“Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.” (Psalm 142:7) God does wonderful things in our lives every day, but every once in a while He does something so amazing that you just have to tell everyone about it! After 24 years in prison, God is bringing my good friend Marquice out to start a new life, with a story only God could orchestrate. I’m starting this GoFundMe to help Marquice and his wife Nickole get a good start on their new life once he is released from prison on July 6, 2022. Marquice is one of the hardest-working and godliest men I have ever known, and these funds will help him get a clean start. If you want to know more about Marquice and how I know him, read on for the rest of the story!

Marquice and I both were born in San Diego (a year apart from each other) and both grew up in this beautiful city, but our experiences were very different. Born into a very unstable home life, Marquice was living on the streets at a young age. With few role models and very little guidance, he sadly walked the path that led him into criminal activity. In 1998 he was arrested and convicted of his third violent felony, and under California’s “Three Strikes” law he was sentenced to life in prison (59+ years). Though this was the absolute lowest point of Marquice’s life, it was also the point at which God would meet with him and turn his life around. A lady from my church named Mary Frame had started her own prison ministry at San Diego’s South Bay Detention Center, and it was through her that Marquice first heard the good news of Jesus Christ. He repented of his sins, took responsibility for his crimes, and believed in the gospel. Shortly after, Mary put out a request to our church congregation for “prisoner pen pals”, and I volunteered and was connected with Marquice. What started with the exchange of a few letters has grown into a deep and meaningful 24-year friendship, with many phone calls and a number of visits. In these last 24 years, I have watched as Marquice has grown from a new convert into a remarkably mature, wise, and kind 47-year-old man with a heart for the Lord’s kingdom.

During prison, Marquice has not been content to idly “serve his time”. He has taken an active role in developing himself and serving as a light for the gospel. He is one of the most disciplined men I have met. He reads & studies the Bible extensively, and he exercises daily (now two times a day). He has volunteered to participate in numerous programs such as a welding certification, Last Mile computer coding program, and auto mechanic training, and he has taken an active role in leading the congregation of Christians in each prison to which he’s been assigned.

Marquice married the love of his life, Nickole, November 2016 (the week before Becky and I were married). They have lived their married life long distance in hopeful prayer that they could be united as one physically someday.

While Marquice definitely takes responsibility for his crimes, the long sentence has been hard to bear. There have also been aspects of the sentence that were seemingly incorrect, particularly revolving around the fact that two of his “strikes” were from Arizona and didn’t meet the criteria to count towards the Three Strikes mandatory life sentence. He attempted to appeal the sentencing and we had a lawyer file several petitions asking that the sentence be reviewed and corrected, but none of those efforts were successful. Then six months ago in a turn of events that only God could have orchestrated, Marquice struck up a conversation with an inmate that had just been transferred to the cell next door to him and found out that the man had the exact same situation and had been able to successfully appeal his Three Strikes life sentence under some new case law. This provided the necessary information and case law to initiate a new appeal for Marquice, and on June 22 we received the good news that Marquice will be resentenced and released (based on time served) on July 6, 2022!

We are all very excited about Marquice’s upcoming release from prison, but we also know that the transition could be challenging after more than two decades of incarceration. Our hope and desire is to make this transition as smooth as possible, along with the help of his church and his family. Marquice is extremely motivated and is eager to be “self-supporting” as soon as possible, not dependent on outside support. He also has a heart for mentorship, and is eager to serve in his church. I’m sure he’ll be able to find good employment soon, but there will be many needs in the first few weeks. The money raised through this GoFundMe will help Marquice buy clothes, a phone, and hopefully help towards a car so that he can drive to a new job. The goal is to help him make a good start! Your prayers are appreciated, as well as any contributions to help fund this new beginning.