I first met Carlos only a few days after he was paroled from a California State Prison. The first thing I noticed was his infectious smile and bright demeanor. I could tell immediately his encounter with Jesus while serving a life sentence had changed his life.
Carlos often tells the story of how he conned his way out of being arrested for stealing a car and being involved in a drug sale in a park not two blocks from our World Impact Ministry Center. This is the same park my wife Karin and I walk in every week! He is no longer the con-man, murderer, thief and drug dealer he once was. He is now using his power of persuasive speech to share and preach the Gospel!
Carlos didn’t start The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI) while incarcerated but applied soon after his release. He has finished nine modules and is involved in one of our partnering churches. He is also engaged to Hannah whom we have known since our beginning years here in San Diego. Carlos has vision. He recently purchased a house with his dad and brother which he plans to convert into a re-entry house for parolees.
He wants to share his re-entry expertise to empower other parolees to become great citizens. Along with sharing the Gospel and equipping the men to become solid Christian leaders, he wants to give them resources for securing good jobs and living independently. He is naming the house Bethel House which has rich Biblical history and means House of God. We are excited to see his vision come to life, and to see lives changed at Bethel House.