Focus Magazine Spring 2012 by Focus Magazine

Spring 2012

Editors’ Note Shattered glass.

Remember sending your new baseball through the front window for the first time? Or maybe it was the time you, out of exuberant love, swung your teddy bear around so quickly that it knocked your mom’s favorite vase clean off the coffee table. As you heard the glass shatter and watched the shards glide across the wood floor of her living room, something gripped you from the pit of your stomach and held you motionless for just a second. One second ago what once seemed constant, unchanging, maybe even unbreakable now sits quite broken at your feet. When something breaks before our eyes its grips us, even if just for an instant. It’s that moment that we want to take you back to over and over again with this Spring 2012 issue of Focus. Windows and vases break, but so do walls and norms and seemingly unconquerable mountains. Waco, like any city, is full of these walls, norms and mountains, these breakthroughs waiting to happen. The most segregated hour in America? A downtown sitting in years of disrepair? A Waco teen who lost both parents? A family of drug addicts? One second they’re unbreakable, unconquerable scenarios, and the next the walls and mountains sit like piles of broken glass at your feet. The walls come in all shapes and sizes, but they share one thing in common: they can break. It might take a more intentional effort than an errant baseball or a swinging stuffed bear, but Waco is watching its citizens shatter norms, stereotypes, odds, addictions, and expectations. The glass shards are stacking up. Enjoy the breakthroughs.

Matt Larsen & Ashley Yeaman Editors Spring 2012

Focus Staff - Spring 2012 Writers

Photographers

Designers

Cartoonist

Krista Pirtle Katie Compton Whitney Van Laningham Caitlin Giddens Abigail Risner Bonnie Holman Laurean Love Ashley Yeaman Matt Larsen

Matt Hellman Bree Wells Isaac Dovalina Alison Higgins Debra Gonzalez Chris Derrett Jenny Kistler Ashley Yeaman Matt Larsen

Ashley Ohriner Matt Larsen Ashley Yeaman

Esteban Diaz

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Special Thanks to: Julie Freeman Paul Carr Robert Darden Clark Baker

Baylor Journalism, Public Relations and New Media Department

Ash Ma Ash

Contents

18 Ashley Yeaman Matt Larsen Ashley Ohriner

12 | Setting a family free

Defying the most segregated hour

His dream

Risking it all for the arts

Fresh from the farm

Downtownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moving up

A different kind of holy ground

Hope in the darkness

Reclaiming a city Focus

Defying the most segregated hour Story by Abigail Risner | Photos by Matt Hellman

hen Pastor David Booker and his wife, Kim, moved into the neighborhood of their newly located church at 13th and Mary street, they knew they didn’t fit in. As a white, middle-class family living in a lowincome neighborhood in downtown Waco, they weren’t exactly typical neighbors. “Our house was broken into three times in the first year we lived there,” Booker said. As the racial minority, the Bookers knew they had to earn the trust and respect of their neighbors by building relationships with them. After several months of interacting with the community, the tides began to turn. “The fourth time our house got broken into, our neighbor personally chased the guy down on foot. That’s when we knew things were starting to change,” he said. In a country where Sunday morning is said to be the most segregated time of the week, Acts Christian Fellowship has made it its purpose to build a church that reflects heavenly worship, meaning every race, tribe, Focus

social class and background is represented in the congregation. After starting the church in 2006 in China Spring, they felt they would have a greater impact in downtown Waco. They moved to their current location at 13th and Mary in 2007, and that’s when their story really starts. One of Booker’s convictions was that he wanted to live within five minutes walking distance from the church. He wanted the church’s leadership to live in the neighborhood to build relationships with the people, so that from this neighborhood their congregation would grow. Melissa Sloan, Acts’ children’s pastor and wife of church elder Stephen Sloan, recalls her first experience at the church. “After visiting lots of churches in Waco, the first thing we noticed at Acts was the racial diversity.” Sloan said. “I told the pastor’s wife, Kim Booker, ‘I’ve never seen such a diverse church.’” Kim explained to her that when the Lord called David [Booker] to plant this church,

He told him it would resemble heaven. Revelation 7:9 records the people in heaven as “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language.” In response to this word from the Lord, Acts has been intentional about reaching out to people of all races and socioeconomic classes. “We knew that growing a diverse congregation would be hard for a group of white people to do,” Booker said. “So we intentionally prayed for a minority to join our staff.” The Lord answered their prayer with Omari Head, a black student at Truett Theological Seminary. Head had a heart for ministering to students, and Acts needed a college pastor. He shared Booker’s conviction for serving the community around the church, and he soon moved into the neighborhood as well. “By living near the church we were saying, ‘We are here to stay, and we want to get to know you,’”Head said.

Even with their new location and growing staff, Acts knew people wouldn’t just show up on Sunday mornings. Individuals first needed to be accepted and trusted within the community. To do this, they started with those least inhibited by racial barriers, children, and created a ministry called Kidz Jam. Twice a week, the church staff would got to Kate Ross Public Housing to play with the children, provide

them with an after-school snack and offer a Bible lesson. They hoped that through this ministry, they would bless the children and be able to connect with their parents. Samantha Reyna, a 27-year old Hispanic single mom, was one of these parents. “I first got connected to Acts through Kidz Jam, the after school program that goes to Kate Ross,” Reyna said. “I wanted to make myself familiar with the people watching my kids, so I started talking with Kim [Booker] and the other women who came.” After an invitation from Kim and prompting by her daughters, Reyna

finally visited Acts’ Sunday morning service. “Back then, the majority of the congregation was white. Not many people from the neighborhood were coming,” Reyna said. “I sat by myself in the back corner, but people would always come up to me, and I felt accepted there.” That was four years ago. Today, the congregation has grown from around 30 to almost 300, becoming more and more diverse as it grows. Samantha and her daughters have been attending ever since that first Sunday. She even serves in the children’s ministry as a Sunday school teacher. Members of Acts went into the community over spring break to work with children and families at the Kate Ross Public Housing, owned by the Waco Housing Authority. Catalyst focused on community service, working with children and building relationships with families. Children were taught music, theater, dance and more during afternoon sessions each day. The event concluded with a block party, pictured at left.

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Samantha Reyna (center) at Acts, with (from l to r) her sister, Julie Reyna, and her children, Jasmine Garcia and Brianna Garcia.

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I know if I need something, I can depend on Acts more than my own family, because Acts is my family.

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Photo by Isaac Dovalina

“I’ve talked to other people [from the neighborhood] that have visited, and they feel the same way. Acts doesn’t feel fake,” Reyna said. “It’s not like the people have pity on us. They just accept us and love us. Yes, it is a poor neighborhood and some of us aren’t educated, but they don’t judge us or look down on us.” Diversity doesn’t end with race. The Acts community represents educated, uneducated, rich, poor, young and old. “We are a church for the rejected, because that’s who Jesus spent his time with,” Melissa Sloan said. “He went to the people that didn’t fit in and weren’t received anywhere else. We want to be a home to those people.” Acts desires to mimic the characteristics of the early church in the book of Acts. The disciple Luke writes, “they pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met.” Church Elder Stephen Sloan, who also serves as the director of the Baylor Institute for Oral History, describes how these Focus

characteristics look in the church today. “Some people think we pray so we don’t have to do anything else. We need to pray, but God has also given us the means to help people with real tangible needs.” So they started a monthly special offering that goes entirely to a member of the congregation that’s in need. “We’ve done it for two years now, and every week it’s different. Sometimes it’s a couple hundred dollars, sometimes it’s thousands,” Sloan said. In September 2011, Samantha Reyna had a need, and Acts met it. “I was taking the kids to San Antonio, and my car broke down in Austin,” Reyna recounts. “Melissa Sloan loaned me her car for the next couple of weeks, but I had just gotten a new job, so I would need a dependable car soon.” Stephen Sloan decided this would be the perfect challenge for the monthly special offering. So the following Sunday morning, when Samantha would be serving in the children’s ministry, he announced to the

church, “Get your checkbooks out. We’re buying Samantha a car.” Thanks to a few large gifts and generosity of members, Acts collected their largest monthly special offering to date: more than $10,000. The very next week, Samantha and the Acts congregation were led outside during worship, and she was presented with a new car. “I was so excited because I found an ‘I heart my church’ bumper sticker,” Stephen Sloan said. “It came in the mail just in time to get it on the back of the car.” This is just one example of how the people of Acts Christian Fellowship have created a support system for Reyna and countless members of the neighborhood surrounding the church. “I don’t have to worry about anything.” Samantha said. “I know if I need something, I can depend on Acts more than my own family, because Acts is my family.” Acts hopes to bring more members of the community into its diverse family by encouraging students and families to spend time in the area surrounding the church. The college ministry usually goes on a mission trip for spring break, but this year they decided to stay and spend time getting to know the neighborhood and ministering to the Waco community. The church is investing in this neighborhood, creating opportunities for deeper relationships and continued growth. The goal is to create a church that looks like heaven, joining people of all backgrounds to worship one God.

