Member
Hi guys! My name is Anthony, I live in Texas, and go to school at UTA(The University of Texas at Arlington) for information systems. I was really looking for a online community where I could discuss Jesus with other people, that is how I stumbled upon talkjesus.
So a little bit about myself, I grew up in the foster care system and did not know Jesus very well. I had gone to a good church named Sagamore that got me really involved, but the foster parents decided to change church's on us that year because the other boys were not acting right there and the church decided that it did not want us there. That was the closest to a youth group I had ever gotten! So we jumped around church's the whole next 6 years due to the other foster boys. I saw so many come and go through the house, it was a blessing and a curse that I stayed with the one set of foster parents.
They never really showed love, it was always conditional, for instance if you made a bad grade at school or did not do your chores correctly, then you could not even call them Mom and Pops(what we called them), you had to call them by there last names. They were cruel to some of the foster boys there, and someone have evaded getting the foster home closed down.
I worked quite a few jobs these past few years, but my favorite one was T-Mobile. I was completely in love! I was a phone nerd, it was my first job after high school that I was making real good money; and I was doing something I loved! But I screwed it all up, in 2014 I ended up stealing phones from T-Mobile. I was as far away from Jesus as somebody could get! I just kept taking and taking, I was so greedy! I could not stop myself; though I needed the money I just kept taking and I was spending every dime of it!
Well that all caught up with me in January of 2015 when they sat me down. I felt so guilty when they asked me about it that I could not even lie! I immediately fessed up to what I had done, and even wrote them a paper explaining it and apologizing it, which ended up being their number one piece of evidence against me when they pressed charges. This was the first time I had ever gotten in trouble with the law and I was terrified!
God gave me another great opportunity that year and blessed me to get hired by Frys Electronics just 2 weeks after leaving T-Mobile on bad terms. I even ended up becoming a Manager in Training after three months and making good money there.
But back to the T-Mobile thing, they did not file charges immediately. For some reason they gave me a opportunity to pay back the money without any repercussions. They waited almost a year until they finally realized that I was not going to be paying them a penny without be forced too. I still remember the night when I got off work at Fry's, went to sleep and was woke up less than an hour later by the Arlington Police coming to pick me up to serve there warrant. It was so embarrassing. I stayed in jail a week and then got bonded out through some program that gives you free bond if this is your first time in jail. So after going through all the court stuff I got "Deferred Adjudication", which is a type of probation that when you are finished with it you can go back to court and have your record wiped.
Even after catching a break and being put on this lax probation, I still did not pay a dime. Every time I went to my probation officers office I continually made up excuses about why I could not pay etc.. This went on for the rest of the year. Now back to when I moved out of the foster parents house in January of 2016, I went and stayed with my grandma because I had nothing else going for me, I had no place to go, no friends, and no Jesus! She ended up putting me up in her spare condominium that she was about to lease to my cousin, so I had a few months to find a place of my own. But guess what I did instead, I spent all my time playing video games, and barely working. I stopped reporting to my probation officer etc..
Well that all caught up to me in May of 2016, when the police knocked on my door again and proceeded to serve me with another warrant, but this time no bail! The court system was rapid this time, it was a thursday when they took me in and I had my judgement on Friday! They decided to send me to ISF, which was located in East Texas. I would have to stay there for 90 days and it would be like a minimum security jail and have counseling at the same time! I ended up staying in county for 27 days and then went to ISF.
In ISF I went to church, I read the bible all the way through and I found Jesus again. Little did I know that he would seek me through the good times and the bad, and even when I was at rock bottom. Jesus was always there!
Since my discharge from that place in September of 2016, I have stayed with family and have been doing very well. I have joined a church and made alot of friends my age! I have completely turned my life around with Christ, I do not steal nor have the urge to steal anymore. I work two jobs one of them being a manager so I can pay off the restitution in 1 year and not have this looming over me anymore. I have been greatly blessed by God, and I am forever thankful for all he does, and all that he has taught me.
