They were not far from their destination. Joanna had mentioned they would be driving through some pretty rough neighborhoods, and indeed they were. Around them they saw abandoned buildings, empty lots, a bodega, a liquor store, and boarded-up storefront windows with signs from another era. It was the middle of summer, so there were a good number of people out on the streets, particularly teenagers sitting on steps to escape the heat and see what opportunities might come their way that day.

“Whatever else we might think about Joanna, Mitch, the fact that she chooses to live and work in the inner city and help young men is certainly admirable.”

“I can’t argue with that,” he answered.

“That must be it,” Carolyn said, pointing to a stone church on the corner that fit the description Joanna had given her. “Beautiful gray stone with a red door” was how Joanna had described it. The building had been lovingly restored. At one time, it must have been the center of the community. On this day, the positive energy that emanated from it was palpable.

“Man, she’s a beauty.” The architect in Mitch admired the stone-work while the little boy gyrated with anticipation. Was it really possible that Joanna could explain what had happened that night?

The church that Joanna and Richard had resurrected turned out to be a fairly large building with a bell tower, numerous stained glass windows, and two magnificent oak doors that were painted a deep red. Mitch noticed “1897” engraved into the cornerstone to the left of the steps. He had a passion for visiting churches and suspected this one would not disappoint.

The original name of the church had been sandblasted off the area above the doors and replaced by the name of the present congregation. Large, elegantly chiseled letters proclaimed the building to be “The Church of Forgiveness,” with smaller type announcing “All Sinners Welcome.” This wasn’t just a temporary saying meant to entice passersby, but rather a permanent mission statement.

They were greeted at the door by a tall black man with a gray pony-tail and piercing blue eyes, who was supervising the installation and refurbishment of a collection of used pews. He stuck out his huge paw and said, “Hi, I’m Richard. You two must be Carolyn and Mitch. We’ve been expecting you.”

Richard introduced his two workers, who were his and Joanna’s teenage boys. They both had the same remarkable olive coloring and sharp good looks of their mother, though one was blond and the other sported an Afro.

Richard volunteered to take Carolyn and Mitch through the church to the garden, where Joanna had said they would be able to meet in private.