There's a Lenny and a Kenny.

Kenny has been helping Lou the past week or two.  I can't really pin point when he started showing up to help. I wasn't sure where he came from either.  He didn't seem to be connected with the Men's Mountain Ministries program and I didn't recognize him from either Shiloh Church or The Victory Center. He was just here helping one day and then back the next day and then back the next day...  I didn't really know his name for sure until this morning when he knocked on our door wanting to know if Lou was going to work on something today and wanting to help Lou if Lou needed help.

Lou hadn't thought that far ahead into today. Today is Sunday.  I could see that Lou needed a minute or two to give Kenny an answer so I asked him if he wanted to come in for a cup of coffee.  Kenny seemed grateful and jumped at that invite to sit at our table with Lou.  Up to that moment that I invited him in, I had not spoken directly to Kenny before. I had not even made eye contact to nod a hello to him because he never lifted his eyes from the ground in passing. He only now lifted his eyes to mine for a split second then sunk his neck back down a little deeper in his hunched shoulders as he put both his hands around the cup's warmth.

Lenny drives the school bus twice a week. He stays around until school lets out in the afternoon and has helped Lou a time or two here on the project work.  When Lou said that Kenny had helped him down in the laundry room I was getting confused and thinking Lenny was Kenny.  No. There's a Lenny and a Kenny.

Lenny is in the Men's program so that explains why he's here once or twice a week.  Kenny has been here almost every day for more than a week.  So where is he coming from?  Why is he helping out here?

I asked Kenny if he went to Shiloh Church and he said that he had just started coming here. He's just new.  I asked him if he was raised in a church and he said that he never went to church growing up. He said that he's only been inside a church once or twice his whole life. He only started seeking the Lord three months ago. I asked a few more questions and a story came forth that is just begging to be written down. In a very timid quiet manner with great thought and halting words, this is what Kenny shared.

A few months back, Kenny had a hip replaced at the hospital here in Longview, WA. He was in the hospital and was getting into an elevator. Just as the doors of the elevator opened he heard a voice and it made him pause. The doors were shutting and he put his hand out to get the doors opened and he heard the voice again.  He glanced around and there was a man passing the elevator behind him, talking on a cell phone. He could only see the back of the man's head but something beckoned him. So instead of getting on the elevator he turned and started down the hallway following this guy.  He did not know the man.  He couldn't see the man's face but he felt something inside pulling him to follow. He felt really odd doing this but he had to.

The man on the cell phone was not walking a steady pace. He was intent on his phone conversation more than getting somewhere.  He stopped, still talking on his cell phone. Now he turned and noticed there was someone behind him. Kenny didn't know what to do.  Keep walking? Stop? Turn around? There was a picture on the wall so he pretended to straighten it. The man was still talking on the cell phone but had turned and was walking towards him. Maybe he had noticed he was being followed?  Panic - what to do?  Kenny realized that he was stalking this man that he did not know, but who he had an even stronger urge now to follow. Kenny glanced at him and the guy seemed to pull away sensing something not right. They were almost face to face but a bit apart in the hallway.  Kenny just blurted out the words to him, "Can you help me?  I'm trying to find the Lord. Do you do any of that?"

The man standing in front of Kenny was Pastor Jeff, the Pastor of Shiloh Church. And yes, he does do that.
He was in the middle of something but Pastor Jeff asked Kenny to go to the cafeteria and wait five minutes for him.  Kenny found a spot in the farthest corner of the cafeteria he could find, wondering if he'd really see that man again but sure enough, in five minutes Pastor Jeff was there.

It seems that Kenny had been at a church service or a funeral or something where Pastor Jeff had spoken. It would seem so because Kenny feels he recognized Pastor Jeff's voice.  There was something in the voice that made Kenny pause and not go into that elevator. Kenny feels now, that the Evil One was trying hard to get him into that elevator - to stop him from following or talking to Pastor Jeff.  He's glad he listened to the voice.

Kenny was in the hospital for a hip replacement. He needs his other hip replaced, too.  He will find out next week when that might be scheduled but for now, one leg is 1-1/2" longer than the other so walking and standing is difficult. He can't lift anything heavy right now.  He can't go back to work yet.  He knows how to weld and do construction work.  He went to a 3 year high school... for five years.  Does not really read very well but he did get training after high school to do welding.  Six years ago he was in the hospital and got a moment of clear thinking that made him decide to get off drugs.  He's been off of drugs for six years.  Meth was his thing. He quit cold.  No program. No help. He asked for help.  He asked for help with his addiction when he was in the hospital but he didn't find any. So he just did it. Looking back, Kenny can not remember being off of drugs for even 3 days at a time. He was on drugs before he was in high school. He was on drugs all through high school and almost every day after that up until six years ago. (I'm guessing that he is in his 30's.)

He just got hearing aids a couple of weeks ago. It's easier to be around people now.  He got audio CD's of the Bible and he's been listening to those.  He has not ever been to a Bible study. He'd like to start.

His girl friend is here in the Women's Mountain Ministries addiction program. She just started.  He sees this as a fresh start for her and he wants to be ready when she graduates.  He wants the Lord.  He is all excited about this feeling he has inside to know more to learn more.

He sees Lou trying to do things to make living conditions here nicer for the women in the program and he wants to help with that.  He wants to help with anything he can so that the women can concentrate on the program and get as much as they can out of it.

... That's what I learned from Kenny in about 45 minutes. It's taking me more than twice that amount of time to get it down on paper.  I think it was well worth it.

Please continue to pray for the men and women in the Mountain Ministries addiction program and praise the Lord for all the volunteers and prayer warriors who are helping.