A Place Like This

A decade ago, Richard imagined his future would be defined by wealth, freedom and comfort. Now, his life centers on serving men who are often overlooked.

Richard stood in the courtyard of Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility, surrounded by towering fences and men serving time for serious, often violent, crimes. A 12-year sentence loomed in his future.

He looked toward the sky and asked, “God, what are You doing? How did I end up in a place like this?”

Richard sensed God speaking clearly to his heart: Just watch. I need you here.

At the time, Richard couldn’t understand why. But looking back now, he can see that God was preparing him for a purpose he never could have imagined.

CHASING MORE

Richard’s childhood was marked by instability. Raised in Chicago by parents who struggled with alcoholism, he was exposed to addiction and abuse early. By 14, he was living on his own.

Still, Richard believes God protected him. “I have so many reasons not to be here,” he shares. “When I look back, I can see that God was alongside me the whole time.”

As a boy, Richard promised himself that if he ever had a family, his children would never experience the life he had known. He began to see financial success as the means to a secure life.

Richard climbed the corporate ladder, eventually becoming an executive vice president at a major company. Later, he launched his own technology business. He was skilled at building companies and generating revenue — but over time, money became more than a way to provide for his family.

It became his source of safety, significance and control. “My motto was, ‘Need more money, make more money,’” Richard says. “Money became my addiction.”

When his company encountered significant cash-flow problems, Richard began moving money to preserve the lifestyle he’d built. He initially told himself he was protecting his family, but he now recognizes the truth: “It was really all about me,” he says.

His financial decisions led to civil and criminal proceedings. Still convinced he could fix everything himself, Richard kept the situation hidden — even from his wife and kids.

When the truth came to light, his business closed, his 25-year marriage ended and nearly everything he spent his life building disappeared. “I lost everything except for my kids,” Richard shares. “And I brought it on myself.”

A FULL SURRENDER

One night in the county jail, Richard found himself alone with no business to run, no money to earn and no problem he could solve on his own. He fell to his knees in his cell and prayed: “God, I can’t keep living this way. I submit my life to You. Whenever, however and whatever I can do, I’m here to serve You.”

Richard considered himself a Christian before entering prison, but he now describes his former faith as that of a “weekend warrior.” In jail, he began discovering what it meant to truly depend on Jesus. He began to read the Bible in earnest. Another believer came alongside Richard and helped him understand how to follow Christ with his whole life.

As Richard surrendered, his perspective began to change. The possessions and wealth that once defined him lost their hold. “Stuff is just stuff,” he says.

Richard was transferred to Arkansas Valley, and what initially felt like the last place he belonged soon became the very place God revealed his calling.

A PURPOSE IN PRISON

At Ark Valley, Richard soon became involved with Woodmen’s ministry. He spent time each day praying and studying scripture. Then he began leading a community group.

Before long, ministry leaders invited him to serve as a chaplain’s clerk. Richard helped prepare for services and Bible studies and walked alongside other men as they made plans for life outside prison. Through each opportunity, Richard sought to show men around him that transformation through Jesus was real.

“I knew what God wanted me to do,” Richard recalls. “He wanted me to disciple these men.”

In prison, it was common for men to find ways to make extra money. Richard had access to resources that would have allowed him to do the same, but he refused. “I wanted to show them that you didn’t have to fit the mold of prison,” he shares. “I was there to show them how God changed my heart and changed me as a person.”

After Richard served four years, an appellate court overturned his sentence. Yet months passed without any indication of when he might be released. Then one day, a correctional officer abruptly pulled him aside. Richard assumed he was in some kind of trouble.

Instead, he was told, “You’re going home today.”

WELCOMED HOME

Within hours, Richard walked through the prison gates. Waiting on the other side were friends and volunteers from Woodmen, ready to welcome him.

The Woodmen community continued to surround Rochard as he adjusted to life outside prison. A Woodmen family welcomed him into their home, where he lived for a year. Others helped him find work or simply reminded him that he wasn’t walking alone.

Just 80 days after his release, Richard returned to Ark Valley — not as an incarcerated man, but as a volunteer for Woodmen’s Christmas event.

WALKING WITH OTHERS

Today, Richard serves as Woodmen’s lead aftercare specialist, helping men navigate the transition from prison to life on the outside. He helps them secure identification, find work, build healthy routines, connect with Christian community and face the countless challenges that accompany reentry.

Richard is also pursuing the creation of a Christ-centered transitional home where men leaving prison can find more than a place to sleep. His vision includes Bible studies, financial education and vocational training in skills such as carpentry, plumbing and welding.

Although the path forward is still unfolding, Richard is committed to following wherever God leads. He continues serving men inside and outside prison, investing in his family and remaining deeply rooted in the Woodmen community.

A decade ago, Richard imagined his future would be defined by wealth, freedom and comfort. Now, his life centers on serving men who are often overlooked. “If you told me 10 years ago that this is who I’d be today, I would have said you were absolutely bananas,” Richard says. “But how God is working through me and through others to grow this community — it blows my mind.”

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