Thank you. My wife and I volunteer at the Utah State Prison. We work with a cohort of men finding a way out of their mental, emotional, physical, educational and spiritual prisons while knowing they will be incarcerated for years to come. This week they were experiencing upset individually and as a group. This is not unusual. As they shared, I told them there is no way I could relate to being in prison or the lives that led them to that point. I would not pretend to understand. Then, in part inspired by your vulnerability, I shared with the men part of our family story that includes two children that experienced severe trauma through the acts of others. I shared that my pain was at times irreconcilable but that I would not abandon my faith, hope and forgiving heart that comes through a loving Savior and what he did and does for me, my children, and those who had victimized them. It was a loving and connecting moment between us and those who had also been both victims and victimizers themselves. Thank you Chad for being vulnerable and providing me a powerful dose of courage and humanity to connect with 20 men who needed to know that those on the ‘outside’ had an inside that had experiences similar to their own and could love them as they are.
Crawford, what a powerful thing you are doing. It's truly sacred work and one Jesus specifically talks about in the New Testament, working with prisoners. And thank YOU for being so vulnerable and ope with them. This is a really powerful story!
I wish I could have been in that room to experience this with you, Chad. I was so grateful for the time I was able to spend at the conference on Thursday evening, and for all the people who brought their full selves into that space so that it could open up into something transformative. What a beautiful thing you, Patrick, and Katie have begun with Repair. May it continue and grow.
You got us off on exactly the right foot Jim. It put us all in the right relational mindset. Thank you again for all you are doing to repair the world.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it and I’ve been talking about it every day since. I’ve been to plenty of good conferences, but never one at has felt that deep, emotional soul stirring before. Last weekend a shift happened for me. I left with hope and peace, which has been with me all week. I can’t thank you enough for Repair. The intimacy of the event helped me understand and learn at a deep level. Chad, what you shared and how you did it, was impactful. I loved at the break hearing you say, “well guys I got us into this…” and I’m glad you did. I’m sure it has set off changes in all of us, Thank you.
Thank you Tanae. It was an honor to be with you and I especially appreciate your grace in both letting me get us into this and then offering the space for us to also find our way to hope and joy as well. Please stay in touch where that shift takes you ...
I loved the words “still metabolizing this weekend” and I completely relate. Part of what was so incredible to me was the openheartedness felt in every workshop. It was reassuring to feel a depth of connection through shared humanity that abandons sides and looks at hearts- such a sharp contrast from the day to day of our current world. It was truly transformative and I’m still pondering on how to create more of that deep connection in my life. My biggest lament is not being able to be in every session, but knowing that so many conference rooms were becoming their own sacred spaces is inspiring.
We all feel the same way Christina. Chad said his biggest regret was not being able to take all of the workshops. We are working on obtaining more funding in the future and hopefully, very soon, you'll get a chance to come back and take all the workshops you missed! Thanks for being with us last weekend!
Wow! What an intimate experience! Thank you for sharing.
For those of us who live too far to attend were the presentations videoed? (realizing fully there is no way to fully grasp the beauty of being there in person)
I am deeply grateful for all of you for continuing this conversation. It just gets better and better and more healing.
Thank you. My wife and I volunteer at the Utah State Prison. We work with a cohort of men finding a way out of their mental, emotional, physical, educational and spiritual prisons while knowing they will be incarcerated for years to come. This week they were experiencing upset individually and as a group. This is not unusual. As they shared, I told them there is no way I could relate to being in prison or the lives that led them to that point. I would not pretend to understand. Then, in part inspired by your vulnerability, I shared with the men part of our family story that includes two children that experienced severe trauma through the acts of others. I shared that my pain was at times irreconcilable but that I would not abandon my faith, hope and forgiving heart that comes through a loving Savior and what he did and does for me, my children, and those who had victimized them. It was a loving and connecting moment between us and those who had also been both victims and victimizers themselves. Thank you Chad for being vulnerable and providing me a powerful dose of courage and humanity to connect with 20 men who needed to know that those on the ‘outside’ had an inside that had experiences similar to their own and could love them as they are.
Crawford, what a powerful thing you are doing. It's truly sacred work and one Jesus specifically talks about in the New Testament, working with prisoners. And thank YOU for being so vulnerable and ope with them. This is a really powerful story!
I wish I could have been in that room to experience this with you, Chad. I was so grateful for the time I was able to spend at the conference on Thursday evening, and for all the people who brought their full selves into that space so that it could open up into something transformative. What a beautiful thing you, Patrick, and Katie have begun with Repair. May it continue and grow.
You got us off on exactly the right foot Jim. It put us all in the right relational mindset. Thank you again for all you are doing to repair the world.
I was in the room. It was sacred.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it and I’ve been talking about it every day since. I’ve been to plenty of good conferences, but never one at has felt that deep, emotional soul stirring before. Last weekend a shift happened for me. I left with hope and peace, which has been with me all week. I can’t thank you enough for Repair. The intimacy of the event helped me understand and learn at a deep level. Chad, what you shared and how you did it, was impactful. I loved at the break hearing you say, “well guys I got us into this…” and I’m glad you did. I’m sure it has set off changes in all of us, Thank you.
Thank you Tanae. It was an honor to be with you and I especially appreciate your grace in both letting me get us into this and then offering the space for us to also find our way to hope and joy as well. Please stay in touch where that shift takes you ...
I loved the words “still metabolizing this weekend” and I completely relate. Part of what was so incredible to me was the openheartedness felt in every workshop. It was reassuring to feel a depth of connection through shared humanity that abandons sides and looks at hearts- such a sharp contrast from the day to day of our current world. It was truly transformative and I’m still pondering on how to create more of that deep connection in my life. My biggest lament is not being able to be in every session, but knowing that so many conference rooms were becoming their own sacred spaces is inspiring.
We all feel the same way Christina. Chad said his biggest regret was not being able to take all of the workshops. We are working on obtaining more funding in the future and hopefully, very soon, you'll get a chance to come back and take all the workshops you missed! Thanks for being with us last weekend!
I am happy to hear this and hopeful it becomes a reality. Just copy and paste this weekend a few more times so we can go to all the sessions! ❤️
Awesome! I can’t wait to come back and bring more friends with me!
This sounds next level wonderful. Thank you for sharing and for teaching here.
Wow! What an intimate experience! Thank you for sharing.
For those of us who live too far to attend were the presentations videoed? (realizing fully there is no way to fully grasp the beauty of being there in person)
I am deeply grateful for all of you for continuing this conversation. It just gets better and better and more healing.