Phillipians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again. Rejoice!"
Hello everyone!
Just a quick update from Indiana:
This past week I started my job which basically thus far has consisted of training and classes that I've already had in Missouri or know about with being in the field for the last 10 plus years. So, to sum it up, thus far it has been a LONG and BORING week! I also found it extremely difficult to sit in one room for 8hrs a day. Part of that was my need to keep busy and partly missing my 'outdoors' job. This next week will allow me to get into the home I will be supervising and meet my residents and staff. Starting Tuesday (Monday I have my last class of training) I will be working in the home along side my staff as I get to know the routines, patterns, etc... of the house. So I'll have a crazy schedule this week working one overnight shift, one morning shift, a weekend shift, and a couple evenings.
The home I'll be responsible for consists of 8 older male gentleman who are fairly low key and mellow. I have learned this week that my 'partner' - the Residential Manager - is also new to her position and just started two weeks ago. She is fresh out of college and has little to no experience, but together we will be a 'married' team, essentially knowing one anothers jobs and being each others counterpart. The girl who is my partner is actually a girl I went and toured the agency with during my interview, so I have met her before. I think we should be able to connect and work well together, and I look forward to building up a good team and system in the home we are responsible for.
I've been really excited about the professionals and peers that I have met within the company thus far, I think I am going to connect really well with my coworkers and supervisor. I'm already worried that I'm gonna like it too much that I won't want to leave it. You see.... all along the move to Indiana has been planned to be a short term experience - 1 year.. maybe two, but we'll see what God has in store with that.
Greg is doing great, we've had some ups and downs these past few weeks. One of the biggest battles for us is communication, not because we want it to be but because of the circumstances we are in. Those circumstances being limited time windows for him to call, loudness on the cell block, and static on the phones as at this time Greg remains in jail. Despite the circumstances, we believe God's in control of the situation, Greg continues to see God use him with men he encounters within his cell block. We are specifically praying for a guy named John and his wife Amanda and their kids Zach and Obadiah as this man wants to see restoration of his marriage and his family.
I get to visit Greg every other Tuesday evening, so this week I will get to go see him for the second time since moving here. It's like you would imagine, straight out of a movie scene talking to him through a plate glass window and a telephone receiver. Definiately not one of those life experiences I ever that I would be having, but I'm confident that this is a temporary challenge for us that we will be able to look back on and see God's mighty hand at work.
You may be wondering why Greg is in jail ~ to make a long story short he was put back in jail over a comment he made to a peer at the Kelley House. The comment was about a security guy that he feels has had beef with him ever since he first escaped out of the house last spring. When Greg returned to the house in August with a heart change and a desire to be in the program for the right reasons he sat this guy down and apologized for his actions. That being said, things continued to happen and Greg still has felt that this guy has wanted him to fail within the program and twisted his reports around to make Greg look worse off than what actually has occurred. The weekend I moved to Fort Wayne he said something in venting to his peer that 'kharma is a bitch' about this paticualr guy and that was reported to the staff. The staff then took Greg and discussed situation, and they talked about how he should have handled his feelings towards this gentleman. Greg knew right away he messed up, he shared how he should have handled his frustrations more appropriately by approaching this guy personally and discussed his feelings, however they still saw Greg's comment as a personal threat to this staff. So when this staff came in on Monday morning he said he felt uncomfortable and to send him to jail. Greg did not directly threaten the guy or have any intentions of this nature, however because of the stingent rules in the jail operated rehab program he went back into jail, so has been sitting in jail for the past 3 plus weeks. In court Greg chose NOT to return to the Kelley because he feels that no matter what that this paticular staff member will continue to do what it takes to keep trying to see Greg fail and the bottom line is Greg just wants to move forward and move on with his life. As everytime Greg returns to the program their is the possiblity they can restart him back to the beginning, and they continue restarting him in the program for the next three years. Greg is very fond of his therapists, doctors, and staff within the program and will tell you that the program has changed his life for the positive. Despite that fact, he and I both agree that we don't want to live in constant limbo for the next 3 years and allow them to dictate his future. We confidently believe God's in control and he's got a better plan.
So NOW we wait until Greg returns to court on the 19th, we ask for your prayers for God's hand in the courtroom and working through the attorney - Adam. Our desire is for Greg to be able to go into a house arrest program through the Veterans Affairs Administration. A year ago when Greg was originally sentenced for his DUI he was sentenced to 3 months house arrest, at the time he was homeless and because he didn't have a place to go they assigned him to 3yrs with the Kelley House. We are praying that he will be able to finish out his remaining sentence via house arrest or work release or be cleared of everything completely! Worse case scenario he will have to finish out his time in a jail cell.
I know this sounds like a complicated mess, but I want you all to know that I'm so proud of the man Gregory has become as by the grace of God he has become a spiritual leader, an excellent communicator, and has developed a heart for people. His broken road / or rather our broken road has been such a blessing! We are both confident that no matter what God has got this in His faithful and caring hands and all we can do is walk forward in faith and confidence.
So - I say it again - REJOICE! God's got everything under control. I'm so blessed here in Fort Wayne as I've got Greg's loving and busy family to keep me fulfilled and needed. I am loving my living situation with Terri and Marty - it's nice and peaceful. I guess as my friend Courtney said in my response to how much I was loving living within a retirement community 'you always were an old soul' .... yes.... I am an old soul and like my time to read and reflect. I have been missing Missouri, but have also been enjoying to exciting new experiences and life here in Fort Wayne. Exciting to walk in faith and see where he is taking me in 2012!
Have a blessed week!
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