Set Free Issue No.31  by Martin Tuson

Testimony of Michael Nicholls

Dear Brother, Greetings in Jesus' Name. Happy New Year to you and your whole family.

Brother, one more testimony: One Japanese lady, she was very sick, she was suffering in illness. One of my friends went to Japan and gave your healing prayer to that woman. She read your healing prayer and God touched her and healed her completely. Now she can walk and she can eat. Praise God, God healed her totally, Praise God, amen. God healed one lady in Malaysia too. I sent her the healing prayer by email. She was sick for 12 years. God touched and healed her from her sickness. She was at home for 12 years of sickness. But took her sorrow to God, He took her pain and sickness from her body and healed her by praying the Healing Prayer. Amen Praise God I will get some more details about her sickness and I will send you.

Brother, since last week 6 people accepted Jesus Christ. I went to another city and I was sharing my testimony with a Buddhist and God's power through the healing prayer letter, he was finding peace and wants to know about our real God. I preached to him about peace and our real God. Thank God that His spirit touched him and he accepted Jesus Christ.

The other day one woman came in the church - she was a Buddhist too. She heard about Jesus but she did not open her heart to Christ before, but when she was sitting in the church and I was sharing our testimony and great healing through healing prayer, God touched her heart and she felt the power of Holy Spirit working in her life. She gave her life to Jesus that same day.

Then one Muslim who was sick came into my meeting. He was unable to sit for 2 hours without medicine but that day he sat without medicine. He was a Muslim leader and he was asking me many questions. I told him I cannot give answers to all his questions but if he opened his heart up to Christ, He can give him the answers. I preached to him for about 15 minutes and God's Holy Spirit touched him. After sermon he said to me, "If your Jesus is real I am sick in my body for a long time. I asked many gods to heal me but they could not do so. If your Jesus is real I want him to heal me today". I said to him, "Our Jesus is real - if you believe He can, He will do it for you. When I started praying for him I held his hand and a devil came into his body. I rebuked the devil and sickness in Jesus' name. Praise God for the healing prayer. Healing prayer touched him and next morning he went to hospital for tests. The doctor said to him, "You are already healed". Praise God for His healing power. God healed him and he accepted Jesus Christ. Praise God for the healing prayer and His touch. Amen Please bro keep remembering me in your kind prayers.

Los Angeles, 1962 - "We the people of the State of California are asking for the death penalty in the trial of Joseph Daniel Donato for first degree murder." A jolt of unbelievable fear went through my body ........

Tell It To The Mafia

I was making a ton of money at the age of 42, the ex-shoe-shine boy had made it the hard way! Back in 1940 I had shined shoes for a nickel or a dime. When there are 10 kids in a family and you live in a poor neighbourhood, you can't afford silk or satin - though Mom and Pop did their best to raise us.

Some of the shoes I shined belonged to the big guys in the rackets, whom I began to admire. Their shoes were new, their clothes were cool, and when they paid me for a shine, they flashed large rolls of money and gave me a fat tip. My decision was made then and there - some day I would wear their shoes, and have all the trimmings and glamour that seemed to go with the Underworld. I'd rather make my mark in this world, no poverty for "Joey"!

A Friend Gets Killed

I began running with the switch-blade crowd of the 40's, with their Zoo Suits and know-it-all attitudes. At the age of 16, my friend, Willie, died from a knife wound in his side. Rather than scare me, his death simply taught me to be careful. I would not be "unlucky" like Willie! About this time I discovered that I had a talent for doing voice impressions of movie stars. I entered and won some of the largest talent contests on Broadway in New York City and in Hollywood, California. Later on I did a show with the Three Stooges. This would have opened the doors to a promising entertainment career, but my goal was still to be a wise guy in the Underworld.

The Law Steps in One day

In 1948, I had an altercation with a young man during which I pointed a loaded pistol at his head. I was arrested, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 2 months in prison. Ironically, that same young man went on to be the Chief of Detectives 20 years later. By his own free will, he chose the right road of life; God will never take a man's free will from him. I, on the other hand, went on to wear shoes like those that I had shined as a kid. I was involved in bookmaking and gambling with loaded dice (we called these dice "baloneys" in the Underworld) ... anything for a fast buck. I would impersonate movie stars on the phone in con games and made a small fortune in this racket.

