Ep.1 "Building Bridges from Prison to Community in Kewanee, IL." w/ Michelle Gillespie & Ronnie Carrasquillo

This is part 1 of a 5 part interview series highlighting the amazing work that is happening in Kewanee, Illinois in regards to prison ministry and re-entry initiatives. In this series we will hear from former inmates, prison ministry volunteers and a business owner who are involved in the work which is taking place out there.

In this episode, Omar is joined by Michelle Gillespie and Ronnie Carrasquillo to discuss their incredible work in helping formerly incarcerated individuals reintegrate into society. Ronnie was recently released from prison after having served over 47 years straight. Witness first-hand accounts of redemption, community support, and the life-changing impact of faith and compassion. This episode provides a deep look into how lives can be turned around from the darkest places to the light, with the help of dedicated people and supportive communities.

This episode features Michelle Gillespie and highlights her involvement in prison ministry in Kewanee, Illinois. The discussion covers the impactful prison ministry initiatives in Kewanee, including live church services, spiritual support, and reentry programs that help incarcerated individuals reintegrate into society. Michelle shares her personal journey, her faith, and the profound changes she has witnessed in both herself and the formerly incarcerated individuals she supports. Through testimonies and community support, the episode underscores the importance of compassion, faith, and structured reentry programs in transforming lives.

Transcript

Omar: 0:15

From the city of Chicago, a city most recently known for its crime and violence. On this podcast, we will be sharing stories of redemption from individuals raised in the tough streets of Chicago and from around the country. Some of them were gang members, drug dealers, incarcerated victims, and perpetrators of violence. Listen to my guests as they share their experiences, struggles, trauma, but also the strength, Hope, faith and perseverance. These have developed in them to keep pushing and moving forward in life. Tune in to hear how their lives have gone from darkness to light and from wrong to strong. Hello everyone. And welcome to another episode of Wrong to Strong Chicago. I'm your host, Jeff. I'm your host. My name is Omar Calvillo and tonight we have the opportunity to be at our sister's house. Her name is Michelle Gillespie. Uh, we're out here in Kewanee, Illinois. I'm out here because of Ronnie Carrasquillo. I've been connected with his brother, man, it's been probably close to a year, maybe a little bit under, uh, but I've been making a lot of connections, uh, through Ronnie and we decided to come out here in Kewanee because, uh, Kewanee played a part of his story of, what he did there and how it impacted him. Uh, but, uh, But he told me, man, let's go out to Kewanee and let's share some of the stories that are, that are happening down there, uh, through prison ministry. Uh, so that's the reason that we're here. Uh, we're here to talk to my sister and we're going to maybe get a little bit of your story, if you don't mind, maybe a little bit just of your background. Cause eventually the, what we want to get into is how you got into prison ministry. You know, that's why we're here. Uh, the impact that it's made, maybe making your life and your family's life. Uh, but also to, show people in Chicago what's happening out here. Because we're like in a rural country, I guess you would call it, or the country of Illinois. Uh, so he wanted to highlight what's going on out here.

Ronnie: 2:07

What reentry looks like.

Omar: 2:09

Okay.

Ronnie: 2:09

A real reentry, uh, program it looks like.

Omar: 2:13

Compared to the

Ronnie: 2:14

So the city has their own type of reentry, but this, uh, township has, uh, started going into the prison and, uh, fellowshipping with the brothers in the prison and then learning that them people wanted new lifestyles, new places to stay. And these people took it to heart and they actually carried it out of allowing these. Brothers to parole into their area, helping them get jobs, housing, cars, and to start a new life, and uh, monitoring them, help them, uh, reintegrate into society. So that's what we're here for to talk about.

Omar: 2:48

Hey man, that, that's huge, you know. You've seen it firsthand, and we're going to get a firsthand account here. So, so Michelle, who goes? One of the first soldiers,

Ronnie: 2:55

one of the first, uh, families that, uh, came into the system and started doing services with us. They turned in from, uh, baptism into regular services, Monday night services. To the chaplain was a chaplain New York in the prison and then it turned into, uh, doing bible studies. So they were Continuously coming every week supporting people and uh retraining people in the system to have different mindset how to come home and to Work back into society and be successful citizens not re entering into the system

Omar: 3:29

You know what ronnie if you don't mind me asking you Could you share what was going on in Kewanee before they came in, you know What did a church service look like there?

