A HIGHER CALLING

My name is Mario Reyes and I’m taking this opportunity to share my testimony, as to what God has done in my life these past 12 years while behind these prison walls.  What brought me behind these prison walls was the lifestyle of a gang member and the use of drugs and drinking.  The world would call it “current events”; the Bible calls it the “curse of this world.” I couldn’t fill this emptiness in my life at home,  by the rules of the house, or by the rituals and ceremonies of our religion.  I had a hunger for recognition and respect.  At the age of 14 I pursued a passion for “Tagging” and became part of a crew.  I made an effort to vandalize every corner of the city, streets, buses, freeways & schools.  The more your name was “Up”, the more respect and recognition you got! The three years I spend vandalizing and crusading down the cities of LA to the San Gabriel Valley brought me also to encounter law enforcement and incarcerations from community service to Juvenile Hall.  At the age of 16 my life began to take a different direction.  I spent the next 3 years, from 16 to 18 gangbanging and proving myself worthy and loyal to the neighborhood.  I became a gang member at the age of 18 and during that period I experienced numerous, heavy cross fires with rival gangs.  I’ve been chased, jumped, stabbed and beaten, and have escaped death at the hands of other gangs.  It was all part of the life style I chose to live.

Homeboys passed away, dying for the Hood and leaving loved ones behind to carry the scars of broken hearts and shattered dreams.  One day, I found myself in an altercation that was inevitable, a place where my life and the life of another would be at stake.  On June 28, 1993, I had a violent confrontation with a rival gang member that led to his death.  I had no right to take the life of another.  It was not mine to take, but deception and blindness had me bound and imprisoned.  Living in prison brought its own method of survival.  I was sent to solitary confinement, the gang module, where I spent the next 3 years fighting my case.  It was a place where sin and death were common place, a place where the violent displayed their aggression with no regard for life!  They were stabbed, beaten or even killed.  I spent the next three years there earning respect and recognition.  The enemy had me locked ,pursuing a life of violence, drugs, power and prestige.  I had become more aggressive and violent.  I displayed my violence inciting riots, fights and stabbings.  I did not accept handcuffs as an excuse not to reach out and touch those who violated the code:  that is, the rules and regulations of jail life.  Although I gained this false sense of pride and respect, it still didn’t satisfy the huge emptiness in my heart and life. 

One day I called a friend from school and Cecilia was an entirely different person.  She witnessed to me on the transforming power of God to change sinners like us, and how much Jesus loved us.  She told me that if He changed her, He could change me.  Although I was void of any understanding of the Bible, God used this precious friend of mine to bring a sense of direction in leading me to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Soon after that, the Spirit of God, through God’s Word, began to penetrate and expose the very walls and prison I was in.  One night, I began to reflect on my life and where I had come.  Deep down in my heart, I wanted to change.  I also knew that the only person who could change someone like me was God.  I recall that night like it was just yesterday, when I cried out to God with all my heart, until there was no tears left to cry.  I prayed the sinner’s prayer and received Christ into my heart.  All of a sudden I felt this peace that surpasses all understanding that overwhelmed me.  I felt God’s awesome presence living and revealing in and through me.  Scriptures I had read in the Bible became meaningful and alive.  At that moment I knew God had forgiven me all my sins and delivered me from the power of sin and Satan.  Jesus set me free from drugs, gangs and violence.

At the beginning of the year on January 16, 1997, I made a decision that would ultimately change my entire life around and would call for an entire surrender and trust in Him.  I accepted His judgment of 15 years to life and I felt that His judgment was righteous.  I was willing to lose my life for His sake that I might find it!  I called my paid lawyer and abandoned my appeal for the honor and glory of God!  Praise the Lord!  I spent the entire year at Mulecreek State Prison, praying, studying God’s word, memorizing scripture, in fellowship with the church and witnessing to others about Jesus Christ.  I attended services faithfully.  I was then transferred to Calipatria State Prison where I arrived and received a warm welcome from the body of believers.  Not long after that, I was called to leadership and ministry in the Spanish service.  With this responsibility came various trials and tribulations and at the same time blessings and rewards.  My faith was tested, my heart and integrity tried.  It was at Calipatria in March of 2000 that God restored my relationship with certain family members or the man I had killed.  Four years I prayed for this, and it finally came to pass.  I wrote a letter to the family and asked for their forgiveness.  By the grace of God, they received it.  At Calipatria, Donovan and Soledad Central and North Facilities, and Chuckawalla, God has given me a calling and gift to bring honor and glory to His name behind these prison walls. And may God bless you Mel.