We were at last admitted to the
visiting area, a long row of glass-enclosed booths. R remained
separated from us by a glass panel. But there was an opening that
allowed objects to be passed. Hands could touch under the glass.
R is trying to find ways to pass the time. The reality of a long
sentence is a bleak one for a man in his early twenties. He said,
with all the conviction he could muster, that the time was going
fast. He told me he tries to study. He described his day. He works
in the cafeteria. He gave me a lesson in the rules of the place,
how many visits are allowed (just one a month), the unvarying
daily routine, and the noise that makes sleep difficult.
R’s mother wants him to be occupied with studies. I gave
him an economics book and some problems to work through. There
is no possibility for R to study in prison. Our conversation was
his first opportunity to practice his English in a long time.
So for four hours his mother and I traded places at the window,
sharing as we were able. We smiled as much as we could. Then suddenly
the guards announced the visit was over. We shook hands under
the glass.
His mother told me of how hard it was at home. She wanted to
know what I saw. “Was R different? Did I recognize him?”
I did the best I could to answer her. I said I still could see
my student.
Becky and I think of teaching as our mission and ministry. Trying
to show a student the intricacies of supply and demand by sliding
the textbook under the glass partition of a prison visiting room
isn’t the ideal “learning environment.” But
for me the visit wasn’t about microeconomics. I thought
about Jesus’ parable of the last judgment in Matthew 25:
31-46. Jesus’ response to the question, “When was
it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” is
a powerful challenge for Christian witness: “Truly I tell
you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members
of my family, you did it to me.’”
R’s birthday is March 27—this year on Easter he pointed
out to me. The prison allows an extra visit during the Easter
season. R hopes that he will receive a visit then.
The new PC(USA) mission statement, “Gathering for God’s
Future,” says, “it is time to take stock.” As
the end of our first mission term approaches, Becky and I are
“taking stock.” We continue to learn how to serve
in ways that we hope are faithful to the triune God we worship.
Our witness at LCC is as teachers. “We are expected to be
witnesses everywhere and in every aspect of our lives,”
the new mission statement says. The Great Commission requires
us all to be disciples—and to be the kind of disciples required,
we ourselves have to be transformed. The visit with R reminds
us how far we have to go to be transformed as disciples.
The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you
this Easter season.
Eric and Becky Hinderliter
PC(USA) Mission Co-workers
The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
179 |
