An Answer to Ryan’s Questions

Ryan was not a Christian when he was put in jail at age 19. He did not grow up in a Christian home, and he was not taught about Jesus. When he was sentenced to 6 years in prison, he started to do some soul-searching. Ryan said he always wondered about God.

When he first came to the jail, he attended a Bible study with Bob Bibby, but most of what he heard didn’t make sense. Still, he tried to make changes and better himself. After 5 and a half years of his sentence, he had an associate’s degree. It was then that he committed another crime while still in jail.

Ryan realized that he didn’t have the ability to change himself. He had tried. He was facing up to 8 more years in prison for this crime.

This is when the Lord began to bless Ryan in a special way. The Lord gave him a Christian cellmate named Shane. Ryan started to ask Shane questions, and Shane would answer. Ryan said it was like God “turned the light on.” Ryan prayed for God to reveal Himself and “fix me because I was broken.”

Soon after he said that prayer, Ryan noticed changes in his desire to go to church and Bible study. God was changing his life.

“God blessed me and freed me,” he said. The charges against him were dropped, and he saw that as a reward from God for his obedience. Even if the charges had not been dropped, Ryan knew that he would be OK because God had given him peace about the situation.

After Ryan became a Christian, he wouldn’t miss a Bible study. He said he was like a sponge and soaked it all up. “I couldn’t get enough of it.” He even read the Bible in 7 months.

When Ryan got out of jail, the Lord blessed him with a job in 9 days. He knew he needed to get involved in a church. He knew he was a believer, but didn’t have any idea of a denomination. He had Bob Bibby’s card, so he called him and asked him for a ride to church. He tried out some other services, but he became a member at Lafayette RPC.

Ryan attributes his salvation fully to the power of God. “If He changed me, He can change anybody,” he said. In Psalm 45:5 it says, “Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies.” In his baptism, Ryan saw a former enemy of God being brought to Himself.

A Comfort

Mark came to know of the Lafayette RPC through the jail ministry. It was a very difficult time in his life, because he had never been in trouble before.

He got involved with the jail ministry through Pastor Hopskin, but was visited by other members of the ministry. Bob Bibby visited a few times and gave Mark a general outline to study to make better use of his time.

Mark’s mother had met Bob Bibby in the lobby of the jail, and Bob was able to comfort her and help her through that hard time.

When Mark was incarcerated he said he “wasn’t a practicing Christian.” He had asked the Lord into His life at 17, but said he didn’t live like a Christian. In jail, Mark rededicated his life to Christ. He said he realized there that God is the only way—that He is the hope when there is nowhere else to turn.

Another man that met with Mark when he was in jail was Scott Beaver. After he got out of jail, Mark went to a bunch of other churches. Finally he called Scott to ask about the RP Church. Scott encouraged him that wherever he went, he should be baptized and get involved with the church.

Mark has attended the Lafayette RPC since 2002 and became a member in February 2003. He can’t say enough about Bob and the jail ministry. The people he met have continued to be a big help to him. Scott helped him with doctrine, and he benefited from the discipleship of Elder Kessler and Les Walker and Greg Crow.

Mark would someday like to give counsel to those who are in the same situation he was once in. He said, “I’m not sure why I was put in jail. It might have just been to bring me closer to Him.”