That’s the mission of a Peoria man who, after nearly two decades behind bars, wants to follow a new calling. Steven Snook’s first memories are of life in Virginia foster care, before being taken to his then-new home in Danville, Illinois. There, he grew up in extreme poverty over the course of his upbringing. By the age of 15, he was involved with drugs. After turning 19, he was transporting marijuana from South Texas into Central Illinois. Over the course of that time, he was transferred to eight different federal facilities across states like Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia.Īnd by 26, he was arrested by the DEA for smuggling cocaine, sentenced to 22 years in the federal prison system. That included time in solitary confinement, serving a year of time during one period.įor most, Steven’s sentencing sounds like a punishment. Six months into his sentence, he discovered his brother was involved in a devastating accident, attributing his own behavior as a cause. That’s when he realized his negative impact was much broader. It was time for a change, he says, and to give his life over to a greater power. Snook’s family didn’t grow up going to church. For much of his childhood, he says, abuse and violence were the common practices of the household. But that didn’t stop a change in perspective. He says an encounter with Jesus was needed, sparking the shift his life demanded. Snook read the Bible more times than he could count, eventually elevating him to a level of pseudo-counselor for those he shared space with. Many, he says, were ‘born again’ just like him, as he preached and told stories through the bars of his cell, shouting down the hallway to anyone asking for him to speak. Drug addicts would occasionally spend time in solitary confinement with Snook, with whom he would converse about faith. Many of those he interacted with were gang members seeking reform, searching for meaning in the words Snook spoke.
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