Hello, my name is Brianda Rodriguez, and I would like to share with you my brother’s testimony and the great impact that the prison Message distribution ministry has had on him.
In August of this year, the Lord put it in my heart to sign my brother up for the prison message distribution. He has been in and out of jail since his early teens, and I have always asked my Lord for his salvation from that life.
In September, 2018, he called me very worried with fear in his voice that he might get hurt by other inmates, because he had been asked to do something he did not want to do.
He told me that he was so tired of the horrible place that prison is, but at the same time he knew that he had to do as he was told, because if not, he could be hurt or even killed. I didn't know what to tell him, because I could not tell him to do wrong, or to not do it, because that would mean that he could get hurt.
I asked him if he had received the books that I signed him up for and he said, "Oh, so it was you! Yes, I got them yesterday, and I was actually planning to start reading them today after this call." I then told him, there's my answer brother, I can only direct you to the Lord Jesus Christ, cry out to Him and He can deliver you, He is the only one!
Please read those books, in them is your way out! Then the call got disconnected. I went into desperation for my brother and asked my sisters and my church for prayer for his deliverance and salvation.
In the next weeks, he called me with the news that he was in solitary because of him getting caught doing something wrong, but this meant he was safe from his enemies! Glory to God, my prayer was answered.
I then directed him again to the books, as I asked him to read them. What happened after that is nothing short of a miracle and a promise that the Lord fulfilled for me, (Acts 16:29-31) "Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So, they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Here is my brother's testimony transcribed from a handwritten letter he sent me. I pray it is a blessing.
This is the testimony of my rebirth and the work of my Savior in my life. I’ll start by sharing a little bit about my old self to help you understand how great and compassionate our Lord is, no matter our background.
I am 24 years old and despite my young age, I have spent the last seven years of my life in prison. I was a prisoner to evil, a slave to drugs, thirsty for money, and would do whatever it took to feel how I wanted to feel and to get whatever I wanted to have. I didn't think about anybody but myself. I was a bad son, a bad brother, a bad friend, and a horrible person. So selfish and blinded by sin and pure evil.
My sister, who is a true Christian would always reach out to me to try to lead me to the right path and invite me to come to Christ, so I could let Him work on my life. However, the devil wouldn’t let me accept her offer or advice. You would think that coming to prison would open anybody’s eyes and set them straight but not if the devil is controlling your body, mind and heart.
I had a lot of what you would call “wake up calls” but was unable to answer any of those calls. I want to think it just wasn’t the right time. I still needed to be broken down, “stripped” from everything. You could ask, what’s worse than prison, right? Well, how about being addicted to drugs? Waking up every day and the first thing on your mind is, how am I going to get drugs today and the last thing at night isn’t your family, a prayer or anything that matters. What’s on your mind is, how am I going to get drugs tomorrow?
How sad to live like that, if you could call that living. One thing always leads to another, which in my case, it led me to join a prison gang to facilitate my access to drugs.
At first, it wasn’t that bad, but nothing is free in this world. I was asked to carry drugs, to assault people, steal from people, and do things for “my brothers.” Things that could’ve potentially gotten me more time in prison, away from my real family, the ones that really matter in my life. But do you think I cared about that? Sadly, I didn’t, and most of the time I wouldn’t even think about my loved ones for several days. That’s how lost and blinded I was.
Years went by, hundreds of phone calls, I can’t even recall. Maybe thousands of lies told to get money from family and friends so that I could spend it on drugs. How lost does somebody have to be to go through all that, and not only put himself through it but also drag the people that care and truly matter down with him? I seriously thought it would be a never-ending thing for me. I didn’t see that light at the end of the tunnel, I was in total darkness. Time passed and about a year from my release date from prison, hundreds of dollars wasted on drugs, nothing but negative things, no education, no books read, no hobby or craft, absolutely “NOTHING!”, I finally crashed, 100 MPH going downhill. (DESTINATION): Down Hill, rock bottom. I get asked by the gang to carry out an “order”. Pay attention to the word I just used. Not a favor, an “order”. What happens in the military when a soldier doesn’t do as ordered? Same kind of thing here, only you’re in prison. I start having doubts, fear starts to take over me, but I have no choice. I must do as I was “ordered” to do. I won’t go into details, but I did as I was told, and things went south (the wrong way). I got hemmed up and I just happened to have drugs on me, so here I am heading to solitary indefinitely, most likely until I go home, and that is if charges aren’t filed against me.
Weeks prior, my sister had sent me some books which I had only touched when I received them, and now they sat on my desk. As I laid looking at them in solitary, I started thinking about what my mom would say, how much pain I would cause her and my family to tell them that I’m not coming home anytime soon. I thought of what I had been doing for the past four to five years, about the time I had thrown out the window, time away from my family, money taken from them, pain caused to them, holidays, birthdays, accomplishments, good times, and on and on. My mind ran 100 MPH day after day. All the while, I just lay there staring at the books my sister sent me. I thought about my sister, all the times she talked to me about God, all the times I’ve pretended to listen to her, all the things she had done for me, and those books they just sat there. So, I thought, the least I can do is read the books. “Bang!” An alarm went off, “another wake-up call”, this time I didn’t press snooze, this time I didn’t ignore it. This time I “woke up!” The book was called, “A Prisoner” by Rev. William Marrion Branham. I immediately connected with it.
It was the perfect message for me. It fit me so perfectly. Was he talking directly to me? Was this written just for me? Was this God talking to me through this book? Was this really happening? I pinched my arm, washed my face, I read it again. No, I was wide awake, so it wasn’t a dream. I read it again, it still felt so personal like talking straight to me. I was overwhelmed, confused, happy, so many questions all at the same time. I closed my eyes and after reading once more, I had an answer. It was Jesus Christ lifting me up from my broken self. He had put me through all of this for a reason. He stripped me from head to toe, took my freedom, my friends, family, anything and everything, to show me that He is the Almighty, King of kings and the only God.
Just like those books that sat on my desk, waiting for me to pick them up. My Savior sat there patiently waiting for me to be ready. To open the door for Him and let Him do his work in me, wash away my sins and build me up in His image.
Now I feel free from everything, no weight on my shoulders, no worries even being here in solitary. This was the best thing that could have happened to me. I feel freer than when I was out in the world, going through life with a blindfold. I had always heard that God works in mysterious ways.
Do you know what I have to say about that? AMEN! I was once mute, now I speak. I was blind, now I see. I was deaf, now I hear. I was lost, and now I am found. Now I go to sleep and wake up thankful for what He has done with me. He’s taught me to live life a day at a time and the more I seek Him, the more He leads me in the right direction. I am no longer a slave of the devil or a prisoner of the state, I’ve been born again, and I’m now a willing prisoner of God.
God Bless. I thank the Lord for His mercy and grace towards me and my family, and I also thank the prison Message distribution ministry for what you do for those in prison.
May God continue his work through you guys, and may He reward you greatly for reaching out to those that so desperately need this Message of love.
USA