It was a near-death experience that inspired Alex’s quest to discover the meaning of life. He was 26 years old and had been raised as a Catholic but he never felt a connection with God, when he was hit by a semi-trailer. That’s when he started pursuing many different faiths, including Buddhism and Hare Krishna but he didn’t find the peace he was seeking. His search for meaning hadn’t tamed his temper and an altercation at work saw Alex facing a manslaughter charge.
In prison, Alex felt hopeless and frequently visited the prison medical centre. One day, an inmate came in brimming with happiness. He gave Alex a gospel tract and explained that a chaplain had introduced him to Jesus. Alex was sceptical but when a prison chaplain approached him, he started asking questions and accepted a Bible.
Despite struggling with dyslexia, Alex was comforted by reading the Bible.
Alex was involved in a fight with another inmate and he feared a reprisal. Someone offered to pray for Alex and he felt the hand of God over him. From that moment, everything changed and there was a shift in the atmosphere. Alex got down on his knees and asked Jesus into his heart.
When Alex was released, he joined a men’s Bible study group. He realised the importance of fellowship and wanted to tap into it. He was welcomed wholeheartedly into a church community.
Today, Alex is part of his church’s worship team and he works as a cook in a hotel. He is about to record a Christian album and travels to outback churches, sharing his story. He has also been reunited with his children.
Alex firmly believes nothing is wasted (Rom 8:28). His past mistakes put him in a place where God could finally speak to his heart. Now he has hope and a future.
“Chaplains are amazing people. They are always there for encouragement. Loving prisoners where they are, that is a measure of Christ. We’re all the same in God’s eyes.”
4 comments. Leave new
Inspiring story of Alex.. Encouraging to any Chaplain because his story reinforces our hope to help prisoners find Christ.
Thank you for sharing your story Alex. It is beautifully refreshing for Chaplains to hear such stories. During a church service in jail one day one of the men expressed (in front of seventeen other men) that he had taken a year and a half fighting against becoming a Christian but excitedly he said, “Now I am free on the inside”. I saw his smile towards another inmate as an acknowledgement of the role played by that Christian in the story of his struggle. This story, like Alex’s, highlights for me that a key role for chaplains is to actively support the Christian men in their ministry to their fellow inmates.
Such an inspiring story about Alex. It is such an important ministry having the chaplains able to still go into the prisons here in Australia. You do an awesome work. God bless you Alex as you sing and use your talents for the Lord’s work.
So encouraging