An Update

I continue to adjust to this place while greatly missing the fellowship I had at Sullivan...

I had to leave behind a good bunch of Christians whom I continue to pray for. I also miss my former neighbor, Joe. He was very sick with cancer. I've been praying for Joe as well.

Here at Shawangunk I've been going outdoors, mostly in the evenings, provided I don't have a Bible study or veterans meeting scheduled. I'm thankful to have access to fresh air as the prison has no air conditioning in the housing units. Nor does it appear to have a functional ventilation system. So I'm living in a sweatbox.

​But in spite of the oppressive heat and humidity, I've managed to get some reading done. In addition to daily readings of the Scriptures, a few of the books I have recently finished was ELLIS ISLAND, a novel by Fred Mustard Stewart. It captures the lives of a selection of newly arriving immigrants who need to be processed through New York City's famed Ellis Island before being allowed to enter the country in the early 1900s to start a new life for themselves.

I also surprised myself by reading a western novel titled SODBUSTER, by Gary McCarthy. I think this was only the second western I have ever read in my life! Sodbuster is about a hard-working pioneer family who tried to carve out a life for themselves in the sparsely populated Wyoming prairie in the 1870s. It's an excellent book which I believe captures the determination and perseverance of America's early settlers. A great read!

D. B.