Beyond the Box

#6: Beyond the Badge - When Abandonment Turns Into Inspiration

• Monica Kelsey • Season 1 • Episode 6

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A cardboard box in a frigid apartment hallway during a winter storm became the unlikely beginning of an extraordinary full-circle story. Matthew, abandoned as a newborn just days before Christmas in 2000, has defied incredible odds to become a South Bend police officer—the very department that investigated his abandonment. Detective Gene Eyster vividly remembers that night: two feet of snow, temperatures around 15 degrees, and bitter winds. He rushed to the scene and nicknamed the infant “Baby Jesus” because of the timing and circumstances, eventually tracking down Matthew’s parents after three intense days of investigation.

For twenty years afterward, Gene often found himself reflecting on the fate of “Baby Jesus,” driving past the apartment complex regularly and wondering what had become of him. Questions lingered in his mind, unresolved and poignant: Had their paths unknowingly crossed? Was the child still living nearby? Then, a chance conversation between Matthew and a fellow officer revealed the astonishing connection—“Baby Jesus” had grown up to wear the same uniform and patrol the same streets where he’d been found.

Their reunion was deeply healing, especially for Gene, who had recently lost his own adult son. The striking similarities between Matthew and Gene’s late son—same height, build, even facial hair—felt almost providential. For Matthew, meeting Gene brought closure and insight into his earliest days, offering answers he’d sought his entire life.

This remarkable reunion highlights the vital importance of Monica Kelsey’s mission with Safe Haven Baby Boxes, providing desperate parents with anonymous and safe ways to surrender their infants. With 59 babies safely surrendered in baby boxes nationwide and over 200 through legal handoffs, each child now has the opportunity to craft their own extraordinary life story—just as Matthew has done.

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Monica:

This is Monica Kelsey from Beyond the Box. We are on the road again today in South Bend, indiana, with part two of our interview with Matthew, who was abandoned in a cardboard box here in South Bend, who now is a police officer for South Bend Police Department, and it really is beyond the badge for Matthew, while it's beyond the box for Monica Kelsey. Then we have a special guest today that is joining us and Gene, we'll kind of get into your story and how you kind of fit into this piece of the puzzle after we kind of get people to remember why we had you the first time. And so short, brief, quick. Why are you so important to Monica Kelsey?

Matthew:

Well, I was when I was born. I was left in a cardboard box on December 22nd of 2000. I got the wrong date last time.

Matthew:

That's okay, we'll you on december 22nd I was left in a box, uh, at a apartment complex here in south bend. Um, two tenants found me, uh, crying in the hallway, so they called 9-1-1. Uh, well, 20 years go by and I I end up here and a couple of other officers found out about my story about being left in a local apartment complex. Well, we come to find out that gene eister was the investigator on my case.

Monica:

So so mr gene worked the case back in 2001, right?

Matthew:

I think it would have been 2000 2000.

Monica:

okay, so december of 2000. So you were a detective or a police officer, um, for South Bend as well, so you worked for the department and you get this call that a baby had been left in a cardboard box at an apartment complex, and so let's go back to that. So your first initial thoughts and then just kind of how the case progressed, to well, where we are today.

Gene:

Well, the initial I was astounded because, you know, here was just a few days before Christmas right start with.

Gene:

As late at night it was cold out and we had a winter storm. We probably had a couple feet of snow. Wind was about 20 mile an hour, wind temperatures are about 15. And they tell me that we've recovered a baby, a newborn, in a cardboard box in the hallway and I was very familiar with the apartment complex so I knew the hallways weren't heated, so that added to the urgency. So it was. It was a unique call I have. At that point I'd already been on 20 years and it's not something I'd had to deal with before.

Monica:

Had you. You've never had that happen before.

Gene:

Not a found infant had to deal with before, had you? You've never had that happen before. Not a found infant?

Monica:

There've been times where we had medical emergencies but not an infant. Wow, okay, so you show up at this, cause you? You went to the scene. Yes, you went to the scene, and he was probably already taken to the hospital by that time.

