Checking in with the Journey of Hope

Things have been incredibly hectic lately, with NCADP's upcoming annual conference in Austin. I have not been able to blog as often as I would have liked on the ongoing Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing.

But here, courtesy of Beth Wood, Abe's significant other, is an update. Stay tuned for more as time permits!

Good Morning All! We hail from Houston, Texas this morning. Governor left
us yesterday for Kamp K-9. It was a great facility and I believe he will have a
great time.

We arrived to a greet a big group of murder victims families last night.
Although Abe knew most everyone, it was exciting for me to meet so many people
I've seen in movies and read about in books. We began the evening by introducing
ourselves and giving a brief introduction. I hadn't prepared myself for the
amount of sadness that most of the Journey participants have suffered. Although
I had heard or read about most of them, hearing their story in person is much
more moving. I spent most of the time in tears.

As I chronicle this journey, I thought I would try to focus on one person
per day and help you to get to know them. I had not heard the story of a woman
named Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins. Her sister, her sister's unborn child and her
sister's husband were murdered by a teen who just wanted to see what it would be
like to kill someone.

Jennifer told of how her sister lived long enough to see her husband and
unborn child murdered and then eventually bleed to death. As she lie dying, she
traced a heart in the blood above her husband's head.

This, according to Jennifer, is the reason for her opposition to the death
penalty for this killer. Even having watched all of that, the last thought her
sister had was of love for her family. Having just had a baby and having a very
excited sister, who shared our joy, I can't imagine the pain Jennifer has
suffered. Yet, like all of these people, she is a bubbly woman filled with joy.
Forgiveness for her seems to be an elixir. She is scheduled to speak at a
synagogue with Abe this morning and I look forward to getting to know her
better.

More Later . . .

Beth Wood