No one would ever guess Terrell’s painful past by looking at him today, but the power of a gang is no match for the creator of the universe.

How Wayside Cross’s Chicago prison ministry pulled an ex-gang member from jail into a new life built on Christ. | New Life Corrections Ministry

To any kid, the streets of Chicago can look pretty mean…for Terrell, growing up on these streets meant he had to learn to fend for himself at a very young age.  

Soon, he discovered the allure of being a gang member and, to him, it seemed like the only way to survive. Protection, prestige, and power can all seem quite attractive to a kid . . . even more so than the concerns of a worried family.

As a result, Terrell, who was barely in his teens, made dealing drugs and getting into trouble a daily routine.

           “It just became part of every day, normal life,” he recalls. 

Before even realizing it, he lost years to addiction and street life, denying he even had a problem, to himself, and his family.

Eventually, he became just another high school dropout statistic . . .

. . . and the call of the streets seemed to grow even louder. Yet, deep down, he knew something was missing!

One day, the overwhelming realization of the things he had done, or been a part of hit him. He began to question his life, and Terrell came to the place where he just wanted this madness to stop.

Finally one night he cried out, “I need help.”

He found himself sitting in a jail cell with one pleading thought…

Jesus?

The Bible under his bed that had been collecting dust over time, from lack of use, seemed to call to him . . .

               “I thought I could fix it all on my own . . . I never would’ve dreamed the Bible was what I really needed.”

In and out of jail, and now with no real family to return home to, Terrell had burned all his bridges and Wayside became the best and only option…thanks to the recommendation of a prison advisor.

But he already tried different rehab and recovery programs. Nothing worked! How was this going to be any different?

“You’ll see, said the advisor.”

              Terrell smiled at the thought, “Yeah man . . . he was right.”

Prison ministries in Chicago like New Life Corrections are creating a pathway of re-entry for ex offenders and former gang members.

Here, he says he finally found a peace that could drown out the noise that had become his life. In that space, life seemed to pause, just long enough that he began to hear another sound—the voice of Jesus.

“I remember reading that Bible and thinking for the first time, maybe my life could be different…”

Though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD
upholds him with his hand. ~ Psalm 37:24

“…I remember I felt an overwhelming peace and an undeniable love that filled me with new hope.” 

But recovery is a long road, and takes a lot of hard work and determination.

He knew that.

“I realized I would have to work harder at this than anything I ever did before, just to survive the streets as a kid. It wasn’t easy. Whenever I thought it was too hard…or I would never make it, I kept this verse by my bedside.”

I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.

~ Philippians 4:13

            “To be honest, in those difficult times, I really didn’t know if I could do it. But Jesus pulled me through.
I can see that now.”

A recent graduate of the Master’s Touch program, Wayside has also worked with Terrell to help him get his driver’s license back, to earn his GED, and even more…

“Wayside played a part in helping me set up my own carpet cleaning company, just because some people here believed in me.”

“Imagine that…me, a business owner. “

But God still wasn’t finished with Terrell…  

He planted something even bigger in his heart.

Seeing what street-life did to him and all the time he lost, Terrell has become even more determined to try and help kids who are facing the same challenges as he did, to never let his troubled story become theirs too.

With an overwhelming sense of humility he continued . . .

“Wayside has also helped me put together a business plan to start my own youth center. That’s something I never would’ve dreamed of when I first came here . . . but now I see there are so many kids I could help.”

“The way my life was going,” he says, shaking his head, “Man . . . I don’t know if I would’ve heard God speak that vision into my life if I hadn’t come to Wayside.”  

“What I do know is that behind Wayside Cross are hundreds of churches and supporters . . . people praying for me every day and making recovery possible for many others just like me.”

“All I have to do is think about that and I know I am blessed.”

Wayside Cross Ministries and other prison ministry’s in Chicago just like it exists through God’s provision, volunteers and the kindness of people just like you. Join Us.   

If you know someone in need of a safe place to recover and rebuild their lives call Wayside Cross Ministries’ Lifespring Center for Women or Master’s Touch for Men at (630) 892-4239.