I saw the defiance on Jason’s face. He was fighting back rage. During his first ManKind class for male perpetrators, I asked him to say one nice thing about his ex-girlfriend. He had been convicted of assaulting her. After a long silence, he finally said, “She cooks.” He left after class and didn’t come back, even though he was court-ordered.

Several months later Jason asked to re-enter the program. At first, he was still resistant and was sure everything had been his ex-girlfriend’s fault. She was a drug addict, but he was as well. It’s the reason they lost custody of their twin daughters.

I Saw Changes in Jason

I noticed a change in Jason. Now he wanted his life to change. At first, he still didn’t agree with much of what we taught in Man-Kind, yet God was at work in his heart. By the end of the program he wrote this to his ex-girlfriend:

“I’m writing to tell you how sorry I am for the physical pain and suffering you endured throughout our relationship. I’m so sorry I was cruel to you. I convinced others to see you as the abusive one but it was me all along…”

During his time at ARMS, he regained custody of his daughters. He began attending church and started working for a Christian man who mentored him. He completed the program in the Fall. It was awesome to see him grow not only in being a better man but also in his relationship with God.

Last Christmas Eve, I saw Jason on the news! He had won a brand new car full of food and gifts for his daughters. His sisters had entered him in a contest for someone who had really changed. It was such a wonderful thing to see God blessing him even further. It made my Christmas.

By Stacey Womack