Growing Up on Dump Ground Road - Pt. 4

Life was not always easy for the kid “Growing Up On Dump Ground Road.” When I was about 10 years old, my father lost his job as a Yuke driver (a really big dump truck) in the coalmines. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise for many reasons, including his health. Those trucks would literally pulverize the spinal column of the drivers, due to a lack of suspension. I knew men who spent years in the mines who were unable to get out of a chair later in life because of damage to their lower backs.

During the time when dad was between jobs, my uncle offered him a chance to earn some money driving his truck to pick up a load of peaches. I don’t recall where he had to go or how far a distance he had to drive. I do remember that he was expected to be home before nightfall. However, dad called to say that he was having trouble with the truck and would have to spend the night on the side of the road. The generator had gone out on the truck and he was not going to be able to get a part until later the next day.

As a young boy, it was upsetting to hear that my dad would not be home that night. I was concerned for his safety, but also worried about him not being there to protect our family. I remember going next door to share my concerns with my grandmother (his mother). This godly woman had me join her in praying for my dad’s safety and for God to provide a way for him to get home. After that reassuring prayer, I went on about my business of being a kid. Much later that afternoon, just before dark, I heard the sound of that old truck driving up the red clay and gravel road leading to our house.

That early childhood lesson on the power of prayer to change things has stayed with me throughout my life. From my father, I learned that someone came along and helped him fix the truck so that he could get home. I do not believe in luck, coincidence, or happenstance. I trust in the power of God to hear our prayers and to meet our needs. We read in Psalm 120:1: “In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me” (NKJV). He even hears the prayers of a small boy and a gray-haired woman on Dump Ground Road!

Serving in love,

Bro. Jim