Eighteen Months... A Month Early :) --- And A Glorious Unfolding - PART 2

And Father's Day ♥

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In May we were off Facebook and I completely forgot about
posting about 15 months. So I will do it here! :) (This is an older pic
from a previous visit, but it's one of my favorites).

May 2015 - 15 Months Down. 105 to go. God is good. #feb17th

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Here's some recent letters from Tay. (He gets out in August)! Tay will be living
with his mom in Milwaukee. Please pray for him, as he will be confronted
with some of his old "friends" and some of the old temptations.
We are still planning on trying to help them move down here. 

We have really grown to love him. ♥

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I LOVE the Magic of Ordinary Days... ♥

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Dear Family,                                       June, 2015

This week was one of the better weeks I've had. I was able to share the gospel with a guy on my quad and he seemed really open. We have continued to talk. I think he may be getting close to receiving Christ.

Another thing that happened was I was asked to preach a message that I was not prepared to give...but I had just finished reading Psalms 43. So God just really started a fire and I preached the Words of God. It's like I wasn't even talking...God just took control!! It was the BEST feeling that I've ever had! – Just letting the Holy Spirit take control.

In other news from prison... :) – my job is going well. I had a really good week at work. Last night I was finishing eating and where we put the trays was all cluttered from other inmates not putting their trays away right. So I asked one of the COs if I could go get some gloves and fix the mess. She said yes, so I did...and later she came and found me and thanked me for being a help. Just another way to let the Lord shine through me.

Also, this was the first week that Pastor Yowell came on Wednesday for Bible Study. It was good to see him and hear what he had to preach. He started with the Book of Genesis. It was a really good study for us three guys who were there.

As I'm writing this letter, I am listening to Christian Radio. It really has been a life-line during my time. The song I am listening to right now says to live life like I'm not scared...and give (to others) when it's not fair. Good reminder.

Well, I need to go for now. Hope you guys are doing well.

                                     Love Your Son,

                                      Samuel Shelton

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I wanted to post these pics above (they are from a post I made on Wednesday night, July 15th) in reference to a somewhat dangerous situation Samuel is in at the prison. I was so touched and humbled by the amount of people that acknowledge that they are praying for us...I wanted to post it here as a public THANK YOU. There is absolutely NO WAY we could do this thing without YOU.

Here is the backstory: Samuel has been working in Laundry for several months, and for the most part has loved it. At least the work part. And he gets along very well with the CO in charge, "G" referenced in his letter in part one of this post. Samuel is the only white guy down there. Usually that doesn't matter a whit to him -- or us...but if the situation was reversed...I am certain somebody would be crying "RACE!!!" and be suing the prison, the guards, the inmates, the bugs, and the shrubs.
OK.
Slight exaggeration. Slight. But they have taunted him, yelled at him, pushed him around, and now for the past month or so...they collectively...don't speak to him. Not a word. Neither do they speak to him on the quad, in the dayroom, or in Rec. That doesn't matter too much to him...but it is rather annoying.
He does most of the work....and they are content to let him do so. G is content too...because he knows Samuel will do anything he tells him to do, and do it well, and that he can trust him. Therefore he gives him all sorts of special projects and tasks to do. Of course that inflames the guys too. They even tell him to stop working so hard - because he makes them look bad. 

ON A SIDE NOTE: In May, on the Tuesday before Mother's Day (I remember, because it was my Mother's Day present :) )...I was sitting in the car outside the prison getting ready to go in....and out walks a white haired gentleman who I am almost SURE is G. So I call out my window and asked him if he was "G". Sure enough he was...and when I told him who I was...he went on and on about Samuel. He told me what a hard worker he is and that he knew he could give him any job in the prison and knows that it would be done well. He said the other guys pick on him, but he has a good sense of humor and takes it well. He said he is well-groomed and has good hygiene and is a good example to the other guys. He told me he is doing good and is going to make it...that he is going to do good when he gets out - of that he was confident. You don't know what those few kind words did for my heart. It was a gift from the Lord.

Well things have taken a very serious turn...and much of it has to do with all the underhanded stuff that goes on behind the scenes...black market stuff, trading, favors...Samuel stays COMPLETELY away from that stuff too...and they hate him. And they are sure he is snitching on them.