Gene:

Just as I arrived cause my home is near this apartment complex and just as I arrived, the ambulance was getting ready to leave and I told him go ahead, I'll just meet you down at the hospital. So I did a cursory interview of the individuals who came across the box and found Matt, and after that then I left and went down to the hospital to find out what his condition was and to get all the identifiers that I could male, female, how old, you know? Did they suspect it as being a home delivery? Was it, you know, a botched medical case? And that's where we went from, there and then, trying to track down and follow some leads, because it was close to Christmas, I felt there was a little bit of urgency. So I took it immediately to the local media and gave them what I could that we were trying to locate someone, and that stirred up a couple individuals who gave me a call and that started a chain of events where I was able to identify the parents.

Monica:

The parents who left him in that apartment complex. Okay, and so these parents were literally found within probably 24 hours.

Gene:

It was three days before I found him.

Monica:

Three days, so it was Christmas.

Gene:

Yes.

Monica:

It was Christmas day when you found his parents.

Gene:

They will make contact with him. The following day after Christmas, I made contact with the female through a series of phone calls and contacts located her, but I didn't find the father until it was about five days later.

Monica:

I know everybody's going to be thinking this, so I'm just going to ask it what was your initial thought walking up to this parent who, you know, just left a newborn baby in a cardboard box? What were your thoughts?

Gene:

All the emotions ran through my mind. First off it kind of hit me because I had little ones and got a little soft spot for little ones anyway. And it was Christmas and that's where I halfheartedly said that I'm not going to refer to him as John Doe, because to me that has some kind of a moniker of someone who did something wrong.

Monica:

Right.

Gene:

I said so. I named him Baby Jesus. That was his manger, it was a box, and he was there before Christmas and there were three individuals that found him. So to me those were the three wise men. So I started referring to him as baby Jesus and when I first initially made contact with the female, I tried to be open-minded in that. As hard as it is for some people to understand, it's not that difficult for officers because we deal with so many different scenarios that there are situations where an individual may, for their own personal reasons, believe that they're unfit to be a parent or unqualified and that out of desperation they did something that was a poor choice, but to them it was the best choice they had. You know, which is the benefit of your establishment is that they there is now a viable option that is positive right you know, and protective.

Gene:

so I tried to keep an open mind. When I, when I talked with her and then I understood, when she explained to me that what had transpired in the the atmosphere, the environment between her and the father, um, I somewhat accepted it, you know, wasn't totally in favor of it obviously- Right, right. I could accept it.

Monica:

Was she emotional when she, when you met her?

Gene:

Not at first, and I think it's because she was fearful of me.

Monica:

Do you think she was going to try and hide the fact that it was her, or did she just come right out and say it? She came right out At that point.

Gene:

she knew that I had already developed enough information that I know what had transpired. So she was very forthcoming, so I didn't have that issue.

Monica:

So you find the parents Now talking with Matthew before we kind of got into the story of what actually happened and why he was left and that his birth mom had him for a few days at home prior to doing this. Did it surprise you that the story would get so big with the media?

Gene:

Because it blew up here. There was a lot of coverage at the initial onset because it was close to Christmas. I think it's because it was a slow news period. The weather had dampened, everything else. We weren't having any other incidents that occurred.

Gene:

So they did get the coverage, which I'm glad that they did, because that generated the other employees that had worked with the female that said I think I might know who you're talking about and a number of people gave me the same name, so that helped. And then everything went dormant after that because because of confidentiality. When I tried to follow up a couple days later I found that Matt had already been passed on to another couple who was going to foster and later I did no adoption and that was the extent of the information that I was privy to as far as Matt, and I just accepted the fact that he's in a positive atmosphere now and nothing became of it after that so my mind's just like going crazy right now with all these questions and I know and some of these questions that I I want to ask it's like was charges ever pressed against her?

Gene:

yes okay.

Monica:

Did she plead guilty? Do you know she did plead guilty? Um, you know, I work with these moms every single day and I can tell you that there, some of these moms are just in a position that you and I would never understand. And I think you, you probably know that dealing with this mom, even though we know that what they did was not the right decision, um, I don't think it came from a bad place. You know that she left Matthew in a place where she thought he would be found. You know, if she didn't, he would have been found in a dumpster, possibly deceased.

Gene:

And so alongside the road.

Monica:

Yeah.

