This is the personal testimony of my brother Jeffrey Quante in his own words.....

August 16, 1972 was the beginning of my life, a life full of variance, love and hate, obedience and rebellion, life and death, joy and sorrow, my life was definitely a two-sided coin, on one side good on the other evil. This is my personal testimony of which I believe needs to be shared. My name is Jeff Quante IV. I am 27 years of age, I am married to a beautiful woman and I have four lovely children between the ages of 8 and 3, two boys and two girls. I am also incarcerated and experiencing a phenomenal change in my life. So I would like to share with you how I got here, what's happened before and what's happening now. You know we all wish we could turn back time and correct our mistakes, but that's impossible. So we must move on and be the best we can be. Life is full of decisions, good or bad, we all confront them, we all act upon them, sometimes not the right ones are inacted. Please be sure to read all of this, for I hope it will be of benefit to you...

Friday the 13th of May, 1988, I believe it was Mother's Day weekend. I was riding my eighteen speed bike home from a friends house. I never made it home. About 500 feet from our driveway, I was hit by an old yellow station wagon...all went black. I awoke to the sight of a paramedic smoking a cigarette. As I looked around I could see the familiar faces of my neighbors, my sister, and my distraught mother. I felt like I was about to die. I remember being extremely terrified, while chanting the words, "God, I don't wanna die", over and over again. The car had come up behind me and struck me at a high rate of speed. I flew backwards and went through the front windshield into the laps of the occupants. My left leg was nearly cut completely off. My right arm had a compound fracture and I was cut-up all over. The only thing attaching my foot to my leg was a wound up cord of skin. Our neighbor a registered nurse saw the accident. She attended to my leg, unwinding my foot to allow the little veins left in my skin to continue blood flow, if it wasn't for her, I would have surely lost my leg. The Shock Trauma helicopter arrived and flew me to the Shock Trauma Unit in Baltimore, Maryland. By the way, my little sister (10 years old at the time) witnessed the entire accident, bless her heart.

I had several extensive surgeries to save my leg. The doctors removed bone from my hip, muscle from my stomach, and skin from my other leg to graft into my injured leg. This took about eleven weeks. I also had a titanium plate bolted to the bone in my leg and rods placed in my arm. I had a device called a Hoffman holding my leg together while it healed. It consisted of nine titanium pins screwed into my bones and rods holding my foot immobile. I became addicted to the morphine shots which I was given plenty. That lit the fuse of a bomb that would eventually explode in years to come. The worst of my life was yet to come....

In the fall of 1997, I went to a doctor for the pain in my nerve damaged leg and he prescribed me ninety pain killers a month. These pills are a strong narcotic. This was the worst mistake I ever made for it would lead to tragedy. Again I found myself extremely addicted to pain killers. My attitude towards life took a turn for the worse. My addiction to the pills quickly went out of control. I became a totally different person. The ninety pills a month began to dwindle away quickly and as a full-blown addict I had to find means to feed my habit. I broke into several homes of people I knew and raided their medicine cabinets. At the time, I didn't think twice about it. All I knew is I had to have more. As time quickly went on, things just got worse and worse. Then on April 6, 1998, after I went to my drug dealers house to obtain more pills, I headed off to work. At that time I was a sub-contractor in construction. All I remember is I left the road my dealer lived on, pulling onto Route 140 in Westminster and all went black.....

I awoke to the feeling of my wife washing my face, with the look of great sorrow written on her face. I then noticed two state troopers standing at the foot of my hospital bed. I was in Shock Trauma again for the second time in almost exactly 10 years. Then I got the news that seemed like a terrible nightmare. Evidently I had passed out behind the wheel of my truck and struck an on-coming minivan at a high rate of speed. Tragically there was a precious family inside of the van. The driver, who was the father, was killed on impact. The wife and grandmother critically injured. The little boy critically injured. The baby boy in the car seat escaped injury with only a few scratches. I was devastated. This couldn't be real, I thought, I would never dream of hurting anyone. I was also hurt badly. I had lost a great deal of blood from my crushed spleen and had a collapsed lung. Really, I could care less about my injuries. I just couldn't believe the nightmare my life had created. In eight days I went home to my parents house to recover. My wife extremely upset with me, needed some time apart from me, which I understood. The police said when I recovered I had to turn myself in. Imagine this, the hospital sent me home with 90 morphine pills, disregarding that pills were my problem.

