It's difficult for people who grow up in clean and loving homes to a imagine squalid poverty, or the horror of violence, fear and physical abuse as routine childhood experiences. Bob Mecado was raised this way by alcoholics who created nightmarish and humiliating experiences for him. Predictably it wasn't long before peer pressure and Latino gang life provided easy access to a variety of drugs which became the medicine for all his pain.

At the age of 12 Bob began to commit crimes of theft, burglary, forgery and armed robbery to support his ever increasing dependency on alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, vallium, speed, cocaine and heroin. He spent much of his youth in detention facilities and his adult years in prisons. Rehabilitation programmes and State mental health hospitals were unsuccessful in correcting his self-destructive lifestyle. After 20 years of barbaric mistreatment of his body and ruthless disregard for his life, he decided to end his suffering, and attempted suicide. Bob spent months recovering from his injuries and was still a junkie.

As a child Patsy Mekado was the victim of child abuse, neglect and and gang rape. She learned to defend herself by her acting tough and solving social problems with her fists. For that, she spent her youth in and out of foster homes, institutions, hospitals and jails. By the time she was thirty years old, Patsy was a textbook case of crime, violence and immorality. Her marriages produced three children from different fathers, who suffered from a violent childhood just as she did. By the time Bob and Patsy found each other they were both covered with scars and had no home, no money, no car, no credit, no job and no possessions. Neither one of them had an education or an occupation. Satan had taken everything they owned a except their lives, and at that point even Jimmy the Greek wouldn't bet these two people could ever overcome the odds against them. The only thing they had left were the promises of Jesus Christ (Luke 1 v.37). He allowed them to endure years of horror and suffering to stand before you today as living proof that no one is beyond His reach. The nightmare ended and life began when Bob and Patsy discovered that Jesus Christ had a plan for their lives ..... just as He has for you.

Matthew 11 v.28: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Mecado Ministries Inc. - Post Office Box 6792 - Pico Rivera - CA 90661

At the age of seven my parents got a divorce. My parents threw me out on to the streets. I had no place or no family to go to, I was picked up from the streets by a group of people. These people had a lot of money; they were involved with drugs very heavily. At the age of eight I started to drink beer, at nine I started smoking cigarettes and also quit school. When I was ten I started smoking marijuana which then led me on to hard drugs. By the age of eleven I was on L.S.D., heroin, coke, speed, acid, yellow jackets, downers and uppers, just to name a few of the drugs that I had done.

When I was twelve years old I started shooting the needle into my arms and at the age of thirteen I had an affair with a girl a year older. I was going to marry this girl, but tragically three weeks before we were to marry she was killed in a car accident. This hurt me very badly. After her death I said I would never find another woman to marry - that is why I am still single today. After her death I did not talk to any women for three years and I also ended up doing the drugs harder than ever. At sixteen I got my own apartment and a year later started to sell drugs for these people who had taken me in. When I was eighteen I had eight women working on the streets for me. I ended up in prison when at the age of thirty I bought an aeroplane to smuggle drugs into another country.

So here I am in prison but Praise God for the eleventh of January 1997, for it was then that I received the Lord as my personal Saviour. On the sixteenth of February 1998 God filled me with his Holy Spirit. I may have nine years left to do in prison, but I give our Lord all of the Glory. Since in prison the Lord has given me the talent of playing the guitar and piano.

N.B. How our Lord can take somebody as broken as David and turn his life around. David has truly been Set Free by the blood of Christ.

Whether you are serving a 6 month, or a life sentence, or are on death row, there is an answer to your sin. For this is something we can never hide from or cover up. Sure we can fool others but we cannot fool the Living God, who never sleeps.

