The Journey - Winter 2022

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Journey The

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Winter 2022

SHAWN CLARK Faith on the Field:

Discovering God’s Faithfulness in the Midst of Uncertainty

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: JERRY MOORE PAULA PERRY MAL TANIGAWA MICHELLE HARDY

Inspirational Stories by People You Know

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Owner & Publisher Ben Cox Co-Owner Distribution Manager Connie Cox Graphic Designer Terry Henry Editor & Social Media Director Maggie Watts Accounts Manager Heather Cotten

Ben Cox | Maggie Watts | Bonnie Church Mal Tanigawa | Michelle Hardy | Paula Perry

Contributing Writers

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SHAWN CLARK: FAITH ON THE FIELD

Discovering God’s Faithfulness in the Midst of Uncertainty Written by Maggie Watts with Shawn Clark

JERRY MOORE: THE REST OF THE STORY How the Power of Faith in God Builds Good Character and Good Teams Written by Ben Cox with Jerry Moore

PAULA PERRY: GOD’S HAND UPON ME

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God’s Faithful Guidance Through Life’s Storms Written by Paula Perry

MAL TANIGAWA: ANCIENT OF DAYS

From Buddhism to Christianity: How Jesus Captured My Heart Written by Bonnie Church with Mal Tanigawa

MICHELLE HARDY: LOVING THE LEAST OF THESE Christ’s Calling to Foster Care and Adoption Written by Michelle Hardy

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This magazine is intended to present people’s stories about their personal relationships with God from their point of view. We endeavor to have a diversity of perspectives in the testimonies we share from people who identify themselves as followers of Christ.

Furthermore, we carefully and prayerfully consider the content of the stories we tell, as well as the character of those who tell them.

People who share their testimonies with us have experienced God’s love in real ways, and our encouragement for you, is that you also can experience His love wherever your journey takes you.

Cover photo of Shawn Clark and other photos of him in this issue used with permission of Appalachian State University.

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THOUGHTS FROM THE

By Ben Cox

“Grace and Truth Came Through Jesus Christ” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

In Him was life and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John bore witness of Him and cried out saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.

• 2) The power of God’s written word, the Bible and the “Word who became flesh and dwelt among us” can literally change people’s lives from the inside out.

• 3) The stories you’re about to read have everything to do with reasons one and two.

’m beginning this introduction with that Scripture for three reasons:

I heard it said once that “God came down to our level because we could never get up to His.” That encapsulates the beauty of the Chistian faith, while also highlighting what differentiates Christianity from every other world religion. Christianity is not about the good things we have done or can do to qualify for entrance to heaven. No! It’s about the great, unfathomable thing God did for us by sending His only Son “that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

• 1) We are entering the Christmas season and those Scripture passages bring into clear, sharp focus the beauty of God coming to Earth to make

That last quote was from John 3:16 and it was actually Jesus who said that when He came to Earth. And He also said this in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill

And of His fullness we have all received, grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:1-5; 14-17 NKJV)

I

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a way for humans from every tribe, tongue, and nation to spend eternity with Him.

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

“Christianity is not about the good things we have done or can do to qualify for entrance to heaven. No! It’s about the great, unfathomable thing God did for us by sending His only Son “that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Ben Cox, owner of High Country 365 & publisher of The Journey

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and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” I’ve included that Scripture along with mentioning John 3:16 to accentuate that Jesus didn’t just come to Earth to open up a way for humans to spend eternity with God, He also came that we might experience abundant life eternally!

Besides this, Jesus didn’t just come preaching and teaching truth—He came to demonstrate truth. When “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” He came to show us how much He and His Father had compassion for human suffering. He did this by healing the sick, casting out demons, causing the lame to walk, the blind to see and the dead to come back to life again. But He didn’t just come to show us what the Father is like, He also showed us how we as adopted sons and daughters can interact with and relate to the Father. As we learn to do that God can then shine His light into the darkness that exists in our world through ordinary people like you and me.

