Preface: A few weeks ago, I asked Randi to evaluate her life right now. Examine some of the “apparent” bad stuff – and dive in a little deeper to see what “good” is associated with those “bad” things. Here is what she had to say:

1. I am in jail, at the age of 26.

GOOD: If I weren’t in jail, I would still be out on the streets doing and selling drugs. I would be lonely and depressed because of the drugs. That is way worse than how I feel now. I would not have God back in my life. I would still be running around with no purpose. No direction. No hope. No future.

2. I am facing anywhere from 5 to 20 years in prison.

GOOD: No matter how much time that I get – I know that is how long God has put aside for me to get my mind right. To prepare me. To teach me and to grow me. I can serve God just as well in prison as I can in the real world.

3. I am lonely, scared, bored and claustrophobic.

GOOD: Although I am lonely – I can open my Bible anytime and listen to God talk to me. I can pray anytime and talk to Him. Although I am scared, God has told me “Do not worry about tomorrow. For tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt 6:34) He also says, “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you the devil will put some of you in prison to test you…be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev 2:10) So -really, I am not that scared. he usually talks me out of that one. Although I am bored – there is stuff to do. I am reading a lot. I am catching up on my sleep. I can write * arts and crafts * and play cards. **I can’t find any good out of being claustrophobic. This room is so small and the air circulation is … well….there is none… umm…but on Tuesday’s and Saturdays, we get to go outside. So Tuesdays and Saturdays are better!

4. I have no “Alone-Time.”

GOOD: Although I am not ever physically alone – EVER – I an put my headphones on and block out most of the noise. And K-LOVE usually puts me in my own little world.

5. The food sucks!

GOOD: But – on Wednesdays, we get hot dogs for lunch! And honey buns on commissary…and I have gained 20 POUNDS! Which was much needed considering, I came in here at 105lbs.

6. All I can do is wait.

GOOD: God has given me the gift of patience. Which is something that I NEVER had before. So – while I am waiting , I keep in mind that I am waiting on God. And that makes it easy to do.

“The Lord is slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you – not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

7. I have lost a lot of my best friends.

GOOD: The friends that I lost were not the ones that were good influences on my spiritual walk. The new friends I have made here ONLY want to help me grow spiritually.

8. I am away from my family.

GOOD: I was away from my family before. But now I talk to them every day! And I know now how much I miss them in my life before! And I can’t wait to get out and be with ya’ll!

9. I have lost a lot of my stuff.

GOOD: I wont be needing any of my stuff in here anyway! Shauna got a lot of new things and I know I will have better “stuff” in Heaven.

Wow – there are a lot of positive things to go along with my tough life! And there are probably a lot more. It feels really good to do this. I mean it really just made my day so much better. I wish I would have done this this morning.

Love,

Randi
10/15/2008

I encourage you all to do this today! It is so easy for us to get wrapped up in how life could be so much better and easier. I challenge you to find joy in today! Find joy in right now! Right where God has put you.

I have finally decided to get comfortable with jail – because I feel like that is what I am supposed to do right now. I am getting used to the routine and I am realizing that this is it. Same thing every single day.

I could be bitter about jail – or I can use this time to better myself and prepare for what is to come.

I could worry about how much time I am looking at or about why my court date got pushed back 2 months – but I choose to worship instead because after all -
“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.” Psalm 18:16

So praise God for saving me & bringing me here – and for giving me this time to rest and focus and grow and learn.

I also try to enjoy my time instead of just enduring it. I most definitely choose to be joyful. I try to make people laugh – but most of the time, I am just laughing at myself (which usually gets at least a smile out of most.)

I sometimes break into a spontaneous cheer and dance around the dorm. And I even wake up singing songs of praise whenever I can. (Sometimes, some of the guards try to steal my joy by making us sit quietly at the tables for roll call.)

But the joy of the Lord is still my strength.

So, I just say a little prayer for them. And I hope that one day they can find this joy in their lives that I have in mine.

I found a verse yesterday that I absolutely love! “In all our troubles, my joy knows no bounds.” 2 Corinthians 7:4

This is so true for me! In all honesty – because I have joy – and it just keeps coming and coming – sometimes I forget that I am even in trouble. And I know it would do me no good to be angry or negative about my circumstances because it is necessary to go through these hardships in order to grow and mature and learn from my mistakes. I cannot correct the past or change the choices that I made.

But I can plan on taking a different course from here on out! And I don’t even have to choose which course it is. I just need to be still. Listen. And go – wherever the Lord tells me to go.

Isn’t that great that I don’t even have to figure out what my next step in life is going to be. I think it is so great! I am too excited about putting my complete faith and my whole life in the hands of God and letting Him do whatever He wants with me!