Gene:

But she, she had the forethought that it was she wasn't familiar with this apartment complex. She didn't live there. No, no, she didn't familiar with this apartment complex.

Monica:

She didn't live there. No, no, she didn't live there.

Gene:

But she knew of it and she knew that it was a high-trafficked area. So she did have those concerns and she did put him inside where the closed hallway the temperatures were still in the 40s and he was well-protected there was a blanket and a shirt and he was very well up, you know, and it could have been totally different outcome.

Monica:

Oh, very, very outcome. The could be could have been way different. Ok, so After the you know he left and he went to a foster home. Did you ever hear from that story again, or about that story again, so for 20 something years?

Gene:

years I didn't hear a thing.

Monica:

You didn't even know what happened to him. No, and did you often wonder though?

Gene:

More than often. As I said, I live near that complex and I had to drive to work back and forth. Every time I drove past that apartment building, and every time I drove past it, I thought God, you know, is he still in the area? Is he still alive? You know, have I come across him during the time that I've been on the department?

Monica:

Has he been arrested before God?

Gene:

forbid. You know, did I have him involved in some crime that I don't even know, because I don't know what his name is? Now, you know, maybe Jesus was all I knew.

Monica:

Right.

Gene:

You know, but yes, it came. I thought about that probably no less than once a month for 20 years.

Monica:

For 20 years, and so your life kind of went on raising a family and then all of a sudden I retired, and I was retired After how many years?

Gene:

Let me ask you, Gene I had 47 and a half years employed by the police department. 45 of that sworn officer.

Monica:

Look at you, congratulations, thank you. You deserve this retirement. Gene, are you out fishing and boating every day?

Gene:

No, but I'm still enjoying life. Yeah, and then I'm sitting at home one day and I just got done doing some work around the house and I got a phone call from Corporal Morgan, who I've worked with extensively, I helped train him to some degree and he says hey, do you remember this baby case? I said oh, distinctly. I said I remember what day of the week it was. I remember what I was doing.

Monica:

What day of the week was it?

Gene:

I recall it was a Tuesday Tuesday, you know, and it was. I remember the weather. I remember what I was doing when I got the call because I was a duty officer at the time. I said yeah. I said why. He said well, you're probably not going to believe this. I said what he says. He's sitting next to me. I said who? He says baby Jesus. I said what he says yeah, he's a police officer. I'm training him. I said you've got to be kidding me. That was the last thing I ever expected.

Monica:

How fast did you get down to the station. Well, all right, did you go, like some sirens?

Gene:

No, not right away. The public relations officer there, ashley Ochap, arranged for the two of us to meet, and very shortly thereafter and we sat down, and that's where everything started.

Monica:

And so you meet him for the first time. Obviously, you had questions.

Gene:

Well, the first thing I said to him, what's your? Name. I couldn't no, I couldn't think of anything else that I'd been provided his name. I couldn't think of anything else. And first thing I said to him was you're a lot bigger than I remember.

Monica:

He's not very tall, though, gene. He is not very tall, gene.

Gene:

He's, he's about my height, but okay, so you, so you walk in and you meet him and did it instantly click yes, really so, like like you'd known him forever for a good part of it. Yeah, wow, I mean, and the fact seeing him in the same uniform that I just that you were.

Monica:

Uh, yeah, I mean the.

Gene:

The odds were phenomenal. That was set me back. I mean, he could have been an officer in an apartment in new york he could have been you know some any other agency, but he's on the same agency as me and he's working the area of town that I once worked. You know I'm wearing the same uniform. What are the odds? You know, after 20 years.

Monica:

The odds were yeah. So what's your relationship like now? I mean, you're retired, so you got bunches of stuff to do, right?

Gene:

We keep in contact periodically. Matt's pretty busy right now with the job and with two little ones of his own. I'm working part-time now so it keeps me a little bit busy and I do a lot of traveling.

Monica:

Oh, that's good.

Gene:

We've not had the constant contact, but there's still a, there's something between us. I don't know how to describe it.

