Testimony In The Prison
October 3, 2009 by YotMan
Filed under Featured Content, Prison Outreach
On September 19th I went to the Rochester Federal Correctional Facility with a group from the Shiloh Temple church to share my testimony with some brothers on lockdown. This was my second time at this facility, and the brothers were excited about us coming back, and I was glad to be back.
I was truly moved when one of the brothers told me that the music we did was a big relief for him. Although he sings in the choir at the prison chapel, he told me he feels more comfortable doing hip hop.
When I stepped onto the stage to give my testimony you could hear a pin drop; all eyes were on me as I think, “where do I begin?” After sharing my experiences of living in Los Angeles, I felt that I had broke the ice with them and my nervousness faded and my testimony flowed.
After I gave my testimony, I was relieved; for some reason I still get nervous when standing in front of an audience. For whatever it was worth, they seemed to appreciate what I was saying. One thing that I realized; by sharing your testimony freely, people learn that they are not alone in their troubles, and they are more willing to open up and share their struggles.
We are planning another trip back to the prison on October 17th and I am looking forward to speaking again.
