My Best Idea Yet... Until it Wasn't

I had an idea. A grand vision.

It came to me on the treadmill.

Over the last five or six months, I’ve started running without any headphones, phone, TV, watch, or other form of entertainment. I just run. I let my mind wander. It’s wonderful.

This idea was my best yet. I was certain of it.

We’d gotten approval from one prison’s warden to begin a new beekeeping program. My mom made room in the budget for us to purchase supplies and start in the spring. The men were extremely excited, eager to taste honey and learn a new skill. Week after week they asked the same question, “When we were going to start the beekeeping program?” And every week I would remind them to be patient. “It’s coming.”

I’d arranged everything already. I had the classroom, the approval, the funding. I just needed one more thing.

Someone to teach the class.

You see, at other facilities where HeartBound has beekeeping programs, we follow a simple model. We speak with the prison’s staff to find an inmate who’s already a certified beekeeper, then we equip them with the tools they need to teach the class. This model works great because an incarcerated man or woman has the opportunity to become a teacher, lead a class of their peers, add something to their resume, and feel like they’re giving back. Plus, that teacher is at the facility 24/7/365, regardless of lockdowns or bad weather. They can teach as much as they like. It’s a win-win.

But this prison didn’t have any beekeepers. And due to the high security level of this facility, I couldn’t bring in any outside volunteers or get someone who was already certified transferred in from another prison. I’d have to teach the class myself.

Which was a major problem, because I’m already pretty busy. In January, I visited ten different prisons and churches across Georgia, teaching a total of twenty-three different classes. Each class is usually two or more hours long and the prisons are at least an hour drive away. The time it would take to learn how to teach beekeeping just didn’t exist.

But then I had that idea. The one on the treadmill. One of our students, Jonathan, was brilliant. He loved to read and was well respected by his peers. I could get him the so-called bible of beekeeping bible – First Lessons in Beekeeping – and let him lead the class. We’d equip him just like we do our other beekeepers. We could even appoint another student, Karl, to help him as an assistant. They’d make a great team.

I took two of the beekeeping books to class. I explained my idea. I asked if anyone would volunteer, praying Jonathan and Karl would raise their hands. They were our two most ardent learners. Surely, they would step up.

In case I hadn’t made my point clear, I even stared at them. Jonathan turned his face towards Karl. Karl looked back at him. They seemed ready to assent.

Suddenly, I heard a noise from the back of the room. The far back. The part of the classroom where the class clowns usually sit.

Tyrique called out. “Beekeeping? I never done it before. But I always wanted to learn. My uncle had bees. I’ll do it.”

To my right, I heard another voice. “Yeah, I’ll do it with you.” I turned and saw Kenny with his hand raised.

Kenny and Tyrique have consistently been the two lowest performing students. They never turn in anything on time. They’re young, a bit hotheaded, and new to prison. They’re not interested in books or plants; they just like that the horticulture class allows them to be outside for a couple hours a week.

I glanced back at Karl and Jonathan. They shrugged their shoulders. Tyrique and Kenny it was.

God seems to use the least of these to humble us, the proud. I am a teacher, a jack-of-many-trades, a reader, a leader. I tend to think I know it all. Until I don’t. And in that moment, I realized I knew nothing. I love how God works. How our earthly plans get laid by the wayside. How time and time again, with God’s help, the underdog wins.

I can’t wait to see what Kenny and Tyrique accomplish. Please join me in praying for them and praying for the least of these. May we all live in humility and in awe of how God works.