From the Mission

On Tuesday, Ken came in.  He's a larger-than-life Texan and Lousianian.  Normally, he works with Sister Deck, but she was out having eye surgery, so he was sent to me to work with.

He had some names he wanted to put in his family tree.  But, what he really wanted to do was T.A.L.K.  And, talk, he did.

Since I'm a lover of human interest stories, I was captivated by all his stories....particularly this horrible, sad one.

His younger brother had 6 DUIs.  On the last one, he killed a little black boy.  He was sentenced to a year in prison.  After the trial, the judge took Ken, his father, and his brother back into his office.  And, he said, "Now, Glen, I'm gonna give you a year, but let you out in 6 months.  But, I'm telling you this, if that had been a white boy you killed, you'd be in for twenty or thirty years!"

I was HORROR STRICKEN!  I still am.

I expressed my shock and disgust and Ken said, "Ma'am, that's just how it was in the deepest South in the 60's!"

Ken's mother beat him on a regular basis for any infraction she deemed worthy of a beating.  Often he would have to get his own switch.  But, sometimes it was a heavy rope, a belt, whatever she could find.  When she started to beat Ken, his father got in his truck and drove away for awhile.  On her deathbed, she called Ken to her side, and said, "If I had it to do over again, I would treat you better, and I would learn about that church of yours."

One dark late night, as a Senior in high school, Ken went out to the football field, fell on his knees, and cried out, "I don't even know if there is a God, but if there is, HELP ME, FIND ME!"

A couple of years later, a co-worker introduced Ken and his wife to the church and he has been in the church for many many years.

I just love hearing stories like these of wonderful people trying to find God and the right church.

I'm so thankful for this mission.