By: Mike Strong

At age 23, Aaron Secrest found himself in a state of brokenness but didn’t know where to turn or how to address it. As he sat in a jail cell looking around at the walls and examining the size of the room, he saw a vision of what his future might look like. He was facing several months in jail and the realization that continuing to live like he was meant he had nothing to hope for except more of being trapped in a tiny, sterile cell. 

The weight of his hopeless situation awakened him to the reality that this was not what life was meant to be. There had to be more. He needed to find an answer. That answer came in the form of Bible studies with Pastor Ricardo: Fellow prisoners who attended them had a visible peace he didn’t have. 

He wanted that peace. 

So during the five months he was incarcerated, he attended Bible studies, and during that time God did something in his heart. Aaron began to wonder why someone like Pastor Ricardo would volunteer so much of his time to come and try to reach these men in the jail. He received no pay. He worked with men who were rough around the edges. He thought, “I’m in here for so many crimes, so why would he want to come visit a person in jail?” Pastor Ricardo’s passion and love for these men changed him. 

Aaron said, “That Pastor Ricardo would have compassion for prisoners caused my heart to open up and receive what they were trying to give me. If these people are exhibiting Jesus Christ to me, if this is what Jesus is like, I want to be closer to Him and learn as much as I can about what He taught.” 

Pastor Ricardo’s burden for incarcerated men drove him to pursue those men in jail. He invested his time, his talent, and his treasure in people he didn’t know, people society locks up and many times throws away, and He did it because He knew this was what God had done for him. See, you don’t have to be incarcerated to realize you aren’t what you are supposed to be. You don’t have to be a felon, drug addict, or alcoholic to have your eyes opened to your great need. God finds a way to expose you to your need for Him in many ways, and he loves to save and help broken people who are aware of their great need.