We were blessed with the presence of 70 men this afternoon, for a great time of Gospel sharing, story telling, hope building, encouraging fellowship! THANK YOU for helping us bring God's Light into these dark places!
Heading in to Calhoun C.I. for our fourth time! Again, it's bittersweet to see the same men here, though it's always nice to speak with them and pray with and for them. They welcome us so gratefully. Here we go!
Well, THIS day sure turned out differently than planned! We arrived to some men in the chapel taking part in a Bible study that the Chaplain was doing. We set up in front of them, and were told that they had to return to their dorms for 'count,' and then some would go to chow. So we hung out as men drifted in and out of the chapel. We turned the wait into a game of 'Stump the Guitar Player,' which was a blast! Even better was a concert given by the Worship Team! WE got to have a show put on for US! After a while we started our show, to a room of 59 men. We ended up being there for SIX hours, and were grateful to be able to spend that much time with the men!
Arriving at Apalachee C.I. East always feels intimidating, regardless of the pretty road leading up to it. We have traveled up this path four times now, and have never regretted it for one second. Now, the load in? THAT is a different story, lol!
This long road to Apalachee Correctional Institution has become quite familiar to us. It's a beautiful drive through a quiet little town. This is our fourth time at Apalachee C.I. East, and it is worth every single... sneeze. ;)
What an incredible afternoon! As we have been here three times already, the Trustees and many of the men knew us. 123 came and spent the afternoon with us today. They are ALWAYS incredibly grateful that we come back, and we are ALWAYS incredibly grateful to those of you who are helping us do this! If you have not yet joined our team, we hope you will consider doing so!
We had last been to Apalachee C.I. in May of this year. The reason we are coming back so soon is because the Chaplain called and asked us when we could return! We think highly of him, and value his faith in us to present the Truth to his men. We look forward to corroborating on some new ideas with him; different ways we can still visit the men, but maybe not in the capacity of a musical performance every time. Like maybe Bible study, or guitar/singing lessons, marriage discussions, etc. We are grateful to have such solid partners in the Chaplains with whom we work!
We were looking forward to visiting Franklin C.I. again, and we certainly were not disappointed! 101 men came and spent the afternoon with us for what turned out to be a wonderful afternoon of fellowship! We hope to return again soon, and appreciate your helping us get back here!
Arriving at Franklin C.I. for the second time in our career (so far!). Patty was correct about that, but Michael was correct about it having been 2024 when we last visited the men here. We remembered Franklin fondly, and were looking forward to performing here again!