One great truth He made known to us in His life on earth was how He overcame temptations by the very Word of God that He and the Father through the Holy Spirit inspired humans to write. We see in Luke’s gospel how Jesus fended off Satan’s attempts to derail His ministry before it even started by the Word of God. It has always intrigued me that Satan tried to deceive our Savior by misquoting and misapplying Scripture and how Jesus put him in his place. It was in that

very context of Jesus’ confrontation with Satan that He reminded Satan, and us as well, that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Shawn Clark, Jerry Moore, Paula Perry, Mal Tanigawa and Michelle Hardy, whose testimonies are written in this edition of The Journey aren’t perfect people and neither am I. But we are people whose lives have been changed and are continuing to be changed until that day when what’s not fixed yet will be! As you read these stories, I pray that you will be inspired, challenged, encouraged, and convicted to grow deeper in your love for God and for people.

“Jesus didn’t just come preaching and teaching truth—He came to demonstrate truth.

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

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FIFTEEN YEARS AS A BUSINESS OWNER Twenty-One Years in the Business

By Ben Cox Twenty-one years ago in May 2001, after 19 years in the same job, I found myself unexpectedly unemployed and praying about what to do next. Needing to buy some time until I figured that out, I wanted a job to tie me over.

So, I called a friend who had attended church with me and asked him if he could give me a temporary job. His first response was no, but then he said, “I do have a product you could sell, but it’s not something I could envision you doing.” That product was the BOGO dining pass that was first published and distributed in 1997.

Though he was skeptical about my ability to sell dining passes, he gave me a sales script to memorize and told me that I would need to come to his house to practice selling a dining pass to him and his wife. I passed the test and began selling the Watauga Dining Pass over the telephone and door to door.

This job was straight commission sales only, so if I didn’t do well selling, then I made no money. But I didn’t just do well, I did very well, surprising myself and the business owner. So he hired me full-time and trained me to sell ads for his marketing company called Main Street Marketing.

If you had told me at that time that I would purchase the business six and a half years later, I would not have believed it. In other words, it wasn’t part of my plan to own a business like I own today. In fact, when the offer was made for me to buy the company, it was a hard no for me because I didn’t see how owning this company could actually be a part of God’s plan for my life. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Lord had called me to be a pastor in the Body of Christ, which I had already been for 22 years, with 19 of those being in a full-time salaried position. Thus, I felt that owning a business would restrict that call in a way that would not be pleasing to God. So I decided in my heart that day to quit the business and pursue another job until I could figure out my next move. But as I was praying about God’s will for my next move, He intervened and revealed to me that buying this business was His provision for me to make a living, while not abandoning the call He made clear to me in 1977 to move to Boone.

I insert that here because there were full-time ministry possibilities available to me in other cities, but Boone was the specific place of ministry He called me to. He made it clear to me then that Boone was where He called me and that I was to stay here until and unless He made it clear that I was to move.

Now, 15 years after buying the business, I’m happy to say I still believe it was God’s will for me to buy this company. That doesn’t mean there weren’t times along the way that I seriously wondered if it really was God’s will for me.

Could it be true that I had really missed or misunderstood

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the Lord on this one? I say that because I went through some challenging times that seriously restricted my ability to do what I wanted in ministry, including the COVID pandemic of 2020 and the great recession of 2008. In spite of those things, I can say with deep assurance that God’s grace has been more than sufficient for me and He has led me through “many dangers toils and snares” to where we are today.

Of course, I have made many changes since buying the company including officially changing the name to High Country 365 after the previous owner died. I also made The Journey Magazine and journeync.com somewhat of a standalone product because it is uniquely different from everything else we do.

One thing that I’m very grateful to have accomplished, with the help of people who know much more about the digital world than I do, is building a new website that is dedicated totally to promoting The Journey. That means that every magazine I have ever published since takingownership in 2007 is online, and anyone who wants to could read any story I’ve ever done. It also means that through weekly blogs of new and old content and video blogs of interviews I’ve done, we are generating lots of traffic to our website—which is also great for our wonderful business sponsors.

The point in writing about all this is to communicate how I am so incredibly grateful to God for helping me do way more than I could ever have done on my own. With God’s help, we have made great progress in helping hundreds of High Country business owners promote themselves with our diversified suite of print and digital marketing. With our five regional visitors maps, our Journey magazines, our App State coupon books, our High School Sports Schedules and posters, restaurant display ads, creative design services, and our very popular buy one get one free dining passes and more, we provide an array of services that we feel can be a blessing to local businesses who need more options than newspaper, radio, or TV alone.

