What do you think of when you think of a flourishing community? The first ingredient I think of is loving thy neighbor as thyself. I think of a thriving community surviving on a cultural diet of love and forgiveness, but it must not be limited to only the people we are close to. Love and forgiveness must encompass all of God’s creatures and communities. Feeling loved and receiving forgiveness is an essential component for sustaining a healthy mind and body.  

 When someone brands their brothers and sisters by their appearance, or moral weaknesses, they only starve the community of the psychological nourishment needed for internal and spiritual growth. As many differences as there are among us, sometimes all it takes is as simple a gesture as a “hello” and a handshake to see that although we may appear different, our hearts are all structured the same. It’s common for society to close the door on someone deemed as broken, but closing the door on someone never brings about restoration. I know the feeling of being outcast from a community, because the community I came from closed its doors on me and labeled me as broken. And once you’re incarcerated, you begin noticing the friendships you thought you had turned out to be as ephemeral as the tulips in the spring.  

With little to nothing to look forward to, your aspirations of a future are bleak, and life begins feeling insignificant. You see men who end their life in the beginning, and others go through years of affliction before they finally give in. Those of us who are fortunate enough to leave prison will probably leave with more mental trauma than we came in with. There was a time I really struggled with the mental pressures of being isolated, and during that time alone, I wondered if God had abandoned me, or if he existed at all. In a place where you are sent to be forgotten, and every door is firmly secured, you wonder if God will ever open a door for you.  

I never committed very long to anything, especially God, and yet I appealed my case to the very deity’s existence I once questioned. I remember lying on my bunk one night, weeping as if I’d been chopping onions all day, and I pleaded with God for an opportunity to create a meaningful and fruitful life from this experience. Several months later I read a posting for Calvin’s Prison Initiative (CPI) program, and I felt this persistent sense of direction. So, the next day I applied to Calvin, and by the grace of God and his guidance, I am now a student of the CPI program. I think there is a testament here in regard to God’s faithful willingness to never give up on us, and his ability to open doors for those of us who are labeled broken. 

 Every day, I see the resplendency of God’s love being channeled by way of the donors’ compassion and generosity for making this education possible, and the incredible CPI staff who devote their time away from their own lives to help us succeed when no one else would. The atmosphere Calvin has created in the classroom is designed for positivity, opportunity and breaking intellectual barriers put in place by years of closed doors. It’s the CPI staff that makes us feel like human beings, and shows us we’re part of a community that hasn’t given up on us. This experience has shown me I’m not alone without hope anymore, because we’re all broken to some degree, and God has many tools in his bag for restoring the broken things of the world.

Thank you all for helping bring new purpose to my life, and making it possible for me to write a new chapter in my story.

Joshua Humphrey

Friends, 

The amount of substance my life has gained since becoming a Calvin Knight has truly been a blessing from God. I am extremely grateful for each and every person that has supported my education. The unwavering love that you all have poured into this program is felt not only on a physical level but a spiritual level as well. Your prayers are heard and God has been moving on your behalf to make the impossible possible. 

Thank you for not only making an impression on my life, but an impact. Each day I arise, I have the opportunity to become better than yesterday. Having access to a world class education is allowing me to be able to regain my humanity. Redemption would not be possible without your efforts. Thank you for allowing God to use you in such a way to transform my life. I can never pay you back one by one, but my plan is to walk across that stage in four years with a bachelor’s degree in my hand and return the favor by not allowing your generous support to be in vain. Once again, thank you immensely for everything you all do and please know that you have truly been that rainbow in my cloud.

With great thanks,

James Boler