I continued to take the pills in excess of the prescribed amount (unless you've been an addict before, you would not understand). Now I was undergoing tremendous mental and physical pain from what I had done to my victims. The separation from my wife and children and my physical health was very poor. Within a few months I had recovered. I mustered up the strength to turn myself into the police as I had promised. I was finger printed, questioned and handcuffed. Then transported to the local commissioner and sent to the detention center. So there I was stuck in jail for the first time ever, with terrible charges being held against me. Bail was posted for me and I was temporarily set free. I returned home to my parents house and decided to get some help for my problem. I admitted myself to a local rehab. For the first thirty days at the rehab, I managed to stay clean and with the Christian based program was doing rather well. Until I found out that once a week they transported the men to the local mission for free doctor and dental care. My addiction cut loose once again when the doc gave me a free bottle of pain pills. One day while waiting for the transport van back to the rehab, my wife ran into me. She could see in my eyes that I was taking drugs again. Furious and extremely disappointed in me and the rehab, she called and gave the administrator a piece of her mind. I was soon kicked out of the rehab.

Well my parents were very disappointed in me as well. They wouldn't allow me to come home. So there I was with no place to go, my life in a shambles. Eventually my parents took me back in, never before had I felt so hopeless and helpless. Then more charges were brought up against me and again I turned myself into the police and again went to jail. I was released on a 25k bond. Awaiting my trail in January 1999 I attempted to put my life back together. My wife and I got back together. I obtained a good job and things mellowed out for a while. My marriage was not the same due to the mistrust that had developed. I had put on a good act for everyone to believe I was okay and drug-free. Although the truth is, I was still doing drugs from time-to-time, just not everyday like before. I completely stopped using drugs some time before my court date. From then on things began to change.

One night in December 1998 I was sitting on my back porch smoking a cigarette, feeling very hopeless. I turned to the sky and asked God to help me, I told Him, I needed assurance that He was there, and that He would help me change and that He would pull me from defeat into victory. I asked Him to show me a sign, a shooting star. Just as I finished asking Him for the assurance a bright shooting star shot from the east sky to the west. It was like no star I'd ever seen before. It was my sign from God. With the hope that God gave me, I pressed forward in faith that life would get better. My court date arrived on January 5, 1999. I did my best to explain to my children that I would not be home for a long time, as they stared at me with their eyes open wide, I knew they didn't understand what was happening. With long painful hugs and kisses, I said my good-byes to each of them. Before I knew it I was standing before the judge in circuit court. With the victims' wife sitting directly behind me crying , I felt cold and hollow. Knowing I had destroyed someone's life and nothing I could do would change that. It still seemed like a big nightmare. As I maintained my composure, the judge found me guilty on a long list of charges, two counts of first degree burglary, one count of third degree burglary, automobile manslaughter, three counts of life threatening injuries while intoxicated, possession of marijuana, possession of pain killers, and a DWI. I was then sent to the local jail to await sentencing. I decided on my first day in jail to make a real commitment to change from my old ways. I began studying my miniature New Testament Bible which I brought with me.

