Muddin' at Wrightsville

Two weeks ago 80 students from Kansas State University spent their Spring Break in Little Rock building homes with Habitat for Humanity and painting murals in Promise Land Church. UGM volunteers had the pleasure of taking groups of 12 - 15 of them with us as we served in our units. Here's the story of one of those trips.

Rita writes.......

If we were a Peanuts cartoon, picture Snoopy sitting atop his dog house, typewriter tapping away…. penning the words “It was a dark and stormy night…”

Pan forward to real life… there is no Snoopy… no dog house… and no
typewriter. I sit at my computer in the dark, power going off and on while the storm rages outside….illumination coming from intermittent flashes of lightning and the glow of the laptop screen running on battery power.

Sixteen women… three of us who are regulars with IFI prison ministry and thirteen students visiting from various colleges in Kansas headed for the women’s prison in Wrightsville, AR. The students were in town on Spring Break on a mission trip with Habitat for Humanity by day, engaging in various adventures in their “off time”.

It was not your typical Tuesday night Bible study at the Wrightsville Hawkins Women’s Unit. Karen Stone, Jennifer Hawthorne and Rita O’Kelley and the students piled into the long white van. We talked all the way on the half hour trip, getting to know each other, answering questions about what we do, what their expectations were, and making sure everyone was comfortable going into a prison setting. These “girls” were ready. Many already knew they wanted to be involved with prison ministry and other related areas. Tonight they witnessed first hand what that will entail.

It was the last evening of the 18-month program with our first group of IFI inmates. Emotions were close to the surface as this was our “goodbye” to women with whom we have forged strong bonds of friendship and love “behind the wire”… a love only God could orchestrate. It helped to have “visitors” with us to create some diversion.

The weather forecast was for flash flood warnings and we prayed for safety and for God to meet with us, changing the hearts of inmates, volunteers and guests alike. He showed up!

The chairs in the visitation room were arranged in a large circle. We watched amazed as the young women exhibited maturity beyond their years, choosing to spread out rather than huddling in the comfort of their peers. They wanted to interact with the women who lived in IFI barracks 4. Jennifer opened with prayer; we listened to one song on CD, and went around the circle making introductions. Our lesson was from Isaiah 40, bringing good discussion and comments from the college women as well as the inmates. The inmates encouraged all of us with changed lives and advice for living, telling the students to never give up, commending them for their maturity and vision while still in college. One woman commented to the inmates “this exceeded my wildest expectations…. we came to encourage you and we are being ministered to by you instead.” She read from Isaiah 61:3, tearfully praying for the women and thanking them.

We ended 15 minutes early to allow everyone to say their goodbyes, hugs all around, and thank you’s for the friendship and life lessons we learned from each other. We passed around a roll of toilet paper (a/k/a prison Kleenex) to wipe teary eyes as everyone shared.

While we were talking, the brewing storm erupted with torrential rain, thunder and flashes of lightning visible through the open visitation room doors. The women headed back to Barracks 4 at 9 p.m. and we hurried for the gates… 16 women with 2 umbrellas, hoping for quick gate exit. Water was pooling in puddles as we sloshed our way through the two gated areas into the flooded gravel and mud parking lot. We piled into the van, scrunched 3-4 to a seat, huddled together as comrades. The talk was lively, female voices vying to be heard above the crowd, sharing feelings and insights about the evening. Our student driver pulled forward and we belatedly realized she was leaving via a muddy field rather than backing out onto the gravel drive. Immediately the van mired in the mud and wheels began spinning. It was 9:15 p.m., dark and raining hard. We knew we could not remain in the dry van and exited to lighten the load. Everyone good naturedly jumped from the van only to realize the water was several inches deep. Shoes stuck in the mud and came off our feet while everyone was laughing and working on possible solutions. Several brave souls positioned themselves behind the van and begin pushing while the driver “gunned it”… although on prison grounds I guess we should say “accelerated”. The back tires were sinking deeper. I headed for the female guard who sat in her patrol car on the gravel a few yards away…watching from a distance. I asked her if she would get some strong men to help and she commented “I’m sorry, we are short handed tonight. You are just going to have to push until you get yourselves free.” I noted a slight hint of satisfaction in her voice, watching 16 city girls standing in ankle deep water and mud (Arkansas “gumbo”) … soaked to the skin, hair sticking flat to our heads like bad school photos, pushing a van in the rain.

I told the girls we needed to pray and push as we were on our own. Almost immediately they decided to push from the front and put the van into reverse. Shouts of encouragement erupted as the van bolted from the hole and reached gravel again. We ran to the van and slid into our seats, smelling of “au de wet dog” and headed down the gravel drive, laughing and recounting the bravery, strength and determination of a bunch of women on a mission…. and God’s mercy and provision. We were so proud of those young women, mature beyond their years, brave beyond reason. The new term coined was “Woman up!”

On the drive home we agreed that trips fraught with danger, trials, adventure and unexpected opportunities make for the best stories later. The experience left many students certain of their calling into prison ministry and other related venues to the homeless or hurting. One girl commented “I would feel ridiculous now, telling God “no”. Too many things had led us to this place… seemingly unrelated “coincidences”… all uniquely woven together to prepare us for the journey He laid out before each of us.

Sixteen women and God took the prison by storm. Everyone was freed that night…. women who thought they already were… only to discover that true freedom happens “on the inside”… unrelated to circumstances.

“It was a dark and stormy night…….”

Graduation Morning

The team serving in the Malvern Unit have graduated their 3rd Authentic Manhood class. We got some great video clips....




Congratulations guys!