Totally changed

I am now part of the Jesus gang

Totally changed! He was a member of L.A.’s most brutal gang, but drugs, violence, and jail are a thing of the past for Tommy Scott. When he heard about Jesus, his life changed as radically as he never thought possible.

Tommy Scott grew up in Los Angeles, in a neighborhood where chaos, fear and violence prevailed. One of the biggest and most brutal gangs in the US, the Crips, was up in the streets. My father was one of their co-founders, and he was always in jail. At the age of twelve, I joined the gang. I thought that was a kind of family tradition. Almost all of my friends‘ parents took drugs or sat in jail. We children were on our own.

One of the «Crips»
My life became more and more a disaster. Every day brought with it street fighting, firefights, senseless violence and fleeing the police. To endure the reality, I took drugs and drank. I saw so many of my friends die by violence and drugs that I totally dulled inside. I knew I could be the next, but I did not care. Again and again I was caught and had to sit down.
I do not know how many lives I’ve destroyed because I’ve instigated others to sell drugs, steal drugs, participate in violence and join the gang. I myself had no chance for another life. Nobody wanted to give me a job with my resume and my criminal record. Despite my power as a gang member, I felt inferior, low and unloved. I hated myself.

Hope behind bars
One morning, my probation officer woke me up with a warrant. I had left traces of blood during a burglary. As the door to my cell closed, I collapsed inwardly. That could not be everything in life. For the first time, I cried to God, „If there’s you out there, show up!“
The following day I was invited to a Bible lesson in prison. When I entered the room, there were very old men sitting there smiling at us as if we had known each other for a long time. They talked about forgiveness and how Jesus took our guilt. They said that God wants to give us eternal life and make us free. And then the pastor asked us if we would accept Jesus as our Savior.
I could not believe that God was interested in someone like me, but I wanted to give it a try. And so I spoke the prayer with the others. What happened next can hardly be described in words. I suddenly knew that everything was true and that I was saved. I felt so pure and overwhelmed by love and peace.