Of course if he was...they would all be in trouble, possibly put in the hole, and probably fired. Well it has all come to a head, as we have learned that the guys in the laundry have paid someone to put a hit on Samuel. As far as we understand, that hit is just beating him up or hurting him. Samuel did go to G and tell him finally, and G said "Sounds like a Unit problem." Samuel was disappointed in his response, but he says that is pretty normal...they don't like to get involved in anything. His friends talked him into going to Captain Goodall and tell him everything, so Samuel did. But it's one of those situations where you are "cursed if you do...and cursed if you don't"...Now that will even make him more of a marked man, but hopefully some of the COs will kinda watch out for him too. Captain Goodall was going to be "speaking" to the guy involved, and told Samuel if something does happen, the guy will be in extra trouble, since he would have been warned ahead of time.
[I am not going to tell you the sarcastic response that leapt to my mind]. 

I am also not going to tell you what that does to my mother's heart...but you can imagine...and there is not much we can do but pray and advise him. The first guy they tried to pay to do it - Samuel had actually befriended some time before and he refused and he is the one that told Tay to tell Samuel about the hit. The problem is he didn't tell him that they did find another guy to do the hit. The guy is on Samuel's quad...and Samuel knows what he looks like, so that is good.

Samuel has been trying to avoid fights of course, at all costs, but if something happens and he goes to the hole (all guys involved in a fight go to the hole until they figure who did what)...he told us he is just going to tell them everything. If he is in the hole anyway, and they are already trying to beat him up when he HASN'T snitched on them...he said he is holding nothing back.

His father is going to give him a little instruction about what to do in the 'event of an actual emergency' tomorrow during our visit. :)

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR HIM!!!

UPDATE: Today's visit went very well, and Samuel was very cheerful. He amazes me. So the Captain had a talk with the guy who was paid to be beat Samuel up. Hopefully it will end there. He really really doesn't want to quit his job. He is not a quitter and that is hard for him. He will be working one more week in Laundry. We are praying that God works out the situation that he doesn't HAVE to quit. G is really pleading with him not to...that if he does the other guys win. Samuel is seeking God's wisdom. If he quits his job he loses all pay for 90 days even if he gets another job. If he can get into one of the Tech courses he would like to do that to add to his education, and he wouldn't lose his income. One of the guys from Laundry went to the "hole" last night for fighting...so maybe God will remove them one by one ;). Thank you for continuing to pray for him.

Samuel continues to trust the Lord. He keeps reminding us that God is in control. He keeps quoting his life verse with us:

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Before I close...many people have been talking about the Duggars. I am not going to get into all of that....I do feel sorry for how they are being treated by Christians.  But that isn't why I am bringing this up. I am bringing it up because of a couple of quotes I want to share from a blogpost I read by Trudy Metzger on the subject of of being a victim, and being the perpetrator. You can read the complete blogpost below if you wish. She wrote 3 pertaining to the Duggar situation. She wrote the second one after going from a couple hundred folks who leave comments ...to over FORTY THOUSAND that night. Obviously this is a subject people are very passionate about. She makes a couple of corrections as well about erroneous information she put about the legal aspect in her first blog. Here is the blogpost:
http://splash4ripples.com/2015/05/23/josh-duggar-who-will-join-the-crucifixion-march/

Here is the quote:

"What Josh did was very wrong. He ‘owned’ that. He has made no excuses, that I’ve seen or heard. He has not blamed his victims. And he was a minor. Fourteen, my friends. Fourteen… That is incredibly young! In my home right now I have a thirteen year old, and he is very young. He has the advantage of talking openly with me and daddy about sex, but even so, he is very young.

Even where I was victimized, there is no way anyone will convince me that the fifteen year old who violated me fully understood, or understood at all, the consequences of his actions. I’m sure he knew what he did was wrong, but understanding what it was he did to me… not possible. So I forgive him, with boundaries.

When I see Christians throwing their rocks at Josh, it troubles me. I am a believer in Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus died for all my sins. I believe that He transforms lives, and that people change. Even those who molested. If Jesus cannot do that, then He is neither God, nor the Messiah. Then Christianity is a farce. Either He can save and restore all, or He can save and restore none. There is no middle ground.

