1/8/2009 – 6 months

1/8/2009

Well it’s 2009 and I have been here for six months now, it honestly seems like much more. I have at least 24 months left to serve here (best case scenario) and then I will have to go to a half-way house in Seattle for 2 to 6 months…it seems like forever right now, but I know that there is an end in sight. actually a new beginning.

I have taken a job in the chapel as a clerk. It was actually a hard decision and was a source of a lot of drama here. But I am glad that I took the job and am looking forward to being able to help people and to organizing the books and media that the chapel has access to. I want to say thanks to Kevin and Heather Cramer and their ministry, Shadrak, for donating some great CD’s, DVD’s and books to the chapel. (and to all that help them out as well). These donations are one of the biggest sources of joy I have in here, and the materials they have sent in have been a blessing to a lot of guys in here.

It is also nice to have an office with a desk, music and even a T.V. I can watch the music videos that Shadrak sends in.

I also talked with www.desiringgod.org (John Piper’s Ministry) and they are sending one book or Bible each month to any inmate that requests one absolutely free. We have permission and support of one of the caseworkers here to do this. Right now I am trying to find or create a Moral Reasoning Assessment and Development program that can be offered to all inmates here (and hopefully at other prisons as well). I think I mentioned before that there is currently no requirement or even opportunity for inmates to go through that type of program other than drug rehab.

After that I want to advocate for some parenting and marriage groups and/ or classes.

We have a long way to go with these programs and we are definitely going against the current; so nothing is guaranteed. But we have a committed group of talented guys putting it all together and we also have a committed BOP caseworker that is standing behind us as well.

Bottom line is that I am keeping busy and everyone seems to agree that is one of the best ways to make your days, weeks and months go faster.

Happy New Year,

Joe