His

Dream Story by Laurean Love | Photos by Matt Hellman

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rom living amid his mother’s in-house prostitution ring to witnessing his father murdered in front of him, Jameson White has already encountered more in his young life than most people do in a lifetime. With his past and Waco High School’s low graduation rate, it is hard to believe that he is where he is today: at the top of his class, graduating in May and having earned acceptance to an acclaimed Texas university. Jameson grew up in San Antonio with his mother and had been put in special needs classes. His mother had been selfemployed at a massage salon, which he later found out was a cover for in-home prostitution. His mother would verbally abuse Jameson and his two brothers and sister. “Whenever my mom was there, she would say I was worthless,” said Jameson, “and that’s why I could not do anything on my own because it was always, ‘I can’t do this, I don’t know how’. I didn’t have any motivation in me at all.” There were constantly guests living with Jameson at his mother’s house, anywhere from four to six people a room. When Jameson was just 12 years old, his mother abandoned him. She had been gone two weeks before he called his grandmother. When his grandmother came for him, Jameson found out that his father had been released from prison several months ago, but his mother had forbidden him from seeing Jameson. His father had been incarcerated for drugrelated charges. Jameson’s father, Charles White, withdrew him from school in San Antonio and brought him to Waco, putting him in regular and advanced classes. Jameson said his father believed in him and wanted to teach him right from wrong. Although his dad was still involved in some illegal activity, he always made

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sure that Jameson kept up in school and remained involved in extracurricular activities, including band, football and any advanced classes that were available. “I was completely reliant and dependent on people before I got to my dad,” Jameson said. “When I got to my dad, he straightened everything out for me to be self-reliant, but I never got completely off of that because of him. But when he died that forced me to become selfreliant and forced me to utilize the tools that he gave me.” Jameson’s father would go and talk to his teachers to make sure he was not falling behind. His father even taught him how to play guitar. Jameson still uses this gift as the bass guitarist in a local band, War Within. On June 2, 2008, Jameson’s father was murdered. Two men came to his home, cut the power switch to draw him out and unloaded an entire AR-15 magazine on his father. Everything Jameson knew was stripped from him in one instant. He remembers the gunshots, all the blood and his father’s last breath. According to Jameson, his father sent him inside to get a flashlight, even though they knew exactly where the breaker box was. Jameson said his dad must have known someone had tricked them to come outside and was going to try to hurt them. Jameson said he thinks his father, who was a former Marine, must have fought the guy for a while because his father shot the man he struggled with in the foot. It was another man from several yards away that shot and killed his father. “It’s more of an honor story. That’s why I have more pride in it because he defended us, and I had someone die for me so I can go to college, “ Jameson said, “He gave me the tools I needed to go, but it wasn’t until he died that I had the inner will to be able to do it on my own.”

Jameson was a witness at his father’s murder trial. He had to sit while the medical examiners told the jury exactly how it must have happened. Even though a full magazine had been emptied, his father had only been shot twice — once in his leg and once in his heart. “When you get hit in the face with the truth, you have to deal with it. You can’t put it to the side,” he said. “My dad was gone. No one else is going to be there.” Even as a sophomore in high school, Jameson knew then that he would have to cope with the fact that both of his parents were gone, and they were not coming back. The hardships in Jameson’s life did not end with his father’s death. Since his mother was not in his life any longer, his stepmother, Lupe, took custody of Jameson. Jameson collected Social Security checks and his stepmother set up an account for the money to be placed in. The account was supposed to start his college fund. However, Jameson soon learned that his stepmother had been stealing his money and had only been putting a small part in the account. When Jameson confronted her about this, she withdrew the rest of the money from his account and left. At this point, Jameson had no one else to turn to but himself. “I have no emotional bonds with anybody,” said Jameson. “I could care less. I was forced to let go of the one person I ever loved. Forced, as in ripped from my arms kind of thing. Ever since then I worry more about myself than anybody else in this world.” He is living with a friend now, but he pays his own rent, utilities, groceries and all the other essential items. Jameson does not have a car, so he must walk everywhere or rely on someone else to give him a ride.

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When you get hit in the face with the truth, you have to deal with it.

band, War Within, and Jameson’s employer at Texas Chain saw Nightmare Haunted House. “Jameson has worked for me for several years, so I have heard his story before, and to see him fight as hard as he has and end up where he is still strikes a chord,” Tate said. Meeting Jameson, few people would guess his past hardships. He comes across as a happy, normal and well-educated young man. Jameson does not like to share his past with others in fear that they would pity him. Even though Jameson’s father is not around today, Jameson said he is inspired by his father’s goals and pursues his dreams in dedication to his father’s life.

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After his father’s death and his stepmother’s disappearance, a teacher whom he been close with and whom his father spoke with on several occasions became an advocate for Jameson. Denise Bell stepped in as a sort of mother figure. Bell even offered to adopt him after his father was murdered. “I just have been there to clear the path,” Bell said, “the way a parent would within the school system when he is coming up against a barrier, to just be that sounding board, but also be that advocate for him.” Jameson was recently accepted to Texas A&M University. Excited about his acceptance, he began to tell everyone he knew, only

to realize that he could not share the moment with his father. Billy Tate is one of Jameson’s longtime friends, as well as a member of the same

Jameson White strums his Dean Electric guitar. The Waco High School senior, who has been accepted to Texas A&M University, plays bass for the local band, War Within.

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Risking it all for the

ARTS

manda Hixon isn’t interested in “normal.” She zigzagged between various careers before finally deciding to become a true “bohemian:” one who practices an unconventional lifestyle in the company of like-minded people, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits.” In the past 12 months, she has gone from schoolteacher to editor-in-chief of her own magazine. Her goal is nothing less than to unite Waco artists and raise awareness for the local arts community. But despite personal success, Hixon faces daily financial struggles that threaten to sink the Bohemia Literary Arts Journal and everything else that she has worked so hard for. In short, Hixson is risking it all to showcase Waco as a hub for art and culture. Waco is the perfect city for Hixson’s artistic revolution. Where most people see a city dominated by parking garages and chain restaurants, Hixson sees a Mecca for neophyte artists to begin their careers and a haven for professionals to showcase their craft. She has dedicated the past year to this project, and for someone who can truly be classified as a

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Story by Whitney Van Laningham Photos by Debra Gonzalez starving artist, has already made quite a bit of progress. “We couldn’t have started this in another city,” Eric Doyle, managing editor at Bohemia, said. “Because there’s such a need for what we’re trying to do in Waco, there was just a groundswell of support. It was very humbling.” Hixson moved to Waco in 1998 at the age of 22. She chose to major in journalism because of her childhood dream to someday publish her own magazine. “I used to make ‘magazines’ for my mother growing up,” she said. “I would also make ‘newspapers’ by stapling together old bits of newspaper and folding them up.” Her passions for writing led her to work for the Baylor Lariat, Baylor’s student newspaper, as a staff writer. “Interviewing was my strength,” Hixon said. In her last year of college, Hixson’s life took an unexpected turn. “I left Baylor due to extensive health and poverty problems,” she said. An invasive surgery left her too emotionally and physically unable to return to school.

The realization that she could have lost her life made Hixson re-evaluate her decision to be a journalist. “Around the time I decided to leave Baylor, September 11th was being heavily covered in the media. At this point, I was just so happy to be alive [after the surgery]. I didn’t want to be a journalist anymore if I had to cover stories that were just making me sad,” Hixson said. Without a college degree, Hixson found herself working at Wal-Mart and living paycheck to paycheck. She used food stamps to pay for her groceries and struggled to make ends meet. “I’m an independent spirit,” she said. “I left my parents’ house when I was 17, and I haven’t taken any money from them. Sometimes it’s really hard.” Still, Hixson began volunteering on the side with a local Girl Scout troop to branch out from her job at Wal-Mart. It was then she discovered her passion for teaching, and enrolled in McLennan County Community College’s four-year teaching program. In 2003, Hixson started professor Jim McKeown’s creative writing class at MCC.

