“I was just so amazed by the different stories and the transformation of what God did in other people’s lives. ... Those stories would give you hope. It would give you encouragement that if God did it for them, He can do it for me.” —Melisha
Melisha’s life changed dramatically when she was 10 years old; her parents divorced, and her father moved out of the house. Melisha internalized her father’s absence as evidence that she was unlovable.
As a result, she thought she had to earn people’s affection. She started stealing money from her mom’s pocketbook, and when her mother decided she was too much to handle, Melisha was sent to live with various family members.
Eventually, she went to live with her uncle in Connecticut, where he pastored a local church. However, she became pregnant by a married man in the church, and hoping to spare her uncle from difficulties, she moved back to her hometown in Georgia.
Now a single mother living on her own, Melisha struggled to make ends meet. Determined not to ask her family for help—or let them know she was in trouble—she wrote her first bad check.
When she didn’t get caught, she wrote more, which eventually sent her to jail.
Over the next few years, Melisha cycled in and out of jail. With each release, she would return to church, but also to her financial crimes.
Men and women in prison are looking for hope. And nothing provides hope like the living Word of God. The demand for Bibles and Christian content is at an all-time high. Will you help us meet the need? Please give generously today.
