Preparing the Ground
Anyone who has ever planted at garden knows you don't just pick a spot and stick a plant into the ground first thing. Preparing the ground is a MUST. Picking out the weeds, removing rocks, stumps, and turning over the ground that is fallow, never been worked, is ALL required for success. That's is what Lifeway Haven has been doing. It seems SOOOOO long, but it is very necessary for success.
We have a table that many meetings have taken place around. The rules and regulations have been combed over time and time again. We have prayed, sought counsel, asked those closest to the ladies who will be doing reentry, their opinions. Our directors took many trips before we came on board to see other works and ministries of this type and learn from them.
At Lifeway, we want to do exactly as the Lord directs. We have made some shifts because we felt the Holy Spirit directing us to do so. The rooms will not be give Biblical names or named by the Fruit of the Spirit as so many do. The Lord showed us to put each lady's name and the meaning of her special name on the door. It's beautiful. We have begun to do those name signs and have put a few up. We realize the importance of organization in every area of the house....kitchen, laundry, work schedules, chores, etc. We have created boards with tags, names, dates, directions for each area. We have burned up a laminator and label gun for sure!!!!!!! They are a MUST in start up.
This is the master schedule board for chores, kitchen duty daily, devotions, and memos. We striped a white board and worked for a week on house cleaning M W F with detail cards to match each room of this BIG house to be cleaned. As the ladies enter, we will assign them to a chore, kitchen duty, and devotional day and rotate the board. This is only one of several ways we communicate with the ladies and help them all to know where to be, what to do, and when to do it.
This is preparing the ground for success and not failure. When a person has been incarcerated for years, the world did not stand still for them. It progressed, but many of these ladies were not able to in areas. They will have their first PILLOW in years, a window to look outside, a private bathroom with a door so no one can stare at them. They will experience cool air and ice which has NOT been a part of their living conditions. We will be putting a lot of OIL on their dryness of heart, soul, and even their skin! Lotions are set in the bathrooms, shampoos in the showers and laundry soaps for clothing to be washed in. Our ladies will experience a home.
When you open up to 12 ladies to begin with, you buy 12 of everything and stock the pods of 4 with all the necessities of life. It has taken time, but the facility is ready, inspected and approved from TDCJ, beds made, kitchen stocked with cookware, food bank on standby, volunteers waiting in line, and prayer partners lining up to accept a valuable role for each lady.
We are putting up a tall fence for our exotic animals that the ladies will bottle feed for a business and therapy. These animals are precious and raised by our director on his ranch. This is a quick shot of Nancy feeding the animals and Coach also had a wonderful time with "Roo" as he fed him by hand.
We have 3 ladies that are approved and we are waiting for the prison to let them out. They are completing some required classes dealing with their offenses and then we will get that awaited call.
It's almost time to start the garden it seems, and we feel we have tried to prepare the soil well for success. We have transitioned our belongings into our apartment and spent several weeks there working and praying. We are ready, the directors are ready, the house is ready....Let's plant the garden!!!!!!!!!
This is preparing the ground for success and not failure. When a person has been incarcerated for years, the world did not stand still for them. It progressed, but many of these ladies were not able to in areas. They will have their first PILLOW in years, a window to look outside, a private bathroom with a door so no one can stare at them. They will experience cool air and ice which has NOT been a part of their living conditions. We will be putting a lot of OIL on their dryness of heart, soul, and even their skin! Lotions are set in the bathrooms, shampoos in the showers and laundry soaps for clothing to be washed in. Our ladies will experience a home.
When you open up to 12 ladies to begin with, you buy 12 of everything and stock the pods of 4 with all the necessities of life. It has taken time, but the facility is ready, inspected and approved from TDCJ, beds made, kitchen stocked with cookware, food bank on standby, volunteers waiting in line, and prayer partners lining up to accept a valuable role for each lady.
We are putting up a tall fence for our exotic animals that the ladies will bottle feed for a business and therapy. These animals are precious and raised by our director on his ranch. This is a quick shot of Nancy feeding the animals and Coach also had a wonderful time with "Roo" as he fed him by hand.
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| Director Steve Griffith and Nancy |
We have 3 ladies that are approved and we are waiting for the prison to let them out. They are completing some required classes dealing with their offenses and then we will get that awaited call.
It's almost time to start the garden it seems, and we feel we have tried to prepare the soil well for success. We have transitioned our belongings into our apartment and spent several weeks there working and praying. We are ready, the directors are ready, the house is ready....Let's plant the garden!!!!!!!!!