McKeown took an interest in Hixson because of the obvious dedication and focus involved in her writing. “She would have a vision for a project, and when she has a vision, she always follows through with it,” McKeown said. The two of them teamed up after McKeown published several of Hixon’s poems in MCC’s literary journal, The Stone Circle. Despite the fact that Hixson was making a steady living as a teacher, having been hired at JH Hines Elementary, she felt that there was something greater that she could be doing for the community. She quit her teaching job in early 2011 to start working on the magazine. “I couldn’t say no to her,” McKeown said. “She was one of the best students I ever had. At first I thought she was just going to ask me about printers and other advice kind of things. [After meeting with her] I realized that this was going to be so much bigger than the neighborhood rag.” Hixson arranged a meeting at On the Border to pitch her idea about starting Bohemia. In attendance were Doyle, McKeown and a handful of other writers and poets. “There was salsa on everything,” Doyle said. “We had no artists. When we first showed up for that meeting, we were all writers. That’s how we decided to be a literary journal, because we had all that writing.” But when different personalities started showing interest in Hixson’s project, things really started happening. Artists, journalists, photographers and musicians started showing their support for Bohemia. “Journalism is great,” Hixson said. “But I wanted to showcase actual art. I wanted to feature emerging artists and regional artists who are at the peak of their field.” Through Bohemia she provides a unique networking

Avery Jackson reads an original piece at one of the local open mic nights.

system that allows artists, writers, musicians and photographers to connect, as well as providing the support and encouragement that they need to continue creating. Hixson operates under the theory that if you give artists an opportunity, they will embrace the inspiration and be able to accomplish their goals. Most artists in the Waco community can empathize with Hixson’s financial situation. Her creativity costs more than her bank account actually holds, and she is constantly treading water to keep the Bohemia project afloat. In the process, producing creative material for free has consumed Hixson’s life. All revenue garnered by advertising sales and donations is immediately devoted to the cost of printing and distributing the magazine. None of the money goes to the artists, let alone to the visionary bringing them all together. Hixson’s only source of income is through her husband, Donnie, who is the manager of Domino’s Pizza. Even the $100 a month rent at the Croft Gallery was unaffordable, and she recently had to relocate across the street. She relies completely on community support and her own creativity for success. Despite this, Hixson and the other “Bohemians” have managed to produce. “We always get the money,” Doyle said. “Sometimes we have to be creative about finding revenue sources, but I know that someday we are going to be successful, and that makes it worth it.” When James Lafayette, owner of Legacy Art Café, heard that Hixson was losing the Croft office, he offered her a rent-free space above his gallery and coffee shop. Artists and writers have accepted bylines instead of cash payment for their work, and poets are able to perform their work in front of a crowd almost every weekend at the open-mic nights that Hixson helps sponsor. Countless volunteers donate food, useful products, time and energy to the project. The community’s support has kept the magazine alive, but only as a result of Hixson’s vision and motivation. “In a year filled with ups and downs, the growing pains of any startup endeavor, none of us has seen a dime. Somehow, Amanda has convinced a team of Waco’s most talented artists to work a highly stressful, full-time job for free,” Doyle said. Publishing the work of talented, unknown artists helps them get their foot in the door of the elusive world of art and entertainment. “There is really nothing for young artists in the communities between Austin

and Dallas,” Hixson said. “We provide an outlet for any kind of art.” Hixson meets with every kind of artist imaginable, from conventional painters, sculptors, and photographers to edgy tattoo artists, glass blowers, fashionistas. Hixson is so dedicated to her job because she truly believes in the artists that she fosters. She strives to give a voice to the individuals struggling to have their art form as their primary source of income. “A lot of people here are hungry for others to see their work,” she said. “They want an audience. That’s what every artist or writer wants; for people to hear what they have to say.”

Artist

Spotlight

Con-cept-ion-al “Con-cept-ion-al” is the term used by breakthrough artist Jeremy Newton to describe his latest gallery exhibit, currently featured at the Art Center Waco. Newton, 28, has re-defined the boundaries of material objects in his artwork. He uses everyday objects—toothbrushes, erasers, staples, and matchsticks—to display extraordinary works of art. First, Newton selects his material—for example, a piece of college-ruled notebook paper. Then, he breaks down the material into something unrecognizable. He slices the thin, red and blue lines from the paper, shreds them into tiny pieces, and arranges them into piles. When he is finished, it looks like two mounds of pink and blue ash. “How often do we pay attention to the little blue lines on a sheet of notebook paper?” Newton said. “By cutting them out and rearranging them to be perpendicular instead of parallel, it helps bring more thought to the material.” When Newton breaks down his materials, he gets to know them better. For his installation made of eraser shavings, Newton purchased 400 Pink Pearl erasers from Office Depot and spent three months rubbing them into tiny, curled shavings to place in a 4’7” x 6’8” pile. “The breakdown of the materials is spiritual,” Newton said. “When you create art, they are resurrected into their new form.” Newton’s exhibit, Con-cept-ion-al, will be feature pieces such as Staple Stalactite, Boiled Matchstick Cubes,, and other installations at Art Center Waco through April 28, 2012. Focus

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Setting a Fam

“Whap!” A gun smashes into the back of his head. He crumples to the ground. Two men take off with his coat and money. He stands back up, head pounding. He tries to run. He gets hit. He tries to run again. He gets hit again. After the seventh time, there is no getting back to his feet. “My whole body was just blood,” he said. “Pow! Pow! Pow!” One bullet found flesh. “All of a sudden I’m sitting at the top of this tree way up in the sky, like I’m sitting on the Alico,” he remembers. “I look down, and it’s me and these circle of clouds. They are going counterclockwise. They are going around me and these guys are jumping me.” An ambulance ride, a hospital visit and a reconstructive facial surgery later, Jason Ramos had more than 70 stitches in his head, face and mouth. A scar in his foot still marks the bullet wound. But he’s alive.

Losing Innocence Early

mily Free

Story by Matt Larsen Photos by Matt Hellman

That was not Ramos’ first run-in with a gun. At age 6, Ramos, his twin brother Jon and their sister watched his mom slip out the door as his drunken father threatened her with a shotgun. After he was locked up, it was Roy. Every time they went to the room, Jason and Jon knew exactly what they were going to do. “Don’t do it, please don’t do it!” Jon remembers screaming through the crack at the bottom of the door to his mom as she stuck a syringe filled with methamphetamine into her arm. Then came the beatings. “We’d hide in the closet and watch for hours while he beat her up,” Jason said. One day they finally ran down the street to get their grandpa. Putting on his deer uniform, their grandpa grabbed his gun out of the gun case and said, ‘C’mon, boys.’ Minutes later he kicked down the door and watched Roy scurry out the window. “That was the end of Roy,” Jason said. Despite the coming and going of two abusive father figures, the twins still held onto their childhood for a couple more years. “We were kids all the way to seventh grade,”

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Jon said. “And then our lives changed.” With few family memories that didn’t involve drugs or violence, Jason and Jon were simply looking for somewhere to belong. That somewhere ended up being anywhere their respective gangs went. “I would go to school Friday morning in seventh grade and not come home until Sunday night,” Jon said. By the age of 12 Jason found himself stealing cars, smoking weed, and getting drunk. He remembers the first time he was arrested for unlawfully carrying a weapon at 13. At 16, he overdosed on cocaine. Lying in a hospital bed after the overdose with his grandma crying by his side, Jason vowed to give up the drugs for a while. That lasted about a year. After that year, Jason quickly fell back into a habit of using and selling everyday. “That was just the lifestyle we lived,” he said. “It was normal.” Normal was also in and out of a relationship with Monica, the woman who would be his future wife. The two met in their early teenage years but finally started a relationship, built around drugs, in their early 20s. For much of the on-and-off relationship, the two used drugs together on a daily basis. In October 2001 Monica became pregnant with their first son, Austin. Ten years later, Austin sparked a change.

A Pair of Breakthroughs For his 10th birthday, Austin had one wish: to go to church for the first time. So they went. “It was so uncomfortable for me,” Monica remembers, smiling. “I felt like the whole message was for me.” The following week a couple girls approached Monica at the supermarket and asked if they could pray for her. Though she didn’t fully open up to the two strangers, she shared that her family was in a tight spot financially because she needed a job. Having just prayed for God to show up before she en-

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I would go to school Friday not come home un

tered the supermarket, she thought these girls might be her answer. After they prayed for her, she walked out the door of the supermarket and ran right into her old boss who asked her to come back to work for him. But the drugs continued. Three more weeks of simply adding church and Bible-reading to her drug-dependent lifestyle found her still depressed and disappointed in her shortcomings as a mom. Then all of sudden something broke, and she lost the desire for drugs. A week later she gave her life to Jesus. “Even though we were in this depression stuff, it was the first time I had experienced this joy and peace,” she said. “I never knew I could experience that no matter what was going on.” Knowing she wanted him to change too, Jason tried to hide by smoking just $20 or $30 worth of dope a day rather than $100. But she could tell. One day he came back to their apartment after hitting the streets and she was gone. She wanted a real father for her children and started praying for one. This separation launched Jason into the loneliest season of his life. While watching his reflection smoke a glass pipe in the bathroom mirror of his apartment, guilt and despair finally gripped his insides. He flushed what he had and went to his mom’s house. Flopping down on the bed in what used to be his room, he grabbed a pen and paper and began scribbling: “God I need your help. I don’t want to live

like this no more. I can’t live like this no more. Come take me by the hand and pull me out of this.” “I was praying to God,” he said. “And He heard me.” His answer came the following day at work in the form of a phone call from his probation officer. Jason had not told him about the job. “How did you find me?” Jason remembers asking. But the call had a purpose. Jason had tested positive for drug use at the probation office earlier in the week. But he had no intention of coming quietly. “I’ve been ducking and dodging and ripping and running my whole life. I ain’t fixing to go do no time,” Jason told the officer. “Hey, you prayed about this two days ago,” a voice from inside him interrupted. So he went. “I walked out of there that day, and I felt this lift off of me like I had never felt before. I went home and told my mom, and she was crying. I was like, ‘No, I think this is God. I think God is doing something.” On Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007, Jason Ramos entered Lubbock County Correctional Facility and found his freedom. “He started a Bible study and it got to the point that it was bigger than mine,” Benny Lopez, Jason’s friend and Pastor of Prison Ministry at New Life Ministries, said. “So from that moment I could see that God had something special for Jason. He was a leader...

