College Union

BY: ROBERT JAMES DENNEY

Harley St. John was called into the ministry as a young boy and lived out his life working

for the Lord. He served as a missionary, pastor, and as a mission chaplain in Louisiana. It was

while he was serving at the mission our story took place.

The mission was located about two miles outside Somerset, Louisiana and with the

purpose of helping people along the Mississippi River. Most were people passing through never

to be seen again. The mission had asked the Evangelical Methodist Church if they could sene

them a minister. Harley felt God’s call to serve the small mission and spent many years there.

Harley would walk to the mission every day and as he did he would pass a farmer who

would be out working. The first thing he noticed about the farmer was the shirt that he was

wearing. The farmer chewed tobacco and it would run down his face and all over his shirt.

Harley didn’t know how a person could wear a shirt like that. Harley would stop by and talk

every so often and invite him to a service at the mission which was within sight of his farm. He

was a nice man but didn’t talk much. The farmer’s name was Sam and he would always respond

with, “No thank ya.” Harley didn’t give up on the man and would continue to stop by and even

help the farmer with his chores.

One day as Harley was on his way to the mission he spotted the farmer chasing a calf that

had gotten loose. He spent the next hour helping the farmer round up the calf. Tired and hot

after rounding up the calf Sam invited Harley inside the house for some sweet tea. In all the time

he had been at the mission, this was the first time Sam had invited him into his house.

The house was simple like Sam however it was very clean. This was also the first time

Harley had met the farmer’s wife, Ann. Ann brought the men some tea and they sat and talked

about farming. Harley knew about farming because he had been raised on a farm in Indiana.

Harley thanked Ann and Sam for the tea and was about to leave when he once again invited Sam

and his wife to church services at the mission. Ann’s eyes lit up and Harley could tell she was

willing to go but Sam said, “No thank ya.” Harley thanked them for the tea and went on to the

mission.

The summers in Louisiana were hard on a person from Indiana and Harley would get up

early to miss most of the heat. Sam would often meet Harley as he was on his way home from

the mission. One evening Harley stopped by Sam’s house to invite Sam and Ann to a revival

taking place at the mission. Sam came out while Ann watched at the door. This time when

Harley asked Sam to come to the services Sam said, “I can’t.” Harley asked him why and Sam

said, “I don’t have a good shirt to wear. All my shirts have stains on them.” The one he was

wearing was wet from the tobacco dripping on it. A thought came to Harley and he said, “You

can wear mine tonight.” He began to unbutton his shirt thinking the people of the mission would

understand if he came in his undershirt. Sam was almost laughing and began to unbutton his

shirt as well. They got done about the same time and handed each other their shirts. Sam

grabbed Harley’s shirt and Harley was holding the old tobacco stained shirt. He slowly put the

shirt on and they all went to the church together.

Harley didn’t want to wear that shirt but Sam and Ann were coming to church that night

so he wore it the rest of the evening. That evening during testimonies Sam stood up and thanked

God for sending Harley to show him ministers weren’t lazy or unwilling to switch shirts to get

him to church. Sam and Ann became strong supporters of the mission and never missed a

service while Harley served there.

It took Harley a week to get the tobacco stain off of his chest and belly yet his willingness

to sacrifice his comfort for that of another reveals a characteristic of a morally developed person.

Categories: Virtues & Choices
Tags: