Where the Hekk Am I

The Admiral leads us again to where we need to be. This morning we hung out, did laundry and cleaned IRV up and got ready to head out. We connected with Pastor Danny Burd at New Life Restoration Center. It was such a beautiful, well-maintained place, in the top of the Ozarks of Missouri. The center is an in-house residential recovery center for addicted Christians. We had heard about the ministry years ago when we met Pastor Bruce Haynes.  The center is fully funded and functioning part of the church.

They have had good success. The residents work full-time jobs which they are taken to and picked up. They are supported by group studies in academics and bible. They have people who love them and are dedicated to their souls' health and restoration. We got a tour and were totally impressed. They are a yearlong program and only do 6-10 residents at a time.  We loved getting to know the heart of the man who leads this group of men into wholeness. It was a true blessing to get to know Danny and see the work Pastor Jerry Haynes and he started 27 years ago. We will be in touch with Pastor Danny again, I am sure.

After that meeting, we headed out towards Nashville. We got a call from our friend Tom Green telling us about this crazy restaurant called Lamberts, in Springfield, that threw rolls at you while you eat. It sounded like such a novelty we decided to try it out.

It was a trip! We were seated, then given huge plastic jugs of water with lemon. A young lady then showed up at the table and asked us if we would like some fried okra. (The last okra I had was gross, slimy, weird tasting) I was reticent to try it, but we did. She pulled paper towels from a roll on the table and scooped the okra right onto the paper towel she had placed in front of us. The okra was GOOD!

We ordered and while we waited we were accosted by a young man wandering the aisles of the restaurant calling out, “Hot Rolls, get your hot rolls” When we asked for one he tossed it across the room to us. He was pretty good with his aim, and the rolls were hot and delicious. Then someone went around with Sorghum Molasses to put on our roll. We tried it, it was GOOD!

Next, we had someone come around with a pot of fried potato chips, and another with tomatoes and pasta. All this was on top of our meal. I ordered a steak which was perfect, but with all the ‘sides’ I was too full to eat it all.  

The Admiral tried to help us out, but he doesn’t have a big appetite when he travels.

We went back to the car and headed out again. Nearly comatose from the food we ate, we stayed on the road and tried to stay awake and encourage each other so we could get closer to Nashville. We got to Poplar Bluff and had to stop in a Walmart to de-stress and rest. 

Driving our rig in country roads that are skinny with no shoulders was no-joke stressful. We also had the wackiest route given to us by Google Maps. We went through three states in a hundred miles or so. We went to Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. That was not the craziest time. Crossing the Ohio river twice on the skinniest bridges with semi trucks passing and the side rails on the bridge touching the edge of the road. I could have touched them with my hands out the window. At night it was so eerie and you could not see what you were passing over. I must say, I was glad to stop last night and thank the Lord we were safe.