My Testimony

By Travis Parmenter

            At a young age, God was introduced to me.  My mom’s side of the family are all firm believers and made sure my brothers and I were as well.  When I was five years old, I was taken from my mom by Child Protective Services (CPS) for about two years.  My dad did everything needed by CPS to get us out of foster care.  When they were finally satisfied, we moved to Anderson with my dad.  My dad was always the type of person you must see to believe.  For a while we still went to church, but eventually stopped.  For me personally, I just didn’t think about God or anything to do with Him.  I was a product of my environment.  I went for years with no beliefs in anything; I was basically just existing.  When I think about it now, I realize how much God was still protecting me and trying to expose Himself to me and show me that He is real. 

            When I was 12, I ended up having some family issues at home.  I moved in with a couple of my brother’s friends from school.  Honestly, I had met them one time, but their parents were Christians and they wouldn’t let me go without.  The one rule they had was I had to go to church every Sunday and youth group on Thursday.  The only problem was that I was dealing with so much at a young age and thought there was no way there was a God to let me go through what I was going through.  With that said, I only went to church to have a place to live.  I didn’t feel right there.  I literally went out of my way to let it be known I shouldn’t be there.  In the end, I was kicked out of youth group and church as well.  I felt like they were pushing the God thing down my throat.  The pastor told my brothers and me to come back when we wanted to be there.  I had no idea why he would tell me that because I never in my mind thought I would believe.  I continued with my life the way it was which was bringing me down the wrong road but at that point it was all I knew.  So, I didn’t mind.  I was already drinking and smoking which later formed into different addictions which made matters worse.  After a while of rebelling, I got kicked out of that place and ended up being thrown face first into the struggle.  I went place to place with little structure or guidance. 

            Years down the road in my 20s I ended up in jail.  I was at rock bottom.  I lost everything I had worked years for.   I lost my place to live, my job, my friends, everything in life that mattered to me.  While I was in jail, I had a of time to think about my life and how I didn’t like the way I was changing.  I was talking with somebody and God came up somehow, and he asked me if I had accepted God in my heart and if I wanted to.  I was reluctant, but I was willing to try anything.  I look back now and realize that I wasn’t fully committed due to lack of understanding.  I got out and ran into more problems.  The crazy thing is when I started looking for help from God, my life got harder.  I went through some unexplained out of this world circumstances and ended up on the long road to prison.  I’ve been in quite a few situations where I should’ve died for sure, but I walked away without a scratch.  With that being said, in October of 2015, I was sentenced to complete the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Program in Chico, California.  Honestly, I went there just to please the courts, but while I was there, I was reintroduced to God.  I wasn’t even searching Him out and He opened the door to draw me closer to Him.  I believe some of it had to do with working the 12-Steps and I had what they call a spiritual awakening.  While I was there, I learned to listen to God’s voice and started working on being more holy and trying to have a stronger relationship with Him.  Every week we were expected to do a bible study on one chapter out of the book of John.  This was the only time I’d ever read the bible. 

            When I graduated the program, I was now a believer, but ended up messing up again and was sent to prison.  While I was in Reception, I was depressed and felt like I had nobody and there was nothing for me.  Mentally and emotionally I was going through it.  Everyone I wrote didn’t write back or I didn’t have their address.  Every day I woke up and would read a chapter out of Romans and Proverbs.  I was also attending church twice a week.

            Reception at Tracy is locked down in a cell 24 hours a day.  You’re even fed in the cell.  The only time out is 5-10 minutes every other day to shower and yard twice a week for 2-3 hours.  I was hit with a lot of emotions all at once and I wasn’t used to this atmosphere.  After two months, I was put in the hole pending investigation.  I thought Reception was bad.  The hole was ten times worse because you you’re in a cage and have no interaction with other people.  Needless to say, I was upset with God for letting me be put through all this, but at the same time He was all I had to turn to for comfort.  He’s the only one that kept me sane. 

            After Reception, I was sent here to Solano State Prison.  I was on B yard for eight months.  While there, I only went to church two times.  I wasn’t getting what I was looking for.  I did my own personal bible study.  After the eight months, I dropped points so was able to go to Level 2.  When I came to C yard, I started realizing a lot of things I didn’t understand before.  I started trying to strengthen my walk with God more, so started attending church.  I was then invited to Life Above Reproach and it was the answer to my prayers.  I wanted to know more about God and Jesus but didn’t know how to accomplish that.  I signed up for the program not knowing what I was getting into, but it was what I needed.  I’ve come a long way since I first started believing; and now, I can literally say that I have a relationship with God and can care less how anyone feels about it.  It’s brought out the good man in me. Even though I’m in prison I try to, within reason, recognize the good in people instead of focusing on the negatives.  I know I’m not perfect and neither is anyone else.  I’m about to graduate the program, and I can see God moving in my life.  He’s my only hope to continue to change and be the man I want to be.

Respectfully, Travis Parmenter