I remember one night whilst speaking in prison, I was talking on "Christ is the answer". Questions started to be asked; one inmate asked me about the proof of God's existence. My reply to him was,"Have you ever asked our Lord to prove himself to you." There was a silence for a few seconds. He then said that he was frightened too, just in case something happened. What is an answer? Something which is the solution to the problem. It is also an act in response. This world will throw many so called answers to you, some that may have a temporary effect on you. The fact that Christ is that answer, "an answer to what you say". To your present condition, the condition of your heart and the sin which so easily befalls you. It amazes me the number of people who will try anything else in life but Christ. My friends, do not be deceived by Satan, for he is a roaring lion. He is a deceiver and a liar and he wants your soul. Our Lord says in his word 'taste and see'. If you had a glass of fruit juice in front of you and you said to yourself, "I wouldn't mind tasting that", what would you do? You would stretch out your hand and receive it. This is what our Lord means when he says "Taste and see". How can you know if you do not try.

My friends, countless numbers of inmates across the world have tasted and seen that Christ is the answer. Every one of them has a personal relationship with our Lord and has peace and joy now in their heart. It is Jesus Christ who brings Salvation, Restoration and Healing. One of my Christian Brothers said to me once "How can I be so happy in prison". You know why? Because he too has found the answer in Christ. I pray that our Lord will touch each one of you and that your eyes will be opened to our Saviour.

I want to share my testimony with you. I have been in Christ now for 10 months, I am from Burma. I have been in prison from Nov 22, 2001, I am 30 yrs. old. It was for a drug related offence that I was arrested.

When I arrived in prison it was difficult for me to feed myself, because I did not have anybody to support me or to visit me. I lost all of my friends and family when I came here. I wanted to be at peace and wanted to he taken somewhere. Many Christian people came to me with the word of God, but I was not interested. I really did not understand what God was all about. One day another inmate Sister Si Li Than told me that if I made a decision to accept Christ, that he would be there for me and help me. I finally met my almighty Father, cried, and Praise him, he heard my cry. Now I have Christ. I have a new life. I received Christ as my personal Saviour. It was through my Sister that I contacted Set Free Prison Ministry. They have helped me and my life is much better today. I thank my Lord for all I have passed through and the lessons I have learnt. I have felt our Lord's peace and love enter my heart. Our Lord has a purpose for me to be here. May the peace of our Lord be with you all.

Seek God's kingdom first and his righteousness and everything else he will supply. I had been violated by others so I learned to violate myself, the criminal behaviour I portrayed was such an addiction and lifestyle. That went along with whatever it took for me to get high, I know deep inside I was dying. I cried out to God for help silently, I still wouldn't do what I had to do. God heard my cry and chose to clean me up in prison. He met me right where I was. I wasn't going anywhere, in prison. This was the perfect place for him to get my attention - it worked. I was still and listened to what he had said to my heart. My broken heart laid open to receive the messages that, it wasn't about wealth, but about God. After knowing that Christ reigns and that he loves me, he never forgot, me bless my heart. I have received him into my heart as Lord and Saviour. Today I am free.

I WAS ONCE LOST

My name is Yvonne Coleman, I have been locked up for 7 years. I thank God that he came back into my life, for I was a lost soul, in addiction. I knew God in the street, even went to church on and off, I never took him seriously. I felt my life was over and nothing was left. God stepped in on time. I hurt many people - most of all I hurt myself. Life is a precious gift God gives to us all. I wish I could change the pain, I pray to God through it all. He keeps bringing healing to me as well as family and friends. My prayer is that he uses me to help others, and to open their eyes to see the light as I have.

I woke up one Sunday morning with a little bad news. I thought my life wasn't worth living. I felt I had to get away. I then took a walk with God, I thought I was going crazy with thoughts running through my mind. I felt like I was going crazy, was thinking I would be better off dead. After that talk with God, I realised that life goes on, so I continue to hold on to his hands. I've begun to trust him. I realise that I needed to change through it all. As God opened his words to me, change begun, I am saved, pressing on in him. I've learned that there are going to be heartaches and pain. God is teaching me how to deal with situations as they come. I thank the Lord God in the midst of all things.

