THE PRISON CELL, THE CALLING,
AND THE CITY COUNCIL
“I knew that I was going to need a church community ... where I could learn, where I could really start to build a foundation—and not just me, but also my family as well.”
—Jermaine
The streets of Leavenworth, Kansas, were not safe for children to explore by themselves. But that’s exactly what Jermaine and his older brother did while their mother worked two jobs to support her four children.
By the time Jermaine was 6 years old, he was hearing gunfire, seeing street fights, and observing drug activity regularly at the apartment complex where he lived. At age 11, he tried drugs for the first time.
When Jermaine was 12, he and his brother burglarized a home. The two rode a few blocks before police stopped them. That day, Jermaine experienced his first arrest.