The popular belief of ‘once a molester, always molester’ is a tragic life sentence to put on anyone, and a slap in the face of God/Jesus. And I do not support it. I never have, and I never will. Admittedly I feel most hope for those who come forward on their own with their sins, repent, and ask for help. I also feel hope for those who are caught at a young age and are forced to get help. They have the advantage of not establishing life patterns. And the manipulative, lying ones… they’re not repentant or looking for change; I am not speaking of them.

But the notion that they are all molesters for life is not truth. I doubt we can begin to grasp the impact that kind of teaching has on people. So I will look every young offender in the eye, if they are repentant, and tell them I believe in them. I want them to believe in themselves. I want them to believe they can overcome and are not sentenced to a life of crime. I want them to set a higher standard for themselves. And I want them to look to God, through Jesus, for that strength. I want them to understand consequences and comply with the laws of the land, because it is scriptural, but I want them to know they can be free, that they never have to do it again. So, yes, I am willing to swim upstream and speak against the tide of judgement, condemnation and hopelessness. Because I believe in God, and what He can do."

Trudy is a "victim." So aren't Lee and I both. But she, nor we like being called a victim. 

We've been victimized, but we are NOT victims. Nor do we like others being our "voice" as she mentions in her post. People like to speak up and speak out on the behalf of others. 

Do you know how many of my black friends do NOT appreciate Jesse Jackson, or 

Al Sharpton speaking out and speaking up on their behalf? 

I said it once in a previous blogpost, but it bears repeating here... You are either a Victim or Victor -- but it all depends upon YOU and your attitude about your circumstances. Victims allow themselves to be victimized over and over again by their lack of forgiveness and self-pity. I ain't just throwing that out there...I'm speaking from EXPERIENCE. VICTORS, on the other hand, forgive those who have sinned against them (it doesn't have to be this type of situation). Victors know their value and worth are in Jesus Christ and His love for them and the payment He paid for THEIR sins -- and NOT in the actions that others have taken against them in hurting them. Victors know that God WILL work all these things out together for their good. And Victors are happy. I mean really happy - the deep-down joy type...because they KNOW there is a God in control who doesn't miss one single teardrop. And He's not done with you, with your situation, and with this world. 

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So....now is time to take my own advice and remember Who's in control. :)
 This is my view every Saturday Morning:

Yep. That's it. My son's home. Racine Youthful Correctional Facility...or, more 

affectionately known to the guys as: Camp Racine. :)

But we still can't WAIT to get there. 

I want to finish by placing the words to the song, Glorious Unfolding, by Steven Curtis Chapman:

"The Glorious Unfolding"

Lay your head down tonight
Take a rest from the fight
Don’t try to figure it out
Just listen to what I’m whispering to your heart
‘Cause I know this is not
Anything like you thought
The story of your life was gonna be
And it feels like the end has started closing in on you
But it’s just not true
There’s so much of the story that’s still yet to unfold

And this is going to be a glorious unfolding
Just you wait and see and you will be amazed
You’ve just got to believe the story is so far from over
So hold on to every promise God has made to us
And watch this glorious unfolding

God’s plan from the start
For this world and your heart
Has been to show His glory and His grace
Forever revealing the depth and the beauty of
His unfailing Love
And the story has only begun

And this is going to be a glorious unfolding
Just you wait and see and you will be amazed
We’ve just got to believe the story is so far from over
So hold on to every promise God has made to us
And watch this glorious unfolding

We were made to run through fields of forever
Singing songs to our Savior and King
So let us remember this life we’re living
Is just the beginning of the beginning

Of this glorious unfolding
We will watch and see and we will be amazed
If we just keep on believing the story is so far from over
And hold on to every promise God has made to us
We’ll see the glorious unfolding

Just watch and see (unfolding)
This is just the beginning of the beginning (unfolding)

Yes, most assuredly...this IS a GLORIOUS UNFOLDING.

We claim that promise of "Just wait and see, and you will be amazed."

We DO believe the story is SO FAR from OVER.

So, we are holding on to EVERY PROMISE God has made to us....because

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE BEGINNING...

Click on Older Posts below: It is a brief letter in Addendum

Eighteen Months....Addendum

I meant to post this letter in the blog. This is a letter Samuel wrote to someone else, but he called and read it to us to make sure it was 'appropriate' to send to the person he had in mind. I will share part of it here because we were SO blessed!

