2021
During my senior year at UF…
"Off the Chain" / 0 Comments /Dear Supporters, Brethren and Friends,
During my senior year at UF, Missy and I decided we would like to start our own dairy upon graduation. For those of you who may not know, I graduated with a degree in Dairy Science. USDA had an incentive program for young first-time farmers. They offered financing for new operations. I did all the financial projections, equipment purchase contracts, etc. and submitted my application for a new 100 cow dairy. Well, we were turned down. Looking back, it was the best thing that ever happened to us! I had no idea what I was about to get myself into. I ended up working in the dairy industry for 20 years and saw first-hand what it was really like to operate and own a dairy farm. I was very disappointed at the time. I had prayed for us to have a chance to own our own farm, but God didn’t allow that to happen.
Garth Brooks came out with a song in 1990 called Unanswered Prayers. The chorus in the song says that “some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” Of course, as children of the King we understand that all our prayers are answered by God just not always in the way we would like.
I often pray to God now that he would bring things to the light regarding the men in our transition program, men that we have invited but are waiting for release and for those we are considering. I ask Him to bring the men to our program that are ready to change. Every brother I invite is someone that in my judgement is that kind of man. However, I have vividly learned that it is impossible to see all the things in a man’s life that would influence my decision. It is especially true when, even under the best of circumstances, I only see men in prison a few times a week for only a few hours in a controlled environment. I have learned it is easy for me to be “convinced” that a man is right for the program and then ignore things that should make me question his intentions or his suitability. I need God to bring things to light that I cannot see or make obvious the things that maybe I am ignoring.
This happened recently with a man that I invited to the transition program. I have only known Randy for a few months. He had recently become a child of God, and other men who lived with him spoke well of his sincerity and change. He had a certain country boy realness and charm. Both of his parents died before he came to prison and he has a young son that is being raised by his brother that he recently began having contact with. It was easy to have compassion on him and to want a better life for him. I have made enough mistakes in the last 16 years to know that I am blinded by men like this. I asked all the brothers I knew at the prison about him. You need to understand that men are reluctant to share things they know about each other because they carry the prison mentality of that would be “snitching.”
One day about a month before his release, I received a letter from James, another brother in Christ that knew Randy. Here is a part of the letter…
I am very apprehensive about writing this letter, and I do so with a heavy heart…I have recently discovered that Randy has relapsed on drugs a couple of times over the past few months, and that he is involved in selling drugs at this very moment…I truly believe that I am protecting not only Randy, but you and the other men in your transitional house. I would not be able to live with myself if I did not tell you, and then Randy ends up getting a few other men at the transitional house to relapse with him resulting in an overdose or something (I have done that before).
This really hit home for me. The only man that ever died at the transition house was from a drug overdose. We later found out that one of the other men at the house had supplied him with the drugs. Here is what Randy wrote to me about what happened before I received the letter from James…
With that said a while back I did slip to my old habit and thinking and I did something that I regretted immediately and I prayed and prayed and repented and felt pure guilt and shame in myself for falling backwards so to say. But let me tell you how God works, I immediately felt a fear I have never had in my life to the point that I will never EVER do what I did again and I know that was the fear of God and I am so thankful to have went through that situation and it confirmed for me the life I’m going to live and my devotion to God, you and being the man I’m supposed to be. I confided in a couple brothers from the church about what I went through and they were there with me and for me as a brother should be.
Quite a contrast isn’t it. To be honest with you, without James’ letter I probably still would have let Randy come. However, here is what I received from Randy after he knew James had written to me…
Hello Daryl, I am emailing to let you know that my plans have changed and I won’t be coming to the transition house but I will be in contact with you when I get released and I will also be seeing you and visiting the church with you guys.
I saw Randy a few days ago at our monthly worship service. He was frantic because some men were looking for him to hurt him over money owed from a drug deal. He was taken into protective custody for the next eight days until he is released.
So many of you tell me you pray for my work. I ask you to pray that things will be brought from darkness to light and that I will have wisdom to know which men should come into the transition program. Thank you for those prayers, the encouraging words and all the generous financial support.
Daryl Townsend
