My last day at the
prison was on Tuesday, September 18. I will be starting a new job as a hospice
chaplain in Fort Walton Beach on October 1. I said goodbye to a lot of the
inmates on that last day amidst many a tearful eye. God granted me over two and
a half challenging and fulfilling years to impact these men for the betterment
of their lives. I loved and taught them with the love of Jesus. And they knew
it. I loved and taught without judgment, without condemnation, and with mercy
and compassion. I will miss them greatly and will pray for them daily. I know
God used me there in powerful life-life changing ways, but I also know that my
time (His time) for me there was finished. I also made some amazing lifelong
friends in the Education department whom I love dearly and will pray for them
daily as well. We really needed each other and were always “there” for each
other.
I will share the sad
goodbyes in a future blog. For now, I want to share a true miraculous story
that happened in July.
JOHN M. (Not his real
name)
John (a former student
in my Substance Abuse class) was due to be released in 3 days (a Friday). There
was something special about John. I knew in my heart he was not going to be a
victim of recidivism. It seemed that everything was worked out with his case
manager and release specialist regarding his new start at a halfway house in
Jacksonville. He was really excited about this possibility. He knew he had to
start a new life away from the Miami lifestyle influences that got him in
trouble in the first place. Three days before his release (on Wednesday), he
got word that the halfway house wouldn’t accept him.
I spoke with John’s
case manager that morning and she told me that it’s just not going to work out
for him. She was devastated and so was I. But I knew in my heart God wasn’t
finished with John’s story. He, his case manager, and release specialist worked
so hard to get him in. As hard as it was, they just accepted the fact that door
was closed.
Later that day John
stopped in my classroom freaking out about his situation. The bottom line was
that the prison transport bus would have dropped him off in Daytona Beach
(where he was arrested) at 2AM where he knew no one, had no friends or family
there and had $50 to his name.
During his rant, I knew
God wanted me to pray for him. So, I said loudly, “John, sit your ass down and
let me pray for you!” John said he didn’t know former chaplains spoke that way,
we laughed, and I replied that it got his attention! So…he snapped sat! As I
started to pray for him, I felt a Holy Spirit faith well up inside me that I
have rarely felt. I even started to get teary eyed as I was praying. So did
John. When I finished praying we both sat there stunned as if we had both
entered another dimension. Then God gave me the faith to say to John, “Before 3
o’clock tomorrow, you will be crying tears of joy.” He was a bit doubtful at first,
but I repeated it and told him to have faith. I can’t believe I even said that!
I was really putting God on the line but I knew in my heart He was going to
come through.
The next day, Thursday,
I’m sitting in my office and his case manager comes barging in exclaiming that
John got into the halfway house in Jacksonville, but John didn’t know yet. I
told her that I prayed for him the day before and I knew God was going to open
that door.
As I was ready to go
home that afternoon, I went to look for John in his dorm and he wasn’t there. I
was upset that I might not see him before his release the next day because
we’re never certain when the transport bus might leave. Before I left for the
day I had to drop some things off in the Education office. As I was on the
walkway to the Education building, where John’s release specialist was, he was
coming out another door, sees me, and starts yelling my name, jumping up and
down, with tears in his eyes! He had just found out that he was going to
Jacksonville! We both had tears in our eyes and he was amazed at the grace of
God and he thought I had this supernatural “4G LTE” connection with God! I
assured him that was Jesus’ love for him and that he can have that same
connection as he moves forward with his life, and encouraged him to continue to
live his life for Him. We hugged (which we’re not supposed to do) and I wished
him God’s blessings and reminded him what I told him the day before that before
3 o’clock this day he would be crying tears of joy. It was 2:40.