Dear_____________


.........I really wish things were different, the way my family had to leave camp. But God is in control and He knows best. One thing God has shown me is there are so many mission fields that we don't ever think of like...prisons, college campuses...and so on.

I heard people say my whole life, "How can you be a missionary in another country if you are not one in your own back yard?" This last week has really opened my eyes to the needs of people around me. I have so many chances to share Christ with people in the prison system. It is really exciting to see people hang on EVERY WORD that I say when I talk about Christ's saving grace.

I know the Lord has put me here just for that specific reason...to share the Good News of salvation. It is hard for people to understand why God lets things happen...like why I'm in here...but, part of it is my free will and my choices, and the other part is...God uses sin sinlessly. I'm not saying what I did was God's will...but that I CHOSE what I did and it was wrong. but now that I have gotten that right, the Lord has given me a BIG Mission Field I never would have thought of going to.

I kind of felt like Jonah in the way that he rebelled against God and God sent the fish (or prison in my case :) ) to show me the right way I need to go. The Lord has really changed my outlook on life and what He has in store for me. I had always wanted to be a missionary ever since I was really little. But as I got older I lost that vision and fell into sin. This sin has limited my ability to serve God in some ways.

My family and I talk about starting a farm and using to help people with addictions (kind of like RU in the Country :) ). I really think this is really the way the Lord wants me to serve Him. I'm still praying about it, will you pray for God to show me wht His will is for me to do?

(And then he writes a couple more paragraphs and signs off).

GOD IS GOOD!

One Year Down ~ That Went Fast! ....annnndddd....Dragged Along At The Same Time...

As I am sitting here tonight - February 17th - ready to put the finishing touches on this Blog...I can picture EXACTLY what I was doing one year ago on this date. I was sitting directly behind Samuel as we were listening to the judge's remarks after a short recess. By the way he started out, it didn't sound good, but when the bailiffs each got up and blocked the door to our left, and the door behind us....I knew. I thank God for the gift of numbness.

I will never forget that scene - it plays in horrific slow-motion in my mind....when I let my mind go there. I can't quite help it today. As they handcuffed my son, and walked him the few steps to the door on our left - it seemed to take them forever to take those few steps - and yet it seemed like it happened in a blink of an eye at the same time.

Samuel turned and looked directly into my eyes as the bailiff opened the door and mouthed the words, "I love you." My last words to my son that day as they took him away were, "Be a Joseph, son." And then blessed numbness set in and stayed long enough to let me breathe on my own again.

It wouldn't be until months later, that Samuel would relay to us that, during that long walk with the bailiff down the underground hallway to the jail, the bailiff asked Samuel what his mother meant by those words. All I can do is smile...even then God would give Samuel an opportunity to share about God's goodness and mercy. He told him something like, "Sir I am a Christian, and I messed up and I deserve to be here, but Joseph is a man in the Bible that was imprisoned for something he was completely innocent of..." and he got to share that story on the way to prison! :) Meanwhile, we were closeted with our attorney and got to share the same story - and that we believe that God has a purpose in this that goes far beyond our understanding...He seriously believed that Samuel was going to get probation, or at least a shorter term than he did...and I believe that he was almost as shocked as we were. He was a great attorney and a good friend to us. God is so good.

So, on to the Blog....

Okay~ I will admit it, I have been sorta dragging my feet about getting this post out....I was going to post at Christmas - and well we really were kinda busy...So I decided to do it in January.

Well, then January started getting away from me and I decided since February is Samuel's birthday month, AND the first year anniversary of his being incarcerated...it just made more sense to post then....and kinda get it all done at once!

But, I guess, if I am going to be completely honest here....I LOVE posting on this blog....annnddd dread it at the same time. It's such an emotional experience for me....sorta like tearing the scab off....over and over again. I really didn't realize how much that was true until Samuel's boss, Missy, was visiting him during his birthday week, and  was teasing him about getting busy and writing letters so his Mom could do an update for the blog. :) That's when it hit me that I was just making excuses....avoiding the scab-ripping process...

