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Living in new ways implies change but change is seldom easy. It
means letting go of the old, the familiar, the path well trod. New
ways are not well travelled and it is often not clear which is the
way or what turn to make. It is good then to travel with someone
who is familiar with our new way and not to travel alone.
At Open Circle, volunteers walk a road not well travelled, visiting
men in prison who are themselves embarking on an unfamiliar journey
by asking for a visitor from an unfamiliar source. Often they wonder,
why would a stranger offer to visit me? When we explain that our
desire is to come as friends, many prisoners will acknowledge that
they may have never had a real friend and are perhaps unsure what
a true friend is like. From the moment a volunteer agrees to visit
a prisoner and a prisoner invites him into his “home”
both are beginning to live in new ways.
This initial step may be only a small step but if it is entered
into with sincerity and integrity, it may well develop into a meaningful
relationship, even a friendship. A friendship such as this may be
the key to the creation of a hope that is critical to sustain this
new journey.
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The journey usually begins when a volunteer is assigned to visit
a prisoner who has indicated a desire to host/receive a visitor
from outside. As always, the number of matches that we are able
to initiate is determined by the number of volunteers available.
We always have more requests than we can fill. Our wish would be
that all prisoners would be visited by an Open Circle volunteer.
For a prisoner to receive a visitor can be a life changing event
as we heard at a recent gathering, our volunteer appreciation barbecue,
when a prisoner noted that having his visitor come had lifted him
from his despair, renewed his spirits and even restored his faith
in God.
Relationships such as this often result in the creation of a hope
that walking in new ways is possible. Many prisoners are now requesting
our support to walk with them on their new journey when they are
released. We all have much to learn about this new path and more
and more we are beginning to understand the hardships of walking
in this new way. Having a friend, an Open Circle volunteer, walk
alongside during this time is very significant. It is during this
process that it is so important for us to follow Isaiah’s guideline,
to be present, to “make the rugged places a plain” so
that the glory of the Lord may be revealed as we all learn to walk
in new ways.
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