Violence and Death Close by

Behind me were two trials of a "self defence" Underworld killing; where I was found "not guilty" in both cases. Four of my associates were shot to death. Another was blown up in his car. Others were sent to prison. I lived with the fear that I would be next. At least twice I had escaped death and each time I said it was 'luck'. But was it? Have you ever escaped death, perhaps in an auto accident, through a serious illness, a drug overdose, or in the war, and attributed it to luck? I later learned that 'luck' had nothing to do with it! I didn't believe in GOD - I was a "realist." I believed in money, power, girls, and good times.

"Live for today, for there may be no tomorrow" was my motto! "Give me a good football game, a 'girlie' book, a racing sheet or a stock market tip!" "GOD" was for weak people, little children, and old women. "The fool hath said in his heart, "There is no God." (Psalm 14 v.1). The "Fast Life" Goes Sour Life was a party! I was sitting with movie stars, union heads, lawyers, doctors, swingers – everyone from top to bottom! Some drank from the same bottle of booze or smoked the same 'joint' I did. "Joey" was the life of the party. But something was wrong. In spite of everything, there was something missing. And as I looked around I knew my friends felt it too. We were actors, each one trying to put on a bigger act than the next guy and all of us trying to cover the emptiness inside. I was making money - lots of it. But it wasn't enough. The more I made, the more I wanted. Nothing, it seemed, could fill that void in my innermost being. I had a box filled with hundred dollar bills, went fishing on a 50 foot boat, owned property, and we (the mob) even owned people.

The Name of the Game was FAME, FORTUNE, POWER, and PLEASURE.

Money, power, sex, kicks, booze - whatever I had, I wanted more. But the void grew bigger. In desperation I tried hypnosis, doctors, tranquilizers and the rest of the avenues in search of an answer. Nothing worked. If anything, some of those well-meaning professional people needed as much help as I did.

Marriage Fails

I had been married twice, each time to wonderful women. My second wife gave me two beautiful children and I should have been happy. But I treated my family miserably, giving them things instead of love, and filling their lives with threats of violence. I tried to make it up to her, but any change in my behaviour was short-lived. In 1972, after a particularly violent argument, my wife left me. I said "good riddance." After all, I had money, position, power, and women. But, I had no peace, no joy, and no love.

On January 27th, 1972, I called out to a God I did not believe in. I had never read a Bible; that would have been a laugh. Had you asked me if I knew Jesus, I'd have said, "What team does he quarterback? Or " Where does he tend bar?" But that night I looked up and said, "GOD, let JESUS come into my heart." Strange words for "Joey." I had nothing to lose, though. If God wasn't there, nothing would happen. But, if God existed, then perhaps something would happen. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10 v.13)

March 8th, 1972 - 7:00 a.m.

My sordid life continued, with more parties, connections and deeper involvement in the Underworld. The emptiness also continued. Even the activities I had once enjoyed, like deep-sea fishing and handball, had no appeal. The void was bigger than ever. I couldn't buy a night's sleep. Then it happened! On March 8th, 1972 at 7:00 a.m., as I arose to start the day, I had the most glorious, heavenly experience - beyond my comprehension or imagination. No man on earth could have convinced me that this would ever happen to Joe "Know-lt-All" Donato! But, it was happening. My room became filled with the presence of God. It was too beautiful to describe! Three letters filled my heart, my soul, and every part of my being ... G-O-D! I was awed! Where once I had all the answers, I now stood humble and silent. My God, I thought. How blind I have been! The same God who dealt with Moses was present. The thought occurred to me that perhaps He had come to "kill" me for the things I'd done (as a child I had associated God with hell, fire, and brimstone, and with someone who had a big stick - waiting to clobber you). "But, who will take care of my kids if you kill me?" I asked. I was wrong! Instead of death, God was giving me new life. His Spirit and Hand touched my heart and I felt completely clean inside, and free. There are no words to describe the feeling I had. My heart was suddenly filled with this ingredient that nothing on earth had been able to supply me with . ... L-O-V-E ! "God is Love" (John 4 v.8) The Bible is so right on! His voice, soft and still and gentle said, "You're Reborn!" - over and over again ... "You're Reborn! I sure felt reborn! Brand new! And the Lord said, "Tell your friends what happened." And, because the guys in the Underworld and the Mafia had been my friends, I began to find opportunities to witness to them.