I know, that sounds rather dramatic.... :-) but, those of you that know me, know this is not just pure drama...but that this has certainly been an emotionally-charged, up-and-down journey ~ with equal amounts of weeping and rejoicing.... [sigh]

Samuel has been saying lately, "Life is like a rollercoaster. We're to PRAY in the dips and PRAISE at the high points!" :)


So, let's start in December. Many of you know we started "Operation Christmas Cards for Prisoners." That was SO exciting!!

All-in-all, 33 prisoners received Christmas Cards, and many of them as much as 6 or 8 cards each! It was quite an undertaking, because we didn't have full names, and you must have the full name + DOC number in order to send mail. I spent literally hours tracking down as many young men as I could by the "clues" Samuel gave me. He either knew their first name, last name, nickname, and what color....That's what I had to go on...but God helped me find 33 prisoners' information! Praise the Lord!

~AWESOME!! ~

Here's a couple of posts about that opportunity in the Facebook Group:

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December 17th ~10 Months Down...110 To Go...

We could certainly tell people were praying for us during the Holidays. We got to see Samuel and Devonte on Christmas day and had a wonderful time... God is good! :)

"Something I am learning as I grow older...God made the human heart to be very adaptable. It's not easy ~ and in many cases not very pleasurable...but with time and by God's grace ~ we CAN do ALL things through Jesus Christ Who strengthens us."

Dear Mom & Dad,                              12-9-14

This weekend was kind of hard not seeing you guys. It really made me think of how privileged I am to have you guys come and visit me every week. The Lord really blessed me 19 years ago when He gave me to you guys. You have really raised me in the upright way. Even if I am in prison, you guys did what you were put on this earth for ~ to be my Mom and Dad. I pray that through this time you guys will never change. I LOVE you guys just the way you are. :)

Things are going really good here. My classes should end next week sometime I hope. Then in January I should start my last few computer classes so I can graduate and have one of the vocational classes done. After I finish these classes I will be trying to get into the custodial classes. I'm saving the masonry classes for closer to when I get out. That way things will be fresh in my mind when I get out!

WOW!! Only two more months and it will be a year. The Lord has really been good to our family over the past year! God has given us grace to get through this trial.

I need to get going for now. Love you guys.

Love,

Samuel

Shelton   Joshua 1:9

For New Years, our Pastor asked for testimonies of something we were thankful for from this past year... here are all of our testimonies:

From Lee:

"It's hard to list all I'm thankful for ~ God is so good. I want to say how thankful I am for everyone who is a part of this Church. Each one of you I am thankful for ~ from the children to the aged. (You know which category you fall in :) ). I thank God for the many ways each one has encouraged us in this past 2 years. Thanks for the support and love you have shown us and Samuel. I thank God for my wife of 25 years. We have had to encourage and lift each other many times. I thank God for our son, Samuel, who is walking with his God and being a witness and a testimony to many ~ including me. God is good ALL the time, ALL the time God is good. Thank you for your prayers and support ~ they are deeply, deeply, deeply appreciated."

From Cyndie:

"I've learned a lot about grace this year ~ that....Grace is very free-ing....freeing because Jesus REALLY paid it all and said, "It is finished!" But I have lived a lifetime trying to follow a set of rules and trying to be a good Christian, a good wife, a good mother.....and came up wanting ~ lacking....and very worn out...

I suddenly found out that the Gospel ~ the Good News ~ is not just for the lost outside the church ~ but it is for ME ~ for Christians ~ to live out the Good News every day of our lives inside the church...and that good news is THERE IS THEREFORE NOW NO CONDEMNATION to them who are in Christ Jesus!! (Romans 8:1). I am learning that because It Is Finished ~ I cannot win any MORE favor by what I do ~ all the good deeds in the world ~ in the church....are not going to win me more favor with God.  But, HALLELUJAH ~ there is NOTHING I can do to LOSE any favor with God either! Jesus already paid it ALL!! Jesus already bore ALL of the burden I have been so heavy laden with ~ trying to be the best Christian I can be ~ and had forgotten to....rest and abide in Him. As I am growing closer to the Lord and getting "stronger" in my faith, I am finding that it's because I am more aware of how utterly weak I am...and can do absolutely NOTHING without Him."

