Here’s the story of Rusty Woomer. Rusty was also a cold blooded killer. In one of South Carolina’s most notorious murder sprees he killed four innocent people and sat on death row for them. In 1990 Bob McAlister, a Christian and Prison Fellowship volunteer met Rusty. What happened between them exalts the forgiveness and life changing power of Jesus Christ for a man who had committed senseless, brutal crimes. Let me allow Bob to tell it.
“Late in the evening, as I walked up to the last cell, I saw a sight I will never forget: Rusty, his face the color of chalk, sitting on the floor - motionless. Crawling aimlessly like so many drunks, dozens of roaches covered the walls and the floor. But what froze my soul were the roaches crawling on the man - his lap, his shoulders and such was his despair that he did not flick them off. I sat down on the floor and tried to talk to him. He could not talk back. He just stared. It was the perfect picture of sin: filthy, degrading, and hopeless. In vain I tried to rouse a response. Frustrated and scared, I prayed aloud that God would cut through the evil in that cell and pierce the heart of its inhabitant. “Rusty, say the word Jesus,” I pleaded. With much effort, he pursed his lips together and whispered, “Jesus.” “Just look at you,” I gently chided. “Your cell’s filthy and so are you. The roaches have taken over and you’re spiritually a dead man, son. Jesus can give you something better.” I asked Rusty if he wanted to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Through tears, he nodded, then prayed. “Jesus I’ve hurt a lot of people. Ain’t no way that I deserve You to hear me. But I’’m tired and I’’m sick and I’’m lonely. Please forgive me, Jesus, for everything I’ve done. I don’’t know much about You, but I’m willin’ to learn, and I thank You for listenin’’ to me.” Late that same night Rusty was baptized into Christ. “I went back to see him the following Monday. I walked up to his cell; it was spotless.
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