Testimony

By:  Jarad Nava

            My name is Jared Nava and I am 24 years old.  I’m serving a sentence of 162-years-to-life for attempted murders and possession of a short-barrel shotgun.  I’m the oldest of my mother’s four kids.  As for my father, he abandoned our family when I was about 2 years old.  That would lead to some insecurity due to a lack of a role-model. 

            My mom did her best to raise me, nevertheless, she had a lot of character defects and she couldn’t be a father.  So, I searched the streets for acceptance from older men.  That led me to join a gang where I felt that love from a (big homie), and thought a man was supposed to be violent, aggressive, and a womanizer.  So, as I began to put on different people’s characteristics, I got lost further.  None of these things were me.  I even changed my name to help this alter ego feel real. 

            A week prior to me committing this senseless act of violence, God reached out to me.  He sent a woman to speak to me as an oracle of God.  She brought the warning.  However, at that time, my heart was hardened, and I rejected the lifeboat and chose to drown.

            I continued in my destructive behavior in Juvenile Hall.  I got arrested at 17 years old.  Getting sentenced broke my pride, and I hit rock bottom.  High on crystal meth, I realized I was desperate and there in that moment, the Savior appeared.  Through some brothers, I turned my life over to Jesus at the age of 19 and renounced my gang ties. 

            Today, I serve Jesus Christ.  He has blessed me with a wife and two daughters by His grace.  I have obtained a GED and AA degree in Business and Technology.  He never ceases to show up in my life.  God is real and good.  By His blood, I have been given eternal life.