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[Guy Simpson] I felt like my life was over.
[narrator] At age 22, Guy Simpson was facing
up to five years at the maximum security prison in
Greene County, Pennsylvania.
[Guy Simpson] When the judge sentenced me the last time,
he said, 'Mr. Simpson, you're a lowlife."
He said, "There's no doubt in my mind that you're gonna
spend the rest of your life in prison.
[narrator] Guy's dad had been in and out of jail and Guy began
a career of crime at age 12.
Shoplifting escalated to auto theft, drug charges,
and credit card fraud.
The judge's words were a wake-up call.
Guy began to attend Bible study and weekly worship services.
There he heard United Methodist chaplain Kathy Higgins mention
"Imagine No Malaria," an effort to eliminate malaria deaths by 2015.
[Kathy Higgins] I shared it during announcement time.
I probably spent four or five minutes speaking about it.
[Guy] She told us stories about how many people die of malaria
and how much one mosquito net would help.
[narrator] Guy wanted to do something.
Ten dollars would buy a life-saving bed net.
[Guy] I can only afford five dollars.
[narrator] He mailed a heartfelt letter along with
a third of his monthly income... money he usually used to
buy essentials like soap and toothpaste.
[Guy] I can't really save five lives for $50 dollars or ten
lives for a hundred, but maybe this month I could save half
a life for just five bucks.
[narrator] Those who received the letter matched his gift.
United Methodist Bishop Thomas Bickerton says even those with
limited means can help save babies from dying.
[Thomas Bickerton] It's a message that translates into
a concrete way that people can make a difference in
saving someone's life.
[Guy] Jesus told us to go into all the world.
And being in jail, you can't even leave your cell,
let alone go into all the world.
So I said, this would be a good way to get across seas
and make a difference.