Open Letter...

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Welcome to the new homesite of Project Jericho.  We have come a long way from what began as a thought so many years ago.  Many of you who know me understand why I chose to begin this ministry.  I feel it is crucial to our mission that all who come to this site know how and why this ministry came into being.  In the following account, I have attempted to condense my life to this point into a few paragraphs.  I have made every attempt to give credit where credit is due and likewise accept responsibility for the not so glorious road to discovery…

In 1961, my father Travis Hanna started Hanna Ministries after graduating from East Texas Baptist University, Marshall, Texas.  As pastor of a small country church in east Texas he loved evangelizing and began ministering in jails and prisons across the country.  As a very young boy, I traveled along with him.  Later we moved to El Reno and he became minister at the Southern Heights Baptist church.  He soon became involved with the county jail and federal prison there.  Again, I was with him nearly every time he went. I mention this because I was deeply effected by my fathers love for his work. As I grew up, I watched as he pastored churches throughout Texas and Oklahoma. He also worked as a development officer for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Though my family traveled to many places, I eventually went back to El Reno. The prison was a large part of the local economy so I went to work as federal corrections officer shortly after graduating high school.  During my tenure at FCIO Reno, I saw daily the effects of incarceration on the men and what life was like inside prison walls.  After a few years at the prison, I transferred to the US Marshall Service.  This experience gave me unique insight into the effects of the legal system on an accused’s family.  Little did I know that one of my decisions would ultimately result in my seeing things from the other side of the fence.

In 1992, during an inmate transfer I was involved in an incident in which I struck an inmate in my custody.  My supervisors and I were eventually charged with violating the inmate’s civil rights under the color of the law.  In 1993, I was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison.  I would soon find myself incarcerated with many of the men I once oversaw.  I was only able to gain acceptance due to the kindness and protection of two inmates who had remembered me as a C.O. I would like to think that these men remembered me as a fair and kind man but it was also just as likely that God moved their hearts and was keeping me alive in preparation for my next task. Just as important, the prison chaplains guidance and support helped me focus on the future, not just my current situation. I began to see that, though I suffered, I was not alone in this; my family was doing time right along with me.

At long last I was released.  The return home and subsequent return to “normal” life was a struggle for me and my family.  Thanks to the support of my family and friends, I was eventually able to rebuild my life.

Though God had blessed my family and I with much success, I could not help but think that I saw all that I had for a reason.  I had a great desire to help people, especially children.  The Missouri Baptist Children’s Home gave me the opportunity I was looking for.  During my 4 years as a development officer, I learned the skills I would use later to create a new ministry.  I had developed a strong desire to help single parent families, including families whom had lost a parent to incarceration.  Project Jericho was born out of this desire.

I want to thank our partners, donors, volunteers and the various other organizations for helping to turn a dream into reality.  I also hope that any who read this letter will join us in our mission to help others as God has called us to do.

Yours in Christ,

Thomas Reed Hanna

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