Once called ‘Manchester’s smallest car thief’ by the police, Bobby had been caught up in crime since he was 11 and spent years in and out of prison until God turned his life around. This is his story.
‘My childhood was chaotic. I was put into care and bounced from children’s home to children’s home for years. I was desperate to be loved and accepted so I looked everywhere I could to try and find this, and ended up heading down a path I shouldn’t have.
‘I first started stealing cars with a group of mates when I was 11, and we used to joke that I was the smallest robber on the estate! Quickly we moved on from car theft and the crime I got involved in became really serious, but no-one stopped me or tried to point me in the right direction. At the same time, drugs started to overtake my life and I didn’t care about anything or anyone.
‘When I was 11, I was first sent to prison. And I would love to say it made me want to turn my life around, but it didn’t. Drugs, crime and violence were all I knew, my life revolved around them, and it was all I cared about. I found myself caught up in the cycle of reoffending, and every time I got released, I was soon back in prison. In fact, I spent 19 Christmases in prison.
‘Ten years ago, whilst I was in prison, I had a massive heart attack and stroke and knew something had to change. I needed to stop taking the drugs, make something of my life and turn it around, both for my sake, and for my grandkids. Even though I didn’t know Jesus then, I can see now that I was desperate for him. That was my last prison sentence.
‘A few years later, my girlfriend, Sam, was given a leaflet about the Community Grocery and signed up to become a member. If I’m honest, I was embarrassed that, despite working full time, we needed help with the cost of our food shopping. But as I went shopping with her, I could see that the store was different to anywhere else I’d ever been. It wasn’t like a normal food bank or shop; people were interested in you and had your back.
‘I honestly wasn’t looking for Jesus, I just wanted to say thank you.’
‘One evening, I was sat at home with Sam, and she said she’d got some tickets for a Christmas event that the Community Grocery were putting on, and that as part of it they were giving out food hampers to every member. If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d think about going to a family event put on by a church, I wouldn’t have believed you but Sam and I went and it was mind-blowing! As we got involved in the fun, I heard the Christmas story like I’d never heard it before and, as we left, they gave us the hamper. I couldn’t believe how much was packed in there.
‘Leaving with my hamper, I knew I needed to go to the church service they’d mentioned to say thank you and tell them how much it had meant to me. I honestly wasn’t looking for Jesus, I just wanted to say thank you. If you’d asked me at the time, I’d have told you I was a Buddhist as I meditated every day but still couldn’t find the peace I was desperate for.
‘I never dreamt life could be this good. Jesus is now my life.’
‘That Sunday, I sat in the church service. As I listened to them share about Jesus and how much God loves and accepts each of us, no matter how much we’ve messed up, it was like they were talking just to me. This is what I’d been looking for all those years. I felt loved more than I ever had done in my life. I felt a peace that I had only ever dreamt of feeling, and had a joy that I didn’t know could exist.
‘I was hooked and kept going back to church week after week to hear more about Jesus and I couldn’t put the Bible they’d given me down. When I heard that they were holding a church weekend away, Sam and I went along. The first night there, I knew I had to give my life to Jesus so, as the speaker asked who wanted to respond to what they’d heard, I went up to the front and wept. A few weeks later, Sam and I got baptised and I’ve not looked back.
‘I never dreamt life could be this good. Jesus is now my life, and I want to use every day to tell people about him and how he’d changed my story. Every day, I pray for opportunities to tell someone about God, and time and again he gives me chances to do just that. Last December, instead of spending the build-up to Christmas sitting in a prison cell as I had so many times before, I got the chance to go to Uganda and get involved in a mission week with the Message hub there. What a privilege it was to go into a prison to share my story with the men and tell them how they are loved unconditionally by Jesus and how their future can have hope.
‘Looking back, I can’t believe I’m the same guy that used to feel unlovable. Thank you, Jesus.’
Watch Bobby’s full story here.