Wow! Oh, the places we will go! And until then – I am praying up and pressing in. And practicing a better way of living and thinking. Because – after all – they cant keep in me in jail forever!

Randi
10/15/2008

Randi had a Hearing scheduled for this week – but the date has been changed to December 10th.

We believe that God has many more women headed in Randi’s direction at WBRCC – and He needs her there right now. This also allows her new lawyer to be fully prepared for her hearing.

That being said, it is still disheartening at times to realize again and again that we have no control over any of this.

Randi is in good spirits though! I talked with her last night and she was doing well. She fell off of her bunkbed {again} 2 days ago…they really need to put her on the bottom bunk – this is just out of control.

We also talked on Sunday night and laughed a lot. If you know me or know Randi – you probably realize that we laugh A LOT…especially when we are together…and even if no one else is laughing….

Please keep Randi in your prayers this week & I hope to have a letter from her this afternoon or later this week!

Letter from Randi:

So here’s the deal – Every day we have a head count at 4:45am and 4:45pm. We have to sit at the tables until 5:00 when the shift changes. For the past week I have been praying the entire time I sit there. And I thought it would be cool and powerful if more prayers were beings said at the same time.

So, if anyone wants to pray with me – know that I am praying every day at 4:45 in the morning and the afternoon.

• I pray for all of the ladies in here. That God gives us peace and patience while we are here so that we can get along and be less stressed.
• I pray for all of our families – that He protects them and keeps them in good health while we are away.
• I thank God for this jail…for bringing me to this jail…and for saving my life by removing me from my old ways of living.
• I thank Him for being here with me and for living in and through me.
• I thank Him for His Word so that we have something great to live by and look forward to.
• I lift up all of our addictions to Him so that He might remove our desires for them – and instead turn our desires toward Him.
• I also lift up my case, my lawyer, my judge and my prosecutor. I ask Him to give them compassion towards me and to touch their hearts so that they might see me the way God sees me – not the way man sees me.
• I ask that He lets me go home for a short time to be with my family and I also ask that they do not add any additional charges to what I am already facing.

So, please lift up this special prayer with me whenever you can!

“Yes, and I will continue to rejoice for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I will eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether it by life or by death.”
Philippians 1:20

Love,
Randi

I think that the worst part of being locked up is the fact that I was so ready to get right with my life – but I kept making excuses and putting it off for just a little while longer.

At the time I got arrested – I already had plans to leave that lifestyle and get out of Phoenix. I missed my family and I knew I didn’t have any kind of future where I was at. So I made the decision to move back to Dallas. I had not officially told Shauna yet – but I packed my whole house up – and even got a storage unit to start moving boxes into so they were out of my way! I had been taking trips to New Orleans every weekend.

The week before I got arrested, I got to join my family in Destin, FL for a week. I hadn’t been with my WHOLE family in years. When I left them in Destin – I knew I had to move back to Dallas ASAP. I had already given my 2 weeks notice at work. I planned on working the week after vacation – then leaving for Dallas the following weekend.

Oh, but the devil wasn’t going to let me off that easy!

On my way back from Destin – I stopped in Baton Rouge to stay with a friend for a few days. I rented a car – which I left with him because his car was in the shop.

So…..sure enough – he calls to tell me that he wrecked the rental car. So instead of driving all of my stuff to Dallas that weekend – I flew back to New Orleans to take care of the rental car and insurance company.

I didn’t even get the opportunity to take care of the rental car because the same night that I flew in – the guy I had come to see had already made other arrangements for me with the police.

So, I came to jail instead. And only now do I realize that God was the one who made these other arrangements for me.

The night before I flew to New Orleans – my best friend’s daughter asked me to take her and her grandma to church that Sunday. I think that God was trying to give me one last chance before He had had enough. And, I refused. So, He interceded. I don’t think that God likes “No” for an answer. He will have His way – especially when I was soooo close to doing it His way.

And I am so glad He stepped in when He did. Although, I am physically in prison – I have never felt so “FREE” from bondage in my life!

Except for maybe back in my days at church camp. And that’s probably why I do sometimes (ok – most of the time) think that I AM at church camp!

Yes, I guess it is being in this one room with all these girls – 24/7. We don’t really have a choice to have a closeness to one-another.

So we make the best of it – we pray together – study together – teach each other – learn from one another. We argue with each other – cry together – laugh at each other – laugh at ourselves. We encourage one another, witness hard to everyone. This is what we do.

This is how we get through the day…

the weeks….

and the months….

that we are here together.

Love,
Randi