First night on our own!

This afternoon my Mom left to go back to Florida and Madison and I are officially on our own. (Of course we appreciate being able to call any of you whenever we need too!) So far so good. Then I was able to talk to Michael tonight and hear about his first commissary visit. He can purchase clothing, electronics and shoes on Mondays so was able to purchase some sweatpants, shorts, socks, a radio to listen to the group televisions (you can only hear the TV via headphones and a radio receiver), and a watch (there are not many clocks on campus, maybe some one's way of being compassionate? Although it would make me crazy!). He wanted to get some tennis shoes too but they did not have his size and he was told that they will have some the beginning of April. He was issued steel-toed boots when he arrived and says that he is getting used to them. He was also able to get some shower shoes.

We have been so blessed each step of the way. Thursday before Michael left, we received a call from a friend of a friend who had personal experience with the Board of Prisons. He gave us great advice including the suggestion to bring a money order with you when you surrender so you could start getting the things you would need. He recommended at least $300. We have a really tight budget, supplemented by prayer right now and we were not sure how that was going to happen. So that night we prayed. The next morning at Michael's L2L morning prayer breakfast, not only did those men pray over Michael, but they handed him a money order for $300. God is so amazing! It reminded us of when Jesus told Peter to go fish for the money to pay the temple tax and there in the fish's mouth was the exact coin denomination he needed to pay his tax and Jesus'! God meets our needs exactly! (Matthew 17:24-27)

I am so proud of Michael. He is a shining light at this campus. He was able to take in a soft cover copy of the Bible when he surrendered and has been sharing it with his roommates and other men in a Christian men's group he joined. They had not seen a contemporary version of the Bible like Michael's Starting Point Bible and were excited that it "made sense" to them. It is not an easy thing to be a witness and it is so wonderful that Michael is able to do so and not fall into bitterness and despair. Thank you L2L and Vinings Lake Church for everything you do!

One more note - Michael was so excited to hear his name called during mail call this evening! When he went forward to receive his mail, it turned out that it was the letters he had posted last week. He did not put enough postage on them. :) Just so you know, it is nice to receive anything even if it is your own letters that you have to repost! Thank you in advance for taking a few minutes to write a quick note to him. I know it will be read over and over again and greatly appreciated!

Heidi