Whose Kids, Continued

Talking about the old parsonage chapel days has really triggered some memories for me. Like the day I was standing at the kitchen sink when I heard this horrible screaming and crying coming from the yard. I looked out the window and saw Kenny and Robby rolling in the grass and laughing their heads off. About the same time, Kevin, the source of the screaming and crying, came bounding through the door. I didn't know what had happened, but I was sure Kenny and Robby had something to do with it.
Kevin was always a bit melodramatic, so you looked for lots of blood or misplaced bones before getting too upset when he got hurt. This time there was no blood or misplalced bones, however, I could see clearly where the problem was. It was his nose! Something black mixed in with a great deal of mucous was running out of his nose! I had never seen the likes of it before, nor have I since. Kevin was way too upset for me to get any information from him. I figured my best bet was with the culprits who had, I was positive, caused his pain.
Kenny and Robby were just picking themsellves up off of the ground, although still laughing, when I arrived on the scene. "Okay, you two. I don't know what you did, but I know you did it! What's with Kevin's nose?"
"We just gave him a pretty flower to smell." One of them announced. "What's wrong with that?"
"What did you do to the flower to make it lethal? I know you did something, so fess up!"
After a bit of motherly persuation, they finally admitted they had put some, actually a lot, of black pepper in the flower before giving it to Kevin to smell. They enticed him to take a smell. He sniffed it a bit and agreed it was a pretty flower. But, nothing happened. So, they told him to put it close to his nose and take a really big sniff of the flower. The poor unsuspecting child took that flower, stuck his nose right down inside the middle of it and inhaled deeply through his little nose to get the full effect of the fragrance. Instead he sucked so much black pepper up his nose that it took forever to blow it all out and to stop the burning.
In their defense, those four little apples didn't fall too far from the tree. That's right, it's all their dad's fault! For instance --- One fall evening, about 8 PM, Randy had fallen asleep on the livingroom floor watching television. I said we needed to get him up and get all the boys ready for bed. It was a school night. They needed their sleep, and apparently Randy needed his more than anyone. He was only in first grade. Still a baby! Right, mothers? Well, my husband had a better idea.
"Watch this." he said to the other boys. He got Randy's jacket and lunch box and headed for the livingroom. I couldn't imagine what he was going to do. I stood and watched in utter disbelief as he got my baby up out of a deep sleep and put his coat on him all the while saying things like, "Come on, Randy, you're going to miss the bus. It's time to go to school. Here's your lunch box. Hurry up before you miss the bus."
Poor little Randy must have thought he was dreaming. Having a nightmare would be more accurate! I yelled for him to stop, but he was on a roll! He had him outside, coat on, lunch box in hand, eyes closed, head down, heading down our looooong driveway toward the bus stop!
Ken and the boys were roaring with laughter. "Go get that baby and bring him back into this house right now!" I ordered. "I'll get him in a minute. Let's just see how far he gets." said the sadist!
Under great duress, he finally rescued the pitiful child. But the laughter lingered for some time.
Not everything that happened in that little parsonage chapel was funny, though a great deal of it was. We had left behind a good life, with ample security, and moved our family of six to a small church in Northern Illinois to become first time pastor and family. We left our home church of about 300 in attendance, with great programs and activities for everyone. The first Sunday in our new church we had 13 people in the congregation, and 6 of them were our family members. Ken had been working in a factory, as well as managing a photography studo. Though not wealthy by any long shot, we were making a decent living. Our salary in Rockton was $60 a week from the church and another 30 or 40 from the district. Even in 1973 that was not enough to meet the needs of a family with four growing boys.
The holidays were coming, and we were so broke. In fact, a week or so before Thanksgiving we woke one Monday morning to the emptiest cupboards we had ever had and no money to buy anything to put in them. We literally had one can of green beans in the cupboard and enough cereal for the boys to eat for breakfast knowing there would be nothing for them to eat when they got home.
Before they left for school, we spoke honestly to them about the situation. We told them we had no more food and no money to buy any. But God had sent us to this church to minister for Him. We knew He would not let us down. We stood in a family circle holding hands in our kitchen and prayed, "God, we have no more food and no money to buy any. But we are going to trust you to provide for our needs. Thank you for what you are going to do. Amen." With that, the boys went on to school and we went about our business at home.
Early that afternoon Don and Elaine Turner, pastor and wife from a neighboring church, and dear friends, knocked at our door. We were thrilled to see them and invited them in to visit. Ken and Don sat at the kitchen table, and Elaine and I went into the livigroom to talk. We visited for quite some time before I realized the guys had been going in and out of the house repeatedly. Finally I said to Elaine, "What are those two up to, anyway?" "Let's go see" she replied.
As soon as we entered the kitchen, my attention went immediately to the table where boxes and boxes of food had been piled. And Ken and Don were still carrying in more.
Elaine explained that, for over a month, their church people had been bringing in food to give to us for Thanksgiving. Week after week they brought in non-parishable food items, then added meat and dairy products that last Sunday to be delivered to us that day. The very day we ran out of everything so we and our children could experience God's miraculous provisions for those who dare to put their trust in Him for all their needs.
After our friends left, Ken and I emptied every box and bag of food onto the kitchen table and countertops. We wanted the boys to see clearly what God had done for our family. I wish we had taken a picture of their faces when they came home from school that afternoon and saw all that food in our kitchen! We actually had more food than our cupboards would hold! What a faith lesson for our boys! No matter how old they get, my sons will always remember where their help comes from. Their help --- our help comes from the Lord! Thank God for the faith lessons we all learned in a little parsonage chapel in Rockton, Illinois.