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ay morning in 7th grade and until Sunday night.

A bunch of guys started to call him the pope.” The two developed a deep bond during Jason’s time in Lubbock. Lopez’s strongest memories were Sunday night dinners with Jason and a handful of other inmates. Spaghetti, garlic bread and one movie: “Nacho Libre.” “We watched it so many times, to the point that we all knew the lines,” Lopez said. “So every Tuesday I would go over there and be like, ‘Nacho!’”

A Family Affair In September 2008 Jason Ramos came back to Waco free from prison, free from his drug addictions and free to pursue a new dream: the transformation of his family. He went into prison weighing 135 pounds and came out at a rock-like 185. But his smile is what really grew. “I didn’t even recognize him when I saw him,” Jon said. Though Jon was released from prison shortly after Jason, he had no interest in a new lifestyle just yet. Jason spent two and half years praying and waiting patiently for his brother to want to change. “But every time I would see him, I would see him as this man of God,” Jason said, recalling the visions he had of his brother following Jesus and walking in the same freedom he was experiencing. He remembers passing him on Waco Drive one time and whipping back around for a second look. Out of faith that God would transform his

brother into the man of God he kept seeing, Jason kept extending invitations for Jon to meet Jesus and find freedom. “He continued to invest in me,” Jon remembers. “I was living my life, selling drugs and gambling. ‘Jon, you want to come with me to lifegroup? Jon, you want to come with me to the feast? Jon, you want to…?” “One day he came at the right time.” As Jason walked into his mother’s house one afternoon, his brother was lying on the couch looking exhausted. “I know you’re tired,” he said. Jon knew he wasn’t talking about physically. “You ready?” Jason asked. “He has asked me that many times before,” Jon said. “That day when he asked me, I was like ‘Yeah, man. I’m ready.” After praying with Jason, Jon told his family his plans and moved in at the Mercy House within the week. Run by Antioch Community Church volunteers and staff, the Mercy House functions as a home where addicts can seek freedom alongside others with similar pasts. Jon remembers mowing the church lawn early during his stay and thinking about how much money he needed to store up before he could get right back out on the streets selling drugs. God had a different plan though. Jon’s 3-month stint at the Mercy House ended in October 2011, but he stayed a month longer and now spends every other weekend there helping other men walk into freedom.

“It’s my home,” he said. While Jon calls the Mercy House home, he has done anything but forsake the family in which he has also found a renewed sense of belonging. The night he prayed with Jason to seek freedom from his addictions, Jason made sure Jon knew how excited he was to have his brother back. “We’re twins again,” he remembers Jason telling him with a smile that could have been mistaken for a child’s toothy grin on Christmas morning. Walking in close relationship with friends at Antioch, Jason and Monica started their relationship back up and eventually got married, this time centered not on their addictions but around the one who set them both free. Jason would become the answer to Monica’s prayer for a real father for her children. Not only has Jason become a real father, but restoration in the Ramos family is reaching back a generation to see Jason and his real father rebuild their relationship. While reaching back, the brothers have committed along with their cousin Frederick to leading their families forward to create a new norm for their children to grow up in. “I used to go buy them an Xbox to keep them in a room. That was parenting for me,” Jason said. “Now I want to train them up to be men of honor. I want to train them up to be somebody’s husband someday. I want to not just give them, give them, give them. Now I want to be a father. I want to be a dad.” Knowing their history, the brothers are building a new heritage for the Ramos family, establishing a new namesake. “There is not a day that goes by that I don’t remember my life before, and I am so thankful that God pulled me out of it,” Jason said. “But the reality is that you can be a part of something greater than yourself by giving your life away.” Though their sons come first, both brothers know the freedom and life they stepped into was not meant for just the Ramos family. They will give their lives away to see it spread. Their freedom compels them. “Its just the beginning,” Jon said with a grin.

Focus

Fresh from the farm Waco sees the fruits of local farmers’ labor at downtown market

Story by Caitlin Giddens

Photos by Alison Higgins

ess than three miles from Interstate 35, local farmer Carl Spain feels connected to the land. He finds company not in the hustle and bustle of city life, but with the free-range goats and chickens he’s grown to love. Spain’s farm mirrors the garden he’s studied in seminary, a union of man and animal. The goats and chickens do not solely exist to produce milk and eggs. They live in peace and freedom, harmonizing with nature by roaming Spain’s fields and relishing God’s creation. Spain lives in West, a small community near Waco, working as what he calls a hybrid between a hobby farmer and a “grown up” farmer. He contributes crops to the weekly Waco Downtown Farmers Market, a new initiative in town. But more than his tangible contribution each Saturday, Spain plays a role in the return of trusting the local farmer, and in honoring animals. “I don’t want to live on the land like it’s a blight, squeezing money out of it just to make a living,” Spain said. “It’s a pleasure doing what I know I am called to do, and

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knowing what I do matters, at least with these 17 acres.” More than 30 vendors meet each Saturday morning at the Waco Downtown Farmers Market to offer visitors the best organic produce, meat and cheese. The market was in the budding stages for years, until it became a reality in November of 2011. This realization resulted from the efforts of local farmer Terry Vanderpool, Bethel Erickson-Bruce, director of the Heart of Texas Urban Gardening Coalition and the Waco Downtown Farmers Market Board. Farming is not an easy life, Vanderpool insists. But Waco sees the fruits of farmers’ labor each Saturday at the market. And they want more. “Being a local, small scale farmer is a lot different than any other thing today,” Vanderpool said. “It’s taking us back to our roots and taking us to a small-scale society, when people knew their farmer and the land they grow on. We’re providing vegetables that are improving people’s lives with more nutrients.” With the market taking root in Waco, the community can find organic foods with-

out a pilgrimage to Austin or Dallas. This marks the beginning of a greener Waco. “This is one of the first pushes, so it’s a start,” Vanderpool said. “The parking lot at the market is not as full as those at the grocery store. There’s only a small percent of people who are interested in this now, but we’re doing our part. The Chamber is working, but there needs to be more done to promote local farmers.” The market filled a need that Wacoans did not realize they had. Vanderpool explained that once people see the difference in fresh fruits and vegetables, they understand the organic movement. “These vegetables are more attractive, which makes people excited about eating fresh vegetables from a local garden,” Vanderpool said. “There are more varieties and color varieties than what you can find in a grocery store.” Variety is just one difference between industrial and local farming. Take one walk around Carl Spain’s ranch, and you will find chickens and goats living together. He describes his farming process as natural, and

Carl Spain feeds his free-range goats on his farm in West, located 19 miles north of Waco. Spain believes free-range farming is a more humane way to treat animals.

“When dollar rules, the quality of livestock goes down,” Tull said. “When you’re looking at meat in dollar signs, that’s a problem. A cow is meant to walk and graze. We’re not supposed to poison the animals.” Tull sees himself as part of the young movement to a simpler, sustainable lifestyle. He finds inspiration in campaigns against mass industrialization, such as “The Greenhorns,” a film and blog focused on farmers. “Their podcasts are pretty entertaining,” Tull said. “But they show that this life is a commitment.” Although Tull does

the majority of the labor work for his business, The Home Grown Farm, his family works together to provide all natural food at an affordable price. Tull’s brother helped with the branding and logo design, and his sister and grandparents lend their hands to the farm. “We are a family operation, so if you look at what we’ve done for the spring, three generations have touched our work,” Tull said. “Everybody has a hand in it.” Spain explained that farming began as a community project, each person playing a small role in a self-sufficient lifestyle.”

“

It’s a pleasure doing what I know I am called to do, and knowing what I do matters, at least with these 17 acres.

“

the way God intended. “You can’t go to a confined animal feeding operation and see the livestock,” Spain said. “You can’t go look at the chickens in cages. But I welcome anyone to come and see the farm. I know my animals are happy because I interact with them on a daily basis.” Spain’s roots in organic farming began when he saw the reality of large-scale agriculture. “All you have to do is raise the issues, and people know it is wrong,” he said. “There is a considerable theological element to this. The theology of creation sees humans as responsible for taking care of the land God gave us.” Brandon Tull, another regular farmer at the market, points to Christian faith as a reason for changing his lifestyle. A 2001 Baylor graduate, Tull worked with software programs in Dallas before returning to Waco. “I get more satisfaction providing healthier food to CSA [Community Supported Agriculture] than providing software systems to a company,” Tull said. “There’s something inherently wrong with treating your animals as units of production, pumping them full of chemicals and steroids, then keep them moving as little as possible to get top dollar out of them. That lines up with my faith, and our calling to be good stewards.” Tull spent a few years at a feed yard, witnessing the hushed secrets of industrial agriculture. This fostered a passion for respecting God’s creation through his career.

