My name is George Ignat, I’m an ex athlete, I’m married with a wonderful christian girl Adriana, we have three little boys and we currently live in Romania. I was a professional athlete for many years and held many titles: eight times „national champion” in Greco-Roman (wrestling), two times national champion, four times international champion in Sambo. I also won numerous silver and bronze medals in national and international competitions. In 2009 I moved to San Diego, USA, where I started training as a professional fighter for MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). I fought six times in cages and won every time.
My career in sports was extremely successful, but I can’t say the same thing about my personal life. Even though I was blessed with a beautiful and supportive family, I have made some mistakes throughout my life which led to my imprisonment. Currently, I am incarcerated in Romania, from where I am writing this for this blog. Event though the money earned from working as a bodyguard and from sports were more than enough, the constant desire to have more and more, along with bad friendships, are the things that cost me my freedom. After I was arrested, most of my friends abandoned me: the same so called friends who were eager to be by my side when I was at the peak of my career and I was all over media. When I needed them the most, they hurt me and deserted me. I was disappointed.
The bad publicity I got in the newspapers and no friends around to support me, sent me into a severe depression. It was the moment that opened my eyes. In those dark moments, while sitting in a cold and wet prison cell, Someone came and gave me a helping hand – He wasn’t an influential friend, nor a well-known attorney who could get me out of jail. He was the Son of God, Jesus Christ. In the middle of my struggles, He called me by my name and presented me His priceless gifts: Faith, Hope, Love, and as a bonus, Eternal Life.
Praise the Lord because on that day, I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. My life and my family’s life have changed completely: I was bailed out and the trial lasted for two and half years. My wife and I were baptized and I started to give my testimony in schools, churches and prisons: Jesus Christ is our great Savior! At the end of the trial, I was convinced, I was convicted to a few years in prison. I went to prison convinced that Jesus is by my side and I have a mission: to tell other prisoners about my faith.
I’ve been in prison for two years and now we have here a group of 19 people who were baptized in the same way as described in the New Testament. God does great things in prison and I am glad that He chooses to work through me in order to save others as well. While serving my sentence, my wife takes care of our children by herself, which is not easy, but we are both assured that we have a wonderful God. He inspired me to write this blog so I can tell others about God’s miracles that take place here, in prison, and about the lives He has changed through his infinite love.
I’m writing this so I can encourage those who are both inside prison and outside of it, and all Christian missionaries who work for the people in prison – a place that desperately needs the Bible and God’s teachings.
This blog will present the testimonies of some prisoners who gave their life to Jesus. This blog does not promote the image of a person, political ideas or interests of a certain group. Everything that you will find here is only for the glory of our Lord Jesus.
Be blessed „in the name which is above every name”, the name of Jesus Christ! (Philippians 2:9)
The good fight 