As most Jericho Road Church members know, we as a church have decided to help support, and walk with a man recently released from prison names Carlos. The sponsorship is managed and run by Koinonia House National Ministries. As part of this partnership, Jericho Road Church has different host families who take Carlos in on Sundays to basically spend the day with. My wife and I decided, along with her parents, that we and our two kids would volunteer as a host family, and this past Sunday was our first Sunday with Carlos.

We had a blast! After spending the morning at our Sunday Gathering, we went directly to my wife's parent's house in Wheaton, to be joined by her parents as well as her brother and his girlfriend. We had a great meal of pulled pork which we ate outside, where we just talked and spent time together. It was incredible how easy it was to not only get along with Carlos, but to truly see how infectious his positivity was, and how inspiring his spirit and faith was.

He talked a great deal about his faith in Jesus Christ, and shared with us the joy and hope that he gained from his relationship with Him. It was humbling and exciting to see true joy and faith in action in this way. We then watched the Black Hawks, White Sox, and some of the Cubs game as well, before going across the street to throw the football around, and play basketball.

The great thing about our day was not only the ability to witness Carlos's great faith and spirit and passion, but to see how grateful he was for our hospitality, and ultimately, how easy it was to get along with him. It's amazing what it feels like when true brothers and sisters in Christ came come together in love and trust, what kinds of relationships can then blossom.

At this point, I can honestly say that I can't wait for next month when we get to spend yet another day with our new friend and brother, Carlos.