Arnold Simonse, President of the SVDP Conference of West Virginia, tell of how he and a prisoner ministered to each other in discovering God…. One of the groups that help us at the warehouse and in hauling things here and there are prisoners from the regional jail. Incarcerated for non-violent crimes, these men have been a godsend.
Some weeks ago, three prisoners were helping me move items for an upcoming volunteer group. It was hot and heavy work. The three were respectful and hard working.
It got me to thinking about the life of a prisoner and asking myself why so many men and women are incarcerated. And then, of course, I began to recall some of the demands of the scripture regarding “setting the prisoner’s free…” And what would St. Vincent and Blessed Frederick have to say about my service to prisoners?
Little did I realize that this day with the prisoners would provide me with a special insight and blessing.
As we went passed a country lane filled with honeysuckle vines, one of the prisoners was almost transfixed with delight as he stopped, stood there a few moments and sighed, “Oh God…just smell that wonderful honeysuckle!” I had passed by with “important” things on my mind…and I missed it. Although not free, he had the freedom of spirit to experience the beauty of God’s creation.
As a result of this experience, two things came to my mind.
First of all, it took someone in prison who is looked down upon as a result of his crime to remind me to look up and see the beauty of God’s creation.
And secondly, I realized that for that happy moment when I brought that prisoner past the honeysuckle, he had a moment of freedom. I had in some small way literally given freedom to someone in prison. Not much to be proud of on my part, I must admit, but a reminder that part of our call as Christians is to somehow free those in prison. Of course, wasn’t this one of the special works of St. Vincent when he labored to improve the lot of the galley slaves?
Editors Note: This SVDP Conference has been unofficially adopted by the branches of the Vincentian Family based along the east coast of the USA.
The above report also includes a plea…
ACTION ALERT!!! Please send some cooling thoughts towards our generous volunteers who are working on home repair here in the hills of southern West Virginia! The summer heat has invaded the mountains and all of us are looking forward to a cooling trend. We usually stay cooler than most of you who receive this newsletter…but those day time jobs…especially the roof repair and roof replacement can test the mettle of even the most dedicated volunteer!
The sound of hammering has pretty much been the serenade of the summer here as a number of volunteers from various groups help do some necessary home repair for the folks who can’t do it themselves. Sometimes it’s a big job…new roof for a family in a double-wide up on the mountain whose present roof is rotten and transferring rain from the skies to the bedroom and living room without losing a drop! In this case, thanks to the labor and shared funding of the Passionist Volunteers, SVDP is able to do a new roof for $1,200! This is just one way that we try to stretch the wonderful donations that you give us. Other jobs have included finally fixing a toilet which has been out of service for one poor man since last summer. Ramps remain a constant need for many of our disabled and elderly folk along with steps to their high trailer doors.
Supplies at the warehouse slowly dwindle as more people hear of our services and come for furniture and building supplies. By working in collaboration with Catholic Community Services of Southern West Virginia, we have stored new building supplies from CCS for distribution to people in this area. But supplies in no way can keep up with requests…requests both for furniture and building supplies. I’m still waiting for the call from one of SVdP’s angels telling me they have a truckload of 2×4’s, Ondura roofing and plywood on the way!
Looking forward to September when we have three plumbers (real ones!) spending a week fixing plumbing needs here in the county. The lack of septic systems remains a major issue here where many still dump into the creek. And just replacing and reattaching toilets can make such a difference in one’s quality of life.
The food pantry keeps feeding along! Thanks to some of your gifts of food and cash, we are able to supply 200 to 600 households each month with food to keep hunger away. It can be hectic at times when government commodities skip a month and food has to be purchased from the local no-frills food store. I have been known to wipe out whole groceries of peanut butter, pinto beans and tuna fish.
And through the food pantry, of course, we receive all the requests for furniture, home repair and help in paying utility bills and the like. The system works well…perhaps too well! The problem is in trying to keep up with all the needs. In fact, as you can guess, we can’t keep up…but, thanks to you, we do the best we can.
And so another month is passing and more and more work is being done here in the heart of Appalachia thanks to your kind support and prayers. Sometimes the ministry of St. Vincent de Paul is a new roof or ramp or plumbing, and sometimes the ministry is allowing someone to smell the honeysuckle. God works in wondrous ways!
Our continued thanks and prayers for you…
Arnold Simonse, President
Conference of Southern West Virginia
304-732-6800 (SVDP office)
304-732-8959 (home)
arnoldsimonse@aol.com
