Precious Memories - Page 8
One day, I walked through the room at the wrong time, just as he openly slapped his wife real hard, right in the face, as she stood ironing. She had confided in me and told me that they had only been married a very short time, and how that he hated children, and she didn’t know that he was like this until after she had married him. I have talked to lots of young girls in later years, trying to get them to make sure of the man they take to be their life companion, because a woman has to conform to whatever a man is. They should really consider the person that they are about to marry and ask themselves the question, “Do I want to become one with him? Is he a son of God or a brute beast?”
This young man demanded three meals a day at certain hours, even though he was just a visitor in our home. George was just as patient and kind as a man could be, knowing all of the time that the man wasn’t right, but I am afraid my patience began to run out!
I would rush along with the duties of a mother of three small children, trying to fix meals for everyone, with him complaining if the meals were a few minutes late, threatening to go up town and eat if we couldn’t have them on time, until one day I turned to him and told him that if he felt he could do the cooking any faster, maybe it would be good if he should try it! This might not have been the best way to show Christian hospitality, but it worked! He didn’t complain as much after that.
It would take a large volume to relate all of the experiences that we had with this young man before he decided to be on his way back to one of the southern states which was his home state. I have often wondered whatever happened to him and his precious wife, whom I felt was a real jewel.
During the time we were in Nebraska doing our first pastoral work, I saw George work in the hay fields many days, trying to feed us and meet the needs of the little church that was struggling after being closed for so long. He also bought an old car so that we would have a way to bring people to church and back.
We had a widow woman in the church who had served as secretary and treasurer before the church was ever closed, and she was so glad to see it open again. She always came to church and was real faithful. She had a son who lived with her but who was a sinner and would not come to church.
One day, while working in the hay fields, George was not aware of the sun being so hot, and before he realized it, his back was burned with second degree burns. For days, he ran a high fever and couldn’t stand a shirt or anything to touch his back. After days of suffering, he was able to wear his shirt again, and he and another brother stopped by this woman’s house to take care of some church business. She was really concerned and asked George how his back was. She was an elderly woman and wanted to do something, so her son suggested that she rub turpentine on it. When George got home, he was in terrible pain again. His back was blistered from the turpentine and I was furious! I said that anyone should know better than that. George said that he didn’t think that is was the right thing to do, but he didn’t want to offend her since she was only trying to help. I could just see her son, sitting off somewhere laughing over his evil suggestion!