Well, I understand that my blogs are a bit difficult to follow. I keep bouncing back and forth I know. I do this for I want to lay the foundation so you can get a feel of what it is like to be “cast out” and to understand that no matter what “class of people” one may be, we all need to be loved and accepted not for what we have done or who we are but rather that we are!
On with our first trip out. (smiles in memories)
Oh I have to tell you all of Connie’s vision as she was telling us her heart felt impression that we were to go with her and her daughter. She said she could see us on a float in the parade, that we were to be on the radio,and that we would be in area churches!
Well, after we were given a car to use on our trip we began making plans. First off we needed the money to go. Left that in Gods Mighty Big Hands and decided not to count the funds until we were on the road. We did not want to have cause for worry to enter in when we were doing as the Lord had asked.
A week before we were to leave Debi was playing her piano songs alone at her home. She loves to sing to our Lord and does. That morning as she sang, she had an impression and was very excited to tell us what it was. We were to take tapes of our songs with us to hand out. So we began recording at our church (at that time) and the Lord blessed us with help from some of our brothers and sisters in the Lord.By the time we were to leave we had one hundred tapes all ready to go and we were exhausted!!!! to say the least.
Early in the morning we were on the road. “Big Berther” was packed full as was the turtle thingy on the top! there were five of us Britt bound! Connie, Chris, Debi, Me and my son Anthony. What a trip. Are you wondering how much money we left with? Me too. If memory serves me correctly we left with one hundred and seventy -six dollars. Maine to Britt, Iowa! Imagine that! Food….tenting…..GAS!!!!…..tolls…. the list could go on. We made it ! I would love to say it was a piece of cake but let me tell you….it was not! Oh the cramped legs….bad attitudes at times (by some) ah hum…… miscommunications, and the “but I want too.” I tell you the truth…if it were not for the Lord leading this whiny bunch….we would have turned around home bound many times.
We finally got to Britt, Iowa. Was I scared? You better believe I was. Who in their right mind wanted to go hang out with a bunch of hobo’s and tramps. I was just there for Connie and that was all. I would do whatever I was suppose to but I did not know what that was! I sulked around for the first day or two…just miserable and tired and “What am I here for?” blues!
Debi was a bit afraid that they all would not like us and was concerned about how they would respond to our style of music around the jungle Fire entertainment segment. I said to her, ” Hey, they all sing about what they love and what they do, right? We are just singing about who we love. It will be ok. ” Believe it or not, I meant those very words….and I was scared to death!
Well, soon it was time for the Convention to begin. I was given the moniker “Lady Lynnzee” before we went out by Connie. Debi was “Rumble Bee” and Anthony was “Rocky Road.” Chris was just “Chris” I think. Blue -Moon Bo / Con-Bo is Connie. She introduced us to many hobo’s. A strange lot ! Some were nice tho. some were a curiosity to me. They were sitting in the jungle playing music and some were carving out walking sticks. some were telling stories but some were just dirty and drinking and swearing….. those were the tramps.
The first night around the jungle fire when the entertainment took place we were to sing. What do you sing to hobo’s and tramps? Well, we love the Lord. Did they? No one spoke kindly of Him. It was hard to know what to do. So we “fixed up ” a couple of songs. “Dust in The Wind” and “Trailer for Sale or Rent” and “Walbash Cannon Ball .” Believe it or not!!! Debi’s guitar strings were breaking all up and we got by with two stings…I think…by the time were were finished with those three songs. “Well there!” was what I re-call her saying. After we sang our first two songs , Debi said, ” Well, we have just one more to sing for we don’t want to over-do.” someone in the darkness in the back yelled, “OVER DO!!!” and others applauded. Can you imagine what that did to us from Maine who were afraid we would not be excepted there? WOW!!
Now let me tell you. Remember I said that we had tapes to hand out? Well, we kept our pockets full at all times. We gave them to many . There was one big black man that I avoided. Had nothing to do with anything other than he was the “leader” of the younger rail riders. He was and is a huge fellow!!!! Must be close to seven feet tall! Me….5 feet 1- 1/2inches tall. See why he scared me??? Well, I ran out of tapes so I went to the car to get more. When I came back to the darkness and the jungle fire, my intentions were just to get back to the girls and Anthony. So I was timidly sneaking past everyone with my head lowered so not to make eye contact with anyone! Then, suddenly…I had to look up!!! I could not get by some people and had to see why. There HE was!!!! All 6 foot 7 inches of this big, broad black man! Not two feet away from me. OOhhhh….what to do? Well, I scurried (like a mouse)around him as fast as I could when all of a sudden, God took hold of my heart! Yup! I stopped…dead in my tracks! I backed up, head still lowered and stopped right beside the big guy. I looked up , scared to death. Oh you just don’t know how scared. I looked into his “darkened by the night” dark face and said, ” God wants you to have this.” He took it gently from my hand and I escaped with no broken bones and head lowered got to the girls and my son. “Wow! You will never guess what I just had to do!!!!” Shaking I told them about it.
Sunday morning came. Blue Moon Bo said we were going to have “church” around the jungle fire. Oh yea, I forgot to mention, rain or shine that jungle fire is lite on Thursday evening and kept going till Sunday. Anyway, we were to meet at 8 A.M. for church service. Connie gave instructions. Rumble Bee was to go tell a group and she sent me (the meek one…her words), down to the “Tramp camp.” Me???? Why me???
“Come on Lynn,” Connie said. ” You can do it. Repeat this. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Ok…I will I said to her. Singing softly “I can do all things…I can do all things…..” I headed out! What’s the odds!!! Take a guess who the very first tramp was that I had to invite? Go ahead!! Guess! Yup! The big, black scarey guy!!! Yup!
“Oh no!!! He’s heading straight at me!!!! His hands are out!!! Is he going to strangle me??? Oh Lord? Help!!!!! oooohhhhhh……good bye world.”
Did I blink? Hey what happened here? I should be dead, shouldn’t I? Instead here I am, looking into this big black face with tears on it! What the heck happened??? My hand, it is in his! HUH????
” I just want to thank you for the tape you gave me the other night. I really wanted to ask for one but I had no money. Thank you. God Bless you.” Then a humble smile crossed his beautiful face and he walked away leaving me stunned for a moment. Then I quickly gathered my thoughts and with a new boldness I went to announce to the other tramps that church was to be in five minutes. When I got to who I thought was the last one, he said, ” you want to go to the real low lifers camp and invite them? They are down in those woods. But DO NOT enter their camp. Speak from the road.” (a small dirt road as a matter of fact.)
So I go to the edge of the “Low-lifers” camp and I softly holler in, ” Good morning….church is at the jungle fire in five minutes.”
“Huh??? (grumble grumble) What ?” is all I hear for I am waking them up. Hey how did I know they were still asleep? So I repeated myself.
“Church!!!! You woke us up for CHURCH????? Get outta here!!!”
“Yes sir….” was all I said as I scurried away. Then it dawned on me. “No swearing???Wow!!! A gentlemen.”
I went to church.
There is so much more to tell but I do not want to bore you all at once. I will tell you this now tho. On Saturday at the memorial service for Fishbones, I saw a hobo crying. “He feels love for his lost friends.” was all I could think of. My heart was touched! Deeply. That moment I fell in LOVE with these people. My love has deepened each year. God has given me such a love that in my own self I could not find. I found fear. God found LOVE. Years later this hobo was to become my king and I his queen. That is for another day.
Also I want to tell you that yes indeed. We were in a parade and had our own float. We were also on the radio. And we were in churches. Oh…how could I almost forget this? Saturday evening after the new king and queen were elected , we, Serenity were dubbed. “The National Hobo Gospel Singers.” Never to lose that Title and that is opened door to all gatherings and we are part of the Hobo Family.
Funny isn’t it? We went to share Love with them but they taught us not only Love but acceptance.
“God …..Bless our Hobo family in Jesus name. Amen”