Above: Activist Abe Bonowitz gets a much-needed massage from Journey of Hope participant SueZann Bosler (with an assist from little Isaac Bonowitz!)

Here's the latest posting from Robert Hoelscher as the Journey prepares for its final week:

Saturday, Oct. 21 was rest day. Clothes got washed. And several of us received hairdressing services from family member SueZann Bosler. Mine included an all purpose touch up which left me confident that I was free of unsightly nose hair.

Tonight we gathered at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Richmond for our first major event with Sister Helen Prejean. Before Sister Helen spoke, each JOH participant placed a rose dedicated to a loved one in a vase. This ritual was very powerful and emotional for both the audience and the JOH folks. Tears were in abundance.

Sister Helen was her usual sassy self. The thing about Sister Helen is that she is as
authentic as it gets. Her passion to abolish the death penalty comes from the
depths of her faith and her up close and personal relationships with those affected by the capital punishment. When we were driving back to the hotel, activist Claire (sorry Claire, forgot your last name) recalled the first time she met Sister Helen. "I fell in love with her in about eight seconds." That, indeed, is Sister Helen.

The Ridge Baptist Church is right down the street from our hotel. The sermon tomorrow is "Finding Strength in Broken Places." That is what the Journey of Hope is all about. And from this strength we will defeat the broken death
penalty.