Ronnie: 3:40

When I got there, church service looked like, uh, you'd go to a room, a classroom and, and uh, watch the service on TV. A church would be highlighted on the TV and you would just be in the room watching a TV. So then they would come in another day sometimes and talk about it, but it was not a live person speaking to you at the moment. So when they came in on a baptism one time, we, we challenged the chaplain at the time. And the outside ministry who came in to start coming in and, uh, giving us live services where humans talking to humans. And they, uh, lived up to the challenge. They created four ministries in the environment to start. They used a guy named Jeff as a mediator, Jeff Heppner. And, uh, I started bringing different churches into the facility so that every Monday night we had a live, uh, service with a minister coming and giving us sermons.

Omar: 4:35

All right, Michel, now we're going to turn it over to you. Um, so I know Robiney mentioned there was no church services going on at this time. Uh, how did your life look prior to you stepping foot into Kewanee, I guess? Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? You know, maybe even, you know, even before you get there. Can you describe Kewanee, you know, cause I'm born and raised in Chicago, you know, we're out here in the country, I think it's Southwest of Chicago where we're at. So maybe can you describe this area for people that don't know what life is like out here?

Michelle: 5:04

Yeah, sure. So, um, I actually used to go to a really big church in Peoria, um, where the congregation was maybe a couple thousand people and, um, during COVID, you know, everything shut down and, um, Uh, the church that I'm at now in Kewanee is a smaller church and a couple hundred people. And, um, they were one of the first to start having services again. So, uh, my family started going, you know, to that church and we just fell in love with it. Everything was perfect for us. Um, as Ronnie had mentioned, Jeff Heppner, he was, you know, one of the first guys that started going out to the Kewanee Life Skills and he went to our church and, um, he, a couple of times had, you know, stood up on the stage. And, um, the first time I heard it, it was in, uh, I think it was in a January, but yeah, it was in January and, um, it was winter time. And right after service, I said to my husband, I think I'm going to go downstairs and ask Jeff more about this. Do you mind? And he says. I knew you were going to say that. And um, I, you know, I've always been a servant and I just like to help others and anytime I can do that, I, you know, take on that challenge. And so I, I prayed on it and I, you know, kind of talked to my family about it who was a little bit, you know, on edge about it. I was like, well, maybe I should just hold off a little while. And then a couple of weeks later, Jeff asked again and I was like, okay, we're going to do this. You know, got it. God wants me to do this and, and we did and um, the first time I went, I loved it. I couldn't have felt more welcome. I did not feel like I was in a prison at all. Um, I got to meet Ronnie that night, a couple other guys and uh, my brother passed away in 2010 from a car accident and I felt instantly like, like they filled a void that I didn't have before. Like it was like I had purpose. I don't have like my only sibling anymore, but I had these guys I could help, you know, like, you know, it just. It was awesome. It came full circle.

Omar: 7:12

And I know, I know you say you, you had to pray about it, so can you tell us about your faith, like growing up, or what, how does, how does faith look in your life as you're, you know, growing up, you know, like.

Michelle: 7:22

Yeah, sure. So, um, when I was younger, um, my parents, we went to church occasionally. I mostly went with my grandparents on both sides of my family. Um, and then my parents got a divorce and we didn't go to church a lot, uh, but I still, you know, went like with my family. I feel like I've always had, like. a relationship with God, um, I just wasn't doing a good job of, you know, studying his word and, um, always acting on it. And so then when I had kids, I knew that that was something that I wanted to make sure that they had in their life. And so, and so we did. Um, like I said, my brother passed away in 2010 and I can remember a moment when somebody had asked me, um, if I blamed God for that and I was kind of taken back by it because I didn't and that never would happen. wants crossed my mind at all. And, um, I just knew from that point forward that, you know, I did, I had God with me and I would pray on that for my brother. I would pray that he would find peace, that he would get to go to heaven. I didn't know where he was at in his faith, you know? Um, and I prayed every day and then there was one day where I just immediately, uh, felt, felt peace. And so I knew where he was and I don't know, I just feel like there's a lot of testimony throughout my whole life, not just one testimony. But I know now through going to the prison and watching what these guys can do and just the relationships there, there's so much more testimony and I mean, it's just incredible what God has done in this place.

