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ALYSSA: SO, AS SHE SAID, I'M ALYSSA ALLEN.
I HAD STARTED DOING JAIL MINISTRY IN AUGUST OF 2015.
FOR YEARS, GOD HAD BEEN TELLING ME,
"I WANT YOUR TESTIMONY.
YOUR TESTIMONY WILL SET MANY FREE."
[MUSIC]
ALYSSA: I WAS MOLESTED FOR A LARGE PART OF MY CHILDHOOD,
WAS RAPED AS A TEENAGER BY AN ACQUAINTANCE.
MARRIED A MAN WHO WAS 16 YEARS OLDER THAN ME WHEN I WAS 21.
WAS DIVORCED AFTER FOUR YEARS AND JUST KIND OF WENT CRAZY
AFTER THAT 'CAUSE IT WAS A MISERABLE MARRIAGE
SO I WENT NUTS, CLOSING DOWN THE BARS, PARTYING.
I WOULD SEND MY THEN THREE-YEAR-OLD SON
TO HIS DAD'S ON THE WEEKENDS AND GO DO WHATEVER I WANTED.
AND THEN BY 2007 I WAS 32 YEARS OLD,
I WAS ABSOLUTELY MISERABLE, AND I WAS SUICIDAL.
THE END OF 2007, I HAD HAD A COUSIN WHO HAD
BEEN IN PRISON FOR NINE YEARS AND SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL.
AND I REMEMBER THINKING, "HOW DO YOU GET OUT OF PRISON FOR NINE
YEARS AND YOU LOOK THIS GOOD?" WELL, BY HER OWN CONFESSION,
SHE SAID, "'CAUSE I'VE BEEN IN THE WORD FOR EIGHT HOURS
A DAY FOR THE LAST NINE YEARS."
AND IT WAS ACTUALLY HER.
I ENDED UP GOING TO CHURCH WITH HER.
I GOT SAVED THAT DAY.
AND SHE WAS THE ONE THAT VERY SHORTLY AFTER I GOT SAVED,
HANDED ME A VERY TORN, RIPPED, COLORED ON COPY
OF "BEAUTY FOR ASHES" THAT I THINK CAME WITH HER
FROM PRISON AND SHE SAID, "YOU NEED TO READ THIS."
THERE WERE LITTLE THINGS IN THAT BOOK
THAT I REALLY RELATED TO AND THEN THE FACT THAT THAT BOOK
GETS YOU INTO THE ROOT OF WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON.
GOD HAD TO CHIP AWAY AT THAT IN ME FOR YEARS
BEFORE I FINALLY ADMITTED HOW BROKEN I WAS
AND HOW MUCH I NEEDED HIM AND HOW MUCH HE WAS THE ONLY ONE
THAT COULD--THAT COULD REALLY HEAL ME.
BUT "BEAUTY FOR ASHES" WAS THE CATAPULT, YOU KNOW.
YES, I KNOW IT WAS THE WORD.
YES, I KNOW IT WAS JESUS BUT, I MEAN, THAT BOOK WAS PUT
IN MY HANDS VERY SOON AFTER I GOT SAVED
AND IT WAS REALLY A CATAPULT FOR GIVING ME THE HOPE
TO PUSH FORWARD INTO WHAT GOD REALLY HAD FOR ME.
ALYSSA: WHEN WE'RE LOOKING FOR EVERYTHING OUT HERE
TO FIX WHAT WE ARE IN HERE, IT'S NEVER GONNA WORK.
BUT GOD HAS A PICTURE FOR YOU AND WHY YOU'RE BROKEN IN HERE.
AND YOU NEED TO KNOW IT.
YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY THAT IS SO THAT GOD CAN START
TO HEAL THOSE PLACES.
HE'S GONNA OPEN UP THOSE LOCKED DOORS IN YOUR HEART WHERE
YOU'VE GOT ALL THIS PAIN AND UNFORGIVENESS LOCKED AWAY.
ALYSSA: THERE ARE A COUPLE JAILS WITHIN MY REACH
THAT I WILL VISIT PERIODICALLY.
ABOUT EVERY THREE OR FOUR MONTHS I'LL GO TO OTHER COUNTY JAILS,
SMALLER COUNTY JAILS, THAT ARE A COUPLE HOURS AWAY
AND JUST SHARE MY TESTIMONY.
GOD TOLD ME, "GO SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY AND TELL OTHER PEOPLE
HOW YOU FOUND FREEDOM."
ALYSSA: IT'S JUST ONCE YOU START REALLY TRUSTING GOD
AND SEE--
ALYSSA: I KNOW I WOULD NOT BE
WHERE I AM IF IT WASN'T FOR JOYCE MEYER "BEAUTY FOR ASHES."
AND THAT WAS ONE THING I REALLY ALSO LOVE
ABOUT JOYCE MEYER MINISTRIES IS THEY DON'T JUST BRING BOOKS,
THEY DON'T JUST BRING THE WORD.
THEY BRING TANGIBLE NEEDS, BASIC NEEDS.
WHETHER IT'S TOILETRIES IN JAIL, WHETHER IT'S A HOT MEAL.
THAT IS SUCH A BIG DEAL.
I BECAME A PARTNER BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE A PART
OF WHAT JOYCE MEYER MINISTRIES IS DOING.
AND AS GOD TAUGHT ME THE IMPORTANCE OF GIVING,
I SAW THE IMPORTANCE OF SUPPORTING MINISTRIES
LARGER THAN MYSELF BECAUSE YOU REALLY ARE
REACHING PLACES OUTSIDE OF WHERE YOU LIVE.