I drove over to Adair County last night and arrived 45 minutes before I left. They’re on slow time there as the line marking the Eastern Standard Time & Central Standard Time cuts
right though Kentucky. I was thinking that such a situation could give someone a good alibi if needed. An email sent from the next county would place you online at a specific time, even though you might have committed crime an hour earlier, but at the specified time, in the next county. Did I word that right? Confusing, but it might just confuse the jury too.
Speaking of jury, I had gone over to meet Miss Martha to accompany her to the annex for Bible study with the female inmates. She just called it “the annex” but the sign said Regional Detention Center. The local joke is that, because it is directly across from the Baptist church, it’s the Baptist annex rather than the jail annex. Maybe you have to be a local non-Baptist to think that’s funny.
When we went up to the door, Miss Martha pressed a button on the wall and I heard a buzzer sound inside. Very soon I heard a different buzzer sound and a lock on the door click. We pushed the door open and went in. Then another door opened and a woman in a black t-shirt and jeans shouted, “The church ladies are here!” She then turned and said, “Hi Miss Martha. The girls’ll be right down.”
We made our way in to a small side room and brought in some chairs. Some of the girls did not come because they were watching wrestling on the TV. This did not please Miss Martha but she just praised those who had come and introduced me. We did the Bible lesson she’d prepared, had communion and then I talked about New Zealand and some of my other travels. I spoke of a Jesus who seemed to notice the outsiders more than the religious types. Then I caught myself thinking, “Hmm, these ladies might be outsiders to the church but they are insiders in the prison system.”
I did that a few times, kinda readjusting my perspective and wondering how they were hearing what I was saying. One time I started to talk about an earlier visit to Columbia when I’d gone to the BBQ place, but I stopped myself. These girls probably woulda loved to have BBQ, anything really, other than prison food.
The way Miss Martha taught from the Bible was great. She made it all very practical and pointed out the common sense and applicable lessons. Nehemiah went back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls and he had the King’s permission and authority. Still, Nehemiah did his research quietly, made a plan and included those who were part of the solution. He held his ground against those who might corrupt the result or interrupt the process.
Miss Martha then applied that to the girls’ anticipated release dates and told how they’d need to think and plan well, include the right people and exclude the wrong people, know what their objective was and stick to their plan. She said, “The Bible’s not all airy-fairy superspiritual stuff. It’s reasonable, practical and a lot of good sense! Read James’ letter!”
I loved it! This feisty little lady who had returned to college to finish her degree at 50 years old, sitting here on plastic chairs cheering these girls toward a better future.
I get asked to do all kinds of things, speak to different crowds and bring a spark of something in to otherwise routine activities. I often have no idea what I’m bringing to the mix, what I have to offer by way of blessing. Usually, as in this case, I go away blessed, encouraged and challenged.
Miss Martha coulda been home watching something useless on TV, watching “life” rather than living it. Nope. There’s hope for those girls and she’s gonna do what she can to help 'em realise it.
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