Finding Ourselves During Our Two Year Journey to the Mission Field.
...Touched down in the land of the delta blues in the middle of the pouring rain.... Marc Cohn
Who would ever have thought that we would end up far away from our safe little world in West Jordan, Utah?
Two years ago we got the call that would change our lives forever. My husband Keith had been traveling frequently from our home in Utah to Northern Mississippi for business. Our family was starting to feel the strain of his absence. In a family meeting we decided that something had to give. Either stop all of the far away trips or take us with you.
A proposal was made, but we didn't hear another word about it for a long time.
In the mean time Keith continued to make his bi-monthly trips to the South and I continued to juggle the kids and my work as a nurse at a night time pediatric urgent care.
Then one day Keith got a call from his boss and was told to book a flight and take his wife to the South, there wouldn't be further negotiations until they knew if I would even live in the place.
On March 17, 2005 we took the kids to Price, Utah were we met my mom and dad so they could take the kids back home with them for about a week while I checked out the new area.
The following day we got on the plane and to my surprise we had first class seats. Keith was a bit annoyed by my giddiness. I was happy to finally know what went on up there in front of that curtain. There was a yummy breakfast on real china plates and real silverware. After breakfast the attendant came around with hot, wet towels that smelled like lemon for us to refresh our faces with. They offered us snacks or drinks every few minutes and when they poured us a soda they gave the whole can. I was very impressed, and asked Keith if we could fly up here always, he told me yes, if I paid for it.
We got into Memphis and I could instantly feel the difference! The air was damp and heavy, and smelled like a wet blanket.
We got our rental car and drove the two hours south- east to Corinth, Mississippi. When we got there, Keith decided to show me around the town. Hmmm, there wasn’t much to see. Later that day while Keith went into work I decided to take a look around for myself. I stopped at the local Visitors center. I was greeted by a middle aged woman with blond cotton-candy hair and huge glasses. As soon as she welcomed me she asked, “welllll ma'am do ya haev a congregation?” I answered her that, yes I did. Then she said in an upbeat tone, “are ya Baptist?” and I said, "no ma’am I’m not." Her response to me was in a very hateful tone she said, “Oh, are ya one of THEM Pentecostals?” I thought, “oh boy lady, if you only knew…” I was happy to find that the town did have a Sonic Burger, JC Penny and a Wal-Mart. Except for a few other fast food chains that was all they had.
We got our rental car and drove the two hours south- east to Corinth, Mississippi. When we got there, Keith decided to show me around the town. Hmmm, there wasn’t much to see. Later that day while Keith went into work I decided to take a look around for myself. I stopped at the local Visitors center. I was greeted by a middle aged woman with blond cotton-candy hair and huge glasses. As soon as she welcomed me she asked, “welllll ma'am do ya haev a congregation?” I answered her that, yes I did. Then she said in an upbeat tone, “are ya Baptist?” and I said, "no ma’am I’m not." Her response to me was in a very hateful tone she said, “Oh, are ya one of THEM Pentecostals?” I thought, “oh boy lady, if you only knew…” I was happy to find that the town did have a Sonic Burger, JC Penny and a Wal-Mart. Except for a few other fast food chains that was all they had.