I began to read the Bible - all of it. And I started sidetracking Underworld meetings when I could. I had met the Author of "The Book", without question, and I now wanted to get all the answers. I spent many Saturday nights curled up with the Word of God, filled with peace and contentment. What a switch from the old Saturday night routine - a cocktail glass, a girl and an empty, void, phoney party! The answers were all there in the Bible. I saw my old self looking back from the pages. Get this ... for all the wise guys like the "old" Joe, who knew all the answers ... Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" ( John 15 v.13). Yeah, the Son of God died! Jesus Christ died for our sins! And get this too ... "For the preaching of the cross (Bible) is to them that perish foolishness, (and it was, to "Joey", for 42 years!) but unto us which are saved (born again) it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1 v.18). I began to share my experiences with everyone. My friends thought I had flipped out, and I really don't blame them! But, God's Power and Love had put it in my heart to reach this mixed-up world with the Truth, even if it cost my life. Without a doubt, I know that Heaven and eternal life are reality.

Would you allow me to introduce you to the Blessed Son of God who changed my life?

Romans 3 v. 23. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

Get by yourself and pray: "God, be merciful to me a sinner, for Jesus' sake. I believe Jesus Christ died for all of my sins, and rose from the dead. Come in to my heart, Lord Jesus, and give me God's peace and assurance of eternal life in heaven. Amen!"

The Bible talks of two Gods. The God of all creation (Genesis 1 v.1, "Elohim") raised up the USA to be a Christian Nation, based on Godly principles, to bring the Good News of Jesus to the ends of the earth. He gave us victory over the British in the war for independence, and victory in the first and second world wars. The second god is of the world system. "Cosmos" in the Greek means "World" (that's where we get our word cosmetic). This god, Satan, is the god of greed, hatred, crime, violence, and inhumanity to man. O what tears, heartache, sorrows, and pain have come from these disasters. Now you know how God felt when He saw Jesus beaten and killed for our sins. But, God raised Him from the dead - GLORY! Life is a Puzzle with a Piece Missing. Recently, on a very popular T.V. show a Media Mogul was asked a question, "Describe life ". His reply was, "Life is an empty bag." This same man and very famous Governor of a Midwestern state said, "Christianity was for losers."

Evidence That Needs a Verdict

In the year 2000, Kurt Warner, quarterback of the St. Louis Rams, openly confessed to his changed life through Christ. In 2001, Trent Oilfer, the winning Super Bowl quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens, had the same miracle in his life. Chuck Norris, "Texas Ranger", Diane Cannon, Waiter Brennan, Charlton Heston, and Alien Autry, who starred in the TV series "In the Heat of The Night" and is now Mayor of Fresno, California, had the same miracle which changed my life. The author of Webster's Dictionary, who could read and speak 19 different languages, enjoyed the same "life changing" encounter. In 1819 in the U.S. the tomato was considered deadly by many "experts" in different fields. In 1820, a politician ate a handful of this fruit. He did not die and the "experts" were proved wrong. Centuries ago, the "experts" of his time said that Christopher Columbus was wrong in thinking that the earth was round. He proved them wrong and discovered America! Today many so called experts are saying there is no God and that creation is a myth.

In 1923 a group of the world 's most successful financiers met at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. Collectively, these tycoons controlled more wealth than there was in the United States Treasury . For years newspapers and magazines printed their success stories and urged young people to follow their examples ..........

1. Charles Schwab - the president of the largest independent steel company – lived on borrowed money for the last five years of his life and died penniless!
2. Richard Whitney - the president of the New York Stock Exchange - served time in Sing Sing prison.
3. Ivar Kreuger - the head of the world's greatest monopoly - committed suicide.
4. Jesse Livermore - the greatest bear in Wall Street - committed suicide.
5. Leon Fraser - the President of the Bank of International Settlement – committed suicide.
6. Albert Fall - a member of the President's Cabinet - was pardoned from prison so he could die at home.

More modern examples of business men, movie stars and sports figures could be added to the list. All of these people learned how to make a fine living, but not one of them had learned how to live. HAVE YOU?

