The Bowmans

The day after spending the day with Miss Genie, the Newman Center group was sent to Bay St. Louis to help a family who saw water damage on their first floor. We were introduced to the Bowmans; a beautiful family with one daughter and four sons.

Us at the Bowman's house

Our group did some initial recon work and split up. Half our group would hang out with the kids while the other half did some demo work. I got put on the kid detail.

I went in the backyard and played wiffle ball with John, Joel, and Bo. I can’t remember exactly how old they were, but I believe Joel, the youngest, was around three years old. We had a great time.

After we were done playing ball, Joel wanted to take a walk with me to the beach. The Bowmans only lived maybe 150 yards from the beach, so it was an easy walk. Joel took me to his clubhouse, which was a huge drainage pipe that had washed up on shore.

While we were in the clubhouse, Joel found a penny and handed it to me. I asked him why he was giving it to me. He said, I want to share Jesus with you. I was confused, so I asked “What do you mean?”. He replied, “the penny says ‘In God We Trust’ on it, so I’m giving you Jesus. I’ll be the first to admit I’m one to wear my emotions on my sleeve, and this is one time I couldn’t hide them. I immediately got teared up. Beyond the selflessness of a three-year old, he wanted to share with me Jesus. I will never forget that moment.

I’ve been back to Mississippi three times. On two occasions I’ve been able to visit the family, most recently February of 2010. Below are some pictures from Journey of Hope pt. III in March 2007.