The next day while Keith was at work I decided to visit the elementary school that the kids would attend while here. As I pulled up to the school I was a bit shocked! It looked as if it was built in the 1950’s. It looked pretty old and run down. As I walked through the front door my impression kept going down hill. There was a smell that about knocked me over. Like old grease, and damp mildew, my stomach turned and I thought I would have to leave. But then as I went into the office, I met the most delightful woman. Her name was Miss Sally. She stood right up and hugged me like I was a long lost friend. She told me a bit about the school, which was actually built in the late 1950’s. Then she stood up and said, “Oh I have someone you need to meet. She knocked on a door and another woman came out and shook my hand, her name was Miss Kate and she was the school principal. She took me on a tour of the school. I was very impressed that she stopped and hugged and called each and every child by name. And then as she would introduce me to the children, they would hug me also. She showed me the old classrooms that didn’t have new wiring so they couldn’t have computers. The huge trough sink that all of the kids washed their hands in for lunch. Then I met the teachers who were so loving to the children; and the children who spoke so respectfully to the teachers. It was expected that each of the children address an adult with Miss or Mrs. And always say ma’am or sir when answering a question. There were posters hung throughout the school that read “IN GOD WE TRUST”, or “pray for our troops.” We walked by a classroom and I overheard the children reciting, “God is good, God is great, we’re thankful for this food, amen”
Miss Kate spent a good hour showing me around the school and then took me back to Miss Sally’s office, where she continued to talk. A few times while we were talking a child would knock at the door, and Miss Sally would get up and answer it. It seemed that is was always a child who needed care for being sick or hurt. So Miss Sally would hug them and then either find a place for the child to lie down or fix a skinned up knee. There was no school nurse to do the job, just Miss Sally. We continued to talk when all of a sudden Miss Sally jumped out of her chair and exclaimed, “Oh my Lod I’m gonna wet my paants” then she ran off to the bathroom. I was just a little startled.
I left the school that day feeling comfortable that my children would be taken care of and loved, and they would learn more than math and reading.
I left the school that day feeling comfortable that my children would be taken care of and loved, and they would learn more than math and reading.
The morning after visiting the school I decided to take Keith to work and then get myself some breakfast. The sky was looking dark and threatening as I pulled into the local drive- thru. I placed my order but wasn’t quite sure if it was right, since the woman behind the big screen kept saying, “What!? I can’t understand you.” As I waited in line the rain started to pour! It wasn’t slow and gentle at first, it was as if the flood gates had been opened and the water came down in torrents. As I came around to the drive- up window a bolt of lightning struck the power pole and sparked just above me. I let out a yelp and my server screamed and threw my food into the car window and she slammed her window. As I pulled out onto the street I started to cry. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am terrified of storms. My windshield wipers couldn’t remove the rain fast enough and I didn’t have a clue of where to go. I drove around town sobbing and when I finally turned down a one-way street, I decided I had better pull over. My nerves were frazzled and I was scared so I decided to say a prayer. As soon as I finished my prayer the rain started to come down harder, and the thunder and lightning seemed to be even closer. I ripped off a piece of my food bag to wipe my nose and decided to call Keith. He was able to help me navigate my way back to the motel. When I got there I got into the bed covers, and didn’t get out until Keith called me to pick him up from work. I swore that I would never move to such a horrible place and no one was going to make me!
After being unable to console me the night before, Keith demanded that I get myself up for church, “and hurry up.” We got to the meeting house right on time and sat in the very back. It was a tiny church but the spirit there was overwhelming! When the sacrament was passed there was complete silence. You could hear yourself swallow the water and the slight squeak of a deacon’s new shoes. Testimonies were bore and not one person told a “life story” or of all the psych medications they were taking. They just told of their assuredness of the gospel. It was simple and beautiful. I had never experienced anything like that before. At that moment the spirit bore witness to me that this was going to be home! That these people were going to be my family and that we had been prayed here. This was my answer. After the meeting was over we were swarmed by people greeting us and hugging us and asking if we were going to stay. A wonderful, older man by the name of Joe took me aside and told me about the people in the ward and how happy we would be if we came here. He made me feel even better about what I had just experienced. I wanted my children to feel this way too.
On Monday it was time to leave. We slept in late and then took our time driving up to Memphis. Keith wanted to show me around the city and the Mississippi River. We decided to stop for lunch at a place Keith had eaten at several times before. It is said to be the BEST BBQ in the world. There was no way this little hole in the wall place called Corkey’s could be great. But as we pulled up and I opened my window I could smell the wonderful aroma of BBQ in the air. And the parking lot was completely full. Hmmmm, I thought this was a good sign. After sitting for a long time in a tiny, crowded waiting area we were seated. The restaurant was lively with loud 50’s music playing and posters of all the “Greats” adorning the walls. We were given menus and I read over each item carefully. Everything sounded so different. BBQ spaghetti, hot tamales, pork-n-taters. I didn’t know what to choose. So when our waitress, a very large black woman, came to take our order, she asked us if we had been there before. Keith told her that he had but I hadn’t. I said to her, “I think I’ll have the BBQ chicken sandwich.” She said, “Honey, No I don’t think so, you need to either have the ribs or the pulled pork sandwich” I told her that the ribs sounded just fine. When asked if I wanted them wet or dry I told her I wasn’t sure. She said. “I will just bring em to ya muddy.” Here I sat not being a lover of pork and not knowing what “muddy” meant, I was kinda nervous. The food was brought out and there was a lot of it. The ribs had a spicy, dry rub on them and a bottle of BBQ sauce on the side “to make them muddy.” They were served with a side of beans and slaw that were the best I had ever tasted this side of Grandma Ginger’s house. The ribs fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. They were awesome! When we were finished our waitress came back to our table and asked if we wanted dessert. I said, “naw, I don’t think so.” (Boy that was the wrong answer!!) The waitress just looked at me and said, “ I was thinking either apple or peach… naw you don’t want the cobbler, I’m gonna bring you the pecan pie!” And without another word she walked away to retrieve my dessert. I just sat there with my mouth open, not quite sure what to think. But when the pie came I was glad she spoke for me. It was excellent and probably had the best pie crust I have ever tried. (Sorry Grandma) Well one thing was for sure, I was going to have a hard time trying to keep my figure in a place like this!
On Monday it was time to leave. We slept in late and then took our time driving up to Memphis. Keith wanted to show me around the city and the Mississippi River. We decided to stop for lunch at a place Keith had eaten at several times before. It is said to be the BEST BBQ in the world. There was no way this little hole in the wall place called Corkey’s could be great. But as we pulled up and I opened my window I could smell the wonderful aroma of BBQ in the air. And the parking lot was completely full. Hmmmm, I thought this was a good sign. After sitting for a long time in a tiny, crowded waiting area we were seated. The restaurant was lively with loud 50’s music playing and posters of all the “Greats” adorning the walls. We were given menus and I read over each item carefully. Everything sounded so different. BBQ spaghetti, hot tamales, pork-n-taters. I didn’t know what to choose. So when our waitress, a very large black woman, came to take our order, she asked us if we had been there before. Keith told her that he had but I hadn’t. I said to her, “I think I’ll have the BBQ chicken sandwich.” She said, “Honey, No I don’t think so, you need to either have the ribs or the pulled pork sandwich” I told her that the ribs sounded just fine. When asked if I wanted them wet or dry I told her I wasn’t sure. She said. “I will just bring em to ya muddy.” Here I sat not being a lover of pork and not knowing what “muddy” meant, I was kinda nervous. The food was brought out and there was a lot of it. The ribs had a spicy, dry rub on them and a bottle of BBQ sauce on the side “to make them muddy.” They were served with a side of beans and slaw that were the best I had ever tasted this side of Grandma Ginger’s house. The ribs fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. They were awesome! When we were finished our waitress came back to our table and asked if we wanted dessert. I said, “naw, I don’t think so.” (Boy that was the wrong answer!!) The waitress just looked at me and said, “ I was thinking either apple or peach… naw you don’t want the cobbler, I’m gonna bring you the pecan pie!” And without another word she walked away to retrieve my dessert. I just sat there with my mouth open, not quite sure what to think. But when the pie came I was glad she spoke for me. It was excellent and probably had the best pie crust I have ever tried. (Sorry Grandma) Well one thing was for sure, I was going to have a hard time trying to keep my figure in a place like this!
We spent the evening in Memphis. Our hotel was downtown and close to the Mississippi River, so Keith and I took a walk down by the river. The sun was setting and it was an awesome site. We decided to make our way back up closer to the hotel when a passerby told us there was a crazy guy running around naked on Mud Island; which was very close to where we were. We got back up to the hotel where I changed into some better shoes and we took off again. We walked down famous Beal Street. It was alive with loud blues music coming out of the stores, and the smell of BBQ hung in the air. There were black men with their white straw hats and their white linen pants singing and playing their saxophones on the street corners. As it got later the crowds began to get rowdier so we decided to call it a night and we headed back to our hotel.
In the morning it was time to fly back home but in my heart I knew I would be back.
When we got back Keith told his bosses that I was okay with the move, but we had to play our cards right if we wanted a good offer. If we were too anxious we might miss out on a better package. And so we waited. It was several weeks before we heard back about moving. The initial offer wasn’t what we were expecting so the negotiations started. We finally got an offer that sounded good to all parties involved and so the contract was signed.
The next step was to find a home and prepare for the big move.
We jetted out to Mississippi again at the beginning of May for a quick weekend trip of house hunting. Our realtor showed us 8 houses and we cut that number down to two. The house I liked was a bit smaller but it had a new, big kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances. Who cares about the rest. Keith on the other hand liked the house that was bigger, and was in a quieter neighborhood, in a cul de sac. After talking to our realtor we were told that the houses in the “quite” neighborhood, were appreciating a bit more than the other one. We made an offer on Keith’s favorite and the deal was done. Our offer was accepted and all we had left to do was get our home sold and get out of dodge. Aaaaah, but it wasn’t that easy.
In the morning it was time to fly back home but in my heart I knew I would be back.
When we got back Keith told his bosses that I was okay with the move, but we had to play our cards right if we wanted a good offer. If we were too anxious we might miss out on a better package. And so we waited. It was several weeks before we heard back about moving. The initial offer wasn’t what we were expecting so the negotiations started. We finally got an offer that sounded good to all parties involved and so the contract was signed.
The next step was to find a home and prepare for the big move.
We jetted out to Mississippi again at the beginning of May for a quick weekend trip of house hunting. Our realtor showed us 8 houses and we cut that number down to two. The house I liked was a bit smaller but it had a new, big kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances. Who cares about the rest. Keith on the other hand liked the house that was bigger, and was in a quieter neighborhood, in a cul de sac. After talking to our realtor we were told that the houses in the “quite” neighborhood, were appreciating a bit more than the other one. We made an offer on Keith’s favorite and the deal was done. Our offer was accepted and all we had left to do was get our home sold and get out of dodge. Aaaaah, but it wasn’t that easy.
Preparing To Leave
It felt like a whirlwind from May to July. There was so much to get done. We had to get our home on the market for sale, which meant it had to stay perfect all the time, and a moment’s notice we had to be ready to leave if someone wanted to see the house.
We all had to visit the dentist, since we weren’t quite sure if we would find one in Mississippi. We were told that oral hygiene wasn’t high on their list of priorities.
Visits were made to each of our families, both in California and Colorado. The kids had play dates with their friends and we took photos like crazy. Who knew when we would be back.
On the 25th of June Keith left for work in Mississippi, while I stayed home to look after the sale of the house and finish up all of the necessities.
I was starting to get worried about the sale of our house. We had several people come through but not a single offer yet. One day I finally got on my knees and pleaded with Heavenly Father to help us. I told Him, if we were meant to move to Mississippi then I needed a little reassurance. Finally the following day a really nice young man from Colorado walked through the house and I felt somewhat of a connection with him. As soon as the kids and I got back to the house there was a call on my cell phone. It was from my realtor telling me that the man had made an offer. After a few negotiations we finalized the deal and it was time to go.
Lucky for us, our relocation company paid for the moving company to come in and pack us and then move us. But they weren’t going to do any of the clean up. So good ol’ mom and dad drove over from Grand Junction to help us out. The movers were quick and soon, it was time for them to pull out. We waved goodbye to our stuff, in hopes that it would arrive in Mississippi just fine. The next day a big flatbed came and loaded up our cars and they too were on their way to Mississippi.
We were able to stay with friends and my sister for a few days while we were waiting to fly out. It was all bitter sweet. We wanted to leave and start our new lives, but it was sad leaving those we were so close to.
I remember waving goodbye to our house for the last time and then calling my wonderful friend; Debbie on the phone. I wanted to stop and say goodbye but she wasn’t home. I started to bawl while talking to the answering machine, thinking I would never get to see her again. Luckily she and her husband and their three kids were able to come and see us late that night before we left. I hugged everyone so hard, hoping the feeling would last for the next 2 years.
The next morning we all got into my sister Lisa’s car and she drove us to the airport. We were both really choked up so we had her let us off at the curb. Again I started to sob as we went into the airport and I just couldn’t make myself turn around because I could hear her sobbing too.
