Saturday, January 22, 2011

My Testimony


I have been in prison for 23 straight years for the murder of a Milwaukee Wisconsin police officer. When I came to prison 1 picked up the Muslim religion of Islam because as a Black man, the Muslims used the race card, and being one of strong racial pride I took to Islam like a fish to water...All the times I got on my knees and faced the east and prayed to Allah 1 was not feeling Love, Peace, Happiness, or contentment. It wasn't until l (accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into my life!)

I came to prison in 1973 at the age of 19, and I am now 42 a street wise hard-core gang member from Chicago. As I entered into the prison system I continued my gang affiliation to it's fullest, as one of the most ruthless there was in the gang. I was so brutal that my nick name became "DIRTY", and that is what I was, mean, evil, and dirty to all that wasn't a part of my gang, the Black Gangster Disciples. During the next 15 years I was also a practicing Muslim (all based on Racial hatred, because nowhere did they teach anything other than hate their fellow man. They especially taught to hate the White man, the Jews, and definitely the Bible. (Lord forgive me!)

However due to my being in prison with a life sentence plus 15 years to go along with the life. I was one angry young man; so I was on a mission for the devil fast, but 1 couldn't see it...So I prayed to Allah, recited the rituals I even helped the Islamic community gain its respect and religious rights, such as substit­uting soup for us non-pork eating inmates. I haven't eaten pork in the 23 years I've been in prison. I was a part of starting the Ramadon in the Wisconsin prison system, to standing up for making the prison system acknowledging the fact that as Muslims we were entitled to wear Kufus as part of our ritual...

I've always lived by Christian men trying to get me to see the light, but blind as I was. I refused because of racism. "That’s the white man's Bible", and I was so blind I couldn't see any­thing other that...I was lost.

In the year 1986 I had accumulated a past history of" a bad boy in the prison system; and a I was being kicked out of one prison due to gang tension, a white inmate by the name of Jay Downs stopped me as I walked by his cell, saying "Dirty I heard you are leaving from amongst us and I would like to say a prayer for you. God has asked me to pray for you." So I looked at him with suspicion in my eyes and stated "Yeah I'm leaving, go ahead and pray," he then said "I'd like you to pray with me," I said "Listen dude, I ain't about praying the way you pray." I knew him to be a Holy Roller Christian faking as I was taught all Christians do. I said I get on my knees and face the east, that's how J pray. So I don' t pray the way you pray man'
I tell you my brothers, the devil was trying to dissuade, discourage, displease this man God had ordained to pray for me, but he persisted, "Brother Dirty pray with me." So I looked around the tier to make sure that no other inmates could see me, I wanted him to hurry up and pray so 1 could brake away from him with the quickness. Little did 1 know that my running days with the devil was over with; so he asked me to hold his hands through the cell bars; the first thing came to my mind with that request, was, "hey dude I don't hold mens hands, that's homosexual stuff to me" he said "I'm not a homosexual and God wants me to pray for you, so would you hold my hand and Pray."

Once again I looked around wanting him to get this over with because it was just wasting my time or so I thought. I held his hands and he started praying, and he started reciting the sinners prayer, which at that moment I did not. know, but low and behold, out of my mouth came the same prayer he Jay Downs was saying. "Lord I am a sinner, and right now Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins and ask for forgiveness, and that you come into my life Lord Jesus." At that very moment I felt a burden of shame, blindness, stupidity, racism, hatred, lack of understanding etc... removed from my heart. I truly saw the light! I felt the Power of the Holy Ghost! After all the years of praying not once had 1 ever felt anything but words coming out of my mouth; but this one prayer made me feel it deep within my heart and soul . I became a new man, a creature in the Lord Jesus Christ!

I didn't know how to tell Jay Downs or a fellow Christian Brother name Bill Brookins, that I had turned my life over to the Lord Jesus Christ, and felt the Holy Ghost! Bill Brookins was living in the cell over from me and was a devout Christian. He was always telling me about God's goodness and how the Lord Jesus Christ changed him, but it went in one ear and out the other. So 1 left the prison on my way to another and the gang members rushed to me, come to Yumah the Muslim worship service. As you would know the gang say "You can take over now that you're here Dirty." So not being fully aware of what had happen to me, I told them 1 would, but I went to the orientation there and I met the Rev. Larski. Rev. Larski spoke to me about services that the Christian Crusade had to offer, and I immediately signed into the Christian Service and to this day, have not, nor would I ever turn back around, for I have truly seen the "Light". Now I know and I ..love the Lord Jesus Christ, and I shall follow Him all of my remaining days on this earth, and look forward to my place in eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ!

AMEN! BROTHER: BATTITES WESLEY

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