A new command I give you;
Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must
love one another.
~John 13:34
Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must
love one another.
~John 13:34
I am knocking days off my stay at camp so
quickly! A young girl created a calendar for me of my original 50 days and
I would mark each day off as it happened and on the back end I was marking
good time days off......the space between each day and release date is
closing in! I have been made a trustee and now I get double the good time days for my classes and I am given 10 bonus good time days. My stay at camp will be shortened from 50 days to 30. God is just so very good, all the time. I was originally afraid I might not be able to be a trustee because I had back surgery in March, just 5 short months prior to being sent to camp. I didn't know if the camp doctor was going to sign off on my trustee release because the duties required of a trustee involved a lot of lifting, climbing stairs and such. Miraculously, he signed off and now I was clicking days off faster than ever. Not only did being a trustee get me closer to release, but it gave me a new uniform. A blue scrub top and striped scrub style bottoms. I no longer had to completely undress to go to the bathroom and I got fresh clothes everyday. It really is the simple things.
I am more than half way done with my time and I have gotten to know and love every single lady there. People I would have never met under ordinary circumstances have become true friends. I still talk to them often via phone and facebook. Our friendships are unique and real and I am grateful to have gotten to know these beautiful women.
The first person I met, the wild eyed girl, Camper E, was my roomie and we had hours and hours locked in our cell together. She was quite a character. The day I met her she informed me that she had been in and out of jail 17 times that year (it was August). She had been to prison previously for drug related charges. This current season included theft and drug related issues. She was not
in good health physically and had a string of mental problems. As long as she was medicated, she did well. I had learned she and her parents had been on the outs for most of her life. She was a victim of severe childhood abuse. She had a son that was 15, who would end up in juvie after I went home. My heart really hurt for her. Her stories were heartbreaking. Night after night she would try to call her mother and night after night her mother would deny her phone calls. Her health would become so bad that the DA would actually offer her a plea deal. If the original charges stuck, the system would be responsible for her medical care and it could be possible that the original sentence could literally mean life in prison for her. I have to say, as much as I learned to care for Camper E, I am not certain she would ever be fully successful in the outside world. She is out of prison now and doing 'okay'. I know God loves her and that she knows who He is. She is forever in my prayers and as odd as it may seem, I love her.
Camper K1 was the first person that I talked to when I got to the pod. She was my youngest daughter's age. She had been raised in an orphanage in Texas and had gotten into trouble shortly after she was released from the orphanage and was on probation. She had come to Colorado with a friend and they were living on the streets. In the resort areas of Colorado there is very little tolerance for the homeless. Camper K1 had been caught sleeping behind Walmart and when they ran her information, it was discovered that she did not have permission to leave the state of Texas. She was in the Colorado jail awaiting extradition back to Texas. I would get to know her over about 10 days before she was sent back to Texas. I would find her in the system after my release and keep in touch with her via letters while she was sitting out her probation revocation. 90 days after I got home, I received a letter from her asking if she could come and stay with me after her release. Oh my goodness, how in the world am I supposed to answer that? This poor girl that has never had a family, A girl that has told me that I am the only person that has ever written her a letter. A girl that is the same age as my youngest daughter. A girl that has no one to turn to, but a woman she knew for 10 days face to face and another 90 days via letter correspondence. I am praying about my answer and one day I receive a call from the Chaplin at the state jail. The Chaplin is telling me that unless Camper K1 has a home plan, she cannot be released. The state jail will buy her a one way bus ticket to Lubbock if I agree. My head is spinning and my heart is aching for Camper K1. I talk to my family and a few others and we all come up with a plan. We will get her a hotel for 30 days. During this 30 days she will try to get her license, her social security card and a job. While she was in state jail, she had earned her GED. They had taken her picture in a cap and gown and she treasured that picture. For the first time in her life, she was proud of herself. She is confident that she will be able to get a job. She applies at several places, but no luck. Her 30 days in the hotel are nearing an end. I have told her that after the 30 days she will need to stay at the Salvation Army. I tell her all she has to do is sleep there, during the day she will be with my family, she will have meals with us, but at night she will need to go to the Salvation Army. She is not thrilled, but completely understands. The last night in her hotel, she writes me a sweet note on Facebook. Just thanking me for everything and letting me know how much she appreciates all that my family has done for her. Okay, here is the good part! A woman I worked with at the hospital liked the post and made a sweet comment to me. A lady in Montana is friends with my friend from the hospital and sees the post. She has to take a double take. She private messages me and tells me that she thinks the girl that I have been helping is her niece. She looks like her brother and shares her last name. Oh. My. Goodness. I connect them, sure enough Camper K1 is her niece. She sends her a bus ticket and the next day she is off to Montana. She has now connected with her mother, her father and her sister. If nothing else, this chain of events was worth my time at camp! Divine appointments are a gift from God. What are the odds, 2 girls from Texas meet in a Colorado jail and nothing will ever be the same! I took God with me and He made miracles happen.