Omar: 8:54

I know, I know, uh, you mentioned that your husband almost like knew like, man, I know she's, she's going to want to go now. You mentioned a servant. Well, um, how does, how does a servant look like, or what do you feel you got that, uh, servant's heart, I guess, like in for you? Yeah,

Michelle: 9:09

I do. How do you feel like that? I just, I like to serve at church, um, you know, these guys, if they need help with something, I like to help them. If they say that they don't have family when they get out, um, you know, I like to be able to help get them the resources that they need so that they have a place to go so that they have a support system. Um, like Ronnie was saying, Kewanee has become a really good support system. There's three or four, maybe even five churches that are very involved. Um, either they have volunteers that go in or they have volunteers that are, you know, ready to help them when they get out. out, uh, the communities in Kewanee and around. There's some other, other towns around, uh, Galveston, one of them. The city hires these guys, you know, to come in while they're still in the prison and, and they get to work there and the communities just become really receptive to that and, um, there's just a huge support system here.

Omar: 9:57

Right. What, what year, I know I was asking you Ronnie, uh, what year did they open the prison out here, uh, Kewanee? Something like 2014. 2014? Uh huh. Okay. Okay. Now, I, I know you mentioned the support of the community, like. Helping, uh, was there any, any pushback? I guess, you know,'cause out here is like rural, you know, country. Yeah. And, uh, was there any pushback, like, I don't know, like to help these guys reintegrate here and to stay in the community? Because I know that's one of the, the big things we, we wanna highlight how how the community does, does help, you know, but I, I don't know. Just,

Michelle: 10:28

um, so as far as the community as a whole, I'm really not sure, um, chance that I moved here in 2010 and. So I haven't been here as long as some, um, and I know when I tell people what I do, you know, with this ministry, some people are a little standoffish about it, but I do think as a whole, you know, they see the good in it and you know, these guys have proven themselves. They come out and they, you know, they've, they've spent the last few years proving that they're coming out and doing good things. They mentor to others, they're, they're doing good things.

Omar: 11:03

Okay. Now I know you met Ronnie there, Could you talk about, um, I know, no, before, I guess before we get into that, anybody like, like as you're growing up, anybody like in your family, friends that faced incarceration, I guess. Um, maybe is that part of the reason to want to go into prison or not? Like.

Michelle: 11:21

Yeah. So my brother was one. He had actually had three DUIs and, um, he was looking at some pretty serious prison time and, um, then he was ironically, uh, killed in a drunk driving accident. So. Um, yeah, absolutely, uh, I just, and I know he was good, so.

Omar: 11:42

I'm sorry to hear that, I know you mentioned that being your only, uh, sibling that it had to be, uh, rough, you know, and.

Michelle: 11:47

I have some more siblings, some extended family in there, but, um, yeah, I mean, he was, there's, there's a big difference between the rest of us, so, I mean, it was just he and I for the first, uh, 11 or 12 years, I think, so, yep.

Omar: 12:00

Uh, so I know you mentioned going in there and, uh, meeting these guys and they almost became, you know, like in your mind, almost like brothers. Uh, what, what was it that you've seen in them that maybe you didn't expect to see? Cause usually when you go into prison or before you go in, you have this mindset of what these guys are going to be like, they're going to be hard and cold. I can't trust them. Maybe they're scary or whatever, you know, whatever comes to mind. But what was it that? that you witnessed that made you want to keep coming back?

Michelle: 12:25

Well, yeah, I did expect hard and scary and, uh, you know, you go in and they all, uh, shake your hand and, um, they just, they weren't, they weren't that. They were so kind. Um, I think I met happy first and they call him happy because he is just. Always happy. There's a smile on his face all the time. Um, and then I got to talk to Ronnie, and Ronnie just, I mean, he scouts out everybody that walks in the room. And, I, I just, all the information I got from him, I just, I learned so much about the Bible in such a, like, probably a ten minute conversation. I knew that that was something already, before going into the prison, that I needed to work on for myself. I honestly got, probably get more from going there than they do, you know, from me. Um, I just, I, I went home that night and Chance asked me how it was and I said, well, I met a man named Ronnie and he talks like Al Pacino and uh, he said, Oh, and I was like, no, no, he's great. I learned so much about the Bible and I just, every week I would come home and I would tell Chance about Ronnie and finally Chance, my husband went and got to meet Ronnie and um, If he had met him, he would always say, be careful when I was, you know, leaving to go to the prison. And after he met Ronnie, uh, every night he would say, or every Monday night he would say, have fun. Tell the guys I said hi. You know, it was just, these guys are incredible. They, they are trying so hard. It's so hard to get it right this time and um, I do believe that God is in Kewanee doing amazing things for sure.

