old faces

Ran into a few faces from the past tonight in two different outlets. And the faces were from two different eras in our lives.

First, Jack and his family invited us to a graduation party for him as he's finishing his masters degree this weekend. We saw a few folks from the original incarnate of mission church, in which I and later Agent Wife was a small part of 10 years ago.

We received encouraging words from one of AW's professors from her masters program days. So rarely when asked "what are you doing these days" and we say "waiting on the lord" do we get encouragement and understanding. Thank you CEO.

Second, later at HEB grocery store we run into "Double O" from the old izzy ministry days. I love Double O. I really miss him. Bad.

Double O is a major alcoholic. Bad. he had a 40 ouncer that he tried hiding under his arm while talking to us in the parking lot. He and his wife Alice have 2 daughters. And I hear they're now grown up and have babies of their own. Double O and his family often lived with his inlaws when they were destitute and broke, which was often. The father-in-law wouldn't let Double O sleep in the house so he slept out in the tool shed.

Occasionally Double O and family would get on their feet, but the the alcohol probem made them fall. Every time. Tonight we were informed that he and Alice have separated. That's something I never would have seen coming since she's stuck by his side for almost 20 years.

I'll never forget the time Double O sat in my office drunk (he's always a little drunk) and broke down with his story. I asked why did he grasp alcohol so tight. I expected another run of the mill excuse-type story.

"You want to know why I drink?". He went on to tell me things he's never shared with anybody. His own wife never knew.

When Double O was about 12 or 13 some grown man in his neighborhood raped and molested him. Ever since, he felt ashamed and embarassed. He always felt less than a man from then on. He turned to drinking to forget the pain. And the drinking turned into an addiction that's killing him. And now he has no family left.

Years later Double O sat in a court room watching his rapist get sentenced to prison for molesting some other kids.

He looked horrible tonight. I'm surprised he's lived this long.

At my testimony and sharing, he wouldn't reach out to Jesus back when he shared all this with me. He even avoided contact with me for months afterward. I never brought up his story again.

I suppose there's still hope that Double O would trust Jesus and seek refuge from the bottle.

I have no idea what it's like to be raped and molested at the age most people's sexuality is established. I can't judge his addiction. I'd be an alcoholic too if that happend to me. Reach out to him CEO. He needs you.

Two old faces. Glad we received the encouraging words before running into our nearly defeated friend.