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When my husband
and I married in 1972 we were blessed with three beautiful
children within four and a half years.? We were also blessed
to live in an area of
Michigan
where my husbands family was from, and where his
Grandparents
lived and raised
their three sons and three daughters. Of course they were
all married and my husband had many cousins at this time.
I was not
fortunate to know the woman who had stood by the side of
Steve's Grandfather for over fifty years, as she had passed
away just before we met, but I sure got to know his
Grandfather! Our first home was located in a central area
where older homes had been built in the 30s, and the street
was lined with Maple trees that when in their summer
fullness shaded our home and those nearby. ???Grandpa??? would
often stop by to visit, and share a meal, or celebrate a
great-grandchild's birthday.
???Grandpa??? or
???Dad??? as his own children would call him had raised a family
of six with a firm hand and the Word of the Lord. At a young
age? his children all learned how to sing and play the piano
or an instrument. This was put to a good use when? during the
warm days of spring and summer ???Grandpa??? drove his truck
down the city streets and upon finding an active corner
would pull? over, and the boys would jump out, while the
girls were seated with their Mother in the back on folded
chairs, took turns? at the old? pump organ and would play a
hymn.
This was the
beginning of many street revivals that ???Grandpa??? was known
for holding in the city during the 30s. The boys played
their instruments, while the girls and their Mother raised
their voices in song, and ???Grandpa??? spoke to the group who
had gathered nearby about? The Lord, and their need for
salvation.
The pattern was
repeated for a few years, and one day ???Grandpa??? found an old
storefront where he started conducting his weekly services.
A landscaper by day and preacher by night, he often hired
workers from the city and returned them to the street
corners each evening. As time went on the need for caring
for the men became a concern for him, and he purchased a
larger storefront and contacted his church who provided cots
and blankets for them to sleep. During the cooler nights
???Grandma??? brought pots of steaming hot soup and homemade
bread and fed the men who had no other home. This was the
beginning of several buildings that served as a Mission over
the next 60 years years.? In the early 90's it became? the
largest and oldest? shelter in Oakland? County, Michigan.
The man that
had? been saved under the ministry of the Evangelist, Billy
Sunday, during an outdoor tent meeting
years? before,? continued to be? adamant about sharing the
Gospel on the street corner never stopped sharing. If we
were out and he stopped by, we knew ???Grandpa??? had been
calling, because he always left a tract pinned to the door.
Shortly after Steve? and I were married I made a profession
of faith and I was baptized. ???Grandpa??? and other family
members were in attendance,? sitting in the front pew!?
When our
children were young my husband and I were involved in
starting a new church in a small town nearby, ???Grandpa???? had
heard about? it, and one Sunday morning while the
congregation was being led in song by my husband, ???Grandpa???
strolled into the back of the Sanctuary. We had just
completed the last stanza of ???Amazing Grace??? and Steve
looked up as the man who was now in his mid-eighties, with a
big smile boomed out ???Sing it again, Steve.??? And so we sang
???When we've been there? ten thousand years??¦???
???Grandpa??? passed
away a year before his 90th birthday.? It was a
large funeral with family and friends from all over.? How
blessed I was to have known the man that allowed the Lord to
lead in his life, and made sure his children and their
children were? exposed? to God??™s word. Whenever we sing
???Amazing Grace??? and come to the last stanza, I??™m again
transported in my mind back to that special church,? one
summer on a Sunday past; and fondly remember the man who
would preach on the street corner, and? had a heart for
the? homeless,? and what an amazing person? he was.
?© Diane Dean
White, 2005
Diane
is a former newspaper reporter and currently a freelance
writer and author. She has shared her stories with a wide
range of publications as well as websites online. She is
married to Stephen and theyare the parents of three grown
children and two grand-gals. They make their home on the
Carolina Coast. Diane is the author of Beach Walks
and recently released Carolina in the Morning, a
moving? story set in present day near Charleston,? South
Carolina introducing adventure, history and romance into the
lives of some exciting people.
To read
more, please visit Diane's website at
http://www.dianedeanwhite.com/
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