Omar: 14:06

Amen. Amen. Now Ronnie, as they're coming in, you know, I know you mentioned before they didn't have no chaplain, no in person services, I know you mentioned DVDs or TV. So what, what was it like for the guys in there to finally get like a in person, you know, like ministers, I guess, to come to, to serve in there?

Ronnie: 14:25

Well, we started from two or three people to 50. to 20 to 30 to uh, doing program. Uh, Christmas candle lighting, Christmas uh, what do you call it? Visual. Visual. Christmas visual light where they bring candles in. Christmas Eve. They started bringing, because the ministries got so big, we started doing uh, feeding the children programs. Boxing was a 20, 000, 20, 000 meals for kids and stuff like that. So we had a Sunday night, Monday night service, Tuesday night Bible study. So we had like four different families, up to five families. Uh, coming in to study the Bible, Bible training, you know, and then, uh, trading sermons, then plus bringing the, the, uh, ministers in from the street. So it just became a, a, a training center, a serious training center of the ministry. You know, that's what we turned it into.

Omar: 15:19

Amen. Amen. Now I know it was, um, the church also, but could you guys talk about, I don't know if you guys want to, uh, but, but, What are others doing outside of the church to help these guys out here in Kewanee?

Michelle: 15:31

Okay, so, um, well actually one of the brothers that got out, uh, he and another volunteer that had been coming to the prison started a non for profit, you know, to help financially, you know, get these guys on these feet with, you know, some housing, uh, opportunities, in some cases job opportunities, um, you know, their first grocery bill and things like that. Um, And then alongside of that, some of the guys that got out and stayed within the community, um, just on their own, um, you know, have taken it upon themselves to kind of show the guys the ropes and, uh, just show them what to do, what not to do, you know, help them feel comfortable, just give them a support system. And, um, I, I really think that that's. That in itself is just incredible, you know, just because those are the guys that you've been with for years and um, you know, it gives them somewhere safe.

Omar: 16:25

Got it. So you got the chance to see the guys while they're still in there, you're in there ministering and now you've seen them out here. Is there anyone that comes to mind? I'm sure maybe there's a couple, but one that comes to mind that you want to share like what you've seen maybe from in there and maybe how they're doing now. You know, through, through God's help.

Michelle: 16:42

Yeah, there's several. I mean, of course Ronnie's one, uh, Happy's another, you know, he, uh, he was doing, uh, some work for the city and some volunteer work, I believe, and, um, now he's doing some hair cutting and, you know, like, he's just, he's doing great things and he's ministering while he's cutting hair and, um, he goes to prayer group with his mom, you know, I mean, it's just incredible listening to that. Um, another guy, Freddie, uh, I didn't get to know him while we were inside. I met him at our church. I was there helping some other guys get some things ready for their appointment or apartments that were getting out of prison. And, um, Freddy had stopped by. I think he was looking for maybe a bed frame or something like that. And I asked him if he was coming to church. And he said, well, are you going to give me a ride? And I said, yep. And, uh, I went home and told my husband, who was, of course, you know, just as thrilled as ever that I offered help, and, um, we picked him up, uh, the next morning for church, and, you know, he had just gotten out, he didn't really know about his phone or anything, and he was sitting right next to my son at church, and my son was showing him how to email the church to get on the email list, and, you know, it was just, it was perfect, and, um, he means He's a world to us. He's become really close to our family and you know, I, I wouldn't have met him if I would have, wouldn't have started going out there. So, very important.

Omar: 18:10

No, thanks for sharing that. What about you, Ronnie? Anything that comes to mind as far as that? Yeah, this is what, uh, from, from your perspective, what you've seen this community do to help some of these guys, you know, that are coming out as far as reentry?

