Sunday we dropped everything else & drove to Shelby, MT - not too far from the Canadian border on Interstate 15. About 1 1/2 hours north of Great Falls there is a privately run prison which takes federal prisoners & overflow from DeerLodge State Prison. Austin, whom Louis led to the Lord a couple years ago in the Missoula Detention Center, is an inmate. We are the only folks on his visitors list & are the only ones he has asked to be called in the case of an emergency. Spending 3 1/2 hours in the visitors' room with Austin was a bit eery. Every few minutes, the guard came around checking on whether Austin needed to use the restroom or taking his count of all the inmates present in the room.
We sat across the table from Austin, like all the other visitors did with their significant other inmate. Austin had never been in this room before & appeared quite nervous...constantly rubbing & scratching his forearms. We had to provide photo IDs, undergo body searches, complete some paperwork, lock up everything on us in a locker (except our clothing) & some quarters that we could use in the extremely overpriced vending machine in the visitors' room.
We wondered if other staff were watching us from the walls besides the main guard posted at an elevated station in the middle of the room. The fishbowl feeling is one I'd like to remember. We are actually on display like this all the time. We just forget that we are. We are accountable for every action, word, attitude, & motive!!
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It takes courage to go through all that you have to go through to visit someone in prison. Thank you for being willing to do that. I know that one man is also thankful that you are willing to visit him.
Interesting conclusion you came to regarding the "fish bowl" feeling. That's a good thought to keep in mind. I'm so thankful that God remembers how we are made--that we are "dust", and that our sins are already atoned for -- or we would be "toast"!
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