I saw the posting in the Seeds of Hope online newsletter seeking someone to
pick a man up from prison on his day of release. I read it and moved on. I hadn’t
done this before, so others would be better suited. But the Lord spoke to me and
I made myself available. Bill gave me the details, and as I was driving there, I
turned off the radio and prayed. I was out of my comfort zone, and needed the
Lord’s help and encouragement. I arrived at Southern State Prison at 8:15 am,
and at 8:30, just as expected, Lance arrived in the waiting area. He was smiling
intensely; we introduced ourselves, shook hands and embraced. He would be a
few minutes with checkout formalities.
While waiting, another man approached me. Angel was also being released
today, and needed to get to his mother’s house in Camden. Lance had told
Angel that I was going there. Sure, I would take Angel too. But now there was
a complication. Lance needed to go to the parole office in Bridgeton today, in
order to get his jurisdiction changed to Camden County. Though unexpected,
that would be no problem. I would still take Angel, if he didn’t mind the detour to
Bridgeton.
As we got in the car, I prayed for both Lance and Angel before we began driving.
Lance was thankful for the prayer. As we arrived in Bridgeton, we knew Lance
would be a while in the parole office. Angel and I walked to a nearby Dunkin
Donuts, where Angel shared his story, thankful for his release and another
chance. He had once been a strong Christian, but life’s struggles had caused
him to backslide.
We went back to the parole office, and Lance was still waiting for final clearance.
He soon got it, and since Lance had missed breakfast, we stopped to get Lance
some nourishment. On our drive to Camden, both Lance and Angel talked
about their pasts, and how they were now committed to building a positive future
for themselves. Lance shared specifically how Bill’s visits to the prison were
instrumental in his spiritual growth. Both had concrete visions of how they would
move forward with their lives.
The three of us arrived at 1700 Broadway, met Bill, and got Lance settled in.
I then took Angel to his mother’s house, where she was sitting on the stoop
waiting for him. Angel insisted that I meet his Mom. We talked for a while, and
she shared her hope that Angel’s days of “backsliding” were over. Angel told
his mother about Seeds of Hope, knowing something of the ministry from the
discussion we had in the car earlier in the day. I added more details, and prayed
for Angel before leaving.
I thank the Lord for providing me the opportunity to serve in this way, and giving
me one of the most rewarding days in memory. The future of these two men is in
the Lord’s hands. I continue to pray for both of them, that they will be surrounded
by godly influences and that they will make wise choices in their daily walk.
Dan Sedley
