Jose Delcid’s testimony; From Assassin to Saint!
This is the testimony of a man that attended our Sunday services at the Lancaster State Prison for a year and half. He is now at another state prison in California but wants to share his testimony to motivate others to reach out and support our ministry.
I was born in El Salvador, and lived there for 14 years. In the 80s-90s, my country went through a very terrible war, which was the usual on-going violence in every region of the country. As a young man, I experience tragedy in the streets, at school, and in my own home. It was not unusual that I saw during this time dead people hanging from doors and trees this included adults, children, and even women. The government could not protect us from this violent war and many tragedies occurred. Nothing was secure. Women were being raped, and there were ongoing assassinations of people young men were being abducted to go in the war either by the government or by the leftist guerillas. As I told this to Dr. Emerick after hearing that he is considered an expert in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, he helped me understand the darkness that engulfed my life. Dr. Emerick explained that he completed his dissertation in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder associated with Child Abuse in the Salvadoran community living in the United States. This was due to his taking into custody many Salvadorian women in Los Angles who were arrested from child abuse and/or domestic violence. These women suffered PTSD due to the terrible tragedies they suffered from the war in their country and being victims of human trafficking. Many of these women were forced into prostitution and drugs by the smugglers. Subsequently Dr. Emerick stated that during the civil war he visited El Salvador and interviewed 100 people suffering from the civil war in El Salvador. This study he completed this research after six years of study in the university to receive his PhD in psychology.
At this young age, my family immigrated from El Salvador. This was quite a cultural shock for me because I did not understand the culture or the language. I felt very alone and frustrated. We lived in a one-bedroom apartment with one bathroom, and there were six of us. I used to sleep in a closet and at the age of 15 I began to work with an uncle in construction. When I turned 20 years old, I was married because I impregnated my girlfriend, I feel obligated that I had to marry her. However, during my matrimony, God blessed us with four children two men and two women. However, my matrimony did not survive, and I went through a divorce because I had very twisted thinking. Everything began to turn bad for me and I wanted to strike out so I took the life of one person. The terrible thing is that I took my two sons with me during the murder of this individual.
I understood that were going to prison to pay for my actions and poor decisions, they sentenced me to 80 years to life. I felt destroyed, without motivation. I felt like I was like The Walking Dead. The terrible thing about my crime is I took my two sons with me who also went to prison, and my two daughters were raised without me being their father. Many times, I wish the world would’ve opened and swallowed me. I couldn’t bear my pain.
The devil told me to commit suicide, and just end my miserable life. However, my father God had a different purpose for me. I did not permit me to take my life. God use many people in my rehabilitation. My transformation took place one night in a cell in Los Angeles County Jail. A very nicely dressed man visited me who turned out to be my public defender. He said don’t worry about anything, everything will be fine. I’m going to get your children out of jail after some time. That night for the first time I was able to sleep without worrying. The following morning began to read the Bible and I began to speak with God. The scripture that stood out in my mind what Psalms 4:1. It stated, “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! This is one of my favorite verses that is giving me much strength through the years.
After 13 years of being in prison, emotionally, psychologically, and physically, God has delivered me. I literally feel free by the mercy of God that he has had with me. I dedicate myself now to teaching the word of God and now I to try to win souls for the Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to know that God can transform violent lives to serve him. Prisoners are rejected by society, and no one comes to visit them, but God changes even the impossible. To close my two sons, who had a Prison sentence of several years were out in four years. My parole date was supposed to be 2089 but God changed it to 2029. I covet your prayers not only for me and my family but for all prisoners. And the families who have been victimized by violent men. Thank you for listening to my testimony.
Sincerely, Jose Delcid