The second richest man in the world, Solomon, who by the time he was 30 years old inherited 100 tons of gold and 300 tons of silver, plus billions in other riches, said this at the end of his life:"He that loves money shall not be satisfied with riches or increase."

 Amateurs built Noah's Ark. The world's leading professionals built the Titanic. Hummm .........

The following list of people have also had a "life changing" (miracle) experience!

Col Jim Irwin, Charles Duke Jr. & Neil Armstrong, Astronauts, who went to the moon.
Carl Lewis - He won 9 Gold Medals in the Olympics.
George Foreman & Evander Holyfield, former heavyweight champions.
Richard Schaffer, Retired three-star general.
Col. Harlan Sanders - Started the KFC restaurant chain.
Orville & Wilbur Wright - first to sustain flight in an airplane.
Dr. Richard Eby M.D & Dr. Whitaker M.D. from southern California.
Mickey Mantle - Former Home Run Champion of the New York Yankees.
Madeline Manning Mims - Fastest woman in the world for 8 years.

If you would like more of these booklets, contact me at:
Joseph Donato Ministries P.O Box 16373 Fresno, California 93755 U.S.A

A young man cowered in the corner of a dirty, roach-infected death row cell in a South Carolina prison. His body curled in a foetal position, he seemed oblivious to the filth and stench around him. His name was Rusty, and he was sentenced to die for the murder of a Myrtle Beach woman in a crime spree that left four people dead.

Police arrested twenty-three year old Rusty from Point Pleasant, West Virginia in 1979, following one of the most brutal slayings in South Carolina's history. Rusty was tried for murder and received the death penalty for his crime. Bob McAlister, deputy chief of staff to South Carolina's governor, became acquainted with Rusty on Death Row. Bob had become a Christian a year or so earlier, and felt a strong call from God to minister to the state's inmates, especially those spending their last days on Death Row. Bob's first look at Rusty revealed a pitiful sight. Rusty was lying on the floor when he arrived, a pathetic picture of a man who believed he mattered to no-one. The only signs of life in the cell were the roaches who scurried over everything, including Rusty himself. He made no effort to move or even to brush the insects away. He stared blankly at Bob as he began to talk, but did not respond.

During visit after visit, Bob tried to reach Rusty, telling him of the love Jesus had for him and of his opportunity - even on death row - to start a new life in Christ. He talked and prayed continuously, and finally Rusty began to respond to the stranger who kept invading his cell. Little by little, he opened up, until one day he began to weep as Bob was sharing with him. On that day, Rusty, a pitiful man with murder and darkness behind him and his own death closing in ahead of him, gave his heart to Jesus Christ. Not long before his scheduled execution, his brother and his wife came to visit Rusty. Bob was present when the two men met and tearfully embraced like long-lost brothers finally reunited. Rusty's senseless crime ten years earlier had constructed an enormous barrier between himself and his brother. The love of Christ obliterated that barrier and enabled both men to realise that, because of Him, they truly were Brothers reunited on that day. It was a lesson Bob would not forget. Not only did Rusty teach Bob McAlister how to love and forgive, he also taught him a powerful lesson about how to die. As the appointed day approached, Rusty exhibited a calm and assurance like Bob had never seen. On this final day, with only hours remaining before his 1:00 a.m. execution, Rusty asked Bob to read from the Bible. After an hour or so of listening, Rusty sat up on the side of his bed and said, "You know, the only thing I ever wanted was a home, Pap. Now I'm going to get one." Bob continued his reading, and after a few minutes Rusty grew very still. Thinking he had fallen asleep, Bob placed a blanket over him and closed the Bible. As he turned to leave, he felt a strong compulsion to lean over and kiss Rusty on the forehead. A short time later, Rusty was executed for murder. Rusty's very last words were "What a shame a man's got to wait until his last night alive to be kissed and tucked in."

In June of 1985, I walked on to Death Row and six months later, in December of 1985, I finally saw the Light, Jesus Christ, and accepted Him as my personal Lord and Saviour. At the suggestion of Christian friends and leading of His Holy Spirit, I wrote my short testimony, "LOOKING AT DEATH AND SEEING THE LIGHT". For the first year after I accepted Jesus, there was not much if any evidence of change from outside appearances with my old sinful habits of using profanity in every sentence, my gambling addiction and walls of my cell covered with pictures of naked women, just to name a few, but within, my heart was changed and the truth of Romans 7 v.17-25, was my first lesson learned - that God knew my heart far better than I. The hatred, bitterness and mistrust which had been so deeply rooted in my life were replaced with love, joy and trust (trusting Jesus taught me to trust others, something I was never previously able to do). God answered my prayers to clean up my language, to provide the strength to break the gambling addiction and to rid my cell walls of the pictures, and courage to overcome fear.

