Freedom Bus Ministry

The sky was a uniform shade of overcast gray but the rain had let up when we walked out of the bus station. The temperature hovered around 50, comfortable enough for me in my soft fleece hoodie, especially after the warmth inside the lobby.  We… Read More

Stephanie was 1 of 5 women released at the Greyhound bus station today.  But unlike the others, who were all going to be able to depart for their hometowns by 4:00 P.M., she was going to have to wait until 2:30 A.M. tomorrow morning to… Read More

Some days the prison van doesn’t come. Some days it just takes them so long to get all their ducks in a row to transport the released women that by the time they finally make it to downtown Houston, we have given up waiting for… Read More

It was December 23, 2015, the last day to get out of jail before Christmas and we were expecting a big release. We did, in fact, end up serving 16 women arriving in two shifts, far more than on a typical Wednesday. But what stands… Read More

Things don’t always go as planned and when that happens, I find I am only marginally successful at altering my thought processes to adapt to changed circumstances.  The day I met Stoney was one of those days and Stoney himself was the new paradigm.  When… Read More

“Let’s just admit it. A woman’s gotta have her chocolate.” There were giggles and nods of agreement with my friend Pixie’s confession as we all savored the sweet deliciousness of the chewy brownies being shared around the table. “Oh, this is heaven!” “It’s been sooo… Read More

Her demeanor was puzzling to us. She obviously needed help but she was so reluctant to accept it. Jessy had climbed out of the back of the prison van a free woman on a busy downtown Houston street along with two other newly released prisoners.… Read More

I live in Humble, TX., a suburban area to the northeast of Houston. Every Wed. I go with a group of women from my church to the Greyhound Bus Station in downtown Houston. We stand at the corner of Webster and Main and wait for… Read More

Erica is 62 years old. I met her Wednesday at the Greyhound station in downtown Houston. That’s where the prison van had dropped her off that morning after she had served her time. She didn’t have a voucher for a bus ticket because she was… Read More

As one of many volunteers with the Freedom Bus Ministry, I have, on occasion, felt moved to record my experiences on a personal level. These writings I shared with friends on Facebook as my “Freedom Bus Diaries” in an attempt to convey why I am… Read More