Monica:

Well, and it'll always be there. I think you know. I mean you, you can't have this kind of case and not be connected. Um and so so, going back to you, so you meet Jean for the first time and, uh, what was your first question? I got to get a little personal here because, you know, when I met my biological mother, there were so many questions that I wanted to ask and it was like I just needed to know one, why, and all of the circumstances surrounding it. Was that what you wanted to know first from him, or did you just want to meet him?

Matthew:

I just kind of wanted to meet him. Okay, I did learn a lot more about what happened than I knew because I kind of knew what he knew. For what happened to me is I was left, I was taken to the hospital and I was adopted. That's it Really like I didn't know anything about the background of what my mom did or my birth mother chose to do and why she might have done that. So I did learn all of that after talking with Jean. Um, yeah, I just wanted to meet him. I've I've always kind of wondered who uh, not that you directly found me, but who kind of dealt with my case and what. What happened after it?

Monica:

Well and um, I don't know, maybe I shouldn't't ask you this, but you were going through a tragedy of your own at the same time when matthew was connected to you yeah, I lost my son just shortly before I found that matt was on the department yeah, how old was your son? 37 37, and do you think that the stage that you were in possibly was lifted a little bit by seeing something that had been on your mind for 20 years?

Gene:

Without question. You know there was a void because I had lost my son. My son and I were very close.

Gene:

I was a single dad and I had custody of of him from very early age until he finally moved out, and even then we were even closer, we were buddies as opposed to father and son. And that left a big void there of an adult, a younger adult who I could communicate with, and then, when they adult, a younger adult who I could communicate with right, and then when they when this came to light I hate to use the term divine intervention, but I guess to some degree it was. You know, because now and then, when I came in to meet him, I immediately noticed some of the mannerisms and the stature is almost the same as what my son was. So I'm telling myself you know, why couldn't he have had blonde hair? You know, my kid had black hair, you know, and my kid had a beard, you know, and Matt had a beard. They're the same height, they're the same body size and I'm thinking, oh my God, there's so many similarities here.

Monica:

I do believe that Christ knew exactly what you needed at that moment. I am I'm a firm believer that he is always in charge of what is happening, especially in your life. I mean, you think about it, you know. I mean Gene was brought into your life as you just became a police officer and you get to go back in time and back in history and find out what Gene was doing on the day that you were left. I mean, it's just kind of surreal, do you? No, you have kids, matthew, yeah.

Matthew:

I do.

Monica:

So have they met Gene.

Gene:

No, I have not had the pleasure to meet them in person In person.

Monica:

So I mean, what do you think? How are you going to introduce Gene to them?

Matthew:

I guess Grandpa Gene.

Monica:

That's where I was going with this, I mean is this Grandpa Gene?

Monica:

Yeah, I guess, grandpa Gene, that's where I was going with this. I mean, is this Grandpa Gene? Well, think about it. You kind of are the saving grace. I mean, I know that you didn't find him, but you worked the case, did everything that you were supposed to do to track down his biological parents and made sure that he was safe and went to a home. I mean, even though the process was still going, but you still worked it. He was safe and went to a home. I mean, even though the process was still going, but you still worked it. And, grandpa Gene, I need to be in on this meeting because I want to see this. This is beautiful.

Monica:

You know, when I actually got to meet my biological mother when I was 37, so your son passing away at 37, me meeting her at 37, became kind of the best day and the worst day of my life, because I didn't know anything. All I knew was what my adoptive parents were told when they adopted me was that my birth parents were young and love and couldn't care for me, and so they placed me for adoption. And that's what I was told growing up and that's what my adoptive parents were told by the judge to protect me, and back then that's what they did, is they protected the child and they made up this elaborate story, and so finding her literally became the best day because I had longed to meet her. But then it also became the worst day because I found out that I was abandoned, and you and I talked about it at the last podcast.

Monica:

You know I don't, that's not who I am, and I think for Matthew it's the same way that that's not who we are. You know my name is Monica Kelsey. I'm the founder of safe haven babyes. Yeah, I was abandoned as an infant back in 1973, but that's not who I am today. Who I am today is what I've made of myself. And same thing with you, I mean, we talked about beyond the badge for you, you know, beyond the box for me, beyond the badge for you, I mean you are now in the city in which you were left, protecting those people you know, the people in the community that you know and I would add he's working the same beat as where he was found yeah, you did not tell me that last time

Monica:

I went to have you ever prosper yesterday have you ever went through the apartment complex?

