prison, but He set me free from all of the bondage I was in before … cocaine, marijuana, cigarettes, alcohol, cursing, pride, lust. He has totally set me free, Praise God!
Dixie is Home!! On January 24, 1994 Dixie rejoined his wife and children after 6 years, 3 months and 17 days in prison. His story continues to unfold each day as he shares Jesus with others. Keep in touch for the next chapter of his life story.