Jesus, a Deputy, and a Mission

Last Friday, one of our students was arrested from JCPenny for stealing an article of clothing. It was told to me that a friend he was with asked him to put the item in his backpack. He agreed and was caught. Because he is eighteen(and had no identification), he was cuffed and taken to the St. Joseph County Jail. That evening, I called a police friend in Mishawaka and tried to obtain some information. He was very helpful. I also called the St. Joseph County Jail in hopes of being able to visit or get a message to him. I was denied both. The thought of him sitting in the cell was almost too much to handle. I understood that justice needed to be served, but I also knew that this is a young man who has had a rough life and is a really good kid. He has been growing in the Word and has proven to be a young man with strong character. He made a bad choice, he's not a bad kid. Unfortunately, because it was Friday evening, he would not be able to see a judge until Monday. He would have to stay in jail at least until his bond hearing on Monday afternoon. It was a long weekend with lots of prayers lifted on his behalf.

His bond hearing was set for 1:30p on Monday afternoon. I would go along with his guardian to the courthouse for support. Early Monday morning I received a phone call from the guardian that she was unable to make it to the hearing because of her work schedule. I would have to go alone. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I was ridiculously nervous. I always get nervous before I speak to a crowd, but this was far worse. It reminded me of the times we would go to court for Stella. It's a helpless feeling to have no control, but I knew people were praying.

I arrived at the courthouse an hour early. Three times I was asked if I were reporting for jury duty by courthouse employees. I found it humorous by the third time. Apparently I looked like I was just there for a long day of jury duty. I'm sure the deputies at the metal detectors thought I was crazy when I fumbled to take everything out of my pockets. One lady even grabbed my hand and whispered, "It's gonna be okay". I sure hoped she was right. They directed me to the second floor video sentencing room. Video sentencing room? All along I thought I would be able to see him and he me. I wanted him to know that I supported him and was there to walk through this with him. I was really disappointed. I made my way to the second floor and into a large, cold room full of wooden pews. The pews faced an elevated platform where bailiffs, court deputies, and ultimately the judge sat. I also noticed a table where a prosecuting attorney had set up a mobile office. There were two screens, one facing the wooden pews, the other facing the judge. It was set up much like Skype. We could see the inmates sitting in rows at the jail and they could see the judge. I found a seat and then moved twice to better see the screen. I quickly noticed that my student was not present in the crowd of inmates. After waiting quite a while a second group of individuals came on the screen. There he sat. I swallowed hard.

An hour and a half had passed as I sat there. Inmate after inmate came and went, bonds being set and stories being told. There was so much hopelessness in the room. Family members crying as their loved ones pleaded to the judge. My heart jumped as they called our student's name. You could tell he looked much younger than the rest of the group. I wanted him to tell the judge that he was a student and that this was his first offense, but as the judge asked questions he politely and simply answered the questions. The judge asked, "Do you work?", he answered, "No", I screamed in my head, "He's going to school!". The judge asked, "Do you have money to pay a bond or an attorney?", he answered, "No", I screamed in my head, "He has no money because he's a student and working hard to graduate. He's a good kid and has just made a bad choice, LET HIM FREE!" (At one time I considered sharing out loud, but then pictured David's face if I would have called him to tell him I was held in contempt of court and placed in a cell next to our student) I refrained. Just as quickly as our student approached the screen, he disappeared after the judged set his next court date and set bond at $250. What just happened? I again felt defeated. I wanted him home now and at school tomorrow. It wasn't over.

I walked downstairs in hopes of finding the dear woman who had shared with me that everything would be okay. Luckily, she was still at her post. I shared my story and asked if she knew what I should do next. I told her that I couldn't leave without him today and asked if it was okay if I interrupted the judge to tell him to set him free:) She proceeded to tell me that the prosecuting attorney's office was on the tenth floor. After sharing that piece of information, she once again grabbed my hands and proclaimed, "What Satan means for bad, God uses for good." She was an answer to my prayer. She gave me directions and on my way I went.