All that to say I’m stoked about our 15th-year anniversary in general and this 15-year anniversary edition of The Journey in particular!!!!

One way we’re choosing to celebrate that anniversary involves offering our dining pass fans an opportunity to sample all three of the dining passes we produce with our restaurant partners for the price of one!!! That’s $55 for a $115 value, and it’s not a flash sale. We will be offering that deal as long as supplies last. We have dedicated the next page of this magazine to communicate this powerful deal which you can order online at highcountry365.com.

Although we are offering this deal to anyone who wants it, we still want people to know we offer bulk Continued on page 8

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Another way we’re celebrating our 15-year anniversary is by giving a portion of all our sales to Operation

Christmas Child!!! For anyone who doesn’t know, OCC is an incredibly powerful ministry of Samaritan’s Purse to needy children of the world. They deliver shoe boxes packed by Christians that are full of gifts geared to communicate the love of God for needy children throughout the world. At this time of year when Christians throughout the world celebrate Jesus, it’s a great way to remind people everywhere that Jesus is the real reason for the season!

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

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THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

Faith On The Field App State Football Coach Shawn Clark

By Maggie Watts

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hroughout Shawn Clark’s football career, he has continually learned to rely on God in uncertainty and learned to be outspoken about his faith both on and off the field. The Appalachian State University head football coach clings to Hebrews 10:36 — “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised” (ESV).

Photo page 11: 2019 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, 31 to 17 victory against University of Alabama Birmingham, 8 days after Clark’s introductory press conference THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

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Growing up Clark grew up in a small town outside Charleston, West Virginia.

“My mom and dad always made sure I was in church. We went from Baptist to Nazarene to wherever you might wanna go to church,” Clark said.

When he came to App State in 1994, he “fell in love with the High Country.” He played as an offensive lineman for the Mountaineers from 1994 to 1998, under Coach Jerry Moore.

Church was not Clark’s top priority at first.

However, Coach Moore’s outspokenness for his faith strongly impacted him.

“I wasn’t very mature at the time, Clark said.

“And you come here, and Coach Moore would instill that into his players — how important the church and having a relationship with God is.

And it made an impact on me.”

Clark remembers Moore giving the players each a copy of the book of Psalms.

“I have about 20 of these,” Clark said, picking up a copy. “Coach Moore would give you one every single year. That kind of starts my day. Before I get on my phone, before I check my email, I take five to ten minutes a day and just spend my time to kind of clear my heart a little bit, clear my mind.”

Moore inspired Clark to begin his coaching career. Clark began coaching as a graduate assistant at the University of Louisville. He then

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worked as an assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky University, Purdue University, and Kent State University.

Throughout the years of coaching, he kept in touch with Moore. “I would always touch base with Coach Moore. And he would always say, ‘Hey, how’s your faith?”

Head coach In 2016, Clark returned to his alma mater to serve as an assistant coach for three seasons before staying on when Coach Eliah Drinkwitz arrived in 2019. When Drinkwtiz accepted an offer to become Missouri’s head coach that year, waves of uncertainty came crashing over Clark. He could not tell what the future held for his family or for himself.

He had planned to serve as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri with Drinkwitz, but then App State asked him to interview for the coaching position. He did, and the rest is history.

In 2019, before coaching App State to victory in their bowl game as interim coach, Clark officially became the head football coach at App State.

“We’re different than a lot of programs, and this is the same program that’s been going since 1988 when Coach Moore came,” Clark said. He said the team is unique because it hosts voluntary Bible studies and chapel services every week.

The coaches’ Bible study, called “Fireside Service” is held every Wednesday night at Dr. Dick Furman’s house. The coaches eat Wendy’s, study the Word, read devotionals, listen to guest speakers, and fellowship together.

“That’s something I’m very proud of that we were able to do and carry on the tradition that Coach [Moore] started. Then Satterfield kept the tradition, and Eli kept the tradition, and now I’m keeping the tradition,” Clark said. “When coaches leave and you talk to them, they all ask ‘are you still doing the fireside service?’