FIND THE ANSWERS

READ ACTS Chapter 25-28

1. Where was Paul to be kept?
2. Who came to salute Festus?
3. Who was almost persuaded to be a Christian?
4. What was the name of the centurion that Paul was delivered to?
5. What did the angel of the Lord say to Paul?
6. How many were on board the ship?
7. Who did Paul heal on the island of Melita (Malta)?
8. How long did Paul dwell in his own hired house?

This was the first verse I ever memorised. When I was 7 years old I attended Adam St. Sunday School - this was in 1962. On this particular Sunday we were asked if anyone knew John 3:16. I knew it and quoted it. In those days most children went to Sunday School. One year later my whole family emigrated to Canada, so it was goodbye to Adam St. and all of my friends. I loved Canada, the country and the people. My life took a turn, I became lawless and out of control, I did not really know why. I was stealing from everyone, family included. Between the age of 15 and 27 I was constantly in and out of prison, more in than out. During this time I was also married and divorced. While in prison in Canada I flirted with Christianity on more than one occasion. I knew my Bible, but it was all head knowledge. Looking back now, I realise I was searching for something, but would never commit to anything.

In 1982 I was deported back to N. Ireland. When my family had emigrated, the troubles had not started. It was in full swing when I returned, and I got involved. I stayed with a Christian Aunt and Uncle. I joined the U.V.F. ( Ulster Volunteer Force). I ended up back in prison for firearms charges. I was given a 4-year sentence which ended in 1984. From then to 1999 I had no real run-in with the law. I married again and had two beautiful daughters, I also had a daughter in Canada whom I never saw until she was 19. I believed all was going well but alcohol started to take my life over. My marriage broke down, I drank constantly 7 days a week. I really believe I was trying to kill myself. For 2 to 3 weeks straight I had been drinking with a guy I knew and his girlfriend. An argument started, which was to cost this girl her life. We were both charged with her murder. After 2 years on remand for murder we both pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were given 8 years each, hardly what you would call justice, especially for the victim's family. My heart really aches when I think of all the people I have hurt in my life.

A few months ago I was speaking to visitors from AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). I wanted change in my life. They kept referring to this higher power and how they depended on him to help them get by each day alcohol free. I am an alcoholic but first and foremost I am a sinner. I needed a new life, to be born again all over - a second chance. Do I deserve a second chance? My victim won't get one, why should I ?

In Romans 3 v.23 it says, all have have sinned and are far away from God's saving presence. This showed me the distance between God and myself, a distance which is spanned by the loving sacrifice made by Jesus on the cross (Read Romans 6 v.34). When I confessed my sins and received Ctuist as my personal Lord and Saviour, I was born again, born into God's family through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer. I do not deserve Salvation, I am a sinner and totally unworthy, but I end my testimony the same way 1 started it. - John 3:16 "For God loved the world so much that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die, but have Eternal life, Praise the Lord.

My future: This is in the Lord's hands. God willing I leave this place a free man in 6 months. My only desire is to serve him and spread his word.

Note: My conversion was not the blinding light road to Damascus conversion, but the outcome was the same, Salvation. Praise the Lord Hugh is involved with Set Free Prison Ministry and can be contacted at:

Mr. Hugh Finlayson, B7107, Lagan House, H.M.P. Maghaberry, Old Road, Upper Ballinderry, Lisburn, BT28 2PT

I started life in a very deprived area. The upbringing that I had was very lower class, with plenty of crime and violence that surrounded me. I think that I always believed that there was a God, yet I wasn't sure what to do with the knowledge I had. Over time I tried looking at all sorts of different things - Catholicism, Buddhism, to name a couple. They seemed to make some people happy but not me. I wanted to have a personal relationship with a God that I could know and who would know me. By the time I had come to this understanding, I had already been coming to prison for a number of years. I will briefly touch on this part of my life.

