If anyone would have told me last January, when I stepped away from my corporate position to do fulltime ministry, that two months later the prisons would go on lockdown and the world would basically completely shut down, I would have laughed and said, “yeah right”. I mean, what could possibly happen to cause the world to shut down?
The day the prisons went down will forever be ingrained into my memory. Governor Abbott held the press conference indicating the prisons would need to restrict visitation. Bob and I were sitting in our favorite restaurant in Gatesville waiting for a few other volunteers to join us so we could head to the Hilltop unit and set up for a Day with Mom event. As I watched the press conference I immediately wondered if the event would be canceled. I called the unit Chaplain and he indicated all was still a go, so we loaded up and headed that way.
We were about a half of a mile away when my phone rang, and we were told the unit had been placed on lockdown. I took a few moments to inform the other volunteers and we headed home. I honestly thought in a few weeks’ things would be back to normal and we would be able to reschedule the event. I mean come on; this is America. Nothing keeps this country down. We overcame the Great Depression, two World Wars, and even 9/11. Yet here we are 9 months later, the units are still on lockdown, we are still wearing masks, and still expected to social distance. It is amazing how quickly the world around us changed. And with all this change, it is impossible not to wonder what the future holds.
Yes, this year has been confusing and even frustrating at times, but the downtime has not been in vain. Through it all we’ve launched a new website, to celebrate our 15th year in ministry. We’ve been able to match offenders to pen-pals, we’ve mailed in DVDs to assist the Chaplains in keeping the offender’s spiritual feed and we have prepared for two new outreaches to be launched in the coming you. And through it all, I’ve found the peace that God is still on the throne, and the future is in his hands, for nothing is impossible for God.
So, let us say farewell to 2020 and say welcome to 2021 where we can wait expectedly for the day this corona madness will end. To the day everyone can once again go unmasked, showing their faces to the world, living free and without fear. I pray the New Year brings more unity, kindness, and love, and less division in the world around us. I have always viewed the New Year as a time to reboot, as a time to refresh and begin again. And while this New Year’s may not be quite the same as those we have had in the past, I have faith in the new beginnings 2021 will bring.
God Bless,
Susan Neyra and the D4C Board of Directors
