Transcript

We continue to be the most incarcerated nation on the face of the earth. It's not about recidivism. It's about a life. It's about a person. As we go forward today, Lord, may we walk in faith, may we speak with grace, may we labor with conviction, and may we always remember, Lord, your call to seek justice, love, mercy, and restore hope. Amen. So we are getting ready to get on the bus and head to the capital to speak with lawmakers. We have so many justice ambassadors from across the country. Because of my son, he was incarcerated. He still has to deal with the barriers of being incarcerated because that's a stain that he has to carry with them. I'm a justice ambassador because my dad was in prison for a long time. But having him back, I realized just how important it was and thought those second chances. I'm so excited to be here with a record setting, 40 justice ambassadors and faith leaders, and I'm just excited to see what God is about to do all your stuff. Cell phones. There are over 44,000 barriers for men and women that have a criminal conviction. These are barriers that actually do more harm than good. When barriers fall, people flourish, families heal, communities thrive. That's the power of second chances. So we're getting ready to go into a representative from Texas to discuss with him support for the Second Chance Reauthorization Act, basically breaking down the over 44, 000 barriers that exist for those that are incarcerated and leaving and trying to find a new life. One of La Hood's office, the staffer was really engaged. One of the questions she asked was why was the church involved? At our church, we believe in second chances. We believe that God has given us the second chance, that there are new mercies every day. So we want to be a part of the solution. You know, it's kind of like roll your windows down and hear the cries of your community and how do you help and how do you assist? It's just an incredible opportunity to come together, represent the hands and feet of Jesus, and advocate for those that need a second chance, just like all of us. Your stories matter because. Your stories are real. Second chance is personal for me. I did three years of time in federal prison and stepping back as a returning citizen. A lot of challenges with jobs, with housing, and I had no one to support me. Like I had family support, but they didn't know what I had been through. I also didn't know how to deal with life as I got out. So then I ended up relapsing and I went back to prison. I was on the run from the law, and it wasn't until I had an encounter with the risen Jesus Christ. That I had hoped for the first time when I went back to prison. That's where I met Jesus and I surrendered my life to him and allowed him to take over and change me for the better. Drew my meeting with Judas, I was able to have the bravery and the courage to go turn myself and and I'm doing 18 months incarceration. But because of the changes that others had given me, I am now training to be a pastor and at the end of the year I will be elite pastor in a church planner. After incarceration, I just know God sent people my way to help me do things that I wasn't able to do on my own. To obtain housing, to obtain a job, to obtain more education. I got my driver's license, I enrolled in college and I worked multiple jobs. I have friends and families who have been incarcerated and they didn't have those opportunities. And oftentimes with them not having those opportunities, they. Go back to crime. In 2006, my father was killed in a robbery gone wrong. It was one of our employees that set up the robbery, and the thing that would bless my family is that he would have an opportunity for redemption. We are so thankful for the stories that were shared and also we know that Second Chance will be supported by Representative Brian Mess. It's so nice to know that Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, he's passionate about second chances. We got to talk with our own Nebraska congressman about Second Chance Month and the impact that we can make on those coming out of incarceration. How's it going today? It's going great. You got testimony. I got. I got to pray with the staffers. We did get to pray with staffer. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We've just concluded our last meeting. All the feedback was positive, encouraging. Everyone we spoke to was very excited about the future and supporting these good measures.