Matthew:

I don't. So I've been in the complex uh times but I don't know. I'll have to look at the report and see the exact building.

Gene:

Yeah, matt wasn't aware that there was even a police report made at the time that he mentioned to Corporal Morgan. That. Here's my story. He only knew the basics. And Corporal Morgan said did you ever look at the report? And he said I didn't know there was one. And when they researched the report that's when Corporal Morgan recognized me as the investigator he said wait a minute, I got his number, I'll call him. And that's when he called me and said you're not going to believe this.

Monica:

You have that.

Matthew:

Yeah, I've got it. It's got it right here, Pull it.

Monica:

Can I see it? Yeah, so we talked about this last time a little bit and you didn't bring it last time and you have the articles I want to see.

Matthew:

I want to see that these are the news articles. Oh, and this. Okay, I think this is when the safe haven law came into effect and I'm assuming you were mentioned in this or this is just not sure I know these are all about me and when I was left, left and found. Wow this is, I mean, full of Gene's investigations and all of his reporting.

Monica:

Wearing a sleeping outfit and wrapped in a blue-green blanket. Do you still have that blanket?

Matthew:

No, I think they destroyed it.

Monica:

Did they destroy it?

Gene:

Yeah, that was kept as evidence for a period of time and then it was ordered destroyed by the court.

Monica:

This is amazing.

Gene:

We still don't know the outcome of the teddy bear.

Matthew:

Yeah, I don't know. Well, hey, we got to do it, no.

Monica:

So oh, I didn't even see that there was a teddy bear on here.

Gene:

What had happened was, and when I went down to the hospital and I talked with the doctor as far as his condition and everything, I had seen that he was in a isolate and I thought that's so sterile and everything and for this being the holiday and everything, I felt bad. I had to go do some other investigating. But I stopped and picked up a teddy bear and came back to the hospital and asked that they put it in his isolate so there'd be something in there other than just hospital medical equipment and stuff right and we don't know whatever happened to the teddy bear wow, this is amazing that you have this, you know

Matthew:

that's thanks to my mom.

Monica:

She saved all of those she saved, and then obviously you got this when you started working here I think it was when I first met Gene.

Matthew:

Ashley printed those out so we could both go through it.

Monica:

This just blows my mind. You know, and I've interviewed so many people, not for the podcast, but just, you know, speaking with them. You know people like us that have been left, and it's like the stories never get old because there's always something different about each one of them. The fact that Jean is a part of this, I think it just blows my mind how you guys reconnected. I wish I could find the nurse that was part of my story. I've never even looked, but it would be interesting to know that as well. But it's kind of neat that you do have that. You do have that part of this In our case.

Gene:

the odds were just unbelievable 20 years later. And then it was by half a chance. It wasn't anything that someone did research and tried to follow up. It just happened he made the statement in front of an officer who happened to know me that went and looked up the case case and it just went from there.

Monica:

Well, the fact that you're a police officer in the same community in which you were left, working alongside the police officer that worked your case, you just can't make this up, you know, it's like, it's really surreal. You just don't see it very often. Well, in last year it was probably about a year ago is when I first learned of this and my one of my team members was like you got to get him on your podcast. And I'm like, well, you know, South Bend is not very far away, you know. And so when we started the podcast this year, you were, you were on the list from day one. We just knew that. You know, we wanted to have you on because this is such a remarkable story and it's such an inspirational story of hope and did you.

Gene:

We apparently passed each other a number of times as well, because he worked for a car dealership where I purchased a couple of cars. I may have seen him or come across him during that time. He later was employed at a decent building, the county police department, in the jail which I was in constantly bringing people in or doing organizational things with the sheriff's department. We may have passed or spoke and didn't realize it at the time.

Monica:

Did you ever think though?

Gene:

Did you ever wonder, I wonder, if he is out here, where he's at? I always, always wondered, you know, like, as I said earlier, you know, did I have I come across him? Have I have I stopped him? You know, did he play in sports? Because I was pretty active in coaching and things, you know, have I seen, seen him? Because there's six officers on the department that I coached in a little league. Could he have been on one of the teams I coached? Could he have been on one of the teams that we played? I mean, I never knew.

