New connections and opportunities can feel both intimidating and exciting. Our backgrounds, inexperience, or failures may stand over us with accusations that tell us we have no business stepping into something new and unknown. But when God brings a new opportunity into our lives, and we approach it with open hands (despite the fear that has us shaking in our boots), there’s always a grand adventure on the other side. It simply takes a courageous “yes.”

For Bill Smith, mentoring a man awaiting trial in jail wasn’t exactly on his life “to do” list, but when the situation presented itself, he took it to God and said “yes, Lord.” That act of obedience would impact both men more than they could ever imagine and prove to Bill that God can—and does—redeem us from all our sin.

Christmas Eve, 2021.

Bill heard the heavy door slam shut behind him. The sound reverberated up and down the sterile jailhouse hall.

“This way,” the guard instructed.

Bill was here as a visitor, but the fact wasn’t lost on him that he very easily could have been the one visited that day. As he walked, Bill thought about a variety of situations in his past that might have ended very differently. He’d been lucky, and he knew it. Those memories made him feel uneasy, unsure and, above all, unqualified to be here. On the other hand, he was open to the possibilities of what God might be asking of him. He hoped, if nothing else, this visit would be encouraging to the man he was about to meet.

Two days earlier, Bill’s wife, Dionne, brought to his attention an email from Amy Dmyterko, Westside Family Church’s First Steps Director. Bill and Dionne met Amy months ago when the pair signed up to be Sunday morning greeters.

Amy emailed to ask if Bill would be willing to meet with an incarcerated man on Christmas Eve, after a parent had reached out to her seeking a pastoral visitor on that date. As Amy considered the request, her heart was burdened with Bill’s name for a reason she couldn’t explain. Over the years, she had learned to pay attention to that quiet Holy Spirit whisper, so she obediently reached out.

“Dionne,” Bill remembered addressing his wife, “the email says the parent wants a pastor to visit this man in prison. You know that’s not me…I’m not a pastor. I’m not even close.”

“I know, but Amy specifically thought you would be a good fit for this request. I think you should at least text her about it.”

“OK fine. I’ll do that in a little bit.”

A few months earlier, Bill, a retired Army Major, began working on a master's degree in Christian Apologetics from Liberty University. He wanted to fortify his own knowledge and faith in Jesus.

The road that brought him to this place was arduous and impossible. For more than a decade, Bill battled severe PTSD-induced nightmares after serving during the second Iraq War. For a while, he found relief in alcohol, but when the bottle began demanding more and more of him, threatening his marriage and livelihood, he knew he had to fix it. He tried to do that multiple times in his own strength, but it wasn’t until he let God into that equation and discovered a different kind of hope that true healing began.

Bill and Dionne began attending Westside a few years ago. Bill began attending first, and Dionne reluctantly followed. Initially Bill liked the church because he was being fed spiritually, but could also blend into the large crowd, hiding out in the back rows of the balcony. That all changed in early 2019. On Easter Sunday, grateful for Jesus’ saving intervention in their lives, Bill and Dionne chose to be baptized together, publicly declaring their faith and full surrender to God. It was in that moment, Bill effectively heralded the truth of what was tattooed on his chest: “Phil. 4:13”—I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Bill knew addiction recovery had nothing to do with his strength—he had tried that and failed. But it did have everything to do with God and relying on His strength. It was the humbling truth of Jesus’ sacrifice, grace and forgiveness that ultimately pushed Bill to pursue his Savior wherever that might lead. Right now, that pursuit was leading him toward a master’s degree, so what was this request about visiting a guy in jail on Christmas Eve all about?

Sitting in his thoughts for a moment, the enemy of his soul began accusing him, reminding him of every shortcoming and failure. All he could think of was how unqualified he was, he promised Dionne he would find out more. He picked up his phone.

“Hey Amy, it’s Bill,” he began typing into a text message. “Dionne sent me your email. I’d like to find more out about this and see if I can help, but are you sure you have the right person here? The parent said they wanted a pastor.” Bill paused a moment before hitting send.

Then came the response, “Hi Bill! As I prayed about it, your name was so burdened on my heart—I had to reach out. It’s just one visit. If you are interested, I can send you the contact info for the parent,” Amy replied.

“Sure. Thank you.”

Amy forwarded the information, and as far as she knew, that was the end of it.

Bill took a deep breath and dialed the phone number. He wanted to make sure they knew he wasn’t a pastor but that he was willing to help. He couldn’t get it out of his mind just how lonely it would feel for the incarcerated around the holidays.

That afternoon, Dionne found Bill in the living room. “So, did you talk to Amy?”

“I did…and I also called the parent. I think this is a ‘go,’ but I need you to weigh in before I commit …What do you really think? I mean, I’d be representing our church, and visiting this guy in jail, on Christmas Eve.”

“Christmas Eve is your birthday.”

Bill laughed, “Yah, I know…but I keep thinking he’s going to be all alone for Christmas and if that were me, I’d like a visitor.”