“It makes for a long day when you do the work yourself,” Spain said. “My wife does her part because her being a doctor supports this type of life. What I sell at the Waco Downtown Farmers Market covers my cost to go there. It’s more about meeting with other vendors and making relationships.” Before moving to West nearly three years ago, Spain admits he lived the sedentary lifestyle of most Americans. He did not transform into a healthier person overnight. Similar to the crops he plants, Spain’s new lifestyle required time to grow. He began by cutting soda from his diet. “Now I hate the taste of it because it’s so overly sweet,” Spain said. “My wife and I eat less meat now, and most of the meat we eat is from the farm. You just have to change the way you think about things, like we have with seasonal eating. It just seems right to eat asparagus when it is in season now.” Spain said becoming a full-time farmer was a breakthrough in the way he thought about life, and in his overall health. He has lost weight and gained more energy as a farmer. But he admits to occasional indulgences in American habits. “We still go to the grocery store now and then and eat frozen pizza about once a week,” Spain said. “But since making the change, I feel more active. I feel more alive.” Focus

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Drawing Up...

...a New

Downtown

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Downtown’s moving up

Story by Katie Compton

Photos by Bree Wells

ive years ago, Austin Avenue was a nearly deserted street with only four businesses occupying five blocks. Empty buildings lined the street. Locked doors and boarded-up windows kept visitors away. No one could call downtown home or even say it was their neighborhood. No one wanted to. Fast forward to today, and 15,000 employees, plus Baylor University students, occupy greater downtown during the day and restaurants keep the night owls entertained. Shops fill the once vacant buildings, new lofts build a skyline, and major businesses have brought more visitors in each day. Paul Hagan is a young professional living and breathing downtown life. As a recent college graduate and businessman, living in greater downtown has been an exceptional two years. Hagan is the project manager for The Dwyer Group, a Fortune 500 company. He conveniently works along the Brazos River just minutes from his Behrens loft.

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We want to build new buildings and create value for our city.

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His office is swanky and modern, exactly what you would expect from a young professional. His gadgets are placed on his desk near his eco-friendly Nalgene water bottle. Paul walks around all day in his Converse sneakers and shoots baskets at the net mounted on his wall when brainstorming.

Jimmy John’s is one of the newer additions to downtown, providing an affordable dining option for residents and visitors. The franchise opened in 1983, and today there are more than 1,200 in the country.

He is your typical bachelor embracing the downtown lifestyle. Hagan moved downtown two years ago. His old apartment was run-down and no longer met his needs. “My old apartment was dangerous and I witnessed crimes every week,” Hagan said. “There hasn’t been anything remotely unsafe since being in my new loft.” He moved downtown not only for safety, but also for what downtown Waco had to offer. Loft living intrigued him and was unlike anywhere else he had lived before. Greater downtown offers room for new adventures. Saturday mornings Waco residents can buy fresh produce at the Farmers Market and get lunch at once of the many new restaurants. Hagan appreciates the variety of food options and the convenience of their locations. Ninfa’s Mexican Restaurant, Crickets Grill, Diamond Backs Steakhouse and Gratziano’s Restaurant are all lined up on one block. The new Jimmy John’s is in walking distance from his loft. “The restaurants here get a lot of my money,” Hagan said.

Another restaurant addition to greater downtown is the Klassy Glass. Serving as a more sophisticated bistro, Klassy Glass creates an environment where people can interact casually and enjoy their evenings spent with friends. Owner’s Bob Ficke and his wife, Valerie, opened the Klassy Glass shortly over a year ago. They were searching for a location that would draw in customers and was also affordable. They found both on Austin Avenue. The Fickes attended several community meetings. There they heard discussion of the plans for Waco and what was to come for the old business district. Valerie looked at the property and recognized it immediately. “It saw it and thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is where I used to buy my shoes!” said Valerie. “I fell in love with the property.” Chris McGowan, director of urban development at the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, has played a large role in the greater downtown plan that the Fickes found attractive. The Chamber’s job is to develop and grow the urban downtown area. The master

plan, Imagine Waco, is designed for the next 40 years and focuses on establishing an area that expands into the neighborhoods surrounding downtown. The Chamber plans to grow the residential, commercial, retail and restaurant businesses in the area. “We want this to be a vibrant, mixed-use, walk-able community,” McGowan said. There is a distinct community occupying downtown. Monday through Friday it is a neighborhood of hard-working, white collar types, and on the weekend it is a group of active young adults. “Half of my building is Baylor graduate students and the other half is young professionals,” Hagan said. “There is a certain point in your life where you can appreciate living in a loft.” Lofts and businesses have benefited from each other in adding more people to the community. Bringing people to downtown has and will continue to impact retail. In the past three years, downtown has added 750 full-time workers and residents through businesses and residential areas. New restaurants like Sam’s on the Square Focus

McGowan says there is huge demand for living downtown. Currently, the lofts and businesses are fully occupied.

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Everybody loves to be downtown when they can, and all we have to do is give them a reason to come.

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and Metro offer these young professionals places to meet with friends on the weekends. Each one targets its particular crowd. Hagan’s personal favorite is Thursday night’s Piano Man down at Treff ’s Grill, also in walking distance from his loft. “The night life is loud for Waco and quiet for any other city,” Hagan said. “It’s a good thing I’m not a light sleeper.” Klassy Glass also features music Saturday nights to provide downtown-goers with entertainment and draw others into the area. “We want to give people a reason to come downtown,” Valerie said. And they do. The Klassy Glass is full Fridays with those just getting off work and looking for a place to relax. Grad students fill the restaurant in search of a place to escape their routine of exams and thesis papers. “We’ve been very fortunate to have a community in Waco that lends itself nicely to the development of an urban residential strategy,” McGowan said. In Waco and elsewhere, baby boomers are leaving their large homes in suburbia to flock to newly developed lofts. Young professionals and students are in search of a place to live that is just the right size and in an area that offers activity.

Creating more living space is at the top of the Chamber’s to-do list. “We have way too many parking lots,” Mc

Gowan said. “We want to build new buildings and create value for our city.” The two largest activity centers in McLennan County are greater downtown and Baylor. “There is a visible difference,” Hagan said. “There is more activity downtown now than when I moved in two years ago.” There is even more growth to come. Imagine Waco expects 150,000 people to be moving into McLennan County within the next 40 years. The Chamber wants to see more than half of them living downtown. “People go to cool places, and we’re trying to make Waco that cool place to keep people and students here to make this city their home,” McGowan said. “Downtown is everybody’s neighborhood. Everybody loves to be downtown when they can, and all we have to do is give them a reason to come.” The U.S. economy slowed the rapid development that many had hoped for, but the area is still booming. Eager downtowners are taking CrossFit classes and grabbing a bite to eat after, all within a few blocks. Families are spending a day by the Brazos, shopping at the Farmers Market and in boutiques. What was once a sleepy town continues to grow. “I won’t be moving any time soon,” Hagan said. “It’s wonderful downtown.” The Klassy Glass offers not only drinks, but also lunch options, daily specials and live entertainment in the evenings.

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From Rubble To Revival

Downtown resident Paul Hagan sits at his desk at The Dwyer Group, located near Cameron Park. Today, the business is the holding company of seven service-based franchises. The Greater Chamber of Waco works to promote development and improve quality of life in the city. By 2015, the Chamber hopes to increase development downtown and along the Brazos River.

The weather service issued a severe weather warning n e s on May 11, 1953, from tt Lar by Ma o t o Wichita Falls to Waco to h P San Angelo. Despite the warning and threatening thunderstorms, Waco residents went about their day. They were told a tornado would never hit the area because it was protected by hills. The tornado touched down that hot and humid afternoon, killing 114 people and injuring nearly 600. It was the deadliest ever to hit Texas. The funnel cloud was rated F-5, winds reached 260 mph, and the frail buildings could not withstand the storm. As survivors emerged from the damaged buildings, car horns smashed by bricks blared into their ears. Cries for help filled the air and they began to dig into the piles of rubble trying to help anyone they could. Piles of bricks covered streets and cars, some of which still had people inside. Wacoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s landmarks became piles of dust and resting places for the dead. The Waco tornado left a 23-mile path of destruction, a third of a mile wide, and caused more than $50 million in damages. The city once had more than 250 factories and was the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sixth-largest industrial center. After the tornado, 400 buildings were torn down, leaving the business district vacant. Today, a six-foot, tear-shaped black marble statue sits on the corner of Austin Avenue and North Forth Street listing the names of the victims. Many of the vacant lots have been filled and new, hopeful residents occupy the business district. Waco pushed through obstacles with determination and a vision, and continues to go forward. Focus

A Different Kind of

Holy Ground

Story and photos by Ashley Yeaman

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n a city sprawling with churches, there sits a humble building on Benton street, surrounded by a tall, white fence. The paint is beginning to peel away, and cracked pieces have fallen into the grass. Here, people leave their shoes at the door. With bare feet, they enter a large room with dark green carpet. They kneel and pray, with heads touching the ground. This is a place of worship, a place to revere Allah and praise him. The Islamic Center of Waco is the core of the Muslim community, a diverse group of young and old, men and women, families and individuals who hail from places like Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. Many also have grown up in the United States. Amid a city with deep Christian roots, as well as the home of the oldest Baptist university in the world, these Muslims sometimes feel like outsiders. Yet, in this environment they live their lives, seeking to educate others about their faith, and showing that despite the many differences, they too are Wacoans.

