Frankie

Hello all,

Kassie here.
I have had the privilege of volunteering at a local crisis ministry for the past 10 months. I help in the soup kitchen that helps feed 90 or so individuals in need, per day, in our area. Several of us began volunteering around the same time, and we quickly became the infamous "Wednesday Crew". We all just had a great connection, though we were an unlikely group of folks to be together. Among the crew was my buddy Frankie Palmer. We worked side-by-side assembling sandwiches, gathering groceries and stirring soup. Many days we would spend our time talking about the Lord- how good He is to us, and how much He has transformed us. Our crew worked hard, laughed hard and served one another gladly.

Frankie was a convicted felon. He was still in prison, but worked every day at the ministry through a prison work program as he was nearing the end of his 20-year sentence. I hate telling that to people. I know it is a huge part of his life, but I don't want to define him solely through the mistakes he has made. Ultimately, he is a soul sought out and redeemed by our good Lord. He wouldn't say he was a pastor, but he exercised many pastoral gifts in and out of jail. You couldn't be around him without hearing about the grace he has received from our Heavenly Father. You would also hear him humming old hymns, and almost always updating us on his beautiful fiancée whom he was giddy over and planned to marry within a few weeks of being released.

Every day after work, he would say, "Be good now." And I would chuckle at the irony, shake my head and respond, "I will. I will. See you next week." Last week, I received a phone call telling me that Frankie had suffered from a heart attack and died in his sleep. He had been out of prison for just over two weeks.

I have dealt with a lot of mixed emotions: Grief, of course, as I miss him and his humor... sadness of the timing of it all, and pain that his loving fiancée is left to a life on earth without him. And then there is incommunicable joy that Frankie has finally been released from the sin of this world and has been brought into ultimate freedom.

I have included a short video clip produced by Biltmore Baptist, the local church community that accepted, loved and mentored Frankie. Through it, you will meet Frankie and hear a bit of his testimony. It is my hope in sharing this that you will hear peace, gratitude and wisdom in his voice. It is also my hope that you will be encouraged by how far the Lord goes to reach the seemingly "unreachable" people in this world. Frankie has helped me change my perception of convicted criminals, but mainly, he has helped me see an even greater, more graceful God than I have understood.

Frankie's Story:
http://vimeo.com/groups/churchmediahub/videos/18759395