THIS . . .
Jana is actually Lacie's roommate at Denver Women's Correctional Facility. On May 31, 2023, she legally became our daughter through an adult adoption process!! The entire story of how it all came about is a miracle in itself! In the future, I will write more about how my sister made me a mother in upcoming blogs!
After the adoption was finalized, we were able to receive the permission necessary to visit Jana in person. A MIRACLE!!! Ken and I made arrangements to see her over the weekend of Lacie’s birthday in September.
REUNION DAY for
JANA and her DAD!!!
October 27, 2023
John, Jana, Ken, Stephanie
The MIRACLE of John and Jana
Hearts of a father and daughter being restored right before our eyes!!!
It was incredible to see the healing come through both of them.
Malachi 4:6
And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.
The NEED is being met with HOPE!!!
Lacie has worked VERY hard to keep HOPE going for many years!!! In the beginning of September, she began telling me about her plans to have a Christmas Party with all 22 mentors. It was her desire to have a meal together, take pictures, play a game, and possibly provide a gift for each woman who volunteers as a way of saying "thank you!" and to acknowledge all their commitment to help others. As you can imagine, it is a valuable program.
On December 2nd, Lacie was able to see all of her hard work and coordination come together by having a meal brought in “from the outside” by the Chaplain of New Beginnings (the church that is run inside DWCF), provide a 2024 planner for each girl, and GET PICTURES taken. Getting group photos like this one require permission. THIS is a BIG DEAL!!!
Here are the HOPE Mentors!!!
When I met Justin for the first time in early June 2023, he had mentioned he wanted to continue trying to get Lacie’s story in front of Colorado Governor Jared Polis.
Getting in front of the Governor of Colorado in order to tell Lacie's story was something Justin - the law professor, Gail Johnson - Lacie's attorney, and Anne Marie Moyes - Executive Director of Korey Wise Innocence Project had been working on even before Lacie's Clemency was filed on October 3, 2022. The three of them had a meeting with the Governor's legal team in December 2022.
We were VERY hopeful that something would happen.
In the first week of February 2023, Justin wrote about Lacie in a book review for the Harvard Civil Rights - Civil Liberties Law Review and the book:
Barred: Why the Innocent Can't Get Out of Prison.
You can read Justin's account of how he learned about Lacie and other details by clicking here:
To this day, we are not certain that Governor Polis had even seen or heard Lacie's actual plea for clemency before it was denied. Nothing has truly been heard regarding Lacie's legal pursuits since late June 2023 when Anne Marie Moyes with Korey Wise Innocence Project agreed to join Gail Johnson in her pursuit to see Lacie declared innocent and released. Since then, it has been crickets.
It was AMAZING and all of it happened because Ken and I were willing to prayerfully do what Lacie had asked us to do almost two years earlier - adopt Jana bring her into the family!!!
Another miracle is in the making as I type this brief update. As you know, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2020. It is truly hard to believe that I am approaching the four year anniversary!!! WOW!!!
On October 2nd, I woke up to a dream that outlined many unusual encounters and experiences. At the time, I had begun praying and asking the Lord to speak to me in dreams and this is the one I wrote down all the details.
I grew a little concerned and when I inquired more. He responded to me saying, “It is setup like the Wednesday you arrived in Denver. I am doing it again.”
Many more miracles have happened since that day as I prepared for the surgery by getting all the required clearances. As well, I have had NUMEROUS opportunities to pray for people as I walked in faith to see what God desired to do - and He did some truly remarkable things for myself and others along the way. He continues to do so!!!
I, personally, am even more amazed at how my sister - the one I never knew growing up and reunited with in 2019, made me a mother for the first time!!!
Ken and Stephanie
SURGERY UPDATE: On the morning of December 18th, surgery had to be postponed due to an unexpected allergic reaction I was having. My surgeon did not want to take any chances and I felt peace with that decision as well.
Remember, the Lord had given me a dream and it was amazing that I had been scheduled for surgery before the end of the year so I knew I was not there by accident. It had to be for something.
As the surgeon was leaving the preop room with the decision made to cancel the surgery,
I began asking the Lord, "Why am I here?"
As I was praying I quickly saw in BIG BOLD letters the name JESUS right where the preop nurse had been standing hours earlier. There was a realization and understanding that I needed to ask the nurse and ask if he knew Jesus.
Well, I did ask him, the moment he came back. He immediately responded, "Yes."
I pressed in and asked how we could pray for him. Ken and I had a truly remarkable time of prayer, encouraging him, and THEN he prayed for me!!!
Upon our departure, the woman who had checked me in hours earlier came up to talk to us. We had shared our faith and confidence in the Lord earlier and she, in some ways, continued where we left off before we prayed for her and the challenges she had presented to Ken and I.
Indeed, it was a special time with the Lord and all things turned out for good!
He uses all things, even postponed surgery!!!
I had the revision surgery on January 8th and have been recovering since then.
Thank you all for your prayers.
Blessings and thank you for reading!
Stephanie