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It was September 25, 2005, and my husband and I were returning home after having evacuated ahead of Hurricane Rita. The storm had not made a direct hit on Houston, and we felt weary but grateful to be back safe.
Our son Martin greeted us as we stepped into the hallway, where boxes were stacked two deep, almost to the ceiling. “Where in the world did these come from?” I asked him.
“Oh, they belong to Jesse. He moved in yesterday,” Martin replied. A tall young man appeared. Every exposed part of his body was covered with tattoos. “Jesse, I want you to meet my mom and dad.”
“Hi,” said Jesse. “It is really great of you to let me move in here. I wouldn’t have been paroled if I didn’t have a place to live.” In the pause that followed, I reflected on how we had arrived at this moment.
The Challenge. Several weeks before, Martin had asked if we might let Jesse live with us when he was paroled. Though the two were long-time friends,…
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God works in mysterious ways and its really awesome what God can use us to do (like the Williams Family) if only we let Him. We have to learn not to be quick in judging others but give them the chance to prove themselves like Jesse did. Beautiful article. God bless you, Laura for sharing this true story.
Hi, thank God for Laura and her family. The story is the same every where,even here in Nigeria,ex cons are not trusted enough or given a second chance. Sometimes,the are rejected by their family members.although some would realy make you regret your hospitality,many of them come out of jail better persons than they were before they went to jail.