God really IS -- and He's in prison!

In my previous posting did I state that November to that point had been a busy month? Well, I wrote that knowing full well that the most significant happenings of the eleventh month were yet to come!

I've just returned from prison. At this point, dear reader, you might want to go back almost a year in my postings (early December of A.D. 2006) and take in my report about the first Kairos Prison Ministry Weekend retreat held in the Dolph Briscoe (prison) Unit near Dilley, Texas. Read what a tremendous event that one was!

I've just returned from prison. Earlier this year I had desired to serve on a Team for a Walk to Emmaus such as the Men's Walk my own Emmaus Fourth day Group, Care Bexar, will do next month. But that Walk got closed to me. I happened to be in a situation to inquire about another Walk, and again the door wasn't open for my participation. It was definitely God saying, "No!" He wanted me to serve instead on a Kairos Weekend, specifically, Briscoe #2 which had been delayed from the Spring by a lock-down in the prison.

I've just returned from prison. When I arrived last Wednesday afternoon at the Dilley American Legion Hall, our outside-the-prison base of ops for the weekend retreats, I was anticipating that the Lord would bless this retreat just like He blesses all Kairos weekends, but nevertheless it wouldn't be as awesome as the first Briscoe Kairos had been. Well, let me tell you, dear reader, it clearly matched #1 for awesomeness of the Holy Spirit's working!

Despite Briscoe #2 lacking the excitement mixed with uncertainty that is always part of presenting a program or event for the first time in a new place. Despite lacking a couple of the details that were (supposedly) integral to Briscoe #1. Despite the cooks among the ladies of the Outside Team grousing about the lack of a functioning reefer. (Smile.) And despite me forgetting several small items in my packing; the only crucial thing was my meds. (Smile again.)

The Prayer Circle that is done during the final Team Formation Session on Thursday morning seemed to finish up more quickly than it had on my three earlier services on Kairos Teams (Torres #9 & #11 as well as Briscoe #1). Nevertheless, it was just as deeply moving a spiritual exercise as it always is!

On the other hand, my writing of my "love letters" to the 42 Candidates ("love" in the agapé sense) took just as long as usual. I only had a couple written upon arrival Wednesday. The last two didn't get written until early Saturday morning. We're supposed to submit the letters for the Outside Team to place in bags for each of the Candidates when we come for breakfast then -- I didn't dare eat a bite 'til I'd stuffed those last two in their envelops! (Smile again.)

On Thursday afternoon, when we Inside Team men enter the prison's gym where we conduct the retreat, we're greeted by the some twenty Stewards (or Servants). They are men in white (TDCJ inmates wear all-white uniforms) who were candidates on an earlier Kairos Weekend and get the call to serve. Big smiles and big hugs all around! I'm delighted that two of the brothers in white from St. Luke Family of #1 (I was Table Clergy for them) are serving as Stewards. I'm assigned two Sponsorees -- meaning that I greet two Candidates when they first enter the gym, lead them to the food table and then sit down and get acquainted with them. As Sponsor (or Host), each morning I also greet them as they enter and lead them to their Family Table in the conference room, check on them occasionally thru'out the retreat to see how they're doing, and take any prayer request from the Sponsoree back to the base of ops to give to the lady assigned to be the Candidate's "prayer partner".

My two are Andy Longoria and Luis López. They're already acquainted with each other. Luis and I are both in the St. Peter Family; in fact, he sits at my right hand. He'd been identified as being one of two Spanish-only speakers, but even tho' he's from Guatemala he'd been in the 'States 14 years and could understand and speak English adequately. (However, Luis finds taking notes during the ten Talks difficult, so I scribe for him in Spanish, as I'd scribed for a Spanish-only speaker from Zacatecas, Mexico, on Kairos Torres #11.) The identified Spanish-only speaker who really IS Spanish-only (a couple others certainly lean toward Spanish-only!) sits directly across the St. Peter table from me, next to our bilingual Table Leader, Jaime Gonzales. He's Porfirio Enríquez, natural de México, whose first name was misspelled on two successive name tags! ¡Pobre Porfirio!

After the one-on-one get-acquainted time, we form a square "u" and each man -- Candidate, Steward or free-world volunteer -- introduces himself to the entire group, by answering a specific set of five questions, including where he's from and why he's in this Kairos retreat. We get to Bill Havard, who is my motel roommate or "cellie" to use the inmates' jargon, he steps forward and points specifically to three of the Stewards as the reason why he's here! (He had attended Closing of #1, and just like me when I went to Closing for Torres #8, the Candidates' testimony to the positive and awesome effect of the Weekend on them had "hooked" him.) It hits me as I listen to Bill that his words are surely impressive witness to the Candidates that not only will the Weekend have strong impact on them but that they themselves can be influential in their response to it! And then, two different Candidates at their turn make sort of confession and break down in tears before us all. But. . . tears aren't supposed to be shed until they get their bags of "love letters" on Saturday afternoon! Wow!

Well, I could go on and on about the work of Christ our Savior and Friend (or work of the Holy Spirit or work of God, take your pick -- they're the same in my book) during the three full days of Kairos Briscoe #2. But how'd I end? As in Emmaus, Kairos has its Fourth Day, which lasts for the rest of one's life! However, I'll summarize by affirming that I came to deeply love each and every brother in white (including Stewards), just as deeply as I love all my fellow free-world Team members (remember, I mean agapé love). The Candidates truly made themselves vulnerable fairly early in the scheme of the Weekend. Luis, Porfirio and the four other St. Peter brothers in white have an extra special place in my heart, I suppose, just as do the six of St. Luke on Briscoe #1. . . .

And I also declare and testify the following. If I ever, EVER hear some atheist say, "God does not exist", I shall firmly respond, "God most certainly DOES exist, and if you'll go with me to Briscoe Prison I'll introduce you to Him!"