JUVENILE DETENTION FACILITY VISIT
I finally got an appointment at the Juvenile Detention Facility (JDF) here in Detroit, Michigan on July 28 for one hour, from 5 to 6 p.m. During that time, I met 13 girls; 12 of them were either African-American or Hispanic and only one was Caucasian. My application to visit the facility had been accepted in April 2013; but we had not been able to coordinate our schedules before this date for an actual visit.
One of the participants in our project "Restoring Marriage and Family in the Metro Detroit Area," who is actively involved in the prison ministry there, had spoken of my desire to visit the facility to Mrs. Devine who works in the prison administration and who contributed to my visit. I finally received a call from the warden there, Mr. Spencer, who offered me access at my earliest convenience.
Mr. Spencer and I agreed to have the meeting in the recreation room. There was a little white board saying, "Happy 313th Birthday Detroit!" (We were cutting the birthday cake for Detroit!) The JDF holds the accused youths until their court case is over. At that time, they are transferred to prison, if necessary. I saw this firsthand as it happened to one girl after our meeting was over.
I asked Mr. Spencer about the offenses committed by the girls. He told me that unfortunately the crimes are of all kinds, even murder. A lot of offenses are related to violence and drugs. I gave him a pamphlet about WFWP. Already Mrs. Devine had received a pamphlet. I also left one at the reception desk, where I was also asked whether I represent an organization.
The basis for the meeting was my little book, "The Voice in You and Me: How listening to Your Heart Can Take You Beyond All Drama." After I introduced myself and my little book, I asked the girls to forgive my accent and be free to ask about repetition and clarification; but they told me that they liked my accent. I told them I was there because somebody who loves them very much and cares about them had sent me. When I asked whether they have any idea who I was talking about, they replied, God. About half of them believed in God.
I asked them how they felt. Only some of them shared. Some felt angry, some agitated, some confused, and some depressed. One girl said that the day had been difficult, but that she was aware that she had gotten herself into this situation. She expressed gratitude that I had come.
I mainly shared some of my poetry from the book. To my big surprise, the girls reacted very positively, and even applauded. They asked me when I would come back. I assured them that I would do my best to return as quickly as possible. And I will bring a copy of my book to each of them. Also, I will add True Father's autobiography, because I believe that my experience with the girls has opened the hearts of at least half of them.
At the end, Mr. Spencer offered the copy I had with me to give to him to the girl who was being transferred to prison. She was crying about her transfer. I was touched about how he expressed real fatherly concern for her. But she refused his offer to call the counselor for her.
Through my experience at the Juvenile Detention Facility, I was very encouraged to introduce WFWP and the work of Rev. and Mrs. Moon to the girls and the staff there. I felt God's love very strongly and am very happy to be able to serve in this way.