I first came into prison when I was 15 years old. I was a very violent person even from that early age, attacking other prisoners, Prison officers, Governors, and anyone that got in my way. Some of these attacks were extremely violent - cutting people, stabbing people, even to the extent of holding another prisoner hostage for nearly two days. While all this was going on I was always drawn back towards the Bible, and could often be found in the punishment block with just a Bible for company.

I was receiving religious instruction from a variety of people, some of it conflicting, yet I still had the void that was constantly there within me. Often it was filled with all the worldly lusts that would make me feel a bit better for a time, yet the emptiness still kept returning. I used to attend a number of different churches, looking for something to fill that void. Leaping forward a number of years to 2001, I found myself in prison once again with a sentence of four years. The same old routine as before began - I'd come in and fight my way through the sentence. It was my way of surviving and getting through. People use all sorts of different methods. My grand master plan was to fight the system that had done me so much wrong. But I noticed something different; a quietness was in me that was never there before. The people around me that ran the place were leaving me to get on with it, as if to say, "We know what you're capable of, but isn't it about time you sorted your life out?" I used to look around me at the guys who were sixty and seventy years old, who had been coming to prison all of their life. I remember thinking, "Please don't let me be like that."

Bong! Crash! It hit me - I was exactly like that, and I'd been coming to prison for the better part of nearly fifteen years! I started praying; and I mean real get-down-on-your-knees "Lord help me!" prayers. Yet I was still totally mixed up. I was moved on to another prison where I had applied to go and take part in a web design venture they ran.

One of the bonuses of this was that it was one of the very small number of prisons where you can use the internet, and I used to log on to some of the religious message boards and see what people were doing, and the religious confusion that there was out there. Amidst all this, though, I was praying, and reading Scripture with a humble heart, not as I had done before in trying to prove everything with my own self-righteousness, but rather with the attitude of, "this is the Word of God, and,, this is what it tells us". I felt I needed someone who was more spiritually mature than I was, who could aid me where necessary. The Lord heard my heart's desire, and flung my dear friend Justin along, and others through him. Via the words they spoke, and the words the Lord spoke through them, I have been truly born again of the Holy Spirit, and the blood of Jesus shed for me on the Cross has, and continues to cleanse me. At the moment, whilst writing this, I am still in prison with about a year and a half to serve. Yet I feel freer than I have ever been in my life. I am no longer imprisoned Spiritually. Right at this moment I am in a wheelchair and have torn ligaments in my foot, and have a very split lip and mouth, having been attacked. Someone said to me the other day after I was attacked, "What are you going to do?" I replied, "Thank God, I am not going to beat this guy up." A number of years ago I would not have thought twice about sticking a knife in him. Now it is no longer the flesh or the world that dictates what I do with my life, but the Spirit that lives within my heart - the Spirit of Christ that is love and forgiveness.

Whilst I know, as I continue this walk with him, that there are still faults and sin in me, but He is there all the time, and he alone continues to guide and strengthen me. I want to thank all that have helped me along the way, and wish to share this Scripture with all; may we continue to keep it in our hearts:-

Hebrews 4 v.16 "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of Grace that we may obtain Mercy, and find Grace to help in time of need." And finally, six words to leave everyone with; I am not perfect, just forgiven. John 8 v.32 "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

N.B. I would like to take ths opportunity to wish every Blessing to Bill and Eileen Reeves who were married in January. May our Lord use them together in a mighty way, as they serve him.

'Note From the Editor.......

This Issue of Set Free contains many testimonies to the power of God within the prison cell. I pray that through them you will come to know and understand the love of God in your own lives. If you have a testimony to share, then please send it to me. You are all continually in our prayers. Remember God loves you and he wants you to accept our Lord Jesus Christ into your broken life. For he did indeed come for the broken hearted. If you want to know this peace and joy in your own life through Christ, then this prayer will help you.

"Dear Father, I know that I am a sinner and that I need forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died for my sins. I am willing to turn from my sin and I now invite Jesus Christ to come into my heart and life as my personal Saviour. I am willing by God's Grace to follow and obey Christ as Lord of my life."