The young Preacher and his Wife

No one could have asked fore a more supporting wife. She is and has been a sweetie.

We had some success at the little church but nothing to brag about. I tried to follow Dad’s advice of keeping the sermon simple, and less than 30 minutes. Dad always said Billy Graham was a good example. I studied and prepared 3 sermons a week. I was also a hospital chaplain. One of the nurses commented (to boost my ego) that the Lord was putting temptation in the pulpit! (I was the youngest preacher in town. )

(Eileen then and now)

One of the saving graces of our little church was a sweet farmer’s wife originally from Florida, Eileen Conrad. I have said many times this family was/is special. Eileen is the mother of ten beautiful children. She has a voice a song bird would envy. She could have performed in Carnegie Hall, her voice could rock our little church. When she sang about Heaven you could about see it.

(This is Eileen surrounded by some of her brood a couple years ago, strange, the voice is still there)

They tell me Vickie, the youngest daughter has even more volume and range. I am smiling, instead of a singing career, Vickie is a jet engine mechanic, and a sweetheart. Actually all the children sing and do it well of course.

Another family that made a lasting impression was Mae and Walter Guffee and their sweet children. If you read MA’s blog, you would know Mae Guffee, Always positive and always the mother. There were several more families, the Freemans, Deweys and Drewerys.

I had two part time jobs while there. One was driving the Conrad’s neighbor, Mr. Dodd, to get groceries and see his attorneys once a week. He was a millionaire farmer who was too old to drive. He paid me $20 for the day. a very good day’s pay.

The other was loading ‘Stave Bolts’. This was a logging job. Cutting Red Oak for barrel staves. My job was loading the 40” logs onto the truck. There was a big market for wooden barrels. The logger usually cut the logs on a percentage with land owners. However the times I worked with him unbeknown to me, he was cutting on the Missouri State right of way, in other words he was stealing the logs.

There was no ill will when we parted, but I told him I could be no part of that. Strange how close you come to innocently getting in a heap o trouble.

Our salary at the church was about $80 a month, but we had plenty of farm produce to eat.

The Freemans were older retired folk. Their house had no plumbing inside except a small miniature hand pump over the sink. I had never in my life seen this, and thought it was neat. The old pump looked just like the outside hand well pumps except it was about half the size. It was attached beside the kitchen sink and was used as you use your faucets, except it was pumped and always COLD!

After about a year, we got a call to another church in North Carolina. The kids would be close to their grand parents, and we would be closer to old friends.

Thanks for stopping by the log.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Life takes turns we never expect.

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1959 Dodge above and the ‘59 Chevy below.