Inspire, Winter 2003

W h a t ’ s t h e W o r d ? S omeone once observed: “A vision without a burden is a dream; a burden without a vision is drudgery; a vision WITH a burden is a MISSION!”Without question, what began as a dream for William Triplett ’99 has become a mission. After retiring from the Army, William and his wife, Beverly, moved to Detroit. William worked in retail for several years and took classes at Highland Park College. Work opportunities brought the Tripletts to the Dayton area in the late 80s. On February 21, 1994, William’s life changed direction as he sensed God’s call to the ministry. After visiting Cedarville and visiting with faculty, William was confident Cedarville University was the place the Lord wanted him to be. He enrolled in the fall of 1994. His work schedule prevented him from taking more than one or two classes each term. But work did not prevent him from a perfect attendance record in class and in chapel! The Lord used both to sharpen William’s skills, expand his knowledge of the Word, and prepare Him for ministry. During his Cedarville years, William preached in local churches on the weekend, conducted a Bible study for employees at the store where he worked, and spent seven and a half years ministering in the jails of the Miami Valley. His work in the jails birthed the dream in his heart that would ultimately come true in Mobile, Alabama. The Move — William and Beverly moved to Alabama in July 2001. Shortly after settling into their new home, William began to prayerfully consider where he might work and what doors of ministry might open. One afternoon he decided to visit the county jail. His experience in jail ministry had fostered a desire to continue a similar involvement in Mobile. His intent was to find out how he could volunteer time, resources, etc., to be effective for Christ in the jail. Mission Mobile! 16 Winter 2003 When William arrived at the jail, he was able to meet immediately with the warden despite the fact that he had no appointment. As William began to explain the purpose of his visit, the warden became increasingly interested and exhibited an “I don’t believe it” look on his face. At one point he declared, “You’re scaring me!”When William probed to see why/how he was scaring a jail warden, the gentleman replied that they had been looking for someone to serve as chaplain for the jail. He said, “I knew when I found the right man, I’d see a burning bush. I didn’t even see any smoke until you walked into this office!” In fact, the warden had just come from a meeting where it had become clear that attempts to find a chaplain had failed. The jail officials were ready to concede defeat when William walked in! The Mission — In a matter of weeks William was hired to be the full-time chaplain of the county jail in Mobile, the first such chaplain in the 205-year history of the jail. The Lord had arranged for him to devote his full-time attention to ministry. The dream had come true, but more … the dream had become a mission. William has recently completed two years of ministry at the jail. In addition to normal chaplain duties, such as counseling, providing Bible studies, preaching, etc., William has expanded his office to include providing for educational opportunities for those incarcerated. Many are in jail for minor infractions like driving without a driver’s license. Volunteers work with the prisoners to get them ready for the driver’s test and then help them get their licenses when they are released from jail. William is vigorously working to find books for a jail library. He is committed to a program whereby the recidivism rate can be drastically reduced. William believes that providing opportunities for inmates to improve literacy skills and advance their education is a way of accomplishing the objective.