I stepped out of the elevator onto the tenth floor and stood for a moment starring at the glass door with big letters, "Mike Dvorak: St. Joseph County Prosecuting Attorney." "What in the world was I going to say??" I opened the door and was greeted by a receptionist behind a plate glass window. She asked what I needed. I quickly shared our student's story. She asked me to have a seat and she would see if someone was available to talk with me. Within ten minutes I heard my name called by a woman behind me. She ushered me into her office. I once again shared our story. She was extremely sympathetic. She shared with me about a program that our student could take part in and in return no conviction would be on his record. He would have to pay some fines(which she lowered so much for him), do community service hours, and stay out of trouble. I knew he could do all of that. She asked if I thought he would sign it. I knew he would. After printing off the paperwork and talking through the agreement, she looked at her watch. She said that for this to happen, the judge would have to agree. I told her again that I had to get him out today and that he couldn't pay the bond. We would now have to go downstairs together and ask the judge if he would drop the bond and allow him to participate in the program.

That was a long walk.

We entered the video sentencing room and she led me to the front pew. She proceeded to the prosecuting attorney's workspace and handed him the paperwork. I saw him glance back at me. I prayed that God's favor would be shown. After saying a quick prayer I looked up and noticed that my dear deputy friend was sitting at a new post, right in front of me. She smiled so big and our eyes connected. It was as if we were on the same team. The prosecuting attorney stood up and asked to approach the bench. The judge allowed and they spoke quietly, each glancing once in my direction. Then the judge spoke, "Mrs. Badertscher, do you think (our student's name) will agree to this?" "Yes, I do, your honor", I commented back, "If he knows that I believe it is the best thing for him." "Come and pen a letter to him and we will fax it over to the jail." the judge said. I walked onto the elevated platform and wrote a letter. I threw in David's name halfway through the letter so he knew it was from me. I explained the program and ended by writing, "I'll be there to get you today." -Carrie. After I finished, the judge called him back into the video holding cell and I returned to my seat. The judge moved on to the next case until we were ready. While the judge was talking with another inmate, I noticed our student enter the room once again. They handed him the paperwork and he began to read my letter. I could barely hold my emotions back when I noticed him get halfway through the letter, to the point of David's name, and he looked up at the camera. He went back to reading. You could see him quickly flip to the last page and reach out his hand to an officer close by to ask for a pen. He signed the document. The judge called him to the stand(on screen) once again and asked me to approach the bench. I could barely stand my knees were so weak. Finally, our student could see me as I could see him. He told me later that that was the moment he knew everything would be alright. The judge asked about how I was involved in his life and I shared about our ministry. I told him that I believed in our student. Within seconds, the judge agreed to drop the bond and asked who would be picking him up. I told him I could go right away. He looked up at me and said, "Splendid. Go get your boy".

As I walked briskly out of the courtroom, I stopped to talk one last time to the deputy that God had used. I thanked her and then was on my way to the jail.

It took quite a while to process him out from the jail that day. I sat for three hours in the jail lobby, starring at the doors waiting for him to be released. That time was not wasted, though. God had some divine appointments as I talked with a young woman who was fighting addiction and a young mother and her daughter as they waited for their husband and father to be released.

I'll never forget the moment he walked out of the sliding door and we made eye contact. He came rushing over and we hugged. We sat in the car for quite awhile after leaving the jail. He shared the story with me about Friday night(how sorry he was) and his experience in jail. I just listened...he had so much to tell. After he finished, I told him about our pursuit to get to him, how we slept very little that weekend, and how many people were praying for him. We talked about the adulterous woman that was brought to Jesus(we had studied that the week before) and how God's forgiveness is what defines us, not our bad decisions. It was a moment of great depth and understanding of who Jesus was and is. I believe that he learned a great deal as he sat in his cell that weekend. We smiled and laughed, I asked if he was hungry, and on to McDonalds we went.

Later that night, he came over for our Monday night dinner with the neighborhood kids. Everyone accepted him back with open arms. It was an overwhelming sight to see relationships grow deeper and, as I looked down my dining room table, there was something beautifully made whole again.

I understand that there may be more days like this, that students may make bad decisions and that they will have to face the consequences, but tonight I will hold onto two things: Our God is a God of great grace and when you have Jesus, a deputy, and a mission you can conquer the world(one courtroom at a time).