A prisoner set free
“I started taking drugs when I was young, and for the next fourteen years, was addicted to them in a big way,” said Boo. “I was also very involved in occultism and New Age, and had read almost everything available on Buddhism and Hinduism – I was well aware of the spiritual world around me.” Boo respected the Bible, but didn’t dare read it - he knew God existed and feared Him. “I remembered one Sunday morning driving past a church after days of doing drugs without sleep. Families had gathered in front of the church and were laughing together, and I remember thinking to myself, if only I could have that too!
“Then in 2001, while spending time in prison for drug-related crimes yet again, a group of Christians visited us and shared their testimonies with us in a very simple way.” Moved deeply within, Boo returned to his cell after that meeting, and falling on his knees, prayed that God would set him free from prison as the Christians had said He could.
But nothing happened, and as time past, he soon forgot about what he had said and done. A few weeks later, the superintendant of the prison came to Boo’s cell, and instead of accusing him of a wrong-doing he was guilty of, told him to pack his bags. He was free! At first Boo didn’t understand what was going on, but when the superintendant told Boo he should leave before he changed his mind, Boo realised that he was truly free.
“For sixteen years I had lived a life of crime, and had come to believe that survival depended on drugs, power and money,” continued Boo. Standing on the streets with his bag on his shoulder, not sure which way to turn, Boo decided to seek help from a friend who called himself a Christian, but who was not living a Christian lifestyle. Confused and overwhelmed, Boo asked his friend to buy him some heroin, believing it would help him take control of his life again.
At 10am the next morning, Boo’s friend left the house to buy some drugs, and again Boo was convicted of his bad choices and lifestyle – his life was a total disaster. For the second time in his life, he bowed his head and asked God to help him. “At that moment, the sun shone through the window onto my cheek, and I couldn’t help think what a classic ‘saving moment’ that was,” said Boo. “But when I turned to look towards the sun, instead of being blinded, a blue diamond or star shape appeared in the light and started turning like a steering wheel. With a huge sense of relief, I gave my heart to Jesus and experienced God’s love in a special way that day.”
The first thing Boo told his friend upon his return was that he had met God that morning, and continued discussing his encounter with God while preparing their drugs. “The strange thing was that although I injected the heroin, it didn’t seem to have any affect on me that day, nor over the next six months!” Boo went to the “Gospel Centre”, a government-sponsored drug rehabilitation centre in Norway, and then joined a Bible school where he realised he needed a vision and purpose for his life.
“During this time, I had a vision of a ship at sea, and because one of my friends was serving on an OM ship, I thought God might be calling me to join it too.” Encouraged, Boo continued with the Bible school, and working at the Gospel Centre, was able to challenge and help other drug addicts change their lifestyles too.
“It’s easy to reach out to drug addicts and sex workers,” said Boo, “because they lack love. Most times they respond to love with aggression because they have been hurt themselves, and are afraid of being hurt again. At the Gospel Centre, we look for addicts on the streets and eat with them, live with them and pray with them day after day. Most addicts are criminals and thus experts in manipulation. It’s important as Christians that we are extremely honest with ourselves and with them, as well as sure of who we are and what we believe.”
A year after Boo was released from jail and had become a Christian, he remembers passing the same church he had passed a few years before, but this time his joy was complete. “God has healed me and made me able. He has given me a new life, filled to the brim. In my weakness, he has made me strong, and in His presence, I am made whole. I am ready to serve God with all my heart, emotions and will.”
Although Boo’s family and many of his friends are not Christians, they have seen the changes in his life and fully support his decision to join OM. When news of the Doulos’ decommissioning was announced, Boo was initially shocked, and questioned the vision he believed to have been from God. But with the help of OM staff in Norway, he was able to find a placement in the UK, and looks forward to sharing his knowledge about drug addiction, street children and prison ministry with others. He also hopes to improve his English, so as to reach more people with God’s love. “I’m looking forward to settling down into team life at OM’s LifeHope training centre in two weeks, and to see what God has in store for us this year. My expectation is that God would use us for His glory.”
Credit: OM International · © 2010
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