Ronnie: 18:23

Well, a lot of guys that are inside, uh, a lot of people imagine that they have things and they walk a long time. Thinking they have things, but when it comes close to the door, you actually don't have a lot of things, you don't have a lot of support. And then they, you see them breaking down and coming to the church because that's where, uh, the stronger, stronger representatives are of that community. Guys that are constantly in the church, constantly doing Bible studies, so they're recognized as, uh, you know, always there, they're, uh, they're, they're constant. So they come in and then announce they don't have a place to go or they don't have the things that they, Walked like they did have. So then it's like a scramble. Even the administration trying to find housing for these guys, whether in this community whether in another community. So they scramble to uh, help these guys make the release date. And uh, that gives us a chance to finally give them their final Blessings are, uh, you know, the final talk about Act Right, to do the Act Right. So we created a, a program in there. We didn't create it, we brought them in there. It was, uh, called Freedom From Within Organization. And, uh, actually we brought them in there, we brought another program in there. Uh, Sister Janet from Precious Blood Ministry in Chicago. And these are to teach us, uh, peacekeeping circles, uh, cognitive behavior therapy, how to work with, uh, traumatized people. And in, in, uh, the incarcerated world and the incarceration factor, there are many, uh, Mental health issues in there of uh, people have been traumatized their whole life. So, you know being that we were in the church we had a chance to Rob up against these kind of people and see the hurt and the pain and Through these people from the outside like Michelle her family and other families Jeff Kevin and Trish we had different families the wexels and you know to coach them along they did uh, they had support if they wanted to reach for it, so These people would say to them, you don't have to go back to the community it came from. We'll let you land right here. So that offering is like an olive branch. That's a life changer that, you know, guys been there so long, they don't even know how to get on a train. They don't know how to get a ticket for the train. They have to be, uh, led like, like children, uh, baby steps along the way. So for you to walk out that front door and these people to be there, to take you in a car and to take you to the church and to get you close and to take. you and do that, that, uh, that's not your family. Them are, uh, them are humongous steps. Those are, uh, they humble you, you know, to see, to see that happen. So, uh, what we did in the inside was make sure when these people came in, you know, that they seen hospitality, we preached hospitality, we gave them water to everybody, made sure they had water. Uh, everybody was, uh, uh, Respectful towards them, you know, respectful to the authorities in there too. If they said eight o'clock, we had to leave. We leave earlier than eight o'clock so we don't run into, you know, because you can exercise a difference, you know, like you think you got it covered and, or this is ours or something. So it was to maintain that humility and we maintained that humility throughout. Everything that we did was through humility, you know, and it was just a blessing to see. Uh, like I said, when you walk out that front door on my own release, uh, I came back to Kewanee to go get my property the next day. And, uh, The first place I, I stopped was in the church, you know, the town church where the people were from the head came in and visit us and the next thing you know, we're under 2020 people and they're just, you know, so it's a second family. They come like family, you know, so it's a, it's a blessing to see people be able to be, uh, catapulted, I would say, you know, off into society. It's like a trajectory. You just, okay, you're done now. Now it's time for you to go. Live that, that life and you have that, that network right outside the front door, pick you up and take you where you got to go to start you off.

Omar: 22:26

Amen. And I know you had mentioned what we were talking about, how you would like to see more of this. Like I know we're coming from Chicago, like almost like a model, right?

Ronnie: 22:37

Chicago is more industrial. You could say like it's so big and so vast, you know, and there's so many, uh, people coming out into that community. So you don't see it on a personal level because you have South Side, North Side, you have it so big that you don't see the personal level that these people Uh, do so, um, these families right here, Michelle, her family and the families I mentioned, they actually, you're working with them in the prison for six months, eight months, a year, and getting to know they're coming in there religiously every week, you know, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, so they get to know you. So you're familiar and you're like walking out the door with your family. You're walking out with somebody familiar where when people, uh, Go home and just go to Chicago. They might go with a family or they might go to a halfway house. You're walking into a strange territory. You're walking into a first meeting. It's the first time of all that and it's not personal. So it takes time to thaw out of, of that. You know, you have society, uh, The strategies of society, bum rush, you just the fast pace that hit you. So after you've been in an incarcerated world 20, 30, 40 years, and to walk out into that steamroller, you know, is mind boggling. So this is the landing in Kewanee where this is more personal, it's more softer than going into the city where you just, you got to get up and run or, or you just blind for a longer period of time.

Omar: 24:04

There's definitely more. A fast pace of life over you gotta like you mentioned you gotta almost like come out Running, you know, it ain't you ain't no like getting like a slow pace back into it's a life in society But uh, you know what I could ask you How long have you been doing this for now prison ministry

Michelle: 24:21

a little over two years

Omar: 24:22

two years What's been the biggest difference you feel in you and in your family? Like I guess let's say before prison ministry and now what are some of the things that you notice have changed? Or like the the positive things that how I would say affected you and your family?

