“SOME KIDS
IN EAST ST. LOUIS . . .” By Kent Krober ’78
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n the spring of 2001, my nineteenth year working at Greenville College, I traveled with GC’s A Cappella Choir on its spring tour. As director of alumni and church relations, I hosted receptions at each concert. This particular tour included stops in Ohio. We visited an inner city high school where our choir practiced with the school’s choir. Free of responsibilities for the hour they sang, I watched the comings and goings of students in the hallways.
The school was racially integrated, and I—an experienced teacher—enjoyed watching its diverse youth move through the halls. I smiled at the boys who swaggered by with their pants slung low on their hips as if to say to the girls, “Look at us.” I briefly thought that a teacher or coach could really impact young men in a school like this, but the thought vanished as the choir finished its work and our group boarded the bus. A few extras joined me in the van, and we settled in for the ride to our next stop in Michigan. I drove.
That evening, I read the entry for March 28 from Oswald Chambers’ devotional My Utmost for His Highest. Here’s an excerpt: But when you begin to weigh the pros and cons, and doubt and debate enter your mind, you are bringing in the element that is not of God. This will only result in your concluding that His instructions to you were not right. Many of us are faithful to our ideas about Jesus Christ, but how many of us are faithful to Jesus Himself . . . Simply obey Him with unrestrained joy. Whatever He says to you, do it.
Thirty minutes down the road, I heard these words: Kent, I have some kids in East St. Louis who you can help, if you’re willing.
The months that followed were a blur of conversations with my wife and children, and the Lord’s provision of guidance and comfort when I needed it most. I pursued a teaching position in East St. Louis and was soon teaching science to middleschoolers and coaching seventh grade boys’ basketball.
I immediately looked at the fellow next to me in the passenger seat and stopped just short of asking if he too had heard a voice. For the next several hours, I pondered the curious experience. Perhaps even more absurd, my wild thoughts gained traction as they fell into ordered lists of pros and cons.
For four years at Lincoln Middle School my trust in the Lord deepened, my courage to speak His words increased, and my patience and wisdom grew. As I embraced this strange new world day by day, I more clearly understood that God is good all the time.
Note: Kent Krober is director of major and planned gifts at Greenville College. Contact him today if you want to maximize the impact of your giving. Call 618-664-6510 or email kent.krober@greenville.edu.
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