Some of you are new to this blog on Marc’s murder case, and other issues.
I’ve felt conflicted at times on sharing about the defendants! Here it is, four years after the murder incident and I’m still in touch with the two young men. Believe me, it took me many months and a lot of anxiety assessing who they were, what their motives were. I never dreamed I’d actually ‘like’ them once it got past ‘I forgive you’ stage. For a couple years it was hard to understand my feelings of trust in them when I really felt this huge longing for Marc to come back!
As a parent, educator and Christian it’s sorta a no-brainer to like some people. When folks accept and respect you it enables you to establish a trust …. it’s always been that way with the boys. After pouring their hearts out in tears or words of remorse, I found at least a solid reason why forgiving them was such a god-send for we three and those reading this blog. It just opened the door for healing on a level I never knew existed between people.
Recently the lesser defendant, Wesley, contacted me again after a silence of about 6 months! Whew, it was like we picked up where we left off! I’d been feeling kinda dejected re: him and wondered if we’d ever talk again? With his life on the fringe of society so much is at stake for him. I used to fear that maybe one of the Detectives in Marc’s case would call me with news Wesley had passed too! I knew that crime in the Portland homeless community was so pervasive and perhaps Wesley was a serious victim of it.
But something inside didn’t feel that was the legacy that was due Marc, or his case! I’ve written in the past how I believed God had a better outcome from the tragedy! That the forgiveness would continue to bear fruit!
The last time we spoke he was sobbing over the phone and just needing someone to help him. I didn’t see at the time how he could take anymore? He recently told me he moved from Portland, and is ‘safe and sound’. But …. he’s needing to connect again.
I know people driving past him may think he’s a loser but he’s a person with meaning. I’ve found out thru getting to know him he’s a ‘people’ person, he loves family but is estranged due to the murder. He’s not into political conspiracies or sympathetic to the Antifa mind-set …. I’ve asked his opinions on current events. He’s not this angry young man but someone I call ‘stuck’. It’s good he’s not getting stoned or begging or stealing for some drug habit, that would likely be the end of any hope for him.
I think he spends most days hanging out at malls to keep warm during the winter. He seeks whatever friends he can find who are good to him. He’s not mentally ill where he can’t fit in with society or make trusting friendships. Just amazing the incredibly hard and lonely lives some people have. Marc’s case has opened my eyes to so much more suffering going on in this world, but I’ve seen people rise above!
I asked him on his birthday the other day if he still prays and he said he does! I’ll continue praying for him that God watches over him and brings him to the people who will lead him to the hope he needs!
Miracles do happen!