Dear Holy Spirit Church,

1) My name is Floyd Smith, CDCR#K-72700. PAPYRUS COLLECTIVE project coordinator,
lead writer and contributing editor for the WODZ (WRITE OR DIE zine) series.
With this MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH to sister Kathy and the congregation. This is
my testimonial.

2) One morning, while pacing the small space of an outside holding cage, a man
in the cage next to mine named Westley, noticed my low spirit and spoke to me.
He said that he wanted me to meet a lady named Kathy that he knew, because the
church where she worshiped was putting on a bake sale to raise funds for
prisoners in need during the Christmas Holiday. He told me that he already
has support, and wanted to offer his blessing from the church bake sale to me.

3) What Westley didn't know is that I was in a very dark place that morning.
Upset with God, because my 16 year old daughter was in a high speed chase
through Los Angeles in a stolen vehicle, which turned into a foot chase that
ended in the officer drawing his gun on my baby. Especially since I was told
that my daughter was pregnant. All of that hit me so hard that I had decided
to commit suicide that day.

4) My daughter, pregnant with my first grandchild inside a juvenile facility
somewhere, and would be born incarcerated (Three generations incarcerated).
Both my daughter and grandchild could've been shot and killed that day. To think
about it, some cop had to go home and tell his wife that he almost shot someone's
16 year old daughter. In this climate in America where hostility and tragedy
between the police and inner city youth is all too often the result of such
encounters. It all really pushed me to the edge that particular day.

5) Meeting sister Kathy, and her introducing me to Robain, who I came
to know during our visits, both, make me look back at that moment as
a direct movement of God into my life. Because neither Westley, Kathy
nor Robain knew that I was in trouble until after I engaged them. And
although Robain can't visit me anymore, he made a great impression on
my life from the times he did. (Robain is the Real Deal).

6) That act of kindness that Westley extended 4 years ago through his
bake sale blessing sustained me, and my hope to one day hear from my
daughter and meet my grandchild. Today, I share the bake sale blessing
with others, as well as sister Kathy's prison ministry which brings
those from your congregation (like Robain) into the visiting rooms.
This last holiday I was able to share this combined blessing from
both "bakers" and ministers with some "new souls" among an new
generation of the death row population here at San Quentin, thanx
to sister Kathy expanding the efforts and resources to me, from the
congregation of the Holy Spirit church.

7) As a result of that new effort (only 2-3 months since as I write
this letter to you) something very special has began to evolve from
these young men, who can't stop talking about Kathy and their new
found fellowship with those people among your congregation. And so
it didn't take long for this "message" from these new souls to come
together to extend our appreciation. I told sistr Kathy that we need
to call the visiting room expansion "feast and fellowship" with new souls.

8) Byron, Marcus, Waymon, Thomas, Tyrone, and Rayon; are these new
souls who've been touched in a positive way by you. It may be obvious
that we are not a part of the usual crowd of "Bible dudes" around here,
who don't engage our generation at all, let alone any new souls being
brought to the Lord by those that have been here since before many of us
left moddle school. In fact, the vast population of death row prisoners
confined here at San Quentin, most of us don't know eachother. Whether
it be fences and walls, or barriers of the mind, it's a cliché all too
common here to find our generation more at odds with whatever people
morph into while "playing" christian.

9) If it wasn't for those here like RU-AL, and Westley, setting an
example of God's grace towards us as we come here as young and wild
lost souls, there would be little to no evidence of God's mercy here
in real time. If not for Kathy and those of you who baked, wrote
letters, came to visit, without prejudice or judgement. These
testimonials are a confirmation that through you, God is getting
our attention.