Keith decided that anything could be fixed with a Cinnabon, so we attempted to fill the void, but it just wasn’t happening for me. So we sat down to wait for our flight. Finally it was time to board. You can imagine the looks from the passengers, who realized that they might not only be sitting by my two little kids but we also had our cat with us. I listened to our vet and gave the cat a nice healthy dose of a tranquilizer in hopes she would sleep through the entire flight. The flight was uneventful until we were about to get into Memphis. All of the sudden the flight wasn’t as smooth as before. The sky was black around us and you could see the flashes of lightning through the clouds. Just as I am terrified of storms, so is my cat. First she started to meow, and then it was more of a yowel. I looked at Keith and he said, “don’t worry, we will be in Memphis soon.” Not long after that we touched down in Memphis. The rain was pouring and the thunder and lightning was tremendous! But as soon as we landed we just sat there on the runway. The pilot announced that there was not an open gate at that time so we would have to wait for a bit to park the plane. After about thirty minutes we were able to taxi to a gate. But then we heard the great news that we were in the middle of a “level 5 storm.” We were told that the ground crew could not come out to the plane to help us disembark since their safety was in jeopardy!
We sat in that plane with for over two and a half hours waiting to get out! The kids were crying, the cat was going crazy trying to claw her way out of the carrier, and I was about to pull my hair out as Keith sat there trying to get in a good snooze! “Shhhhh, I’m trying to take a nap.” I wanted to stuff that pillow down his throat.
The crew was nice enough to bring around drinks, but they only had the alcoholic drinks available. One woman asked me why I didn’t just let the cat out to run around, since we were all confined! Or sure, that sounds like a grand idea. I guess she had already had a few of those drinks.
Feeling like hostages, we were finally let out of the plane. It felt good to be so unconfined. I was able to slip the cat a few more of her happy pills, since I knew the trip home wasn’t going to get any better.
It felt like a whirlwind from May to July. There was so much to get done. We had to get our home on the market for sale, which meant it had to stay perfect all the time, and a moment’s notice we had to be ready to leave if someone wanted to see the house.
We all had to visit the dentist, since we weren’t quite sure if we would find one in Mississippi. We were told that oral hygiene wasn’t high on their list of priorities.
Visits were made to each of our families, both in California and Colorado. The kids had play dates with their friends and we took photos like crazy. Who knew when we would be back.
On the 25th of June Keith left for work in Mississippi, while I stayed home to look after the sale of the house and finish up all of the necessities.
I was starting to get worried about the sale of our house. We had several people come through but not a single offer yet. One day I finally got on my knees and pleaded with Heavenly Father to help us. I told Him, if we were meant to move to Mississippi then I needed a little reassurance. Finally the following day a really nice young man from Colorado walked through the house and I felt somewhat of a connection with him. As soon as the kids and I got back to the house there was a call on my cell phone. It was from my realtor telling me that the man had made an offer. After a few negotiations we finalized the deal and it was time to go.
Lucky for us, our relocation company paid for the moving company to come in and pack us and then move us. But they weren’t going to do any of the clean up. So good ol’ mom and dad drove over from Grand Junction to help us out. The movers were quick and soon, it was time for them to pull out. We waved goodbye to our stuff, in hopes that it would arrive in Mississippi just fine. The next day a big flatbed came and loaded up our cars and they too were on their way to Mississippi.
We were able to stay with friends and my sister for a few days while we were waiting to fly out. It was all bitter sweet. We wanted to leave and start our new lives, but it was sad leaving those we were so close to.
I remember waving goodbye to our house for the last time and then calling my wonderful friend; Debbie on the phone. I wanted to stop and say goodbye but she wasn’t home. I started to bawl while talking to the answering machine, thinking I would never get to see her again. Luckily she and her husband and their three kids were able to come and see us late that night before we left. I hugged everyone so hard, hoping the feeling would last for the next 2 years.
The next morning we all got into my sister Lisa’s car and she drove us to the airport. We were both really choked up so we had her let us off at the curb. Again I started to sob as we went into the airport and I just couldn’t make myself turn around because I could hear her sobbing too.
Keith decided that anything could be fixed with a Cinnabon, so we attempted to fill the void, but it just wasn’t happening for me. So we sat down to wait for our flight. Finally it was time to board. You can imagine the looks from the passengers, who realized that they might not only be sitting by my two little kids but we also had our cat with us. I listened to our vet and gave the cat a nice healthy dose of a tranquilizer in hopes she would sleep through the entire flight. The flight was uneventful until we were about to get into Memphis. All of the sudden the flight wasn’t as smooth as before. The sky was black around us and you could see the flashes of lightning through the clouds. Just as I am terrified of storms, so is my cat. First she started to meow, and then it was more of a yowel. I looked at Keith and he said, “don’t worry, we will be in Memphis soon.” Not long after that we touched down in Memphis. The rain was pouring and the thunder and lightning was tremendous! But as soon as we landed we just sat there on the runway. The pilot announced that there was not an open gate at that time so we would have to wait for a bit to park the plane. After about thirty minutes we were able to taxi to a gate. But then we heard the great news that we were in the middle of a “level 5 storm.” We were told that the ground crew could not come out to the plane to help us disembark since their safety was in jeopardy!
We sat in that plane with for over two and a half hours waiting to get out! The kids were crying, the cat was going crazy trying to claw her way out of the carrier, and I was about to pull my hair out as Keith sat there trying to get in a good snooze! “Shhhhh, I’m trying to take a nap.” I wanted to stuff that pillow down his throat.
The crew was nice enough to bring around drinks, but they only had the alcoholic drinks available. One woman asked me why I didn’t just let the cat out to run around, since we were all confined! Or sure, that sounds like a grand idea. I guess she had already had a few of those drinks.
Feeling like hostages, we were finally let out of the plane. It felt good to be so unconfined. I was able to slip the cat a few more of her happy pills, since I knew the trip home wasn’t going to get any better.
ARRIVING IN PICKWICK
Actually our drive down to Corinth wasn’t that big of a deal. The cat behaved herself and so did the kids. They were anxious to get “home.” What they didn’t realize was that we wouldn’t be home for another two weeks. Our Mississippi house wasn’t scheduled to close escrow until the 26th of July and today was only the 13th. Our relocation company had set us up in a darling, furnished house in Pickwick, Tennessee. (Only about 25 miles from Corinth) The house was pretty deep in the woods and close to the lake, so it was extremely hot and humid. There wasn’t much use in taking a shower before going out somewhere, because as soon as you would set foot out the door you would be soaked with sweat. At night it was a whole different world than we had ever experienced. Once it got dark, the unnerving cacophony from the thousands of insects was deafening. The children discovered lightning bugs and their magic, as they chased them and put them into jars to observe. The air was so heavy and damp you could actually see the humidity hanging in the air. Also at night the forest creatures would come out. We had raccoons getting into our garbage, and deer peeping through our windows.
One day Keith, the kids and I were taking a Sunday drive. We decided to drive over by the Pickwick dam, and see the gigantic barges floating down the Tennessee River. All of a sudden Keith turned to the kids in the back seat and said, “oh yuck! That stinks, who did that?” The kids denying everything, accused their Dad of the awful smell. I sure knew it wasn’t me. The smell of sulfur was thick in the air and you couldn’t get away from it! We had no clue as to what it was. There were no livestock trucks around, no dairy farms, and no sewage plants! Where was that coming from, “Does someone need to change their pants? Come on, no one will get in trouble!” But the smell lingered. It wasn’t until a few days later when Keith was talking to people at work, that he was told that there was a paper mill right on the Tennessee river and that is where the smell came from. What we couldn’t understand was how people could live so close to such stench. They actually told us that they didn’t even notice it much anymore.
Isn’t that interesting how we as people can become so unaware of our surroundings that we begin to conform without even knowing?
Isn’t that interesting how we as people can become so unaware of our surroundings that we begin to conform without even knowing?