Monica:

You never knew, and now you know. So any other cases that in your, in your history that you've really thought about over and over and over again and always wish you could connect and have.

Gene:

There's a number of cases. Just because you wear a uniform doesn't mean you don't have the same emotions and feelings as everyone else. I mean, inside that uniform is the same person as everyone, so there's always a few that really stick with you. I've never had one this long and then connected, no, but there have been some that have left a mark on me, you know, for one reason or another, but this one is a highlight because it had a positive outcome and every day seems to continue along that same path. I've not heard one negative thing about Matt. All his supervisors say he's a great officer.

Monica:

You're paying these people.

Gene:

well, matthew, you know, and the time that we've shared. I can see all the attributes are positive, so it just made it that much better.

Monica:

Such a great story. Oh my gosh, Such a great story. I'm just, I'm like, I'm usually not, I'm usually not lost for words. Am I ever? Am I ever lost for words?

Gene:

Never lost for words, I can tell you, I had that same feeling when they called me, and I'm not lost for words either.

Monica:

You and I would have a very long conversation, probably over a beer at a bar. So we would probably yeah when they called me.

Gene:

I was flabbergasted. I, like you know Matt, used the word surreal. It definitely was. I mean, I was set back. I thought you know, is this a joke? You? Know this is not funny if it is you know. And he says no, he's sitting right next to you, he's my officer. He says I'm training him.

Monica:

And you wanted to be a mechanic. I know what were you thinking. You know you had this amazing story that just needed to be.

Matthew:

You know I probably wasted some time. I could have probably worked with them had I started sooner.

Monica:

Exactly, or you didn't retire. You could always come back, gene.

Matthew:

Yeah, no.

Gene:

Come out of retirement. I've said many times, I do miss some of the clowns, I don't miss the circus, oh yeah.

Monica:

I totally understand that. You know I was a medic and a firefighter for many years and I miss it. I do, but I don't miss the drama and the chaos, but I do miss the guys.

Gene:

And you mentioned that in the same tone. I worked at a paramedic ambulance service for 17 years, but either it was an infant that I knew was secure with surrounding family, or, if it passed, I knew that there was some finality and in case of Matt's case it was the same to him as it was to me. It was just an open book.

Monica:

There was never a final chapter so when you, when you heard about the baby boxes, uh, coming to indiana, you were still in the department. This was 10 years ago when we first launched. Nine years ago, when we first launched our very first baby box in indiana. Um, did this ever come? Did this ever cross your mind that this could have been a solution to what happened here?

Gene:

well, it crossed my mind. Yeah, because he give. As I said earlier, he gives them. He gives those that are in a state of desperation or confusion. It gives them a positive outlook or a positive out means to do what they want to do right you know not that it's justified in their minds.

Gene:

They're doing what they think is best. Well, this affords an opportunity where they know that it's going to be, the infant's going to be cared for, it's going to be secured. You know, with all the provisions that are made, that it's in a location where it's alarmed and you know that it's going to be responded to immediately. So, yeah, this was definitely a blessing.

Monica:

You know, when I first started doing research in Indiana on the safe haven law, I went back and I had all of the stats of abandoned babies in Indiana.

Monica:

You were probably in the stat that I had gotten all those years ago when I first started this, but I was so struck by how many babies were being left at the doors of safe haven locations like fire stations, hospitals. There was a baby left at the door of Methodist Hospital down in Indianapolis and I was like why would these women take these babies there and just leave them at the door? And the more I studied this, the more it became clear that these women wanted to save the lives of their children. They just didn't want to face anyone or talk to anyone. And so it became clear that I knew what I needed to do, or what Christ had pulled me, you know, to be able to put forth in this state, and what I didn't realize was that he was going to have me go all over the country as well. But the more I seen of all of these babies being left, the more I thought babies like Matthew could have possibly been saved by Baby Box, you know and had a different outcome for the birth mom, you know she clearly wanted anonymity, she clearly didn't want to be seen, but she clearly loved him enough to leave him in a safe place. And so that is exactly why the baby box exists is to allow these parents anonymity. It's, you know, it might not be what I would do or might not be what you would do, but for them, if that's all they have left, if that's all that they can muster up, it is enough, you know.

Monica:

And so, unfortunately, across this country, every three to five days we're finding a dead infant or an infant clinging to life left at dumpsters, trash cans, safe haven location still where there's no boxes around. And two days ago we found one in Riverside, california, baby literally sitting outside of a dumpster. This parent didn't throw this baby in the dumpster, they laid this baby at the dumpster. And you got to try to think about why would this parent do this? And it's because they didn't want this baby to be in the dumpster, where no one could find this child. They laid it at the end of the road there where the dumpster was, so that possibly this baby would be found by the next person that brought their trash there. And so it's interesting how we get into the minds of these moms.

Monica:

But Matthew's mom is no different. Her birth mom is no different. She was going through the exact same crisis as most of the women are today that we work with, and so she was just in a situation where, one, there was no safe haven law back then, so she couldn't walk into your police station and hand you that child, and two, there was no baby boxes, so she would have if she wanted to surrender, she wouldn't have been able to in a box or by handoff, you know. And so I think that the laws that we've put in place today, is it ideal? No, it's not. It's not ideal, but it's saving the lives of kids, and that's what it's all about is, when you, when you see a life that you have saved turn into something so amazing and just become something good for the community, it makes it all worth it.

Monica:

You know, we've had 59 babies in our boxes, almost 40 of those babies just in the state of Indiana and boxes. It's incredible. And so when you, when you, look at that, I can't wait to see what Christ has in store for these 40 lives in Indiana, these 59 throughout the country, 229 handoffs in the last nine years, it's like what are they going to do when they grow up? And now we know what Matthew's going to do, we know what one of them did, we know what Matthew did, and so you know. Last time I asked you you know what you do in your spare time and you said fish. And I ask you what you do in your spare time and you said fish. And I ask you, and you don't.

Gene:

No, I travel.

Monica:

You travel.

Gene:

I can't, I'm hyper, I'm OCD, I can't sit in the book 10 minutes waiting for a fish to eat a worm, I'll go to the market and get it. That's why you use a spinner. That's why you use a spinner.

Matthew:

I think, gene, I think you could learn a few, I'll go to the market and get it. That's why you use a spinner. That's why you use a spinner. That's why you keep rid of it.

Monica:

I think, Gene, I think you could learn a few things from Matthew as well, maybe fishing. He'd have you at the supermarket, though, within 15 minutes, oh yeah. Yeah.

Gene:

We'd be out in the front yard teaching him how to do the yard the right way.

Matthew:

Hey, I'm doing all right, let me, I don't know. Have you Mm-hmm.

Monica:

It's not too hot yet Gotta get some weeds out of there. Well, Gene, it's been a pleasure. It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know you.

Gene:

It's been an honor to have you here and what you do.

Monica:

Well, thank you To God, be the glory, my friend and Matthew. I think this is just the beginning of our relationship.

Gene:

I think I need to just bring you back, like every six months or something you know, next time you need to travel to woodburn, though okay, you know, I don't think he's gonna fit in a box, so no, oh, gene, gene, trust me.

Monica:

We're working on a spouse box currently, but we can't get anybody to take the men from the box, because nobody wants them, because they don't work as hard as the women do everybody wants the women, because their house will be clean and everything else, but not the men. So we're struggling on that aspect, but we can get you in a box, matthew, I'm sure of it.

Matthew:

Excel.

Monica:

Well and plus you come to Woodburn, you can actually see where all the boxes are made. They are made by hand, but one guy builds the shell. One guy does the electronics.

Matthew:

We've got a vacation in June, maybe we can.

Monica:

Yeah, come on up. It'd be nice to be nice to see you well again. Thank you so much for allowing me to interview you. Thank you for becoming part of our, our podcast, and, matthew, it's always a pleasure thank you, man all right. Well, this is monica kelsey, from beyond the box on the road in south bend, indiana, with beyond the badge, matthew and jean's story of abandonment, but also inspiration out of an abandonment that could have turned bad. Anyways, god bless you guys. We'll see you guys next time.