Randi's Reality

I am writing this blog to express my deepest thoughts and prayers concerning a dear friend of mine. My name is Cynthia Lebermann, also known as Songbird to some. I have been incarcerated at the West Baton Rouge Detention Center since January 5, 2009.

I entered this facility deeply wounded and confused. I spent the better part of a month adjusting to an institutionalized life. Not really my cup of tea. Oh yeah, I forgot what tea was...

Having only spent the night in jail twice and bonded out in a day or so...my lifestyle received a tremendous makeover, and I wanted my money back. I have now received the full crash course in Jail 101. So many times throughout life we ask God, "why me Lord??" We swim in our own pool of mistakes and while we are eatin' crow...the shoulda woulda coulda's start flowing. After settling myself into this way of life, I felt like I had done pretty well fitting in and getting along. As the days rolled by, I came to know this bouncy, bubbly young lady named Randi Spearman.

I was in a world of my own - very confused and resentful to the world. Inwardly, I was doing my best to conceal this outwardly. Randi approached me on several occasions and asked me to join them in Bible study and church sessions.

I would politely refuse and give my own list of reasons.

Around Spring of 2008, I had an encounter that made me doubt my faith and turn away from the teachings of Christ I had been raised on since childhood. Upon learning this, I could tell it troubled her greatly. A few days later, I was drawing at the tables and Randi slid in next to me.

She told me she wanted to talk to me.

After a brief conversation about what had happened to me, she quickly grabbed her Bible and took me to several places in the book that changed my mind about the information I was bent on believing.

I immediately re-dedicated my life to Christ.

In tears, we hugged and laughed.

Since then, we have become great friends.

Randi eats, sleeps and breathes the Lord.

I started realizing that my problems were nothing...with me having to do only 4 months and walk out of prison - while Randi has done 9 months and not been to court. My jaw dropped.

I am not a Louisiana native and like Randi, I have no family here that can visit or comfort me close to this facility. I feel her pain. I find it so hard to believe that someone so dedicated to God is being held up for so long with no progress.

She is here for a reason, and I thank God I came to jail - because I would not have been blessed with her friendship and guidance, had I not come here.

This place - as horrible as we make it sound, is really not like jail at all. Its more like Bible Camp!

She's always smiling and singing Christian songs. S he is one tough cookie.

I pray for her constantly that she will have some kind of breakthrough in this seemingly endless wait. Randi longs so deeply to go home and even though I know it hurts her on the inside, she still bounces around this dorm like a ray of sunshine beaming down on all of us.

I know that God broke the mold when he made Randi. He put her here for a reason. I believe it was to grow her to fullest potential to do HIS work...and what an excellent job she does.

However, I want to ask every reader to pray daily for this young lady to get some answers she so deeply longs to have. I know God will move when He is ready but it doesn't hurt to ask!

Please pray for Randi's Freedom!

Love,
Cynthia Lebermann