“Well first of all, we don’t have any plans that day, and secondly, it sounds exactly like it’s something you’d be interested in.”

Dionne was referring to his meeting last spring with the prison ministry, Brothers in Blue. Bill had been curious about the ministry, but ultimately it didn’t feel like the right fit.

Now it was Christmas Eve, and Bill was walking down the jail hallway to meet a man awaiting trial for a crime Bill knew nothing about. Ever since he pulled out of the driveway that morning, he hadn’t stopped praying. He told God how completely unqualified he felt, but also asked Him to honor his obedience and somehow use him in this man’s life.

The guard directed Bill to a plexiglass phone booth. That was the first time Bill saw David.

David stood in front of him in his standard issue jail jumpsuit and motioned Bill to sit down and pick up the phone.

Taking a deep breath, Bill grabbed the phone. “Hi David,” Bill began. “My name is Bill Smith. Maybe you know this…but your parent attends my church and since they couldn’t be with you today, they asked the church if they could send someone…so here I am.”

“Thanks for coming. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas. I’m sure this has got to be a little tough for you this year.”

David nodded.

Through the thick plexiglass, Bill noticed David had brought with him a large, well-worn, black, King James Version Bible.

“Is that your Bible?”

“Yes. I don’t know what I’d do without it.”

As the men cautiously began getting to know each other, the conversation became remarkably easier. Bill was amazed by how comfortable David made him feel in an otherwise awkward situation. David wanted to talk about what he was learning in the Bible. David’s depth and insight astounded Bill. Before he knew it, their allotted visiting time was over, but Bill found himself wishing for more.

“David,” Bill started, “I don’t know if you have anyone coming to visit you next week, but I’d be happy to come back on New Year’s Eve if you’d like me to.”

“That would be great,” David responded. “I really enjoyed this today.”

Bill kept his promise to meet with David the following week and made plans to visit again.

Late January 2022.

“You’re different,” Dionne said. Bill had just returned from his third visit and she was listening to him share about the richness of conversation and depth of connection he felt to this relative stranger.

“What do you mean, ‘different?’” Bill asked.

“You just have a peace and calm about you that wasn’t there before. I don’t know how else to describe it.”

“Before what?”

“Before you started visiting David.”

“You know he is really a remarkable person. What I wasn’t expecting at all is how he challenges me in my faith, and how blessed I feel each time we spend time together. Did I tell you he’s been learning Hebrew out of a book? Today when we left, he prayed over me in Hebrew. It was a powerful moment.”

“So, what are you going to do after his trial? If he is convicted, you know, he probably wouldn’t be incarcerated here.”

“I’ve really been thinking about that a lot lately,” Bill paused. “I’m convinced God purposely intersected our lives for a reason. Whatever David’s future might look like, I know it isn’t going to be easy. Can you imagine how many people just abandon you when you are accused or worse, found guilty of a crime? I don’t want to be that person.”

Dionne nodded, “Because that’s definitely not who you are.”

“No, it’s not. So, this might sound crazy, but whether or not David is convicted, stays here, or goes someplace else, I would like to find a way to continue meeting him every month if you’re ok with that, Dionne.”

“OK with that?” Dionne said with a gentle laugh. “You know there’s a verse that keeps coming to mind out of Matthew chapter 25 where Jesus says, ‘I was in prison, and you came to visit me.’ You are being that person every time you visit David, breathing life and encouragement into a very difficult situation. So, am I OK with that? I’m not sure if I really have a say in that, because when God’s in the middle of all of this, how could I not be?”

What Bill originally thought was a ministry opportunity for him with an incarcerated man, ended up blessing both men with a friendship neither one could ever have imagined.

Over the following weeks and months, Bill and David have continued to meet, their friendship and mutual love for Jesus growing stronger each day. Some have compared the depth of the relationship to that of Jonathan and David in the Old Testament.

Recently, David wrote a letter to Bill. It is shared below:

Dear Bill,

I am so grateful you have come into my life. You asked something along the lines, “while waiting to go to trial, are you always this happy and upbeat?” This is a multi-faceted question. First off, I am human, so I have ebbs and flows like other inmates. I also want to give praise to God and explain this is what can come out of a man when he fasts and prays, “And we know that all things work together for the good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 That means even though my crisis is about to break me I know that God has GOT ME! The plan was already there at the beginning to fix our mess back to His purpose.

I am so thankful for the fact that the Holy Spirit brought us together because you have become like a Jonathan to me. Sure, I have family and friends that have comforted me, but to have an outsider come into my life and make a brotherly promise to stay close enough to give me a spiritual reason for what is going on, I will always be indebted of your Philadelphian love.

I look forward to seeing you again. And dear brother, don’t be drinking too much soda pop on me and turn into a chunky monkey. I’ll see you next visit. I will leave you with a Hebrew exit to this letter.

Shalom, shalom

I seal this letter in the Blood of Yeshua Hamashiach.

Watch the full Sunday gathering here.