HOME SWEET HOME
We finally got to move into our home on the 26th of July. It was good to finally be home. When the movers finally came to bring our belongings we were happy to find that very few things had been damaged. What we didn’t know was that because it took us 2 extra weeks to get into our home, the movers had to unload all of our things from the truck and store them in a warehouse and then load everything back up again! Once they brought our things we were told that we had the option of them unpacking us. To Keith and I that sounded like a great idea, right? When I walked into the kitchen and saw one of the movers cut open a box and almost dump everything out onto the kitchen floor, I gasped, no, no, no! We are not going to do this. I decided that I would be just fine unpacking my things, thank you very much. To our surprise, that evening a sweet young lady and her teenage son knocked on the door. They were from our church and had cooked us a meal. There were enchiladas, and home baked wheat bread with honey butter, and a salad. It was perfect. We each pulled up a box to sit on and dove in with our fingers, since not everything had arrived from storage yet. Just then the doorbell rang again; it was one of our neighbors. She had brought a wonderful dessert, and stopped to chat and tell us about the neighborhood. We really felt welcomed.
I was glad that we were able to get back to life pretty quickly. Nathan started school the second week of August. I was so happy to find that he had not one, but two wonderful teachers and a class of seventeen kids. It was the perfect size and Nathan began to prosper. He really loved it. Not like his class back in Utah which had 32 kids and only one teacher. The class was equally divided between black and white kids.
What I hadn’t known before was, that all of the kindergarteners and first graders from the entire town came to the same school. The second thru fourth graders to another school, fifth and sixth were all together, there was a junior high that was seventh and eighth, and of course high school was ninth thru twelfth. That made the diversity pretty equal, and also all different economic levels were together. I was impressed that everyone got the same shot at a good education. All of the schools in our district were level 5 schools. Of course I was told by many people before I left, that Mississippi schools were the worst in the country. But so far I was much more impressed with our old, run down school than I was with Nathan’s first school that was new and shiny.
What I hadn’t known before was, that all of the kindergarteners and first graders from the entire town came to the same school. The second thru fourth graders to another school, fifth and sixth were all together, there was a junior high that was seventh and eighth, and of course high school was ninth thru twelfth. That made the diversity pretty equal, and also all different economic levels were together. I was impressed that everyone got the same shot at a good education. All of the schools in our district were level 5 schools. Of course I was told by many people before I left, that Mississippi schools were the worst in the country. But so far I was much more impressed with our old, run down school than I was with Nathan’s first school that was new and shiny.
Church was also a new experience for all of us. When we were back in “Zion” (what the church members in the south call Utah) the primary was full of children. I believe when I was in the primary presidency there were over 150 children. In our Mississippi primary there were seven children including my two kids! What that meant was I had to help write two talks every single month. The kids had dozens of opportunities to pray, and their classes were all combined into one junior class and one senior class.
We also learned that our ward was huge! Some members had to drive close to an hour and a half to get to church. Luckily (I think) we were to closest members to the ward building. We got to speak in sacrament quite frequently, and of course we got callings instantly. I was shocked when the second counselor called me into his office and asked if I would accept the calling as chorister in primary! Now, wait just a minute! I am not musical at all. I played the violin in elementary school, but I played by ear. I didn’t know how to lead, and knew very few of the songs. The children would be doing their primary program soon, and they still didn’t know any of the songs! I really wanted to say, “NO WAY!” But I realized that this calling would bring me to my knees in prayer, and I would be humbled in a calling more than I had ever been. There was no way I could take any of the credit for myself, it would be the spirit teaching those kids every step of the way.
On my first Sunday in primary I was so scared! I got up there to lead the first song, and I looked at the pianist, and she just sat there. I looked at her again and lifted my eyebrows; still she just sat there, smiling at me. I was about in tears, I didn’t know what I was doing wrong, or what was wrong with this lady and why couldn’t she just start playing the dumb piano!? Finally she said, “Sister Stickler you have to prompt me when you want me to start playing, because YOU are the leader, not me. Ok, so, what am I supposed to do? The book never told me that. She calmly said, “Sister Stickler, you have to start with an up beat.” I finally got her to start, but I was so frustrated that I never wanted to lead again. That next week I prayed so hard, that I think I bruised my knees. I really wanted to do a good job and I wanted to children to love singing. So I put away my own pride and continued to read and work. The next week when I got to primary there was a different pianist and I felt confident in myself. The kids could also see the difference and they responded. Soon I was happy to say that this was the best calling I had ever had. It was a year later when that first pianist came up to me and told me how wonderful of a music leader I had become and she actually said that she had never heard the children sing for anyone with the spirit that they did. That was the best compliment I had received and it meant so much more when, three weeks later that lady, Sister Paula McClain died of cancer.
