Lockhart, SC: Population 617

He got a call from his daughter about a man on a mission so he made a sandwich, picked up two bottles of water, hopped in his pickup to hunt me down. Arnold Childers is a sweet, likeable man and it took us all of twenty seconds to strike up a friendship! I learned he was part of a group called The Riverside Boys (They don't have a website but if you want to hear some good Gospel Music...Southern Style...call 864-545-6734). I asked if they would be singing anywhere while we were in the area and learned that they would be at El Bethel Baptist Church in Gaffney on Sunday. I said we'd try and make it, gave my friend a DVD of Zacchaeus and took a cold bottle of water to go. Arnold said he'd go home and get Lucy a couple Gospel music CD's.

There was a truck stuck in the road ahead and a young couple drove by taking a picture of me with a cellphone.I only met them for a moment. They are having issues in their young lives. He is a veteran of Iraq. She is a young bride trying to stand by her man. It's been tough...things have happened and some things they caused to happen. They invited me to their church for Wednesday night service and I said I'd come.

I saw an open spot for Lucy to park and I called her but...no cellphone access!! Well, I had walked over two hours and it was getting very warm and humid. I saw an old shack with a bit of a roof over it's porch. I figured I'd just sit and wait and sooner or later Lucy would come rescue me! Just as I had sat down, a car pulled up. Chris was a sales rep whose curiosity got peaked when he saw me walking. When I mentioned my phone dilemma, he offered me his phone. Verizon gets better coverage here than AT&T and we managed to get through to Lucyah.

I introduced Chris to Lucy when she arrived. She excitedly told me that she had met Arnold and his daughter, Monica and that we were going to speak to the youth at their church that evening. I said, "We can't. I already made a promise to this young couple that we'd go to their church." Chris just looked at us and said with a grin "I think it's time for me to go." We assured him we would resolve the situation with an arm wrestling match and we gave him a DVD before he left.

"What time does your church service start?" I asked Lucy. "7:00pm," she replied. "How about yours?" "7:00pm." I sighed. Neither one of us had a phone number for our new found friends.

"What's the name of your church, Lucyah?" "First Baptist." "Where's it at?" "Lockhart." "Mine too! Turns out we met four people from the same church! Thank You, God!

When we got to the church, Monica greeted us and informed us that Pastor Ben had suggested we speak to the entire congregation! That shows a lot of faith on the pastor's part! Since it was a lovely night, we had the service outside. Instead of doing a presentation, we talked about the journey... why, where, when, who, what and how! It was a wonderful evening! More beautiful than I can possibly say. After we spoke, the children gathered around us and laid hands on us and their parents laid hands on them and the rest of the congregation laid hands on the parents. Everyone prayed over us and then Pastor Ben closed. When prayer was completed, they began to sing over us..."It Is Well With My Soul."

I would have loved to have been a bird looking down from above. Surely we were arranged liked a big beautiful flower of prayer and worship with two tiny servants in the center of it all. Oh my! It was overwhelming.

Afterward, we went inside (to the air conditioning) for soda & pizza. Monica was sweet enough to order a sheet cake that said "3300 miles for Christ" on it. We sat around for another two hours just talking and laughing with folks. Glen Steen, one of God's men, left for a moment and then came back with a beautiful sturdy walking stick made of dogwood which he was gracious enough to gift to us.

These are the people of America....giving, loving, kind, open and generous.

Please! Please! Please! Do not be deceived by the networks and the newspapers....television is not reality. If you want to learn about the reality of America, get out and let the people talk to you. Listen to them and you will hear the heartbeat of God in the land of the free.