Is There Life After Prison?

         "Leticia grew up, one of 8 brothers and sisters from a poor southern New Mexico family. Even though hard, the memories of her early years were good. The good life turned bad as the drugs overwhelmed her.  Eventually, the addiction shattered the marriage and eventually her life. The street life engulfed her and took her places no woman should ever have to endure.  She was raped, beaten and left for dead.  She made two very bad choices in men that almost cost her her life and did take her parental rights to her only son.

         Arrested and convicted, Leticia was sent to jail. She was prayed into jail by a guard, who saw her dead in a ditch and got up to pray!  Later that year, another guard, who was faithful to go out and make disciples, led her to Christ. After jail she was sent to prison. Prison was where she discovered and developed a wonderful relationship with Jesus Christ.  Through her four years in prison, she turned a disaster into the most wonderful relationship with God that could ever be imagined.  She attributes her prison sentence to not only saving her life, but also cementing her relationship with Jesus Christ.  That drive that made her early life successful was the determination that helped her develop an exit strategy from prison, as well as overcoming the overwhelming obstacles of post-prison life.

         During and since her release Leticia has dedicated her life to helping others overcome the hurdles of prison release.  She and others are offered ways to change through education, relocation, incarceration and rehabilitation, but only God can make the transformation.  After God made that transformation in her life and based on her experiences leaving prison, she founded God’s Provision Ministry and later with co-founders, Donna Jennings and Patricia Conkling, A Peaceful Habitation Home & Aftercare Ministry, Inc., a ministry that provides transitional housing, resources, life skills, Celebrate Recovery (12-step) and other assistance for women to make their transitions back into their communities, one woman at a time.

         Leticia lost her parental rights to her son, Isaac, but God restored him to her. He is legally adopted by her sister, Ramona, but visits on a regular basis and at the age of 6 said, “He wanted to 'rock' for God!”  He is now a teenager and serving God.  Leticia is also re-married. She and Bob met on a Kairos prison ministry weekend in 2003 while she was still on parole.  They married six months later and are still married and very much in love.  She and her husband, Bob, continue working on Kairos weekends each year.  She was also allowed to be a Leader of a women’s Kairos team; Chairperson for Grants Kairos Advisory Board; Advisory Member of the Christian Association of Prison Aftercare (CAPA); has been instrumental in the coordinating and organizing of the NM Dept of Corrections’ annual volunteer conferences; and a member of the House Memorial 3 Task Force in NM.    God brought her a long way and performed many miracles in her life.

        
 Leticia would like to one day write a book; obtain a pardon from the governor of NM; speak at churches to encourage them to embrace the formerly incarcerated returning citizens into their congregations by providing mentors and support; go to the prisons and jails to encourage others to never give up hope and embrace their God given talents and use them for the good of society.

        Leticia writes, “During our addiction and criminal lifestyles we become people that are selfish, self-centered, and even abusive. We should apologize for the pain we caused and give back of ourselves, time and money to those we have injured and taken from. We must stop blaming everyone else, take responsibility for our actions, the bad choices we made and become contributing and positive members of our families and our communities." She would also like to have another house in Albuquerque and open a business that will hire and train the former incarcerated women, who are returning citizens.

          Coming from a poor family and surviving many bad choices concerning drugs and other illegal activities, Leticia found a relationship with God that allowed her to turn her life around and offer herself to the aid of others.  Her ministry, A Peaceful Habitation Home & Aftercare Ministry, Inc., is now offering a light of hope to women coming out of prison, hope that she herself needed, to be able to overcome the realities of post-prison life."  

(article used with permission by A Peaceful Habitation)

"My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,
in safe dwellings,
and in quiet resting places."

                                                                      Isaiah 32:18

A Peaceful Habitation

P.O. Box 53516

Albuquerque, NM 87153

505-440-5937

info@apeacefulhabitation.org

                                                               A 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization 

This is part of a series called 31 Days of Change. To read others in this series, click the links below. 
To read my previous year's series, click here to read about Our Adoption Adventure.  
Click here to read about Hearing God. If you would like to read other blogs and different topics you can go to Write31days.com.

Day 1:   He Did What?!

 Day 2:  Called Out in Class

Day 3:  Stuck in the Desert

Day 4:  Nicest Guy in Hell

Day 5:  Domino's Delivers More Than Pizza

Day 6:  Mommy, You Need God  - Part 1

Day 7:  Mommy, You Need God - Part 2

Day 8:  Meeting My Messiah

Day 9:   Depression to Joy

Day 10:  Seasons of Change

Day 11:  In the Enemy's Ring

Day 12:  Holding His Hand

Day 13:  Changed

Day 14:  12 Thoughts on Change

Day 15:  A Prodigal Daughter’s Journey

Day 16:  What if God Never Calls?

Day 17:  Never the Same

Day 18:  The C Word

Day 19:  Punk to Pastor

Day 20:  Lessons After Class

Day 21:  Is There Life After Prison?

Day 22:  I Can Handle it On My Own

Day 23:

Day 24:  All Fired Up

Day 25:  All Fired Up - Part 2

Day 26:  All Fired Up - Part 3

Day 27:  When the Father Ran

Day 28:

Day 29:

Day 30:

Day 31: