From hopeless position to higher purpose;
step inside the Matthew Maher story.
Admin. Note: The following article was written by Elizabeth Llorente, Politics Editor for Fox News Latino, on the tireless work of the Verea family, who lost their daughter Rebeka on her graduation night. The Maher's and Verea's have become very close friends and continue to work together to spread the prevention message to our youth.
I was unexpectedly taken back, way back, when a Corrections Officer (CO) said to one of my peers in front of me, "I told Matthew that a few years ago...." I thought, "A few years ago!" Wow! Weird! Those words sounded surreal, and I was jolted by the realization of how much time has passed since my arrival in prison. Forty-nine months in the same barricaded building, like a fortress; the same dingy and cheerless interior, like an abandoned basement; the same intense and chaotic environment...
The greater transgression than the tragedy itself is a failure to respond to the tragedy. The right response is the key that unlocks the success in suffering; the wrong response, however, is the noose that tightens the grip of suffering...
Before my formal sentencing date sent me to prison, I was stuck between a rock (my impending incarceration, which was set in stone) and a hard place (still being free in my community). It was no man's land for me, knowing that with each passing day, I was one day closer to the uncertainty of certainty. I had no idea what to expect, but I knew there was much to anticipate.
Dear Santa, I am writing this letter from prison. I hope my location doesn't hinder my chances of reaching you, even though for the past three Christmas seasons you have not made any attempt to visit nor leave me any presents. Is it because I am deemed a naughty person? I have other visitors that come and spend time with me, and they always bring good tidings of great joy (Luke 2:10). One such messenger, Pastor Victor Hudson, enters this prison weekly to minister to us 'bad people' because he knows that if he serves us, he is serving in the spirit of Christmas all year long (Matthew 25:40)...
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)