God blessed me through the advice of a fellow death row inmate "to learn the law myself and I would never have to depend on anyone else", and the loving support of my family, who paid for a Paralegal correspondence course, which laid the foundation of my becoming a "Prisoner At Law" ("PAL"), which has allowed me to work on my own appeal and to assist others who are unable to help themselves to appeal their case. My PAL work has helped me to remain sane and keep me busy to pass the time. God has provided the compassion and means to assist others "pro bono" (I never charge anyone for my legal assistance), as I recognize the blessing He gave me and my need to bless others for His glory.

God led me in answer to prayer of how I can serve Him, with a desire to reach out to young people. I wrote a longer testimony, "An Empty & Wasted. Life", in hope of showing youths the mistakes I made in seeking to fill the emptiness within through drugs, crime and every other earthly pleasure available, but it was only through Christ Jesus that emptiness was finally filled, and to prevent them from wasting their lives as I did. God taught me about forgiveness when I struggled to forgive the man who set me up on this case to gain his freedom from prison. A Christian brother told me I needed to pray for him, but I nearly choked on the words as I prayed, but over time, not only was I able to forgive him, I wrote to let him know I forgave him and to share Jesus .

God's grace sustained me over the 18 years on death row, in ways that I recognized at the time and realized later, and many that I may never understand. That season of my life was an emotional roller coaster ride, from being at peace and content to the point where nothing bothered me, to times where difficult trials and testings, such as the death of my nephew Michael by a drunk driver who was never held responsible and the passing of my dad - everything that I usually was able to overlook was now magnified, and satan used to attack, to steal my joy and peace, to a time when a bitter root took hold over an unjust situation for two years before I took it to the Lord and He removed it. God's promise to never leave me nor forsake me has been evident in my walk, and both Romans 8 v.18 & 28, which I first claimed, have been a constant source of encouragement. (Praise God).

God's promise in Jeremiah 29 v.11:- "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" was one I believed, but could not understand for my life . My mind-set from the start was that I would fight my case until my appeals ended, and if I didn't get a trial and opportunity to prove my innocence, I would rather be executed than grow old and die in these cages. God apparently had other plans, as in 2003 my sentence of death was commuted to natural life, or as I like to refer to it, "death on the instalment plan."

My mind-set hasn't changed, but my heart has, and it's God's will, not mine, that I pray be done as my life is truly committed to Him, and if I have learned nothing else, He knows what is best. For so long my priority was to clear my name, but God recently revealed that isn't important. What is important is He has my name written in the Lamb's Book of Life. (Praise God) I have been walking with the Lord for over two decades, but believe I have grown stronger and closer to Him in the last two years than the first twenty. God has blessed me with the opportunity to work at the Chapel, where I help share His message to the inmates here and state-wide as the Lord opens the door for the distribution of donated Christian books to all prisons, which makes me feel I have a purpose here. God has also opened a door for a new legal appeal after I previously exhausted all officially permitted appeals.

Blest and highly favoured, I truly am. - IN CHRIST, Ronald Barrow, N-52 087, Menard Correctional Center, P.O. Box 711 Kaskaskia Str, Menard, Illinois 62259

1) MATTHEW Chapter 5 verses 43-48 2) MATTHEW Ch. 22 v. 37-40  3) LUKE Ch. 16 v. 13  4) JOHN Ch. 13 v. 34  5) JOHN Ch. 14 v. 23  6) JOHN Ch. 15 v. 9-15  7) ROMANS Ch. 8 v. 28-39  8) 1 CORINTHIANS Ch. 13 v. 1-13

Note from the Editor:

I want to close this issue of Set Free with this thought:

If you want to accept Christ into your own life, then pray this following prayer. God Bless.

"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 away from my sin and now I invite Jesus 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."

If you have prayed this prayer and have accepted Christ into your heart and life, please let us know, so we can pray and help you in your new life in Christ.