Meeting Katrina
The month of August was pretty uneventful. Other than school, church and soccer, things were going smoothly for us. One evening Keith and I were watching the news and got a little nervous when they started to talk about a huge storm off the Gulf of Mexico called Katrina. As the days went by she had grown so big that she could be seen from space. The satellite pictures were terrifying. We wondered if we would be in jeopardy clear up in the north. We felt lucky that our many neighbors had been through this stuff before and they had a lot of advice to offer. We were told that there were sirens that would warn us of the danger of a hurricane or tornado. Unfortunately we live just far enough away from the city that we can’t hear them. Well that does a lot of good. On the morning before Katrina was to hit the mainland, I got up early and headed to the grocery store. It looked like everyone else had the same idea. As I chose water and other non perishable items, I questioned why everyone else was buying the bread and milk. Don’t those items go bad if your power goes out?
The month of August was pretty uneventful. Other than school, church and soccer, things were going smoothly for us. One evening Keith and I were watching the news and got a little nervous when they started to talk about a huge storm off the Gulf of Mexico called Katrina. As the days went by she had grown so big that she could be seen from space. The satellite pictures were terrifying. We wondered if we would be in jeopardy clear up in the north. We felt lucky that our many neighbors had been through this stuff before and they had a lot of advice to offer. We were told that there were sirens that would warn us of the danger of a hurricane or tornado. Unfortunately we live just far enough away from the city that we can’t hear them. Well that does a lot of good. On the morning before Katrina was to hit the mainland, I got up early and headed to the grocery store. It looked like everyone else had the same idea. As I chose water and other non perishable items, I questioned why everyone else was buying the bread and milk. Don’t those items go bad if your power goes out?
The following morning we found out that Nathan’s school was closed. Keith decided to go to work anyway, “we have a storm shelter if anything does happen.” “That is reassuring, thank you very much. At least you will be safe!” So the kids and I set up camp in Keith’s walk-in-closet. We had our snacks, water and our weather radio. We also had sleeping bags, flashlights, and some fun games. After several hours we started to hear the worst. The radio was talking about Louisiana and Mississippi being hit extremely hard. We finally crawled out of our den, and went to see if we had suffered any damage. Not a single tree was down at our house but we did lose several large limbs and some shingles off our roof. We felt very lucky.
In the days after Katrina hit all we watched was the news. Then on Sunday a call came up from our Stake President. Every able man was asked to come and give aid to our neighbors to the south. Of course Keith volunteered. We bought several huge ice coolers and filled them with ice and water. We also gathered canned foods and candy for the children. Then I watched as my own children continued to come down from their rooms with favorite books and toys, “to give to the children who lost everything.” We filled bags with clothes and other household items. Then just as we were putting the bags into the car Megan came out with two Books Of Mormon in her hands. They were copies we had just laying around the house. I asked her why she thought that Dad should take our good Book Of Mormons with him. She told me, “Mom, if those people lost everything, they must sure be missing their scriptures too.” Oh the faith of a child.
Keith made it down to Hattiesburg, Mississippi that evening. Even this far from the coast there was ruin everywhere he looked. He and several others were able to sleep in tents on the lawn of the church building there. They worked from early morning until late at night, helping people clear trees from their homes and just other general clean up. Everyone was so thankful. They were there for several days, and on their last day they met a young family with a little girl. They had been living closer to the coast and had lost everything. Keith said the smile on the little girl’s face when she saw him pulling the clothes and toys out of the bag was priceless, then he turned to the mother and father and he handed them one of the Book Of Mormons. They cried and hugged him. He said it felt really good to do so much for people who had so little.
We lived through our first major hurricane and I can say we were better off from the experience.
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