Meeting Katie Souza

As the months came closer to seeing parole, I was still full throttle into studying my Bible and writing in my journals. A roommate of mine introduced me and another roommate to a writer and female evangelist named Katie Souza. The books I ended up reading was from her “Captivity Series, The Key to your expected end and Healing your wounded soul.” She actually sent them to us for free. After reading these books, they brought a profound revelation to me that I never realized before. Katie was facing serious time in federal prison on drug charges. She was mad at the world and mad at God. After acting up and acting out she got thrown in the hole. One of the only books she was able to read while in there was The Bible. As she read chapter by chapter, she started to see a theme. The Israelites were in captivity coming out of Egypt and this story carried throughout almost most of the Old Testament. Joseph was in captivity before being put in charge, Daniel was in captivity. Katie pointed out a very famous verse that many of us have seen. Jeremiah 29:11 say, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and to give you hope and a future.” As many times as I read this verse, I never read what was after it. I truly feel that the Lord wants us to see things in the Bible as we need to see them. I’ve read the Bible many times, so I know I’ve actually read this but at that time it didn’t mean the same thing. Also, during this time I was still waiting to see the parole board and praying to the Lord for strength. When I read Katie’s book, that’s when the Lord led me to read verses 12-14, which says, “¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. [^a] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” I read this and the hairs on my arms stood up! I was shouting Amen! Amen! Amen! Over and over, the Lord was telling me that he was sending me home. The Lord also had sent Katie Souza home sooner than she was originally sentenced. The Lord makes all things possible!