FREEDOM!!!
My name is Rita. I don’t carry a badge (think Joe Friday and Dragnet)
I am a prison ministry volunteer. I’ve been “in” for three years and
am now OUT. I’m out because God released Tashonda Whitlock today, September 8, 2009. He told me to be a mentor to Tashonda,
young 37 year old mother of two, in prison for 5 years. Today we both graduated into real life mentor/mentee on the outside. FREE!
It was a grand and glorious day in The Lord’s work. He shows up in the best ways, with high expectations and He never disappoints.
A group of us showed up (IFI staff and volunteers … friends ALL) to welcome Tashonda into her new life. The “old clothes” removed (prison whites… State issue clothing)… plopped into a plastic bag and sent back to prison, re-cycled for those still awaiting their big day. Amy Osborne is now walking in Tashonda’s shoes. Big shoes to fill.
We took pictures, hugged, cried, laughed, carried out a copy paper box full of her entire life, encapsulated in such small space it is a lesson to all of us as to what is important. Her Bible was not in that box. She carried it separately… kept it with her. When in my car, the Bible got placed inside her new black purse. Tashonda carries The Word with her everywhere. It is hidden in her heart… but also in her purse.
The rest of the day is a blur…. Her First meal was On The Border… steak fajitas and a Dr. Pepper. Yum! She was clearly in heaven. We prayed, ate, shared God stories, passed around gifts and chips and salsa. A nice gentleman recently returned from vacation in Alaska offered to take all of our pictures together. Yea! 8 smiling faces
After lunch we detoured from our shopping plan and made our first
(of many) trips to the Parole Office in N. Little Rock. We sat in the waiting room, waiting to see her new Parole Officer, with no appointment. As I sat wondering how long this would take and bemoaning the fact we were not shopping for essentials (for a girl), those fears were soon dispelled as IFI Counselor Tena trounced back to the inner sanctum to high-five and visit with her old buds from her P.O. days (that would be Parole Officer, not Post office). She found our officer and we were soon whisked back to her office…. Down many long narrow hallways formerly used for bowling balls but now remodeled for parolee business. Take breadcrumbs… you won’t find your way back out of there without a trail!
Patricia Shade (IFI) and I escorted Tashonda outside after setting up her first appointment and waited for Tena to emerge from her fun reunion with former co-workers and supervisors.
Off we go to take Tashonda to the Rens’ house where she will live for a while until she has a job and an apartment of her own. Everyone is thrilled with the accommodations. What is not to love… her own “suite” downstairs with a sitting room with TV And movies, a patio overlooking a beautiful back yard, bedroom and bath… all on her own, privacy… real toilet… a shower where you don’t have to wear flip flops… no one watching…. New fun-smelling shower and bath products.
I had to tear myself away to head back to Wrightsville for my last class with Group 2 who have now completed their 18-month program. More tears… passing the roll around (prison Kleenex comes on a roll… also known as toilet paper). We laughed, danced, sang, shared, said our goodbyes and farewells and “see ya laters”. We will be back from time to time, for graduations, holiday banquets, other occasions.
But the real fun happened just now when I went to the ADC website, plugged in Tashonda’s NUMBER and name and "No Matches Found - Please Try Again" is what popped up! Nope, don’t think so. I think that information is entirely accurate, forever. Tashonda is out. She is OUT4LIFE!
- Rita O’Kelley
