Once back in Belmont

(Today we are on the road, tonight, we will be in Fair Play, South Carolina)

We arrived back in Belmont. My buddy Vondale’s dad had a trailer park just across the river in Mecklenburg County, so we arranged for our trailer to be delivered there.

I passed all the tests for the ministry, met the board for an oral exam and went to a summer school as a refresher course. We were blessed when a church was available. It was back in Missouri. A small church that we had attended located in Moberly, Mo.  Sherry and I were both happy to be going back to a church we knew, and knew the people.

(Our new Career, Rev. Jack Darnell, Sherry, Jack Jr and Mark.)

These folk were salt of the earth. Some of the most precious folk we ever knew. Our congregation was very small. Around 25-35 folk.

Our parsonage was a converted chicken house. We were on an adventure. Who cared if the floors slanted and there were 6 linoleums on the floor. There was one bed room and no doors. Except on the bathroom.

But we were happy.  To make the payments and utilities the ladies made fried pies and I sold them.  The fried pies were delicious, a recipe Sherry picked up in Biloxi. I enjoyed giving a money back guarantee if someone did not like them, no one ever took me up on that.

My daddy had given me one sentence or two advice. Love your people, seek God, do not go in debt and God’s people will feed you.

He was right we never went hungry.

Once while taking a lady member to the hospital in Columbia, our Rambler quit on Sherry.  She walked to a service station and called me. I asked her what was wrong with the car, her words were, “Honey I don’t know what is wrong, the last time I saw it smoke was coming from under the hood.”

Since we had only the one car, I do not know how the boys and I got there and I do not remember how we got it to the garage. I know we did not rent a car, we could not have afforded it.

The mechanic said, “Rambler has an aluminum head, I can weld it for $60, but I do not guarantee it for 5 seconds.”

Being a believer, I prayed then said, “Weld it!”  He did, and within 30 seconds steam again was coming out. the weld had failed. 
So much for my faith, huh?

So, what do you do if you are a young fellow and have a dad…………., you call him.  He said,  “Son you need a head.  I will send one out on the next Greyhound headed that way,” and he did.  (That is one reason I have tried to be a good dad, I haven’t always qualified, but I have tried.)

The mechanic said he would replace the head when it got there for $60. I had gambled all our extra money on the weld. So I went to the bank. I knew the banker because he bought fried pies from me.

“I need a loan.”

“Ok, how much, and for how long?”

“$60 for 6 months.”

Not even a laugh or a smile, “You got it.”

Payments were $10.25 a month for six months.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

I did enjoy the church there. And the people were the best.

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I believe we had a 1957 Rambler then…