The first person I met, the wild eyed girl, Camper E, was my roomie and we had hours and hours locked in our cell together. She was quite a character. The day I met her she informed me that she had been in and out of jail 17 times that year (it was August). She had been to prison previously for drug related charges. This current season included theft and drug related issues. She was not
in good health physically and had a string of mental problems. As long as she was medicated, she did well. I had learned she and her parents had been on the outs for most of her life. She was a victim of severe childhood abuse. She had a son that was 15, who would end up in juvie after I went home. My heart really hurt for her. Her stories were heartbreaking. Night after night she would try to call her mother and night after night her mother would deny her phone calls. Her health would become so bad that the DA would actually offer her a plea deal. If the original charges stuck, the system would be responsible for her medical care and it could be possible that the original sentence could literally mean life in prison for her. I have to say, as much as I learned to care for Camper E, I am not certain she would ever be fully successful in the outside world. She is out of prison now and doing 'okay'. I know God loves her and that she knows who He is. She is forever in my prayers and as odd as it may seem, I love her.
Camper K1 was the first person that I talked to when I got to the pod. She was my youngest daughter's age. She had been raised in an orphanage in Texas and had gotten into trouble shortly after she was released from the orphanage and was on probation. She had come to Colorado with a friend and they were living on the streets. In the resort areas of Colorado there is very little tolerance for the homeless. Camper K1 had been caught sleeping behind Walmart and when they ran her information, it was discovered that she did not have permission to leave the state of Texas. She was in the Colorado jail awaiting extradition back to Texas. I would get to know her over about 10 days before she was sent back to Texas. I would find her in the system after my release and keep in touch with her via letters while she was sitting out her probation revocation. 90 days after I got home, I received a letter from her asking if she could come and stay with me after her release. Oh my goodness, how in the world am I supposed to answer that? This poor girl that has never had a family, A girl that has told me that I am the only person that has ever written her a letter. A girl that is the same age as my youngest daughter. A girl that has no one to turn to, but a woman she knew for 10 days face to face and another 90 days via letter correspondence. I am praying about my answer and one day I receive a call from the Chaplin at the state jail. The Chaplin is telling me that unless Camper K1 has a home plan, she cannot be released. The state jail will buy her a one way bus ticket to Lubbock if I agree. My head is spinning and my heart is aching for Camper K1. I talk to my family and a few others and we all come up with a plan. We will get her a hotel for 30 days. During this 30 days she will try to get her license, her social security card and a job. While she was in state jail, she had earned her GED. They had taken her picture in a cap and gown and she treasured that picture. For the first time in her life, she was proud of herself. She is confident that she will be able to get a job. She applies at several places, but no luck. Her 30 days in the hotel are nearing an end. I have told her that after the 30 days she will need to stay at the Salvation Army. I tell her all she has to do is sleep there, during the day she will be with my family, she will have meals with us, but at night she will need to go to the Salvation Army. She is not thrilled, but completely understands. The last night in her hotel, she writes me a sweet note on Facebook. Just thanking me for everything and letting me know how much she appreciates all that my family has done for her. Okay, here is the good part! A woman I worked with at the hospital liked the post and made a sweet comment to me. A lady in Montana is friends with my friend from the hospital and sees the post. She has to take a double take. She private messages me and tells me that she thinks the girl that I have been helping is her niece. She looks like her brother and shares her last name. Oh. My. Goodness. I connect them, sure enough Camper K1 is her niece. She sends her a bus ticket and the next day she is off to Montana. She has now connected with her mother, her father and her sister. If nothing else, this chain of events was worth my time at camp! Divine appointments are a gift from God. What are the odds, 2 girls from Texas meet in a Colorado jail and nothing will ever be the same! I took God with me and He made miracles happen.
 |
| Camper K1 arrived just a few weeks before my daughter's wedding. While here my family embraced her just as if she were family. She is holding my mom's hand in the picture. |
Love one another as God has loved you
Unlikely friends are true friends
Thank you for sharing your story.
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