When I walked out of prison, I had served my time—but I had nowhere to go. I had no family in Maryland, no place to live, no support system, and no clear idea of how I was going to survive. I was free, but without help, freedom could have quickly turned into another kind of confinement.

I’m originally from another state. I ended up incarcerated in Maryland, where I spent four years of my life. Toward the end of my incarceration, I was introduced to Kairos Prison Ministry, where I began to learn about the Lord. Kairos volunteers came into my life and began showing me something I had never truly understood before. They showed me God’s love.

As my release date approached, the question that frightened me most was simple: What was I going to do when I got out?

People in My Corner

That was when Street Reentry of Maryland entered my life. I want to thank everyone involved in that volunteer organization. I don’t know if you truly understand how much of a difference you can make in someone’s life, but today I want to tell you what you did for mine.

Not just through words, but through kindness, compassion, and action. When I was released, these wonderful people took it upon themselves to help me find a place to live. They drove me to one shelter, then another. At both places, I was told I could only stay for three days because I wasn’t considered a resident.

Now, imagine that for a moment. I had just spent four years in a Maryland prison, receiving mail there, but when I needed a roof over my head, suddenly I wasn’t considered a Maryland resident.

I couldn’t help but wonder how someone was supposed to succeed under those circumstances. I’d always thought that the system puts so many obstacles in front of people coming out of prison that sometimes it almost seems designed for them to fail. But thank God, I had people in my corner who weren’t going to let that happen.

Those people were Street Reentry of Maryland. They didn’t give up on me. They drove me to a third shelter, and that third shelter would change the course of my life forever.

They also drove me long distances to meet with probation officers, making sure I could fulfill my obligations and stay on the right path. They didn’t have to do any of this. They weren’t being paid to help me. They didn’t owe me anything. They simply cared.

And sometimes, when a person has lost just about everything, knowing that somebody genuinely cares can make all the difference in the world.

I Flourished

But here’s the part of my story I really want you to hear. I didn’t just survive after leaving prison. I flourished.

I went on to start my own construction company. I became a productive member of the community, and I built a life that I once couldn’t even imagine having.

And today, something remarkable has happened. I’m now part of the management team that runs the very shelter that took me in when I had nowhere else to go.

Think about that. There was a time when I walked through those shelter doors with nothing, needing someone to give me a chance. Today, I walk through those same doors as someone who can help give others that very same chance. I’ve gone from needing a helping hand to being able to extend one. And I truly believe none of this would have happened without the people God placed in my life.

But God Wasn’t Finished With Me Yet

After living in the shelter a couple of years, something happened that I never could have imagined. A young lady reached out to me. That young lady turned out to be my daughter. You see, about thirty years earlier, I’d had a brief relationship with a woman. Life took us in different directions, and I had no idea that I had a daughter who would one day come into my life.

But God knew. My daughter and I began getting to know each other, and over time our relationship grew into something absolutely wonderful. Today, we are incredibly close. And if that wasn’t enough of a blessing, through her I now have five beautiful grandchildren who absolutely adore me.

And believe me, the feeling is mutual.

Now, you have to understand something to appreciate just how much this means to me. All of my family that were previously known to me had passed away. For a long time, I felt like I was alone in this world. I had no family waiting for me when I was released from prison, and I had no idea that somewhere out there was a whole new family waiting to become part of my life.

But after getting sober, finding the Lord, and beginning to rebuild my life, something beautiful happened—God introduced me to my new family. I went from having nobody to having a daughter who loves me and five grandchildren who adore their grandfather.

Sometimes I think about how different things could have turned out. If those Street Reentry volunteers had given up on me, if they hadn’t driven me to that third shelter, if I had fallen back into my old ways, would I ever have gotten to experience the joy of knowing my daughter and grandchildren?

I don’t know. But what I do know is that God was working in my life long before I understood what He was doing.

Street Reentry of Maryland helped me find a place to live. God helped me find a reason to live.

And today, I have more than I ever dreamed possible. I have my faith. I have my sobriety. I have a business. I have the privilege of helping others. And most precious of all, I have a family again.

Not a day goes by that I don’t recognize how blessed I am.

To the Volunteers

So to the volunteers of Street Reentry of Maryland, I want to say something. You may never know what happens to the people you minister to after they leave those prison walls. You may wonder whether your words made a difference, whether your kindness mattered, or whether the time you sacrificed was worth it. I’m standing here today to tell you that it was.

Because I am living proof. Kairos Prison Ministry introduced me to the Lord and told me that God loves me. Then Street Reentry of Maryland demonstrated what it means to walk with Him. These volunteers didn’t look at me and see a prisoner or a man with a past. They saw a human being who deserved a chance at a future.

And because of that, my life changed forever.

I’ll close with this. When I left prison, I didn’t know where I was going to lay my head. Today, I help manage the very place that gave me a bed.

I once thought I had lost my family forever. Today, I have a daughter and five grandchildren who fill my life with love.

And there was once a time when I didn’t know the Lord at all. Today, I can look back and see His hand in every chapter of my story.

That’s not just a story about second chances. That’s a story about what happens when God’s love is put into action.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Kairos Prison Ministry and Street Reentry of Maryland. You may have thought you were simply helping one man get back on his feet. But what you really did was help give a man his life back. And because of that, he found a family, a purpose, and a future he never thought possible.

And I will never forget it.

God bless every one of you.

— Phillip