Coming to Waco More than 25 years ago, Wacoan Al Siddiq left his home in Karachi, Pakistan and traveled to the United States, fueled by a desire to learn more about aviation. He earned a degree in aeronautical engineering as he worked his way through the University of Texas at Arlington as a security guard. After graduating, Siddiq served in the United States Army, stationed in the U.S. and in Korea. His brother settled in Waco while he was abroad. Siddiq was honorably discharged and decided in 1987 to live and work in the city his brother called home. In the early ‘90s, his brother returned to Pakistan. But Siddiq remained in Waco, a city he jokingly describes as “too slow.” Through the years, he, his wife and their three sons have become attached to the city, forming lasting relationships with others. “I’m not going to ever want to move anywhere,” Siddiq’s wife, Gazala, said. “I love Waco.” Living in Waco did initially provide challenges for the Siddiqs, particularly in practicing their faith. In their early days in Waco, there were only five or six Muslims.

The small group would worship and pray in different houses each week. Siddiq wished to establish a “central place where everybody could come” and founded the mosque at its present location, on land donated for that purpose by his brother. Today, about 300 Muslims live in Waco, and the mosque seeks to serve them, providing a place for worship but also a place to foster the still small but thriving Muslim community here. Through the ‘90s, Siddiq said that there was little outside interest in the Muslim community. “People didn’t really care. We were living our lives, they were living theirs. Nobody was interested. People didn’t know,” Siddiq said. But everything changed after September 11th.

A new world for

Waco’s Muslims In the wake of the attacks on U.S. soil that day, there was a sudden explosion of interest in Islam throughout the country. While this led to more active dialogue about the faith, misunderstandings and stereotypes abounded. One evening, less than a week after the attacks, two FBI agents knocked on the door of Siddiq’s home in Robinson. “Somebody complained about me to the FBI, that I was planning to bomb someplace or something,” Siddiq said. “We started talking, and they were at first kind of...the way they act. Then I told them who I was, and I was a U.S. Army veteran, so they started mellowing down. Since then, they’ve visited me over five, six, seven times since 9/11 for different occasions.” “We were very nervous, and understandably so,” Siddiq said. But these moments do not define the overall experience of the Siddiqs. “I don’t have any problems with others, and generally we’re OK, because I get to know people, and they get to know me,” Siddiq said. Siddiq said presentation is key to abolishing stereotypes and building bridges. Instead of isolating themselves, they should become more connected with the community. “It just depends on how you mingle Focus

With the donation of land, Siddiq and other Muslims were able to oversee the construction of a mosque for Waco’s Muslims. The mosque is located next to Waco Primitive Baptist Church. After Hurricane Ike, hundreds of Muslims came to Waco from the Gulf Coast. The church opened its doors to house those displaced Muslims when the mosque was full.

with [others],” Siddiq said. “In my case, I try to tell [fellow Muslims] to associate with local people, so they’ll get to know us.” “It’s the easiest way we can understand each other,” Gazala said. Looking back, Siddiq feels that the reaction to Muslims after 9/11 has been beneficial overall. “It’s a positive outcome,” Siddiq said. “A lot of people get to learn what Islam is so they wouldn’t be scared of it.”

Forming an

interfaith community The Waco religious community reached out to Siddiq and other Muslims after 9/11. Siddiq was invited to speak at 7th and James Baptist Church by Dr. Lynn Tatum, a professor at Baylor and a board member of the Greater Waco Interfaith Conference, formed in 1980 under the name the Conference of Christians and Jews in Waco. This speaking engagement sparked similar events throughout the community. Today, Siddiq has been invited to spaek on Islam at more than 52 churchs and other local synagogues. In 2002, the Conference of Christians and Jews in Waco formally becamse the Greater Waco Interfaith Confereence, in order to include the growing number of faiths in the area. This environment of understanding and Focus

respect is not one way. Muslims in return have reached out to Christians, Jews and others. Siddiq said the mosque has an “opendoor” policy and that others are encouraged to come and see what the Muslim community in Waco is about. In 2011, the Islamic Center in Waco hosted the second consecutive candlelight vigil to commemorate the 9/11 attacks. “We plan on continuing that. I invite every faith to come and speak. Last year we had about 400 or 500 people,” Siddiq said. The month of Ramadan, a Muslim holiday where individuals fast from sunup to sundown, concludes with a celebration marking its end by breaking the fast. Many people of other faiths have participated at Siddiq’s invitation. The Islamic Center has also provided food for various community events and worked with Habitat for Humanity. “[This all] builds bridges and brings understanding,” Siddiq said. The efforts of Siddiq and the Muslim com-

Waco’s example

munity have not gone unnoticed. Usmaan and Subia Ahamd moved to Waco from the San Francisco Bay area in California last summer. Usmaan is currently a graduate student at Baylor, and Subia does freelance work for a non-profit in California. They arrived in the Texas heat at the conclusion of Ramadan in July last summer, and were amazed at what they saw.

“I really thought that this was going to be a place where we would be discriminated against [as Muslims], and to see that there’s such an interfaith community that’s present in Waco,” Ahmad said. “[At Ramadan], there were probably 40 non-Muslim people from the community who had some religious standing in the community who were there. That really made us feel that these preconceived notions of being in a small Central Texas town were pretty unfounded. They just didn’t exist.” One thing that Ahmad does see in Waco is a lack of knowledge, but this is changing with increased dialogue between the faiths. “I’ve encountered some people who really don’t understand the fundamentals of Islam at all,” Ahmad said. “They’re pretty, for a lack of a better word, ignorant about my religion. It can come across as kind of abrupt sometimes. But that’s all gone within three minutes [through conversation],” Ahmad said. Conversation, in turn, can also help Muslims better understand Christianity. Many terms that are common to Christianity do not exist in the Muslim sense, such as “salvation,” Subia said. “I haven’t learned very much from my Christian friends to fully understand what [the term “salvation”] entails and what it means and everything behind that, “ Subia said. “So for me, it’s been kind of a learning process [in Waco] to get to know more about Christianity and to understand how it relates or differs from Islam.” To the Ahmads, the interfaith environment and dialogue it fosters set Waco apart as unique.

f o w A a b m m r w

t r b t b e

m t A

p c a I

a s i

b t g y t s

Pillars of Islam

Shahadah

Ritual fasting, particularly during the fasting month of Ramadan.

Professing that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his prophet.

Salat

“

Sawn

Zakat

Giving of one’s wealth to the poor, usually 2.5% of the total value of all earnings and possessions.

Hajj

Pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. All Muslims are required to journey there at least once during their lives unless they are physically or financially unable.

Islamic prayers, said five times each day in the direction of Mecca.

When we establish that you’re

“The fact that there’s legitimate friendships between people at our mosque and the churches was really interesting to me,” Ahmad said. “There’s an actual relationship that’s being built with the community, and the community seems to be reaching out as well, which is nice to see.” “More than anything, I think that’s reassuring for somebody moving here to see that. We’re doing our part by reaching out, but they’re extending their hand back to us.” “I think Waco’s a great example. I mean, I would go back to California and say this is the kind of example we should follow,” Ahmad said. Siddiq does not deny that there is some prejudice in Waco, but he said usually it is confined to a particular group. More people are open and willing to learn more about Islam. But within the process of building bridges and creating dialogue, Siddiq feels that a respect for individuals to have their own beliefs is essential. “That’s how we believe, and it’s our firm belief,” Siddiq said. “I don’t know what it will take for me to change my faith, and the same goes for you. So when we all establish that you’re going to be a Christian and I’m going to be a Muslim, we [then] need to delve into some kind of mutual understanding.”

going to be a Christian and I’m going to

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be a Muslim, we [then] can delve into some kind of mutual understanding.

Al Siddiq moved to Waco in the late ‘80s. His wife, Gazala, came in 1993. They established their home in Robinson, located a few minutes from Waco. Siddiq works at his own business, Al’s Auto Repair Shop. Gazala is a teaching assistant at a local school.

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Hope in the Darkness

Wife fights for husband’s release

Story by Bonnie Berger Photos by Jenny Kistler

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s, . 6:30 a.m up the Mustakim E wakes IC z away. takes Na . e he is 7:30 a.m tell Hop o t s ll a c ll. Naz o Pearsa t d e v o being m

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Hope initiates her website, starts utilizing social media.

Hope meets with Waco attorney Susan Nelson, who informs her that Naz is not eligible for bond. Refers them to the Law Offices of Pascual Madrigal in San Antonio.

