Testimony of an inmate NBI course student who goes under the name of “Keith.” He attends classes that are conducted through Pastor Robyn Spengler of Boland Prison Ministry, at Drakenstein Correctional Services:
“It was not long ago that I heard the iron bars clanging and my long prison sentence becoming a stark reality. If only I had behaved differently, or made better choices. Would I ever remember when the world seemed simpler and safer? I cried at the emptiness, I screamed on the inside over my loneliness and sank deeper and deeper into hollowness. It was there, in that isolation and despair, that God met with me!
My father was seldom at home as he worked on the ships. When he was at home, he drank excessively and seemed like a stranger who had just invaded our space. I never gathered the courage to have a conversation with him. I had four sisters and my mother’s attention was mostly on protecting and loving them. I felt completely left out, thinking that was normal, because I was a boy.
I matriculated at the age of 19 and not long after I r*ped a woman and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. After my release I walked a road of recovery, but slowly fell back into my old ways, doing many bad things. In 2017 I was sentenced to 50 years in prison for murder, rape, and various other crimes.
One night while looking through the window of my cell, staring at the stars, I became aware of the complexity of the universe and the enormity of God. Suddenly the hollowness inside me was filled with joy, peace, and love. I was reminded that Jesus died for my sins, and that God was calling me to be his child.
I am free, I am forgiven, I am healed, I belong, I am a child of God!
Through the NBI course, I learned that although I have bars around me, but I am truly free on the inside.”
Keith is now well on his way to receiving his certificate issued by University of Pretoria.
Please kindly note: Keith’s real name has been changed, for prison requirements anonymity.