Michelle: 24:37

Sure. So I'm definitely a more compassionate person. Um, my family has told me that from, you know, my immediate family and my household and my parents. Um, I was the oldest and so everything was always really black and white for me. I tell everybody it was always, you know, right or wrong. Um, and Now I look at things very differently, you know, um, I don't think I'm as judgmental and so I think that's good. I think that's good a behavior to model to my children um, you know, um My kids get to meet some of these guys. My kids know ronnie well Um, they know they know freddie really well Um, you know, I mean we don't invite everybody out here That gets out of there, but the ones that we feel pretty close with, they've gotten to meet them. And I just think that's a good life lesson for them as well. And I hope that, you know, it helps them have some compassion. I, I hope that it leads them both into some form of ministry and to helping others. And you know, I just hope it all rubs off on them.

Omar: 25:36

Amen. That's awesome. What would you say to somebody that has a mindset where, man, I'm not going to do no prison ministry, you know, that's, you know, like, what would you say to a man or woman that's, that's, that's going. You know, hear you share your story, you know.

Michelle: 25:51

Well, that's what I do. I share my story and, um, it's okay if they, if they don't believe me. Um, I don't believe that a lot of people learn from somebody telling them anything. And so, I just try to model it and, um, I feel like God has helped me learn how to model what He wants me to model. through these guys. It's always been hard for me to talk about God and like be, I was always nervous about being judged for it, but this gives me a really easy way to talk about him. Um, you know, cause I can talk about what I do and I can talk about what God is doing there and it just makes it so much easier. So I'm hoping that that will help others

Omar: 26:29

to share their faith, you know, not just to keep it for themselves, you know. Any other things you guys wanted to talk about, you know that we didn't we haven't touched on yet as far as like, you know

Ronnie: 26:38

As far as what we started to do was build a church in the in the prison system Well in there just and the bottom line to that of of being a church is that the bible says god is love. So Uh, we just wanted to exercise that love for people and no matter who they were what they did Uh, we put input into them. We try to build them up through different programming and you see the results. And I, I left there and started immediately, a Bible study on, uh, zoom and, uh, my granddaughter and having, uh, my niece on there. So I started that then and now Michelle and her family are under, uh, every Tuesday night we do a Bible study. So there's probably 15 people, 10 to 15 people on our. On the zoom at night or 10 people in my house. So we do a, uh, a Bible study in that regard. So it's still, we are still training people. And, uh, since then, my, my niece has branched off to minister to other girls. She has a lot of girls. She has branched, Michelle has branched off to, uh, minister into the work release center. Through the training and through the, the, the Bible says iron sharpens iron. Through that sharpening of us, sharpening each other, they became their own teachers and stepped off. And that's what the Bible says, when you, to be a disciple, Jesus disciple, and to go make them of all nations. So, we're taking the teaching and, and spreading it. And for people that are not Bible believers or God believers, uh, they're getting the full effect in just, Our humanity, the love that we have and the compassion in our personal self. So we don't go to everybody and throw God or just right away. If they receive it, they receive it, but no matter if they are Christians or not Christian, we still love them the same way. And don't judge them for if they're not. And then just, uh, steady build them up and respect them. That you're a vessel being used in one way or another. Whether you want to believe it or not.

Omar: 28:35

Amen. You know, I know in the way here you were talking about, even like with the waters. You said you guys were collecting the waters and you were giving them to everybody, to every group. No matter if it was different religions or anything, man, hey, here, we're just gonna be, yeah, there you go. Hospitality, the Bible has a

Ronnie: 28:48

big section of hospitality, so, you know, the Bible says that, uh, when Jesus sent his messengers out to, uh, go to people's house, and if they don't respect you coming in there with the word of God, uh, shake your feet off and wipe the dust off, and it'll be worse for them than anything they ever had before, so, we, uh, we exercised, we first talked about it, it was not there. And then we exercise it and hospitality was a major factor where we were at. So whether they were Alcoholics Anonymous, whether they were, uh, Jehovah Witness, whether it was Muslim programs, it didn't matter. When an outside guest came in and gave us the time and energy of coming in, we made sure they had. The least a bottle of water, you know, the least,

Omar: 29:33

you know, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm sure it even made an impact on them because I know you mentioned sometimes I'm being there for two, three hours and having no water. And then you guys, they were,

Ronnie: 29:43

yeah, they were laughing, not laughing, but in a sense laughing when I first started pushing it, you know, because We put, we had to kind of like push it. Hey, we're going to do this and we're going to do it, you know? So it was a great thing to see that every time we came in, uh, and sometimes you gave out 20 bottles of water a night when they will come in. So you had to go get funding and, and get that to produce that water. You know, and give it to these guests every night they came in. They're coming in. Oh, thank you. Especially sometimes summer is 90 degrees outside, even though it's air conditioned, you want water, you're going to be there for two hours, you know, and the guys had water. So the guests, we made sure they had water.