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9 a.m. Naz calls Hope to inform her he requeste d a bond hearing. Hope starts a F acebook group, “Support Naz.”

reapplication for his green card uncovered an old aggravated felony charge. That charge invalidated his legal residency by default, and Naz had no choice but to leave with the officers. “I thought I’d be gone for one day max,” Naz said. “Then I didn’t hear anything for three weeks. It was so confusing. You just had to have faith in God.”

s Hope hold a “Free y Naz” part at their home.

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Naz’s Journey:

No more brief visits between double-paned glass windows, no more 17 cents-per-minute phone calls, no more nights spent alone. Her husband is free. On March 30, 2011, four Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers knocked on the Mustakim’s front door, explaining they were there to arrest Nazry, known as Naz among his friends. A legal U.S. resident, Naz’s recent

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ope Mustakim, a senior at the Baylor School of Social Work, reaches out to touch her husband Nazry’s face, soaking in the simple joy of his presence. After 10 months apart, she’s still in disbelief that he is sitting beside her in their North Waco home. Playfully, she pokes his cheek, reassuring herself that this isn’t a dream.

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Hope shows one of the shirts made to bring awareness to Naz’s cause. The website, wesupportnaz.com, tells Naz’s story and links to articles about the situation published around the country and internationally.

-Hope Mustakim

With the help of friends, Hope screen printed T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Free Naz.” Supporters began sporting bracelets, buttons and rings that all advocated the same message. “We felt overwhelmed with love,” Hope said. Hope started a blog and witnessed the power of social media through Facebook and Twitter. News outlets like Al-Jazeera and the Huffington Post picked up the story, drawing international attention to Naz’s plight. Video testimonies from those touched by Naz’s impact poured in, as did letters of support. More than 1,300 people signed

9 a.m. Hearing in Cooke County to reopen original felony case rescheduled fo r Oct. 21.

10.6.11

8:30am “Master” Hearing #3preliminary hearing in Pearsall Immigration court.

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8:30am“Master” Hearing #2preliminary hearing in Pearsall Immigration court.

5.9.11

1:30 p.m. “Master” 1– hearing # ry prelimina hearing in Pearsall ion Immigrat Court.

Hearings led to more hearings and weeks dragged out into months. Disappointment seemed to meet the couple at every turn. A hearing scheduled for Oct. 6 did not give Hope and Naz the closure they expected. “I thought this was our final immigration hearing,” Naz said. “I thought they were going to give me another chance. It broke my heart to have to tell my wife it wasn’t over.” While the judiciary system responded slowly, Hope sprang into action. “I decided two days after he left that we needed to set up a task force,” Hope said. “We needed to talk about our options.”

5.16.11

Although Naz, a native of Singapore, immigrated to the U.S. with his mother as a young teenager, his troubled past threatened the changed life he made for himself in Waco. Arrested in 2005 for drug possession, Naz pleaded guilty to the charges and served 10 years probation. Through his plea bargain, his legal counsel did not mention that this aggravated felony would revoke his residency status. Strangely, Naz was not immediately deported as per federal law. He sought rehab at Mission Waco’s Manna House, became a Christian and received a degree from Texas State Technical College. Naz became involved with Church Under the Bridge, volunteered at Mission Waco and worked with other local non profits. While working at Mission Waco’s homeless shelter, Naz met Hope, a Louisiana native. The two married in July 2010 and dreamed of one day opening a home for Waco’s troubled youth. “Somehow we found a truth that serving God together, giving and not holding too tightly to the things he’s given us - that’s joy,” Hope said. “This is why we love our marriage. This is why we love our life.” An inspiring example of the power of personal change, Naz had grand dreams. But resurfaced mistakes threw a wrench in this power couple’s plans. “We were so blind-sided by this,” Hope, 26, said. “I just didn’t know how to make sense of what happened.” What first appeared as an administrative arrest turned into an ongoing ordeal. Detained more than 230 miles from home in Pearsall, Texas, Naz had nothing to do but wait.

4.25.11

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I decided two days after he left that we needed to set up a task force.

1:30pm Naz’s final hearing in Pearsall postponed to 2. January 18, 201 Focus

Focus Focus

1:30 p.m. #4. Master Hearing

Warder adjusts her plea bargain to three years in state prison. Saenz tells her the Mustakims will consider the offer.

Warder informs Saenz that a bench warrant will be issued to transfer Naz to Cooke County to initiate the process. Naz’s transport never came through.

Hope attends a human rights/ immigrant rights vigil in Heritage Square where she shares Naz’s story.

12.10.11

11.14.11

Cooke County District Attorney Janice Warder offers Naz a plea bargain that would downgrade his aggravated felony charge to a felony charge. The Mustakim’s refuse the offer.

11.9.11

10.21.11

1 p.m. Hearing in Cooke County to reopen original felony case.

legal fees. “Prayers were the biggest thing,” Hope said. “If nothing else, God sustained us with supernatural resiliency and peace, and it must be from their prayers.” Even though Naz’s detention postponed their ministry in Waco, the pair discovered alternative ways to reach out. Hope’s website connected her with dozens of families undergoing similar tribulations with the immigration system. Other wives separated from their husbands reached out to Hope, forming a community of support and sharing their stories and experiences. “This opened my eyes to a hidden population,” Hope said. “I feel burdened to start researching what we do to families when we separate them like this.” Making the most of his situation, Naz led

11.22.11

the petition for his release, tangible proof that he wasn’t forgotten. “My husband motivated me,” Hope said. “My husband is worth it.” “She’s not willing to quit,” said Kristine Gear, a fellow Mission Waco volunteer and Baylor senior. “I think that’s the most impressive thing.” “[Hope and Naz] are so passionate about the Waco community,” said Hope’s friend and classmate Jessica Jimenez. “Hope has such a passionate heart in whatever she does.” Rising legal fees and monthly mortgage payments loomed over Hope’s head as she struggled to make ends meet. Although Naz’s absence cut the couple’s income in half, donations from the community poured in to fill the need. Through her own initiatives, Hope raised more than $4,000 to pay for Naz’s

12.4.11

Hope and Naz do not take their time together for granted, enjoying simple moments, like cooking a meal.

a bible study with three men in the detention center, wrote sermons and used his free time to share his transformation story with new friends. “I built relationships with other people in there that could be used for good in the future,” Naz said. “Through building relationships, you see how other people suffer and learn how to have the heart of God through that – to see how he feels when his children suffer.” Their individual ministries gave them unique vantage points into the immigration system’s dark side. As Naz heard tales of past prejudices and intentional neglect, Hope saw the devastating effects of breaking apart the traditional family unit. Inspired by their encounters, Hope and Naz are contemplating marrying their newfound knowledge with their old dream. “Simply tying the two together – troubled youth and immigration,” Hope said. “God reveals it to us bit by bit…so we always take it bit by bit. We know we want to open a group home, we know we want to work with immigration, so it’s cool to see the two come together.” Through intermittent hearings and convoluted communication from legal counselors, God continued to provide for them. Family members, friends and strangers inspired by his story sent Naz letters of encouragement. Despite destitute circumstances, God proved reliable. “It was like God refining gold,” Naz said. “Sometimes you don’t see the hope but you have to remember that God is faithful.” In situations where many Christians would grow resentful, Hope and Naz grew stronger in their faith, holding to something Hope refers to as “crazy faith.” “Whenever your whole life is about to be changed, you really think, ‘Okay, am I going to go all out and believe that God is in control?’” Hope said. “At times, I was worse off than I

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t h f

i f G m h

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We really learned how to face confrontation.

“ Naz is grateful to be reunited with his wife, Hope, and their dog, Avery.

communicate on the phone with people yelling in the background,” Hope said. “You have to learn to communicate. People say communication is key, but it really is. That’s how we know what’s going on in each other’s heads and hearts.” After months of spotty phone calls, brief visits monitored by guards and tearful prayers, Hope and Naz learned their battle was over at the end of January 2012. Naz’s felony charge was dismissed due to insufficient evidence. His mandatory deportation was waived and his

1.26.12

Naz’s final g individual hearin in Pearsall rescheduled to January 26.

The paperwork to dismiss Naz’s felony is received, filed and signed.

2.6.12

1.19.12

1.18.12

thought I’d be. I dealt with grief and regret…I had dark times. But I can hold to this crazy faith that God is still a miraculous God.” Miracles big and small confirmed their prayers did not fall on deaf ears. “My relationship with the Lord is more intimate now, knowing that he actually cares for me,” Naz said. “I always struggled with if God was listening to me before. He does love me. He does speak to me, and I can really hear him if I listen carefully.” Through extraordinary circumstances, Hope and Naz allowed the chaos to strengthen their marriage. Little luxuries like Friday date nights or her husband cooking have a renewed sweetness to Hope. Their Calphalon cookware, a prized wedding gift, is being used again now that her husband is home. “After he left, all those little things I treasured were gone,” Hope said. “So now I ask, ‘Do you want to cook me breakfast?’ and it’s great.” “Before, we would’ve been caught up in the busyness of life,” Naz said. “Now we do more things together.” Reading together is one such activity Hope and Naz relish. They have read Gary Thomas’ “Sacred Marriage”, a look into a Christcentered relationship at least twice. The couple clung to the book’s key messages through their separation. “We really learned how to face confrontation,” Naz said. “For the past 10 months, we had to

11 a.m. Master hearing #5 Naz’s final individual court date is set for 3/14.

record was cleared. “We saw hope at the end of it all,” Hope said. “Even through the low points, God was so strategic.” Hope continues to work toward her degree, and Naz is adjusting to life as a free man. After an emotionally and spiritually grueling season, Hope and Naz plan to dive into a future that is far from the status quo. “God has done something big, so we can’t fall back into regular life and forget about it,” Hope said. “There’s work to be done.”

