Right now, worldwide, thousands of Christians are imprisoned for their faith and we get to hear the testimonies of how God uses them to change lives.
Kayla Garrison of Y squad was jailed for an entirely different reason, but that doesn’t mean that God didn’t use her to change a life.
I’ve grown to really know and trust God’s voice, even if He calls me to do crazy things I don’t understand at the moment.
Earlier this year (March 2015), the Lord told me to leave my beach house in Bradenton, FL and move to Georgia. He never told me where in Georgia, and He never told me why, but within a week, I packed up my house and made my way to Georgia.
I sought the Lord for direction and after a couple days of no answers, I decided to relieve some stress by visiting the Mall of Georgia. I saw a girl with a pretty floral shirt and I stopped her to ask where she bought it from. She proceeded to tell me that she just got back from something called the World Race. I asked her where she was from, and she told me she was originally from Florida, but God told her to move to Georgia. It was at THAT moment that I knew the Lord was calling me to the World Race.
Fast Forward to August 3, 2015: My plan for the day was to relax and spend time with my Georgia friends, but God obviously had other plans for me.
I woke up at 5:30 A.M., exactly, with no alarm set, and felt the Lord tell me, “I want you to drive to Adventures in Missions for their Monday morning worship service.”
I protested, and told Him that I didn’t want to drive 2.5 hours through Atlanta rush-hour traffic and back. I tossed and turned for a few minutes, trying desperately to go back to sleep. But in the back of my mind, I kept wondering, what does He have for me at the worship gathering? What am I going to miss out on if I don’t listen to Him?
Finally, I jumped out of bed, found a skirt and top, curled my hair, put on makeup, and started the 2.5 hour drive to Gainesville, GA.
Five minutes away from my destination, I was pulled over. He asked me for my license and registration, and also asked what I was doing in Georgia since I had a Florida license plate. I told him about Adventures in Missions, the World Race, and my upcoming adventure in just 4 weeks. He told me that he was going to let me off with a warning, but still needed to run my license.
After a few minutes he came back and said, “Ms. Garrison, Your license has been suspended as of 8 hours ago.”
What?! Apparently, on my way to Georgia for the first time, I ran a red light in Bradenton, FL and never paid the fine. Because I was in Georgia, I never saw the notice and had no idea about the unpaid fine. He informed me that he had no other option but to arrest me.
At this point, I’m thinking This is just too weird. I should be freaking out, but I’m not. Why would God tell me to drive here? He told me to get up and come here, so there’s a reason. This feels like a set-up…
Sitting in the back of a cop car with handcuffs was surreal.
Before I knew it, we arrived at the jail, and I was taken to a room where I was frisked and asked to fill out medical paperwork. I was told that since I was dressed modestly, I didn’t have to change into the jailhouse shirt and pants. With the way I was dressed, I definitely stood out.
After calling my Dad to fill him in, I sat in my holding cell and just asked the Lord to give me wisdom and insight on how to handle this predicament. I couldn’t understand why, but I was entirely flooded by peace.
As I sat in the room alone, I began to pray for the Lord to send me people to encourage, love on, and share the gospel with. I never imagined that I would ever be in jail, but since I was here, might as well make the most of it!
That’s when I met Katie. She was escorted to the same holding cell about an hour after I arrived. She was willing to share her story with me and began to tell me about her children, her jail history, and her intense addiction to a drug called GHB.
“Every time I would stick a needle in my arm, I would just hope to God that it would kill me.”
Moments after she shared so vulnerably, she broke into tears and said “I would do anything to break this addiction.”
I saw the opportunity to introduce her to The One who sets the captives free and breaks the chains of addictions. I asked her if I could pray over her, and through heavy tears, she said yes. God showed up in that moment, and I felt a tangible peace fill the room as we prayed.
I told her that I knew God had a reason for me to be in that jail, and if it was to simply tell her that God has not given up on her and that He wants to set her free from her addiction, it was completely worth it.
After 5 hours in jail, I still hadn’t been booked. I called my dad from the wall phone in the holding cell to see how everything was progressing, and found out that my bail had been set to $1,300. I approached the jailer and asked if there was any way I could pay with my debit card, and his response sparked a profound revelation that has forever impacted my view of God’s character.
“You can’t pay it yourself. You need someone to pay your debt and come get you.”
It didn’t matter if I had the money. What I needed most was a rescuer.
I was a prisoner. I could NOT get out. Even though I was told me, “You don’t look like you belong here,” it didn’t change the fact that I was just as much an inmate as they were. I was stuck.
The Lord began showing me the jail in a completely new way. He showed me how man-kind was trapped, prisoners to their own sin. No amount of good works could get them out. They needed a Rescuer, just as I needed a rescuer.
As I kept thinking about this revelation, I heard the Lord say, “I am the God who sets the prisoners free.”
I didn’t have a grasp of that concept until I was in a place where I DESPERATELY needed someone to rescue me. If no one decided to come, I would have no way to get out.
After close to 10 hours in that jail cell, I was starting to feel a sense of hopelessness set in. I called my dad to see if there’s been an update on my situation. “Karen is coming to get you.” I let out a sigh of relief and greatly anticipated the moment where I would be rescued. I teared up many times thinking about the moment I would see Karen, and the moment I would finally be free from this cell.
Since I was alone, I spent the remaining time praying over the jail and singing hymns as Paul did. My heart began hurting for the other inmates that were overcome with hopelessness. God also began to give me pictures of the persecuted church in countries around the world that are imprisoned for their faith.
Finally, after 12 hours in the county jail, I was called to be released. I was internally processing all that God was teaching me that day.
I knew this wasn’t something I could understand from simply “visiting” a prison. Visitors could come and go as they please, but prisoners don’t have that same freedom. I was led to a room where I was to collect my belongings and that’s when I saw Karen, my rescuer.
She looked at me through the glass with eyes full of love, and when I was officially released, I ran out the door and collapsed in her arms.
My debt was paid; I was free.
Has God ever spoke to you and it led you to an unexpected place? Is God speaking to you about doing the World Race? Check out 2016 routes here!
