Personal Testimonials from the Sheger Prison Baptism
Reading Time: 4 minutesWhen seven men stepped into the baptismal water at Sheger Prison on April 4, it was more than a religious ceremony. It marked the end of a long, often violent road and the beginning of a life they never thought possible. While the world may see “prisoners,” these stories reveal that behind prison walls, hearts are being completely rebuilt for the kingdom of God. A Fighter’s Rescue One of the men baptized had spent years being a source of deep heartache for his Seventh-day Adventist wife. He was lost to the world, drinking heavily and bringing chaos into their home. It took a violent fight and a sentence at Sheger Prison to finally snap things into focus. But instead of seeing the bars as a punishment, his perspective shifted completely. He began to see his time behind bars as divine intervention. “God got me to prison to change me,” he now believes. Freedom from the Streets There is also the story of a man who spent five years living on the streets, having been on his own since he was a small child. He survived by stealing and pickpocketing mobile phones or whatever else he could grab. Trapped in a cycle of petty crime and a heavy cigarette addiction, he was eventually arrested and sent to Sheger. It was there, behind prison bars, that he truly found Jesus. He spent long hours in Bible study and constant prayer, waging a war against his old habits and his past. By surrendering his life to Christ in this way, he finally found victory over his addictions. When he finally stepped into the baptismal water, he emerged with a new and vibrant life. He is a living proof that a person’s past never has to dictate their future. A Dream That Felt Like Home Life on the streets started early for another young man who had been surviving on his own since he was a boy. Even though his mother was an Adventist, his father was not, so he grew up knowing nothing of God. He survived on the streets through petty crime and pickpocketing while struggling with a heavy addiction to cigarettes. After an arrest for theft landed him in Sheger Prison, he crossed paths with Lelissa Kenea. Lelissa is a fellow inmate who had found Christ behind bars and is now serving as a Bible teacher for the other prisoners. At first, Lelissa hesitated to even speak with him, but he eventually decided to reach out and offered the young man a spiritual book. Although the young man had zero interest in reading anything religious, Lelissa refused to give up on him. Everything changed with a dream. One night, this young man saw himself clearly attending the Adventist church located inside the prison walls. The very next morning, he walked into that same church and happened to find Lelissa and another believer just sitting there. That encounter was the spark that started his transformation. Today, his life is completely unrecognizable from the one he once led on the streets. A Mother’s Prayer and the Prodigal Son Decades ago in the Ethiopian countryside, a Protestant mother suffered the heartbreaking loss of her twin babies. Traumatized and fearful, she eventually became pregnant again but lived in terror that this child would not survive. One day, while searching for a lost sheep, she prayed desperately for a sign from God. When she finally found the animal, it had just given birth. Seeing the newborn lamb with its mother, she took this as a divine sign: “As this sheep gave birth, I will also give birth.” She praised God and vowed, “I will have my baby in my bosom, and I will dedicate the child to God.” When her son was born, she joyfully brought him to church for his dedication. However, as the boy grew, he became spoiled, quarrelsome, and prone to violence. He fell in love with a girl, but one day he saw his friend with his hand on her. Enraged, he took a knife and stabbed him. Fearing what his son might do next, his frustrated father handed him over to prison but worked behind the scenes with the victim’s family toward reconciliation. Eventually the charges were dropped, and when he was released, local pastors celebrated his return as if he were the prodigal son. But the change did not last. He quickly fell back into his old life, joining the Oromo Liberation Army (Shene) and sinking deeper into a heavy cigarette addiction. After being arrested again and sent to Sheger Prison, he began scheming to smuggle and distribute cigarettes inside the walls. He attended various religious services only to hustle for money, even becoming a Muslim for financial gain. However, everything shifted when he met Pastor Wakuma, the chaplain with the Living Parchment Ministry, who encouraged him to start studying the Bible. He began learning with our Bible teacher, Lelissa. Now baptized, he reflects on his journey with a new perspective. “With the SDAs, I didn’t get any money,” he shared, “but I got Jesus.” Changing Lives Together These men are now part of a growing family of 104 believers at Sheger Prison. While we have only shared four of their journeys here, each of the seven men baptized on April 4 represents a life transformed by grace. Their stories remind us that no matter how far someone has run, whether into addiction, violence, or despair, the light of the Gospel can still find them. We thank our dedicated donors, whose consistent contributions allow Living Parchment Ministry to continue breaking chains and bringing the light of the Gospel to those in darkness.
