Visiting David

Greg and I went to see David today. It was really good to see him again -- well worth the four hour drive. We had a great visit, which was an answer to prayer in itself. There's not guarantee that you will get in to see him when you get out there because they have a really sensitive drug check that beeps if you've even used a hand-cream with a trace of drugs. Simply handling money that has been in other hands can be enough to set it off and ruin the visit. Greg and I prayed that we would be able to get in, and Sarah, David's sister, promised that she would get her class to pray for us. Greg got through just fine but apparently it didn't like something about me. However, it was just a trace and the officer said it didn't count enough for a “hit” as he called it. I breathed a prayer of thanks and we went down the hall to see David.

David is doing surprisingly well. We had some really great conversations and a lot of fun. David was always fun to pick on and I'm glad to say that hasn't changed. He's as much fun to pick on as ever and Greg and I took advantage of it. After all, we haven't seen him in over a year so we had a lot stored up and we gave it all to him. Don't feel to bad for him though . . . he still knows how to give it back! I think he had more fun with it than we did. At some point he made some sarcastic comment about my maturity and I threatened to hit him with the bag of quarters.

“You mean your purse?” he said with a grin. (I almost did hit him then. He and Greg thought it was hilarious though and he kept complimenting me on it, saying it went really well with my eyes – which was a lie. It was lime green and made out of cheap clear plastic)

He also had a hoot when I couldn't figure out the microwave. He told me that someday I would learn how to handle modern technology and encouraged me to keep trying and stretching myself – the smart aleck! For some reason Greg escaped the worst of the criticism, although he definitely wasn't unscathed. It was great.

We didn't spend the whole time poking fun at each other, occasionally we did settle down to some more serious issues, but it was good to see that he hasn't lost his sense of humor. Believe me, in there that's a gift and I know he couldn't do it without God's help. It was also good to see that he's still strong and open about his faith which is definitely unusual for where he is. Almost everyone seems to know him in there (most of them ribbed him in good fun when they walked past us today) and he's finding ways to reach out to others. Right now he is working in some peer mentoring groups and he really seems to enjoy it.

It can be very depressing walking into a place that looks like Fort Knox and going through all the security (it makes you realize what human nature is and how hard it is to stop it not only from walking out of there but also into there) but Greg and I came out of there more encouraged than when we went in. It is amazing to see what God can do with a life even after Satan has done his best to wreak havoc on it and turn it into despair. David hasn't despaired, although from a human standpoint it seems like the only option and I'm sure it's a temptation, but he has been given a sense of peace and joy. Only God can do that. Seeing what He has done in David's life and the lives of his family, I can only praise a God who is not stopped by prison walls or mistakes. I am glad to have a friend like David. He reminds me that God's love has no limits and that His mercy and grace are not given to us because we deserve it.

P.S. If you think about it, pray for David. He didn't mention it much, but he's had some physical problems and is having more tests done this week and it's not exactly the nicest place to be sick.