Edrena Smith coordinates our Murray Faith Based Dorm. She received a letter from one of the women who was eligible to graduate. She had been diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer and had been transferred to the Carole Young Medical facility in Texas City. They did surgery to remove her right breast, and she was facing radiation or chemo. Her letter was amazing, showing the kind of gratefulness that comes from a heart transformed by Jesus. Despite her loss, she was so thankful for being in a place that had no locked doors, feeling freedom. She had been reading her past journals written at Murray and realized God had been preparing her heart for what she was now facing.
She was also grateful for the family of God, and her letter moved me to tears when she wrote:
I’ve learned your family won’t always be there for you. It may seem funny but people you aren’t related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. All family isn’t biological.
She closed by asking if we would mail her graduation certificate and if I would commission her. So Edrena and I surprised her by driving to Texas City. It’s a four-hour drive but worth every minute of it. What a reunion we had!