From Samuel

"I really want to thank the Lord for the past year. Even though I have been in prison I have grown a lot and learned a lot. There is a purpose for me being locked up and I can see that. I thank the church for your prayers and I am thankful that God blessed me with a good church family. God's shown me some areas I struggle in and I am thankful for that too. I once took for granted that I always would have a Bible and not having one and then getting one again and rereading it made me so grateful for it now and I think I have enjoyed reading it more than if I were on the outside. I am thankful for my mom and dad coming to see me all the time and for sticking with me....I love them a lot and thank God for them. One thing I am learning is that God is never early and never late ~ He's always right on time....HE is in control ALL the time. I'm in here because I messed up ~ but God is helping me make the best of it....I am excited for what the Lord is going to do....really, I am! Thank you again for praying

 for me. God bless you all."

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From a call from Devonte:

We got some really nice letters in return...All letters below are shared with permission....

From Codie

From George

From Mac

From Vince

From Lonnie (Fetti)

We love the story of Joseph ~ Shared with permission :)

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Dear Family,                                      1-5-15

Things are going well here. Yesterday was really good. Work was a lot of fun. The extra food really helped the weekend go by faster. (He works in the kitchen and gets extra food!) It was really good to see you and Dad last week. I hope everything is going well for y'all.

One thing is for sure....there WILL be an afterwords. It may take a long time, but if we keep trusting God, He will help the time go by faster. Just yesterday a friend and I were talking of what we want to do when we get out. The coolest thing I heard him say was that he wanted t be a godly father and husband. I said to him that it starts in the Word of God. That was a big encouragement for me to hear that.

Today we were under a Level 2 wind chill advisory. We were not allowed to go outside. Also, I got my gloves today. Thank you guys so much.

Today I have one class at 2:30. It's one of the better classes I've had here. Well, it's lunch time, so I need to go. Love y'all.

Love,

Samuel

Shelton

Joshua 1:9

Other Happenings:

After a conversation with Samuel one morning...we had spent a good portion of it teasing and laughing....we hung up the phone and Lee and I marveled in wonder at how can our hearts be so broken with pain .... and so filled with joy at the same time? It is ALL God.

We had such a sweet and fun time seeing Samuel on his birthday! We got him a cheeseburger out of the vending machines and put a crunchy cheeto in it for a candle and sang Happy Birthday as loud as we could...His face was such a LOVELY shade of red....hehe

Samuel was born on February 5th and we picked him up at the hospital February 6th

We also enjoyed Valentine's Day with our "boys". They were both very cheerful, and it was a wonderful time!

Been enjoying this new song by JJ Heller and her husband Dave:

Meant To Be

Samuel has also been working in the laundry, and as of last week they "hired" him full time in the laundry so he had to quit his kitchen job. He will miss the extra food, but he really likes his laundry job. He does get to volunteer in the kitchen at times.

 He also volunteers to shovel snow (of course) and to clean bathrooms. He has three computer classes he is taking as well, 

and is pretty busy. 

Please pray with us as we are trying to get an R.U. (Reformer's Unanimous) started in the prison. It is a drawn out process to get it approved, and will also take a small financial investment. Please pray for God to provide for this incredible ministry! 

You can check it out here:

http://reformersministry.org/rip/

As we reflect back on this past year - all we can do is say, God is faithful... His grace truly IS sufficient. But we MUST avail ourselves of his grace: 

"Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of 

God; lest any root of bitterness springing 

up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." 

~ Hebrews 12:15

Scars and struggles on the way

But with joy our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone

Never once did You leave us on our own

You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Every step we are breathing in Your grace

Evermore we'll be breathing out Your praise

You are faithful, God, You are faithful

12 Months Down ~ 108 To Go...

Please Keep Praying for Us!

Final Thoughts....

I like to send Samuel some fun & encouraging things in with the letters we send him.... :)

I just have one question before you leave our blog:

For you see, whether you have multiple trials in life, or have a pretty easy time of it; whether you have money or are broke; whether you have a dream job, dream home, dream life ~ or are hurting beyond words...when you come to the end of your life as we all will, my friend...How will you answer that question above?

If you are unsure, go here and take this quiz to see where you are in your standing before a Loving and Holy God.

http://www.needgod.com

Scroll down and click on "older posts" to read other posts on this blog (they go backwards in time sequence...)