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THE HEART OF AN ADVOCATE
Daniel was a fighter—but the Lord turned him into an advocate.
By Lexi Aggen
“God, only you could take a person from a jailhouse to the halls of Congress,” Daniel prayed silently as he walked the ornate floors of the U.S. Capitol.
Beside him stood other members of his Prison Fellowship® Justice Ambassador cohort. They had each flown in from different parts of the country with one goal in mind: to advocate for legal changes that would help the criminal justice system restore more people going through it.
For Daniel, this moment felt like a long-awaited promise. Looking back, he could see how the Lord had been weaving his story to prepare him for this Justice Ambassador role. But just like Joseph in the Bible, there was much Daniel had to learn and endure in order to be ready—and it would take a prison sentence to equip him.
A FISTFIGHT
Brooklyn in the ’60s was a difficult place for Daniel. He came from a family of avid churchgoers, with generations of church leaders and church planters to look up to. But when Daniel looked out to the streets, he saw a different picture: Gang life was rampant. He felt a tension between these two worlds—how could both exist?
One day, Daniel was walking home with a girl from his elementary school. They traveled down the familiar, cracked pavement that filled his neighborhood when he noticed a boy approaching out of the corner of his eye. The boy grabbed Daniel’s friend.
Daniel had seen fights at school before and avoided them, but this time he felt he had to jump in to help his friend. A fight ensued. During the scuffle, something inside Daniel shifted; a violence broke loose. Soon there were other children standing around in a circle, cheering the fight on.
The more the children cheered, “the more that rage came,” recalls Daniel. “I began to think and began to realize that this aggression gave me respect.”
He never received recognition from the kids at school for his academics or athletics—but this toughness started to win him attention. And he wanted to keep that. That day, Daniel was in his first fight, but it wouldn’t be his last.
A DOWNWARD SPIRAL
Daniel quickly went from school grounds fights to gang activity. Eventually, his family members started taking turns walking him home each day to keep an eye on him—but they couldn’t always make that work.
His family eventually relocated to remove Daniel from the unhealthy relationships he had developed. For Daniel, the move was difficult. He had no connections at his new school. He took up sports to try and make friends, but he didn’t find anything as rewarding as gang life. Soon, he was back in the streets and connecting with gang members in his new neighborhood.
After high school, Daniel decided for himself that he wanted a different life, so he joined the military. He attempted to live a normal life, including getting married and having children. But soon he grew bored with the military. When his contract was up, he was drawn back in to his old lifestyle.
A CHANCE ENCOUNTER
It wasn’t long before Daniel was incarcerated for robbing banks. While Daniel was in prison, his wife started a relationship with another man.
Daniel was sent to a facility in Virginia. He kept himself busy and received a position as an X-ray technician in the infirmary. After Daniel was released, he tried to reignite his marriage, but ultimately it ended. This felt like the final straw for Daniel—even though he hadn't been actively following the Lord during the previous years, the divorce cemented his feelings toward God.
“I got hardened by [the divorce]; I didn’t go back to church,” he says, “I didn’t think about God. … My thoughts was [that] religion was for weak people.”
Still, he wanted to change, to live a different life. But instead of looking inward at his actions, Daniel looked outward. He thought New York was the problem—so he packed his bags and moved to South Carolina.
Yet his lifestyle didn’t change. He had more failed relationships with women, including a second marriage. He also worked in a nightclub with bad influences and sought money instead of transformation. But he felt something was missing.
“[I] had two nightclubs, but that wasn’t enough,” he says. “The more you make, the more you want. Sin is like a snowball going down the hill. It just picks up momentum and gets bigger until you finally crash, and that’s what happened.”
“Sin is like a snowball going down the hill. It just picks up momentum and gets bigger until you finally crash, and that’s what happened.”
—Daniel
HOPE IN A DARK PLACE
Daniel was eventually arrested on drug trafficking charges. This time Daniel was facing a much longer sentence. While alone in his cell, he felt a tug on his heart to return to the lessons he had learned as a child. He had been seeking worldly pleasures but always felt a void. Now, sitting in jail, feeling lost and alone, he called out to see if anyone had a Bible.
One of the men on the cell block responded by lifting his mattress to reveal a pile of Bibles. He gave Daniel a Bible.
Daniel opened to the Book of Daniel, figuring the story of his namesake would be a good place to start. As he read, he was struck by the character and strength of the biblical figure. He kept reading.
When the time for his sentencing arrived, Daniel felt a peace. He knew there was little he could do to change his current situation, yet when the judge sentenced him to 25 years in prison, he felt as if he heard the Lord say, “Not so.”
From that moment on, Daniel knew he had to commit to God fully. He called his family in New York and let them know that it would all be all right.