1:30 p.m. Master hearing #6 Naz’s deportation waiver is granted.

2.7.12

-Naz Mustakim

8:30 p.m. Naz is released from Pearsall detention center. Naz and Hope are reunited.

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Reclaiming

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Baylor Basketball reignites the heart of a city.

t Waco Native Chris Fuentes stands boldly supporting the Baylor men’s basketball team. Punching their second ticket to the Elite Eight in three years, the Bears have re-won the hearts of many hometown fans.

Story by Krista Pirtle Photos by Chris Derrett

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never attended Baylor, Fuentes has not missed a home game since 1999, becoming a part of Baylor basketball before head coach Scott Drew took the job. “I just sit in the student section because that is where I have sat for eight years or so,” Fuentes said. “Before the Bear Pit, I sat on the floor. I got moved when the Bear Pit was formed, and I sat in the seats I am in now because nobody used to be at the games. I am at the Ferrell super early since the section my seats are in are first come, first serve. I make sure I am first come.” By his side at the games are Sarah, his wife of six years, and friends Peter, Joe and Curtis, his wing-man for the past 10 years. With more than an hour until tip-off, both teams are at their respective baskets working on their shots and enjoying life. On the other side of the court is Texas Tech freshman Luke Adams. Riffing on Adams’ appearance, Peter begins to yell, “Hey, Justin Bieber!” A minute later, Baylor guard Gary Franklin runs up the stairs to where the group is sitting. After high-fiving all the guys, Franklin stands beside Peter. “Dude, he won’t hear you,” Franklin said. “He’s deaf.”

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he array of empty seats around the top of the Ferrell Center for Baylor basketball’s senior night reflects a past the program now strives to overcome. True, the game is on a Monday night and the opponent, Texas Tech, is 8-21 on the season, but the crowd of 7,164 is sorely lacking. Standing at the bottom of the student section in a Quincy Acy jersey, an arm sleeve from sophomore Cory Jefferson and a seven-year old, raggedy growl towel is Waco native Chris Fuentes, a.k.a. Super Fan. Fuentes is a physical education teacher at Lakeview Elementary and is finishing up his degree at Tarleton State University through McLennan Community College. “I remember when a crowd this size was great, but we’re the ninth team in the nation,” Fuentes said. “Do they know there’s a game tonight?” Cheering on the Baylor Bears is a hobby of his that started at age 7 when his tickets came from his grandmother who worked in admissions for 30 years. Even though he

Coach Drew has literally performed a miracle on earth.

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The group pokes fun at Peter as Fuentes recalls the past years of Baylor basketball: the seasons where there were more opposing fans in the crowd than Baylor’s own, the first season under current head coach Scott Drew, and the talent on the court tonight. After 2003, a Top 10 Baylor men’s basketball team seemed impossible. Former head coach Dave Bliss resigned about two months after the death of basketball player Patrick Dennehy. While the murder of Dennehy by teammate Carlton Dotson was in the spotlight, more was being uncovered behind the scenes. Bliss was giving improper benefits to players, positive drug tests were being reported as negative and there had been multiple attempts at the highest level to cover it all up. Two weeks later, in walks Scott Drew as the new head coach of the Baylor Bears. Two years later, the NCAA announces that Baylor will be forced to play a reduced schedule in men’s basketball for a season, 2005-06, and the school would remain on probation until 2010. “The 2003 season was very rough,” Fuentes said. “When the incident happened with Dotson, I was shocked. Everyone wanted to talk to us at games like we were the visitors [because] nobody from Baylor came, and the visiting teams had more people in the stands than we did. The visitors would say that our school was a bunch of murderers and criminals, which probably kept our fans away. It was really tough, but I had been here so long and attended so many games that there was absolutely no way I was going to change my allegiance to somewhere else.” As the seniors are being recognized as the winningest class in Baylor basketball history with 95 total wins, Sarah arrives with their oldest child, Ethan, who is 6. With his Cub Club T-shirt on and a Bear Dog from the concession stand, Ethan is ready to watch his favorite player on the team, junior point guard Pierre Jackson. “He will be outside playing and then run up to me and go, ‘Dad, I did a Pierre!’” Fuentes said. Jackson plays with a leadership behind the arc similar to Tweety Carter who, alongside Ekpe Udoh, led the 2010 team to the Elite Eight, falling to the eventual national champions, the Blue Devils of Duke University. Last season held high hopes for the Bears with

All-American Perry Jones III starting his freshman year. But the Bears did not advance to the post season, and the season, though full of expectations, Fuentes ended on a low note. The 2011-2012 season began with just as much hype as the Baylor squad was 25-5 by the end of February and reached as high as No. 3 in the national rankings at one point. “Coach Drew has literally performed a miracle on earth,” Fuentes said. This season, with Acy, Jackson, freshmen Quincy Miller and Deuce Bello, sophomores Brady Heslip and Perry Jones III and the rest of the Bears’ roster, Drew’s recruiting – and Baylor’s recent success – has meant that the team is loaded with talent – and for the foreseeable future. “Well, I think the best thing is that the last few years we have had great chemistry,” Drew said. “But I think this year, if you are comparing teams, is one of the closest teams if not the closest team - we have coached since we have been here. If you ever see one of them, you see all of them.” Furthermore, the brotherhood formed in the locker room is complimentary to their character. The fact that Jones III decided to return to Baylor after the NBA was knocking on his door last year says something about the program. “I am usually not the type of person that talks a lot,” Jones said. “I am just real quiet and mellow, but I see them as my brothers and I see Baylor University as my family.” With fifteen minutes to play and a 47-19 lead, Jones gets the ball at the free throw line, finds Jefferson at the block and feeds him for the two-handed slam. Fuentes looks to his right and makes eye contact with Curtis before jumping in the air for a chest bump. After the landing, Ethan grabs hold of the side of his dad’s uniform and tugs twice, prompting Fuentes to lean down and bump shoulders with his son. For seniors Fred Ellis, Anthony Jones and Quincy Acy, the program has been something they have had faith in from their first years in the green and gold. During their freshman season, the Bears made it to the Big 12 tournament championship game and were the NIT runner-up in 2008. A year later, they were part of the school-record 28 wins as Baylor advanced to an NCAA

Dad, I did a Pierre! -Ethan

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regional final against eventual national champion Duke. “Our seniors have always set the tone for us,” Acy said. “We went through a big slump in the Big 12 our freshmen year and our seniors taught us how to overcome it, then we made a big run to the NIT Championship. So that right there set the tone for us and gave us a winning mentality. Everything we did from there, all our upperclassmen have instilled a winning mentality in us.” This season Acy has put the team on his back. Anthony Jones has contributed off the bench after starting since his sophomore season and Ellis has played a positive, supportive role behind the scenes. With about nine minutes left and Baylor up 60-31, the crowd begins chanting, “We want Fred! We want Fred!” As the crowd gets louder, Drew looks down the bench

Chris Fuentes and his good friend celebrate their Bears with a shoulder bump. The two have been watching Baylor games together for the past 10 years.

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with a big smile on his face and puts Ellis in the game. “I was trying to get them to chant it earlier,” Ellis said, smiling. “It just Chris Fuentes and his felt good, the fans just chanting your son Ethan are all smiles name. When I get old, I’ll tell my while watching the Bears kids, ‘I had 40 points and the fans down Texas Tech. were chanting my name and I had six dunks. Everybody screaming my name.” The final home game of the season felt more like a party than a basketball game as the Bears rolled on to a 77-48 win. “For senior night, if you have a close team, everybody feels the pressure,” Drew said. “They really want to do well for the seniors. You saw that tonight.” As Acy walked off the hardwood at the Ferrell Center, Fuentes proudly stood at the rail, stretching his jersey toward the court, a symbol of his gratitude toward a program that refuses to be contained by the past.

Chris Fuentes brandishes his Quincy Acy jersey. Fuentes has not missed a home game since 1999.

Breakthrough by the Numbers... 2 30 15 31 9

NCAA Elite Eight Appearances in last 3 seasons School record number of wins Baylor tallied this season Consecutive Weeks in the Top 10 Points Perry Jones notched in Big 12 championship 3-pointers made against Colorado in third round of NCAA tourney Focus

baylor.edu/focus