Welcome
My Goal: To Open Eyes & Hearts
When I was asked to write this book, a few thoughts flashed through my mind. To begin with, I wondered if I could handle such a daunting task. To tell the full story, I knew I would need to write down, year by year, nearly two decades of traumatic events, reliving some of the most terrifying moments in my life. Was I up to that challenge?
My second concern was for my family. My journey had taken a big toll on them and a lot of other people I'd met along the way. Would they rather I keep my mouth shut?
Third, I wondered if it would serve any purpose. My intent was to help others who had fallen as I had – and to encourage the parents of wayward children who were still out there struggling with their addictions and bad decisions. Would this book be a support for them?
The book is here, so I obviously did conclude that the task was achievable, my family would support the project and the book had something important to say about loss, shame, fear and recovery. What I hadn't expected but also discovered was that writing down the traumatic story of my life brought healing. It was a cathartic experience, helping me exorcise the demons of my past and opening up an entirely new chapter in my life.
This simple website was created to provide a few photos, some scanned pages of my prison diary and a couple of other features for readers who want to dig deeper into the story. As with the book itself, I pray these few extra things will open eyes and hearts.
Can You Help me solve...
The Mystery of the Smuggled Bible
I have a request. Years ago now, a Bible was smuggled into my prison cell by two American military officers stationed in Turkey. As you have learned from my memoir, their loving gesture forever changed my life, and I desperately want to thank them for what they did for me. If you, dear reader, provided me with that Bible, please contact me so I can let you know how much your gift meant to me. If you are a person who has special connections that might help me locate the couple, I would love to hear from you too. Just send me an email through this website. To bring closure to that part of my life, I want to find the Good Samaritans who – because they trusted the Lord would use it for His glory – risked smuggling God's Word to me when I needed it most!