Photo: (l to r) Doug Flick, Elnora Weaver and Truman Weaver. Photo provided. 

When Doug Flick landed in jail again at age 43, he knew he had hit rock bottom. After being introduced to drugs at a young age, Flick was addicted and had been arrested several times for drug-related activity. “I should be thinking about retirement and vacations, and here I was,” says Flick. I realized something was seriously wrong.” In desperation, Flick opened his Bible and, for some reason, felt that reading it was “different and more real. I was hungering for it.”

Flick’s newfound interest in the Bible led him to a 15- week class focusing on the basics of Christianity held every Thursday afternoon for inmates at the Elkhart County (Ind.) jail. Truman Weaver, a member of Yellow Creek Mennonite Church in Goshen, Ind., taught the class, and over the course of 15 weeks, he built a relationship with Flick.

After learning more about Scripture and the life of Jesus, Flick chose to be baptized. Prison guards provided a horse tank filled with water for the occasion and members of the class celebrated with Flick.

“At the end of our time together, I asked the class what a difference Jesus makes in your life,” says Weaver. “And Doug said, ‘Joy and peace.’ Something he had never experienced before was joy and peace.
Flick’s trial was held on Sept. 16, and he was released to live with the Weavers on Sept. 17. The judge agreed to release Flick from jail if he had a home to live in and a job to go to.

Flick and the Weavers have been surprised at the ways their lives have been enriched by this living situation. For many former prisoners, finding a stable place to live and a job can be difficult. Many end up back in prison when they are unable to find a steady source of income or safe community and return to old patterns of behavior. After much prayer and discernment, Truman and Elnora, his wife, agreed to offer their home to Flick while he worked to get back on his feet.

“I prayed and searched Scripture all summer,” says Elnora. “It wasn’t easy. I had to get myself ready for this. A few days before the trial, I asked Truman, Are you sure we should be doing this? I’m too old. I’m 80. And Truman said, ‘Well, God called Moses at age 80.’”

“The Weavers took me in and have really walked with me,” says Flick. “I’ve been in and out [of jail] a lot of times, and I’ve never had anybody there to help me. No family.… There are lots of barriers. They throw you on the street, with responsibilities and bills you have to pay. Having people to walk with you makes all the difference in the world.”

Flick and several other former inmates have begun attending Yellow Creek Mennonite Church and have enriched the life of the congregation with their testimonies.

“When you hear the testimonies, it does a lot for our congregation to realize that we’re a sheltered group,” says Truman. “We have very little knowledge of how the rest of the world lives. It opens up people’s eyes about some of the needs we don’t face every day and some of the ways we’ve taken the importance of Christianity for granted.”

Other members of the congregation are also involved in prison ministry and are hosting former inmates in their homes while they work to get back on their feet.