More Insight

Insight

(Dragonfly Ministries President, Mary Hamrick)

July 2002

During the summer months, there are so many things to do in the Dallas, Texas area to entertain children, but it’s so much fun to find things that are inexpensive and different.  Last fall, my friend Suzanne told me about an episode of Ripley’s Believe It or Not that her family had seen on television.  During this particular episode, they interviewed the owner of the world’s biggest ball of barbed wire, located in Denton, Texas.  (Denton is only a 45-minute drive from our homes.)

As we talked about our summer plans, we decided to take a field trip to Denton with the children so that they could see this ‘famous’ ball of barbed wire.  Before we headed to Denton, we contacted the owners, Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Payne, and they invited us to come out and see it for ourselves.  Neither Suzanne nor I had ever met Mr. and Mrs. Payne, but we figured, “Hey, they have been on television … surely they have people stopping by daily to see this big ole thing.” 

We were so excited about the trip, but we laughed about it because in telling others where we were going, I’m sure we sounded off-the-wall;  “We’re going to Denton to see the world’s biggest ball of barbed wire.”  We sure received a blessing the day we went to Denton, Texas to see that ball of barbed wire that weighed 11.5 tons.

When we arrived, we met Mr. Payne who kindly answered questions about how he had made the ball of barbed wire and about how Ripley’s Believe it or Not knew the ball existed, etc.  He offered the children a ride in his golf cart to go to the barn and see his collection of barbed wire.  While he shared his collections and hobbies with the seven of us, he also shared a little of his life and background with us. 

He is 81 years old … He is a war veteran … He deeply loves his wife of 61 years (“61 years of sweetness”) … He is the father of four sons … He is a grandfather and a great-grandfather … a retired bricklayer … a Sunday School teacher … a family man …  a member of a local Baptist church … and so much more.  He is a man proud of his heritage and of all that he has been blessed with. 

As we stood in the barn visiting with Mr. Payne, he opened his heart to us and let us see the beauty within.  The conversation that will forever stand out in my mind is when he looked at Suzanne and me – his new acquaintances of 20 minutes – and told us the meaning of life.  I wish I could remember word for word what he said, but in this paraphrase, I believe you will receive his message:

“I’ll tell you the true meaning of life.  It is in Jesus Christ my Lord.  He has blessed me with so much; He is my Lord and my Savior.  Without Him I wouldn’t be here; I wouldn’t be anything.  I am so thankful for His presence in my life and for all that He has given me.  He is the great provider.  He is the great healer.  He has been with me through everything.”

He shared his testimony with us  – unsolicited and unexpected, yet so appropriate.  Everything that he owned - his collections, his family, his health and his home – was given to him by the Lord, and Mr. Payne would have burst at the seams had he not been able to share that with us.  I pray for that kind of boldness – to be able to personally share a testimony of how much the Lord means to me with complete strangers.

As Suzanne and I stood talking with him and listening to his testimony, our eyes filled with tears, for we knew that we had found a home away from home.  We have both moved far from home and don’t have family in Texas and we both crave the company of older adults.  We had found something we had been looking for, if only for a moments time – a moment to be in the country talking with a godly couple, sharing in their hobbies and interests and having the opportunity to see our children fascinated by farm equipment, blackberries, scarecrows and rabbit traps. 

Our trip to Denton, Texas took us back in time to our own childhood memories when we would sit on the front porch at our grandparents’ place and break beans or shuck corn … her grandparents lived in North Carolina and Virginia, mine in the Carolinas.   We have both experienced the homesickness of being away from parents and we have both missed our grandparents and their stories and experiences.  Denton, Texas provided a moment of rest for both of us.  I believe we wandered into a promised land there.  This was a place filled not only with barbed wire and collectibles, but also with a spirit of love and family, a place where children could roam and explore and find simple happiness.  It served as a reminder of how older adults can provide us with comfort and wisdom, spiritual guidance and a sense of family.  We can find rest in their presence by sharing in their experiences, hobbies and life lessons. 

We thanked Mr. and Mrs. Payne for their hospitality and said our good-byes.  They invited us to come back and visit, and as we were leaving, their parting words were, “You have family in Denton now.”

My, it's good to be home.