Week One: Check

                Today marks one week here in Huntsville, or as the locals say, “Hunts-vle”. It has been very busy! We jumped right in by meeting lots of pastors, directors, and people in all types of ministry in the city. There is an extensive network of restorative justice ministries here, designed to meet the needs of prisoners and their families as they face different stages of incarceration and re-entry. Here at the Hospitality House, we rely on donations to stay open, which the community is faithful to respond to. Saturday we will have a garage sale to raise money so we have been accepting anything and everything. Most of the time, we take whatever is given, use what we can, and pass on the rest to these other ministries. Many of the people involved in restorative justice have been in prison themselves, which is an awesome testimony to the change Jesus Christ has made in their lives.

                After a lot of introductions, we had the chance to go to a release. One of the units was scheduled to release 142 people on..was it Tuesday? It doesn’t really matter I guess… We showed up in our red Hospitality House shirts to wait with the families gathered outside the unit. They were waiting to pick up sons, brothers, husbands when they came out. The atmosphere was tense. When we arrived, the groups were spread out and isolated. These families have found that society blames, ostracizes, and looks down on them for the crimes of their loved ones. They have become guarded in order to protect themselves. But then, something started to happen. A pony-tailed guy on a motorcycle showed up. He stood in front of everyone and began to explain how the release process would go. He told the families what to expect, what to do, and what to watch out for. He talked about the ministries available to the men as they faced this new step. He gathered us all in a circle to join hands and pray. After we finished praying, people sort of hung around. Rather than spreading back out, they began to sit closer to one another. Myriam and I were able to have some great conversations and pray with some of the women waiting. The morning was very long. They had been told to arrive at 8:00am, but hours later were still waiting. The longer we waited, the more people began to talk to one another. People shared tables, conversations, and sometimes a lot more.

                Finally, around noon, the parole officer came outside. We all knew he would talk to each family and then go inside. Soon after, the release could move forward. You could feel the anxiety as the moment some had waited so long for came so close. And then it was time. Dressed in ill-fitting ‘street clothes’, men exited the prison in a single file line. How can you describe the beauty of that moment? A little boy jumping into the arms of his father or families touching their loved one as if to make sure they are real. It wasn’t a time to say, “You deserved it”. It was simply a time to congratulate people on a joyful day.

                In the same instant that some experienced such joy, there was also an element of deep sorrow. So many of the men had no one waiting for them. They marched on, eyes straight ahead, to the bus station. My knees shook when I saw, for a split second, one man’s lip quiver before he forced his face back to an unaffected stare forward. I don’t know why no one was there, but I sure wished that things were different.

                I’m worried that this post will become pretty lengthy, so bear with me. I’m hoping that my prayer partners have been looking forward to an update. I’d really love to hear from you, too! In fact, I have struggled a lot this week. I have so many things that my friends on other missions don’t. We live in a comfortable house with plenty to eat and everything we are used to. Still, I miss my home. I love my family so much and I underestimated the difficulty of being away from them. I miss my friends and the way they understand me without words. I have been sleeping whenever I can. I really need your prayers. On the other hand, God has been so faithful to me. I really relate to Peter lately. He so adamantly insists that he will follow Jesus no matter what and turns around and betrays him. He steps out on the water only to look away and sink. I’m so there. I’m standing here on the water, because I know God called me out here. But the waves rise around me and the wind howls in my ears. But my God is so good. He reaches out to catch me. Peter goes on to be a loud voice for the Lord. I know that with the help of my Savior, I can press on. I can walk through this time and come out victorious. He is teaching me to need him, to spend time with him, to be intimate with him. I rejoice in the difficult times and I ask for more because God uses them to make me strong.

                One last, critical thing: We finally had guests! The weekends are busy times. The House was packed Friday and Saturday. There were a couple of families that spoke mainly Spanish. I tried my best, but Myriam really took over in the translation department. We had tons of kids, too. I had a blast with them. Some of them came from loving families, while others were not so lucky. All of them were thrilled to have my attention. We played games and did puzzles and stayed up too late. I tried to emphasize how very smart they were and point out their best moments. I meant it, too. One of our second graders did almost an entire 300 piece puzzle on his own! I was so happy when a regular volunteer showed up to do art with the guests. She teaches art and has done a lot of study in art therapy. The little ones drew funny faces and colored their names. The adults did an altered book project. She showed us some examples of how giving a new life to an old book can be a healing process. One of her own projects was filled with memories and pictures of her sister who she lost to cancer several years ago. Some of the guests really got into it. I started a book and decided to tell the story of this summer. Right up my alley!

                I’ve washed a lot of sheets, made a lot of biscuits, had a couple meltdowns, and met a ton of people. I drink a lot of water and the frozen yogurt place has changed my life. My skin loves it here! I’m baby soft. I may die of a nosebleed when I head back home in August. Thank you for reading and praying. Please pray for me to be emotionally healthy, but also know that I'm moving forward! Hope to hear from lots of you!