This letter was written by a person incarcerated at High Desert.
1-27-2021
Hello!
God bless, and it’s a pleasure to meet you. As I’m contemplating on the purpose from hearing from you and your organization. But I guess sharing some of my experiences won’t hurt.
It’s already very difficult being locked up in prison, dealing with the loss of family, friends, and freedom. This COVID-19 pandemic made my time kind of more hard because of the isolation which caused me to fall into a phase of self-pity and that led to anxiety and depression.
I’ve never experienced these negative emotions in my life until now, but I’d let everything and everyone go from my heart and mind to be able to with stand my outcome of life. And I’m dealing with that right now.
I caught myself stressing and worrying about my loved ones and being away from them, knowing that our country is fighting a deadly crisis and me without having any acknowledgment on how my family is doing out there in the real world. I honestly forced myself to let go of them in order to survive this chapter of mine in life if haunted for a moment.
But I am a any religious person, and my faith in God really been helping me to deal with all of this. I go to God for my strength and power to get through each and every day I spend in here.
I pray, read the bible, and watch Christian programs on TV to get the spiritual help and confidence I need with the loss of my children, the abandonment from my wife, feeling hopeless, empty, distanced, overwhelmed, uncertain, sorrowful, neglectful, trapped, and unhappy. And these coping mechanisms that I’ve developed really been helping me to get through all of this, physically but spiritually I know and believe I’ve got God by my side. And He’s comforting me and leading the way.
So my faith is the only thing that I can hold onto, understanding that this too shall pass.
These difficult times I am experiencing had changed me to want more in life, to make a change for better, and to think differently on being positive. So I develop also something I do every morning. I wake up here. For actually I say this, “I am strong, I am mighty, I am blessed, I am highly favored, I am not alone, I am a king, I am more than a conqueror.”
But mostly I tell myself, “God loves me and I can do this through Jesus Christ who strengthens me.” “I can do this.” For safety reason, you is to be ready for whatever in here, so I stay ready.
Thank you for believing in me.
Thank you, and I pray that my story will be helpful in your historical purpose. God bless and stay safe during this pandemic.
Wear a mask.
Hopefully I’ll hear from you again.
