By the time he was 14, John Sala was already on a path to destruction—drugs, alcohol, gangs, and crime were the hallmarks of his life.

By the time he was 30, he had been arrested over 20 times, had overdosed on drugs 13 times, and had done time in various prisons, detention units, and treatment centers.

He had injected $400 worth of cocaine directly into his jugular vein and still wanted more. He had been in fist fights, knife fights (he still has the scars to prove it), and even gun fights.

Twice, he had been pronounced dead.

	God was birthing something new in me. Before, I wanted to take. Now I wanted to give, love, encourage, and nurture.—John Sala

By the time of his 22nd arrest—following a dramatic chase through Miami involving many police cars and much shooting—John Sala had reached the end of the line. Guilty of attempted murder of a policeman, aggravated assault, and grand theft, he was headed to jail for a long time.

But jail, of all places, turned out to be his saving grace. Literally.

Birthing Something New
The son of a prominent New York City judge and criminal lawyer, John Sala had grown up in a world of parties for politicians, celebrities, doctors … and even some shady characters connected to the underworld. At those parties, a young John would sip liquor from discarded drinks, the first stages of what would later become a serious drinking problem.

John, who has described his childhood as characterized by a dysfunctional family and an abusive father, says he ultimately sought significance elsewhere—through gang life.

So his teen and young adult years were marked by violence, crime, drugs, and alcohol, until that 22nd arrest ultimately led to what would be a huge turning point.

Sent to a prison in Avon Park, Florida, John eventually met Chaplain Warren B. Wall, who shared the good news of the gospel. John dove right in, accepted Christ, and immersed himself in every opportunity for Christian growth.

Assigned to the tape ministry of the chapel, he listened to Bible teachers while organizing and labeling tapes. The chaplain found someone willing to underwrite a seminary correspondence course for John, who became a passionate, disciplined student of the Bible.

"God was birthing something new in me," he says today. "Before, I wanted to take. Now I wanted to give, love, encourage, and nurture."

John also found his musical voice in prison and performed with the prison choir in local churches, singing solos and giving his testimony.

After serving his time, John walked out of prison in 1983 a freer man than ever before.

"I'm not coming back!" he declared, not knowing that, in time, he would indeed be back … but not as an inmate.

Reaching the Lost Lambs
After his release, John went on to form All Things New, a ministry to prison inmates and their families. Years later, after he'd married his wife, Eileen, the ministry developed beyond his wildest imaginings.

Eileen saw the tough prisoners for what they really were—lost, hurting lambs in need of a Shepherd: "When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd" (Matthew 9:36, NKJV).

John and Eileen changed their ministry title to Little Lambs, Inc., with the mission of loving inmates into the ministry's family, and ultimately into the family of God.

	[These inmates] will return to our neighborhoods as men and women with purpose, belonging to the Great Shepherd."—John Sala

Through in-depth Bible correspondence courses, visitation, counseling, services, concerts, and classes, the Salas began with approximately 100 students in 1998. Today they have 2,750 students and graduate about 250 per year.

"Little Lambs offers inmates a family connection that helps satisfy the need for belonging and being cared for as a lamb that has gone astray," the Salas say.

John's book, I'm Not Coming Back!, is now in the hands of thousands of prisoners who identify with him. John knows their mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual pain. And, though he may not have seen himself as a shepherd to this unlikely flock, it was God's plan nonetheless. His book has since been translated into Spanish (No Volvere!), as have all the Bible correspondence courses, by an inmate (and professional translator) who came to faith in Christ while in prison. The book has also been translated into Russian.

More recently, Little Lambs has added the NET Training Institute curriculum (NET stands for Nurture, Equip, Train), which teaches professionals and paraprofessionals on the front lines of God's army of compassion—those working with people who have addictions and life-controlling problems.

This faith-based, self-study approach to addiction, prevention, recovery, support, and counseling will enable students to become qualified to sit for the Florida Certification Board. In addition, NET studies are offered as continuing education to select graduating inmates.

Meeting the 'Angels'
A former inmate named Sammy is one of many whose lives were changed by the Salas' ministry.

Sammy and a friend were on a cross-country bicycle trip when they stopped by a church in Florida and asked for a place to rest. The pastor told them of a nearby place in Sebring that he thought was called "Little Sheep."

Immediately, Sammy perked up. Sebring? Little Sheep? Could it possibly be?

When Sammy had been in prison, a fellow inmate introduced him to the Little Lambs Bible study correspondence course. He didn't take the course with any particular desire to become spiritual; he just wanted to receive mail.

He sent his first study off, with little care for his answers or neatness. He was amazed by the hand-written reply, with personal instruction, encouragement and, yes, even correction.

"Somebody had actually graded my sloppy work and gently persuaded me to dot the 'i's' and don't leave things half done," Sammy told the Salas in a recent letter. "I really felt special."

Little Lambs and the Salas would come to be Sammy's caring family, friend, and mentor, guiding him to Jesus Christ. So now, on this bike trip, could this "Little Sheep" place actually be that same ministry? Would he actually be able to meet the people who had impacted his life for eternity?

Sammy and his friend biked over to the location, and indeed, it was the Little Lambs office. He called out, "Hello, Little Lambs!"

Hearing the whooping and excitement, John looked out the window and saw Sammy spinning around with his hands raised in amazement trying to shout out his story.

"Come inside," John called.

Sammy was like a little kid who had dreamed of going to Disney World and meeting Mickey Mouse someday, never daring to suppose it could really come true.

He looked around with wonder, then into John's and Eileen's faces and broke into a huge grin.

"I can't believe I'm here!" he exclaimed, nearly leaping into the arms of his "shepherd."

After all those years in prison, doing lessons, writing back and forth to the Salas, imagining them and the place from which they ministered—it all seemed surreal now.

In a letter, Sammy had referred to the Salas as "two angels" sent by God … and now he was meeting them, face to face.

The Great Shepherd's Fold
Angels? Perhaps. But there's no question that John and Eileen Sala have certainly introduced many men and women—all Little Lambs in training—face-to-face with a Shepherd who loved them all along.

"They will return to our neighborhoods as men and women with purpose, belonging to the Great Shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ," John says.

So, look again if you think the prison population is hopeless. First, at the life of one man who vowed he'd never return to prison as an inmate. And then, to those he and his wife have helped shepherd into God's fold—those like Sammy, giddily dancing on the front lawn and shouting, "I can't believe I'm here!"

Here indeed, in the Great Shepherd's fold and in His arms forever. That is a destiny that will transform neighborhoods for eternity.

For more information on Little Lambs, go to www.LittleLambsinc.org.

Jan Merop is a columnist for the News-Sun in Sebring, Florida, and has been published in several national magazines such as Decision, Clubhouse, and Journey.

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