So a little bit about myself, I grew up in the foster care system and did not know Jesus very well. I had gone to a good church named Sagamore that got me really involved, but the foster parents decided to change church's on us that year because the other boys were not acting right there and the church decided that it did not want us there. That was the closest to a youth group I had ever gotten! So we jumped around church's the whole next 6 years due to the other foster boys. I saw so many come and go through the house, it was a blessing and a curse that I stayed with the one set of foster parents.
They never really showed love, it was always conditional, for instance if you made a bad grade at school or did not do your chores correctly, then you could not even call them Mom and Pops(what we called them), you had to call them by there last names. They were cruel to some of the foster boys there, and someone have evaded getting the foster home closed down.
I worked quite a few jobs these past few years, but my favorite one was T-Mobile. I was completely in love! I was a phone nerd, it was my first job after high school that I was making real good money; and I was doing something I loved! But I screwed it all up, in 2014 I ended up stealing phones from T-Mobile. I was as far away from Jesus as somebody could get! I just kept taking and taking, I was so greedy! I could not stop myself; though I needed the money I just kept taking and I was spending every dime of it!
Well that all caught up with me in January of 2015 when they sat me down. I felt so guilty when they asked me about it that I could not even lie! I immediately fessed up to what I had done, and even wrote them a paper explaining it and apologizing it, which ended up being their number one piece of evidence against me when they pressed charges. This was the first time I had ever gotten in trouble with the law and I was terrified!
God gave me another great opportunity that year and blessed me to get hired by Frys Electronics just 2 weeks after leaving T-Mobile on bad terms. I even ended up becoming a Manager in Training after three months and making good money there.
But back to the T-Mobile thing, they did not file charges immediately. For some reason they gave me a opportunity to pay back the money without any repercussions. They waited almost a year until they finally realized that I was not going to be paying them a penny without be forced too. I still remember the night when I got off work at Fry's, went to sleep and was woke up less than an hour later by the Arlington Police coming to pick me up to serve there warrant. It was so embarrassing. I stayed in jail a week and then got bonded out through some program that gives you free bond if this is your first time in jail. So after going through all the court stuff I got "Deferred Adjudication", which is a type of probation that when you are finished with it you can go back to court and have your record wiped.
Even after catching a break and being put on this lax probation, I still did not pay a dime. Every time I went to my probation officers office I continually made up excuses about why I could not pay etc.. This went on for the rest of the year. Now back to when I moved out of the foster parents house in January of 2016, I went and stayed with my grandma because I had nothing else going for me, I had no place to go, no friends, and no Jesus! She ended up putting me up in her spare condominium that she was about to lease to my cousin, so I had a few months to find a place of my own. But guess what I did instead, I spent all my time playing video games, and barely working. I stopped reporting to my probation officer etc..
Well that all caught up to me in May of 2016, when the police knocked on my door again and proceeded to serve me with another warrant, but this time no bail! The court system was rapid this time, it was a thursday when they took me in and I had my judgement on Friday! They decided to send me to ISF, which was located in East Texas. I would have to stay there for 90 days and it would be like a minimum security jail and have counseling at the same time! I ended up staying in county for 27 days and then went to ISF.
In ISF I went to church, I read the bible all the way through and I found Jesus again. Little did I know that he would seek me through the good times and the bad, and even when I was at rock bottom. Jesus was always there!
Since my discharge from that place in September of 2016, I have stayed with family and have been doing very well. I have joined a church and made alot of friends my age! I have completely turned my life around with Christ, I do not steal nor have the urge to steal anymore. I work two jobs one of them being a manager so I can pay off the restitution in 1 year and not have this looming over me anymore. I have been greatly blessed by God, and I am forever thankful for all he does, and all that he has taught me.
Even non-believers may come to be planted, watered, tilled, and grow to one day Blossom in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ; and know him as their Savior as you have! If we can be a vehicle used that God's will be done in others lives. We find ourselves truly blessed and Glorify Him all the more for it!! Alleluia!
