“I knew God was there. No one survives what I went through by chance. I just needed to know him. And the only way to know Him is through His Word.”
Jon was born in a rough area of Hamilton, Ontario. He grew up with a single mother and an older brother. By the time he was 19, Jon was deep into drugs and fighting. By 21, he was arrested for gun violence.
While sitting alone in his holding cell, Jon decided he did not want this life anymore. He accepted that he should be punished for his crimes, and gave his heart to Jesus Christ. But how could he learn to follow Jesus in prison? It was in the Hamilton Detention Centre that someone told Jon about Crossroad Bible Institute (CBI), the Bible League's Prison Ministry arm. The program offers a personal, in-depth Bible study program to help inmates develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. It took eighteen months for Jon to finish his first program of the Crossroad Bible Study.
All the while, his instructors encouraged him, driving him deeper into the Scriptures. “I found it gave me a strong desire to know His Word,” said Jon. “The knowledge poured into me.” Though he did not realize it then, his fellow inmates were watching his transformation, and they were also starting to seek the Lord.
Jon had started pushing the Detention Centre for a Bible Study room. At first only he and two other men met every day. But as time went by, there was no room for anyone to sit. People were standing, sitting on the floor, reading the Word and praying. “We just wanted to know the Lord,” said Jon.
Now Jon looks back and sees the faithfulness of God. A year ago, he lived in a half-way house, and six months before that he was a federal prison inmate. Now he is a student at Bible College pursuing a degree in Youth ministry. “It’s awesome what God is doing,” Jon says. “I haven’t done anything to deserve it.”
While sitting alone in his holding cell, Jon decided he did not want this life anymore. He accepted that he should be punished for his crimes, and gave his heart to Jesus Christ. But how could he learn to follow Jesus in prison? It was in the Hamilton Detention Centre that someone told Jon about Crossroad Bible Institute (CBI), the Bible League's Prison Ministry arm. The program offers a personal, in-depth Bible study program to help inmates develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. It took eighteen months for Jon to finish his first program of the Crossroad Bible Study.
All the while, his instructors encouraged him, driving him deeper into the Scriptures. “I found it gave me a strong desire to know His Word,” said Jon. “The knowledge poured into me.” Though he did not realize it then, his fellow inmates were watching his transformation, and they were also starting to seek the Lord.
Jon had started pushing the Detention Centre for a Bible Study room. At first only he and two other men met every day. But as time went by, there was no room for anyone to sit. People were standing, sitting on the floor, reading the Word and praying. “We just wanted to know the Lord,” said Jon.
Now Jon looks back and sees the faithfulness of God. A year ago, he lived in a half-way house, and six months before that he was a federal prison inmate. Now he is a student at Bible College pursuing a degree in Youth ministry. “It’s awesome what God is doing,” Jon says. “I haven’t done anything to deserve it.”