“I made a commitment to serve the Lord and to serve him wholeheartedly,” he says. “So many amazing things happened.”
AN ADVOCATE'S HEART
During this sentence, Daniel formed a close relationship with his prison chaplain, who would become a spiritual father for Daniel.
Daniel was selected to be the chairperson of the inmate advisory council, a body of incarcerated individuals who speak on behalf of the other residents in the facility to voice concerns. Soon Daniel was helping to facilitate religious services at his institution and meeting regularly with the warden, regional administrator, and commissioner.
It was during this time that Daniel discovered Prison Fellowship® Angel Tree. Though he and his wife had divorced, he was still able to stay in contact with his children through Angel Tree® by sending them a gift and message of love.
“I was almost shocked at first because somebody [who] didn’t know me went to my children and gave them a gift on behalf of me,” he recalls. “That was a total wonder to me. … I’ve seen families restored as a result of that.”
Eventually, Daniel was elevated to a regional chairperson of the inmate advisory council. In his expanded role, Daniel regularly met with the warden, a man who would become a trusted voice in Daniel’s life.
In addition to these activities, Daniel was active in Prison Fellowship Bible studies held at his facility. He remembers the volunteers coming each week to meet with him and the other men and was struck by their compassion and commitment. The volunteers even arrived on Thanksgiving.
“I committed myself and I said, ‘Lord, I want to be like those people,’” he says.
“I was almost shocked ... because somebody [who] didn’t know me went to my children and gave them a gift on behalf of me. I’ve seen families restored as a result of that.”
—Daniel
FINDING NEW GROUND
In 1997 Daniel’s conviction was overturned, and he was released from prison shortly after. Daniel was determined to make good on his commitments to the Lord. Upon release, he moved back up to New York to be near his family.
Finding steady work was difficult. Each time Daniel went in for an interview, his prospective employer would ask why he had such a large gap in his work history. Daniel would be truthful, and he always heard the same response: no.
But Daniel was able to find work at Prison Fellowship through a temp agency. Through this opportunity, he assisted with Angel Tree, the very same ministry that once served him and his children.
He then decided to go back to school to further his technology skills, which opened the door for Daniel to start his own consulting business. From there, Daniel found employment at a workforce development organization training people in IT.
Prison Fellowship invited Daniel to volunteer as a platform speaker for Hope Events, then called Operation Starting Line, around the country. Hope Events are one-day inspirational events held in prison walls that are led by caring church volunteers to bring the hope of Jesus Christ to the yard through a speaker, worship, and prayer.
His message to the men at each Hope Event® was always the same.
“You could have all of these strikes against you,” says Daniel, “and God is not through with you. He can take you, and He can raise you up.”
Daniel even went back to the same facility where he was incarcerated in South Carolina for a Hope Event. Daniel maintained a strong relationship with the chaplain and the warden from when he was incarcerated. He visited with them while speaking at a Hope Event in South Carolina. These two men played a strong role in his life, providing guidance and community until they passed.
“You could have all of these strikes against you and God is not through with you. He can take you, and He can raise you up.”
—Daniel
A HOME FOR HOPE
Daniel’s family life was also restored after his release. While he was incarcerated, his mother was a constant source of hope and encouragement, regularly making the trip to visit him. He stayed connected to his children through Angel Tree. His past mistakes led to the failure of two marriages and many other relationships. But then he met the woman who would become his life partner. They began going to church together and married in 2001.
When they met, they decided to look for a new church together. Daniel had a connection through Prison Fellowship to Saints Church, and the couple thought it could be a good fit.
Daniel and his new wife felt incredibly welcomed by their new church, and the church even helped mentor Daniel in ministry leadership. He was eventually ordained through the church and now serves as a deacon and leader of their prison ministry. The church actively participates in Angel Tree and Angel Tree camping.
Daniel attributes much of what his life looks like now to the church.
FIGHTING FOR OTHERS
In 2023, Daniel was approached about becoming a Justice Ambassador. He was intrigued by the idea of joining fellow believers from across the nation to advocate for justice that restores through legislative and cultural changes.
Through this experience, Daniel had his first encounter with a lawmaker and realized that God had been preparing him for this role through his positions in prison. Today, Daniel recruits other members from his church to advocate for more restorative laws as fellow Justice Ambassadors.
As Daniel looks toward the future, he knows where his path lies: advocating for second chances for individuals, whether it’s as a Justice Ambassador, a church member, or a friend.
“I believe everybody deserves a second chance,” he says. “… I have seen restoration and restorative principles applied. I’ve seen people who have just soared because they had a second chance.”
“I believe everybody deserves a second chance … I’ve seen people who have just soared because they had a second chance.”
—Daniel