Update On Our Doin’s
By Ed Ranck
Stopping by
the maintenance shed where the prison farm machinery is kept, I saw a
forage harvester similar to the one we used on the farm for years. It
looked pretty rough so I struck up a conversation with the inmate working
on it about some of the maintenance and repairs it needed and was able to
give him some advice to get it into better shape. Not necessarily the
usual conversation starter for a chaplain but it has been an opening for
me to meet an inmate that is not likely to have time for me in the dorm. A
couple days of riding horseback with the inmate cowboys rounding up the
state cattle has introduced me to another group of guys as well as
introducing me to the job to which they are assigned. I haven’t ridden
on a garbage truck with Tim yet as he completes his work for a nearby
town, but I have been invited and hope that works out for me. Seeing
“Chap” get dirty and taking an interest in what the various work crews
from the camp do has given the guys a chance to see me in a different set
of clothes and a different set of circumstances than walking the dorm or
teaching in the chapel.
Recently a
local ministry came in for a three day revival. Saturday evening some 70
men attended the out door services. It was good to see such a crowd in
attendance; my Bible studies usually draw between 10-15 guys, mostly
regulars who come consistently and we feed together on God’s word. One
old guy, Russell, is a staunch Catholic and comes faithfully. One day he
reads Tobit from the Apocrypha, and the next from Romans, marveling at the
grace of God as taught by Paul. He teases me about going astray during the
Reformation, and I tease him about being a Christian that carries the
whole unnecessary burden of Catholicism on his shoulders…we get along
fine. One thing I have learned is that it is God who changes the hearts of
men through the teaching of the Word and in His time. I sometimes wonder
about my ways of reaching out to these men but life is drab and so heavy
for many so they seem to appreciate the humor and some fun.
Doris has been
pretty amazing these last months. In addition to the regular crew of
eleven or so of us who work in various capacities here at We Care, she and
a couple of other ladies have been feeding the volunteers coming to work
on the new building. These crews include three inmates who come out of the
Prison Work Center where I serve and men and women who have come from as
far away as Kansas to help out with the various phases, plus two long term
fellows who have volunteered through the project. Doris serves the meals
in a makeshift kitchen set up in the garage with as many as 30 people
around the table(s). In January she served meals to 1060 people with
December being second highest with over 900. For some reason she seems to
really enjoy it when I take her out to eat! Plans are to move into the new
building the last of June, and hopefully things will return to a more
normal hectic pace here.
At this point
Doris and I plan to stay on with We Care through May of ‘08. That will
keep us here through another of the Young Adult Intern programs, and then
who knows what God has for us. He has led and provided for us here, so we
are confident He can certainly direct us from that point on.
************
Ed
and Doris plan to move into their apartment
at the
new We Care headquarters June 4.
Their
address
will remain the
same…
3493
Highway 21
Atmore,
AL 36502
They
are also happy to announce that they will be grandparents in early
December.
Jon & Jaime are expecting twins!
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