TEARS OF JOY BEFORE THREE

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.