As time went on I found myself aching for my wife and children. A realization came into my mind my first week in jail, I realized if I wanted to have a real life again with my family, I must prioritize my life. I realized I must make God first in my life and everything else must come after Him. Finally, because of my confinement, I had time to really meditate on what life is for and what we must do to have a real life of prosperity. I began writing many poems as you will find if you go deeper into this website. Poems that portray my experiences, my feelings and revelations from God. My sentencing date finally arrived in March 1999, almost three months since my original court date. My heart felt like it was going to literally explode out of my chest. I have never been so scared. I was shown a video of the victims wife, I broke down in tears, and cried like I've never cried before. I didn't mourn because of where I was going, I was crying because of where I'd been and what I'd done. After my lawyer gave his arguments to the court, I stood from my seat and gave a heartfelt apology to the family of the victim. I vividly remember my words of sincere regret and remorse. I said to them, "I know saying I'm sorry is insufficient, but I am so very sorry. If I could turn back time, I would, if I could take the place of this man, I would. But I can't, I promise I will keep you all in my prayers day and night for the rest of my life. I am so very sorry." . Those were the most difficult and painful words I have ever uttered. I found out that the little boy was horribly injured. He had suffered a traumatic injury to his brain called "water on the brain", he has a device running internally from his brain to his stomach to drain the fluids off his brain. His injury is permanent. The wife of the victim had already undergone thirteen surgeries to restore her mangled legs and back, the grandmother also had many extensive surgeries I truly feel horrible for what I have done to these precious people. Words fail me of the grief I knowFinally the judge gave the sentence. Twenty years with ten years suspended to be served in State prison. The sentence was lenient due to my past history and because this was my first real encounter with the criminal justice system. I took a quick glance into the beautiful eyes of my wife before I was lead out of the courtroom. Later that night I heard the surprising news that the victims wife had spoken to my mother after the trial. They cried together and the woman told my mother that she had forgiven me, imagine that, a second sign for me that God was in complete control. I was then transported to a prison way out in western Maryland. At least the view was nice with mountains all around. So here I am today. What has happened to me in the last year is another story.

I have found victory through Jesus Christ, at first I sought him in desperation, now I seek Him daily because I love Him. Jesus has made this prisoner free on the inside. My marriage is being restored, my family loves me dearly, trust is being restored, I have surpassed hope into blessed assurance. I know God's Word, the Holy Bible, like never before. When you study God's Word you get to know God and of His unconditional love and grace. When you truly find out what God is really made of, you can't help but love Him. I have an awesome peace that surpasses all understanding (Phillipians 4:6&7). I have strength I've never know before (Isaiah 40:31). God is restoring my life just as He has faithfully done through the ages (Joel 2:25-27). He has given me a new heart, a new spirit, I am forgiven of all my sins, all my mistakes, I am His beloved child (Ezekial 36:25-29). I've never been so refreshingly alive, I have victory, I have the power of almighty God reigning in my life (Proverbs 18:10). I have joy in my heart, real happiness even though I'm in prison (Acts 2:28). I have power to overcome the lies and temptation of the devil (Luke 10:19 & 20). I'm telling you Jesus is the answer to all your problems, all your pain and suffering. He will give you victory over anything. Best of all God loves you so much. He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for your sins and to offer eternal life in heaven to all who believe on His Son Jesus (John 3:16). I'm telling you this is reality. God is very real, deep down in your heart you know He's real by the sight of creation, how marvelous is this universe. All made by an awesome, powerful God who loves us all and created us to love Him! Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, (Hebrews 9:1-17), it doesn't matter what you've done, it doesn't matter where you've been. He loves you no matter what, just come unto Him, get on your knees and repent of your sins. He will enter into your heart and you will be born again. Life as you knew it will pass away and life through Jesus Christ will unfold in your life. You will experience joy, peace and love like you've never known. I am living proof of all this, I have the joy, peace and love of the Lord, He walks with me through each and every day. Even though I can't see Him with my physical eyes, I feel Him in my heart and one day He is returning to take His children to heaven's paradise. Don't be left behind. Life is no joke, take the hand of God, believe in His son Jesus, that He died for your sins and rose from the dead to give eternal life to all who believe. God is awesome, I have all I'll ever need, even as a prisoner, life is beautiful knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

God Bless You All,

Jeffrey Quante IV