I was a rebellious young man who grew up in a house full of shouting and beatings. My father was violent, beating my mother brutally and insulting her in front of me. The anger kept building up in my heart until I finally exploded one day. In a moment of lost control, I got into a fight with my father. I pushed him violently; he fell and hit his head against the wall and died instantly.

I was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison. In a cold, silent cell, everything inside me began to wither. No one came to visit me – not my mother, not my friends. Only my inner voice screamed: “I’m a murderer! There is no forgiveness for me!”

The months passed slowly, and one day, Pastor “B” entered the prison to visit the inmates. He stopped beside me and smiled, saying, “The Lord loves you even here.” I laughed sarcastically: “Does He love a murderer? Does He love someone who killed his own father?” The pastor answered calmly: “Jesus forgave those who crucified Him and forgave Saul, who persecuted the church and killed believers. God’s heart is open to the repentant, no matter how great their sin.” The words were weighty on me, but I could not forget them.

That night, I sat in the corner of my cell and began to cry for the first time since entering prison. I lifted my eyes to heaven: “Lord, if there is a place for a murderer like me, forgive me. Take my broken life and change me.” After that, I felt a light starting to enter my life, as if I were being born again. And not only that, but I had a certainty inside me that I had become a son of Jesus Christ. Days passed, and I began to read the Bible. I learned about the love of Jesus and the grace of forgiveness.

Now, I share words of hope with my fellow inmates, and my cell has become a small church of prayer and peace. Thankfully, my mother also came to know the Lord and began visiting me in prison. The good news is that many people came to know the Lord through me, the weak one. And whenever someone asks, “Who are you?” I answer with a quiet smile, “I was a murderer … and now I am a child of God.”