Jon Smith is Verse By Verse Ministry International's Administrative Assistant and Prison Outreach Coordinator
Jonathan Smith grew up in San Antonio, Texas. At the age of 17 and in the throws of the world, he found himself incarcerated, facing ten years in the Texas State penitentiary.
While in the state’s custody, Jesus found Jon broken and alone through men who came to share the gospel and disciple. During this time of gleaning and learning, Jon discovered his passion for reading the scriptures as the words on the pages came to life, and the Holy Spirit ministered and comforted him. As Jon served his sentence, he continued to meet with these men who gave their time to those who had nothing but time.
During his sentence, Jon studied at Southwest Texas Junior College (SWTJC) and earned an associate degree in fine arts. He was a distinguished student and found himself on the Honorary Deans List of SWTJC in 2003.
After 5 years behind bars, Jonathan was released early for good behavior. However, not long after his release he found himself back in the state’s custody. Freedom was challenging and temptation was great.
In 2010, after being in the system for 10 years, Jonathan reconnected with a childhood friend, through mail. This friend was used as a tool of hope for Jon, as he sat in prison. Jonathan and his friend, Sofi, would spend endless hours writing letters to study the Bible together. For over a year, Jonathan and Sofi continued this kind of study together and their relationship grew into something beautiful.
Jon was miraculously and unexpectedly released in 2012, by the grace of God. He and Sofi were married shortly after his release and began meeting with Stephen and Annette Armstrong weekly following their wedding ceremony. As Stephen poured into Jonathan’s life with scripture and father-like tenderness, a trusted relationship grew between them.
Jonathan and Sofi also welcomed their two beautiful children, Jac and Ella, soon after their marriage. And in 2018, after 3 long years of legal battles, Jonathan legally adopted Sofi’s daughter, Gracie to be his own.
Jon is a full time electrician. He attended electrical trade school for 4 years and was awarded free tuition for his ability to write about his life and encourage others. His insatiable desire to reach and teach the forgotten, the lost and the broken motivates his hard work and service for God's Kingdom.