Omar: 30:18

Now you want to talk about the hospitality, but what did you see from your perspective as far as that goes? Uh, hospitality.

Michelle: 30:25

Well, um, I had never been in a prison before. And so I. I honestly didn't at first realize the importance of the water and what it meant to these guys because I would just would expect these guys to have bottled water all the time. Um, that's not the case in a prison. Um, and so I think it was maybe the second or third time I was there and Ronnie told me the story about that, how they didn't use to, you know, do that. And he told me a story about how that came about and it just meant so much to me that they cared so much how. Uh, we felt and honestly, I mean, you just, it just makes you that much more committed to going, but they do every, every week when I walk in there, I mean, it's a struggle. They're like trying to see who can get us the water fastest. And I mean, you know, it really means something to them. They want to be the one to hand us that bottle of water. Um, I mean, we can sit wherever we want. And I, you know, I always sit with one of the guys, um, that I get to talk to that night. And, um. Sometimes they'll be like, Oh, no, you should go sit in one of the comfy chairs. You know, there's special comfy chairs there and, uh, they're just, they're so kind. It's very hospitable.

Omar: 31:40

That's awesome. That's going on. Oh, you know what? Um, any final words before we get ready to wrap up or both of yous? And then I'm going to ask you, Michelle, usually I ask my guests to close us out in prayer. So any final words first, and then.

Ronnie: 31:53

I just wanted to come here with you, Omar, to, uh, capture their testimonies. And there's going to be more testimonies. then Michelle's and Chance's testimony to, uh, that it can be broadcasted that, that we need. I would like to see this, these stories told, you know, of these people that, uh, go in there. And it's so important for them. people in there to have somebody to give them a soft landing because coming from a situation like that after especially many, many years, it can be a hard, hard landing and you can't get your footage and mental health plays a big role. So they soften that blow and uh, almost like parents, you know, that you don't have, they're almost like parents that you don't have or almost like brothers and sisters that you don't have, you know, to come forward and do that. Not everybody does that. So it's a model that needs to be spoken about.

Omar: 32:45

Amen. Oh, yeah. For sure. That's one reason why we are here. I know you mentioned, you know, more interviews too. So we'll be highlighting more of what's going on out here in Kewaunee as far, but, uh, yeah, any final words and then if you could close us out on the prayer.

Michelle: 32:56

Sure. Yeah. I just, I just hope that it, you know, continues to blossom out from here and it already has a little bit and it's been so fun to watch and I just hope that, you know, more prisons, more churches, you know, get involved in this.

Omar: 33:09

Amen. Amen. And then we close up. Sure.

Michelle: 33:12

Thank you so much, God, for bringing these guys in. I'm so excited to have you guys here tonight to be able to talk about, um, bringing the men in the prison to you and then ultimately, um, sending them out into the world and giving them the support system that they need to be able to teach more about you as well. And just let your love get spread, you know, amongst everybody that we can, God. And court, if you could please just wrap your arms around, uh, Ronnie and Omar as they go through this podcast that will hopefully also reach, um, some more men and, uh, just give them some guidance. and be on their hearts and just help show them the way, um, Lord, also just please help us to, uh, open our hearts to be able to, um, open our hearts to be able to, uh, show, you know, show others the way to you and, um, Lord, just be with our families too as we do this and help them to understand, you know, that this means so much to us and maybe it will help, uh, them to do the same. In your son's name, we pray. Amen.

Omar: 34:13

Amen. Amen. You know, speaking of hospital. I just want to thank you for allowing us to come here into your home and do this, you know, so we're experiencing the hospitality for ourselves, you know, so God bless you and your family, everything that you're doing. And with that, uh, we're going to get ready to wrap up a Matthew four 16 reads the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death. Light has dawned alongside my guests Ronnie Carrasquillo and Michelle. My name is Omar Calvillo and we are Wrong Too Strong. Hey man,