b'TESTIMONYTears of JoyBy Peter E. Dashiell rattling around in my head for over 50 years.I feltthe fishing and hunting department.While slowly somehow I needed to write it down and several yearswalking in that direction Grandpa watched an older ago I did and called it New Life, and I put a gospelwoman stop in front of some sliding doors, when she IwhenrightaftermysonwasbornIconnection on the back. tothepressed a button the doors opened and he saw her remember saw my wife crying uncontrollably. She said sheWellthisbringsusgo into what he saw was noth-couldnt help it and I said they looked to me like tearsstory of Robby.A customer ofing but a large empty box.As of joy.A nurse over-heard me and said they were amine, Jim, called to his down- he watched the doors close he natural response and I thought to myself, yeah thattown Hostel to install an anten- couldntfigureoutwhatshe could also be tears of joy.Ladies, I dont know whatna system, for voice and data,wasdoinginthatemptybox kind or combination of tears and emotions you havebetween the Hostel and anotherand he stood there puzzled for giving birth, but I can tell you fathers can have tearsbuilding across the street.Jima couple of minutes.Then the of joy when a child is born, that is until the hospitalhad one of his workers, Robby,doors opened and a beautiful, gives him the bill. help me with the job. young woman came out.When There are tears of joy, tears of happiness, tears ofGrandpasawthathegotall sorrow, tears of fear and tears of pain.My testimo- Inthisdowntownarea,3excited and told Tommy, go get nial of when I accepted Jesus began with tears ofblocks from the Capital, thereGrandmawe got to put her in fear and pain.When I was four years old, severalarealotofhomelesspeoplethat box.nights a week, my father would come home drunk;inthebackalliesandRobby he would yank me out of bed and beat me with alookedlikeoneofthem.HisThe Gospel and New Lifebraided leather belt.On too many evenings I heardclothes and baseball cap wereGoingintoaboxandcom-mymotheryellathim,StopitWallyyourekill- greasy dirty and he had a packing out with a new life reminds ing him.I vividly recall crawling to the bathroomof Pall Mall cigs in his pocket.me of my mortal life now, my because the beatings made my legs numb with noHis hair was raggedy, his com- future death and then my after-musclecontrol.However,theworstpartwasthepletion looked like leather, hislife.From what I have learned fear, when going to bed I would wonder if this wasteeth were rotten, and all thiswhendeathcomesmymortal this going to be another night of terror.The beatingstold me he had a hard life.OnePeter Dashiell bodystayshereonearthand were bad, but fear was my biggest enemy.Often Igood feature stood out, he hadmy spirit or soul goes across a couldnt sleep and when I did I had horrible night- clear bright blue eyes, a sign hethreshold into a kind of eleva-mares. was most likely sober. tor.An elevator that can only Jim gave Robby the dirty chores, like cleaning up ago up or down, but unlike an elevator I cant make Then in church on a Sunday morning, in Sundaybloody mess in a room with a mop and some bleach.thechoiceafterIpassover;thechoiceisneeded school, a nice lady told our class about how if youWhat I needed was help in pointing an antenna frombeforehand, a choice of eternal life or eternal death.letJesusintoyourheartHewouldtakeawayallthehostelsdirtyattic,wheresomepigeonslived.If I dont chose while living perhaps believing, lead-your fears.That night I prayed hard and Jesus putThe job involved several trips up there to align theing a good life, and doing good works will save my His peace in my heart and all my fears went away,antennasandRobbydidthetaskwithnocom- soulit wont, I will die twice; once physically and just like she said.The fears and nightmares wereplaints.It took a couple of days to finish the job andonce spiritually.Ephesians 2:8-9:For it is by grace gone and I slept peacefully. The whooping contin- when we were done I started to talk to Robby on ayou have been saved, through faithand this is not ued, however, my father noticed I wasnt stiff andmore personal level.When I began, he quickly saidfrom yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, all tensed up or crying as much as I used to.OurI wouldnt understand his background, the hard lifeso that no one can boast. neighborscaughtontowhatwashappeningandhe had growing up.I just smiled and shared how they called Social Services.So, overnight we movedJesus help me over come my fear at an early age.However, when I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord out of the county.The beatings stopped, but theFrom there we talked more about the hardships andand savior I will die only once.Once physically and emotionalabusebegan,whichwasmuchworse.failures we had in our lives.He told me about howthen my soul will have eternal life, John 3:16 For The effect on my self esteem was devastating.I justhe started with alcohol, then drugs and ended up inGod so loved the world that he gave his one and only wanted to escape and I was willing to work my wayjail.I told him about how I stopped drinking in mySon, that whoever believes in him shall not perish out. So, when I was eleven I took over a paper routeearly 20s after I realized alcohol dulled my sensesbut have eternal life.This with all my sins forgiven, and made about a dollar a day.Early every morn- and I was already dull and senseless enough. HeActs 10:43 All the prophets testify about him that ing I would walk about four miles delivering the sadlaughed and told me after getting out of jail he meteveryonewhobelievesinhimreceivesforgiveness news in the paper.Back then all news seemed to bea lady, and she had been keeping him straight andof sins through his name.And a new relationship centered on how bad it was in Vietnam. Whenever asober for over 22 years.They had two children andbegins, Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the local young man died over there the story was alwaysyou could tell they meant everything to him.I thendoor and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens on the front page.told him about how I had learned there are only twothe door, I will come in and eat with that person, and On Easter in 1967 I was 13 and I pledged myself tothings we are motivated by, love and fear.I think thethey with me.And a new life begins, 2 Corinthians Jesus Christ and to follow Him in love. Shortly afterlove he had for his wife and children and the fear of5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new cre-that day I must have watched one of those varietylosing that love kept him out of trouble. ation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! shows, like Red Skeleton or Carol Burnet; they wereWhat I didnt mention to you was that the reasonAnewlifenow,allmysinsforgiven,afearless the ones that would put on some of the old vaudevillewe were doing the work. They were putting an eleva- spiritual elevator ride in the futureall as a result skits. One of them was about an elevator and it kepttor in the Hostel and the building was more than 100of joining in a relationship with Jesus Christ, the years old.And because I have a habit of carrying aSon of God; my choice was easy.I have accepted copy or two of my latest articles with me to shareJesus as my Lord and saviorI hope you do too. with the people I meetI had to share the story ofPlease feel free to share this story, in your own way, New Life with Robby. so others may find a new and wonderful life, now and forever.On too many evenings INew Life AmenA story from about a hundred years agoheard my mother yell atTherewasanoldercoupleandtheylivedtheirRobby read the story and the Gospel message on the back.In a soft voice, a voice you only share him, Stop it Wally yourewhole life in rural America, the country, and theywith a friend, he told me how his sister was the one had never visited a large city before.They had heardwho had raised him.She was a Christian who had of all the marvelous things that were in those big cit- passedawayafewyearsagoandallherlifeshe killing him.I vividly recallies and decided to take their Grandson, Tommy, justprayedandencouragedhimtoacceptJesusand to see the sights. he resisteduntil he read the New Life story.With crawling to the bathroomWell when they arrived there they bedazzled by thethe way he was grasping the paper with both of his slightly trembling hands and asking if he could keep things they saw.There were trains that went under-because the beatings madeground, we call them subways.They saw buildingsthat simple sheet of paper, I knew the message from that seem as high as a mountain, we call them sky- theHolySpirithadbeenreceivedandhissisters my legs numb with noscrapers. In a department store they saw many newprayers were answered. anincrediblemachines,therewasonethattypedThat simple short story helped him open his heart that day and we both had those tears of joy.I give all muscle control. letters, another washed clothes and they even hadthe credit to Jesus and Robbys faithful sister; I was a moving set of stairs, we call them escalators.Asjust a paper boy, once again, who finally delivered theywerelookingaroundGrandmafoundherselfsome good news.checking out all the new fabrics and clothes, while GrandpaandTommystartedtowandertowards 10 AUGUST 2022 BOCNEWS.com'