He said it gives the coaches “time to get away

Clark with his son Braxton and friend after Marshall victory in 2021

from the craziness of college football” — a time where they can spend 30 to 45 minutes having a devotional and fellowship time.

The players’ Bible study also meets every Wednesday night, in the team room. The study is led by football players — each year, a new player leads.

“It starts off with five or ten guys the first week, and then it’s 15 to 20. Before you know it, you have 40 to 50 players having their Bible study,” Clark said.

On Friday nights, the coaches and players may gather for a chapel service led by team Chaplain Reggie Hunt.

“Again, the first Friday night it’s about 20 players, then the following is 30 players, and then it’s about 50 to 60 when it’s all said and done. We wanna give everyone the opportunity to lead

your life in Christ. We can’t make that mandatory, but we always encourage it, and it’s important to be able to fulfill your life,” Clark said.

God’s steadfast faithfulness through uncertainty Throughout the highs and lows of coaching, Clark has found encouragement in his local church and Hebrews 10:36.

“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised” (Hebrews 10:36 ESV).

This verse reminds Clark that doing things the right way means doing what God wants you to do. When things don’t work out how he wants

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

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them to, he looks to this verse for encouragement and perspective.

“I just go back to Hebrews. You need to persevere, and if you have done the will of God, you will get what He has promised,” Clark said.

“Here in our program, we try to treat people the right way — how you’d want your family treated. Give them the opportunity to grow in their faith. And do the right things. So that’s what we do as a program and that’s where we are today.”

Clark attends Blowing Rock Baptist Church, where Rusty Guenther serves as lead pastor.

In a sermon that really impacted Clark, Guenther said, “when one window shuts, two doors open.” Guenther’s teaching has reminded Clark that God has a plan, even if the plan is not what you would envision for yourself. In the midst of uncertainty about his job, Clark is reminded to give God control.

This reminder has been extremely personal for Clark as he coaches through the unprecedented seasons of COVID-19. He became the head football coach in December 2019 — right before the entire world changed.

“I had been coaching for 20 years. I had a plan of what I wanted to do and how I wanted to run my program. And then this thing called COVID came and shut the whole world down,” he said. “This was not in the playbook I had written for the last 20 years.”

How do you have a football practice where the players don’t touch each other?

What do you do when your players are getting quarantined?

While COVID-19 raged on in the summer of 2020, social justice issues broke out as well.

“I’m a white man from Charleston, West Virginia. I didn’t have those same experiences as other players in the program. So… we listened, and we were there for our players, and we

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empathized with them, we loved on them,” Clark said. “Really, that locker room got us through everything, and I’m so proud of that locker room. I do believe that if people were in a college football locker room, the world would be different because you don’t see black and white, you don’t see social-economic backgrounds, or where you came from. You see men, you see people who want the best interest of all their teammates.”

God used the unprecedented summer of 2020 to teach Clark the power of listening, even during disagreements.

“By listening, we became a stronger team. We became a stronger family, by listening to one another. And that’s a very simple lesson the world could learn,” he said.

As Shawn looks forward to his third season with the team, his personal relationship with God, his relationship with his family, and his grounding in the Word of God are where he finds his strength.

It’s also been part of an App State tradition for years, providing a strong foundation for the success they’ve had in football and life.

“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”

(Hebrews 10:36 ESV)

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

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or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fade-less under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fade out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].

1 Corinthians 13:13 and so faith, hope, love abide... of these three; but the greatest of these is love.* *Agape - Unconditional Love Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1987 The Lockerman Foundation. Used by permission of Zondervan.

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THE REST OF THE STORY How the power of faith in God builds good character and good teams

By Ben Cox with Coach Jerry Moore

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he first time I ever met App State Football Coach Shawn Clark was last summer when I did a Zoom interview with him for this Winter 2022 edition of The Journey Magazine and jouneync.com. As Shawn’s story unfolded I learned how much of an impact former Coach Jerry Moore had on him. Not only did Coach Moore influence Shawn to pursue coaching as a career, but his example of personal devotion to God caused Shawn to reconsider what he believed about God and the Bible, and what it really meant to be a Christian. You can read Shawn’s own words about that in this magazine and even watch the interview online in the future. But now, as Paul Harvey used to say, you’re going to hear “the rest of the story!”

Two days after our summer interview with Shawn, I wanted to hear the other half of this story from Coach Moore’s perspective. So I called him and was surprised to hear him pick up on the first ring. I had his phone numbers stored in my phone from the first time we featured stories on him and his wonderful wife Margaret in our magazine back in 2008 and then again in 2013. Summer 2013 is when we decided to feature the Moore’s stories again in a special tribute edition. We did this because, after the 2012 season, Coach Moore was fired by the school. This was shocking to many of us in the community, but those things happen when the powers that be think it’s in the program’s

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best interests to change coaches. Coach Moore, who was 73-years-old at the time, knew he wanted to retire soon and was planning to do so after the 2013 season. But the school forced his “retirement” one year earlier than he wanted.

Though that was a tough way for a coach of his caliber to end a legendary career, he and Margaret weathered the storm, as they’ve learned to do with all of life’s challenges. They trusted God to show them the next step. Furthermore, in a beautifully redemptive way, App State has now given Coach Moore the honor and respect that was due to him for his stellar record as the head coach of the Appalachian State University Mountaineers Football team. But, as you’ll hear in the rest of the story, the Moore’s are quick to acknowledge that all glory for that goes to God. After hearing Jerry talk about his relationship with Coach Clark and the other players, coaches and influential people in his life, I decided to formally write this testimony to augment Coach Clark’s story.

When we were able to meet, App State had already played two electrifying games! One was a nail-biter of a game against UNC’s football team played right here in Boone in front of the largest crowd ever to fill Kidd Brewer Stadium. The other was against Texas A&M in their stadium at College Station, Texas.

I’ll refrain from replaying the particulars of

Coach Jerry Moore and Coach Shawn Clark at the team’s traditional fireside meeting the Wednesday before App State’s 2022 game against Troy University. Moore was the guest speaker at this night’s meeting. those games because there’s plenty to be read online and that’s not what this story is about. However, I must admit I was delighted with how fitting the timing was when I finally sat down and did a formal interview with Coach Moore.

Over 15 years ago on September 1, 2007 our football team went to play the Michigan Wolverines at their stadium called “The Big House.”

Michigan was ranked number five in the nation at the time and had its sights set on winning the national championship that year. To them and to Texas A&M in 2022, Coach Moore says, “They were willing to pay our team big money to give them what they viewed as a scrimmage game and send us home as losers.” Then and now, App State shocked the football world, putting our little

town of Boone, NC “on the map” once again. So that’s the backdrop against the rest of the story you’re about to read.

Called To Coach When Coach Clark was interviewed on national TV after our victory at Texas A&M, he gave glory to God and talked about the foundation that was laid dating all the way back to when he played for the Mountaineers from 1994-1997. This foundation began being laid in Spring 1989 when App State’s athletic director, Jim Gardner, hired Coach Moore to lead the Mountaineers. Here’s how Coach Moore describes that time in his own words: “At the time Jim called me to offer me the job

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

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“As Margaret said so well, they just came with a renewed commitment to follow Christ wholeheartedly.”

at Appalachian State University, I didn’t even know where Boone was. Plus, after I got the job, they put me in a little room with some media people to teach me the correct way to pronounce Appalachian.

Not only did I not know where Boone was, but it had been over two years since I had been fired from my head coach position at Texas Tech University. When I was fired, I wanted to coach somewhere else but Margaret and I did not feel it was wise to move our family at the time. So I took a job working for a home builder and developer for about 18 months.

Even though I was making more money doing that than I ever did in coaching, I was miserable.

My job took me from home, traveling to Arizona, Miami and Atlanta looking for property to develop. In Atlanta, the company I worked for built a golf course and I ended up spending a lot of time there. So, I got an apartment where I had to sleep on an air mattress and bought myself a little 19” TV just to pass the time when I wasn’t working.

Margaret was still in Texas working as a school teacher and tending to the family. I used to cry myself to sleep wishing and praying that I could coach football again.”

At this juncture, I want you to hear what Margaret had to say about that period in their lives as she told us in 2008 when she shared her testimony titled: “The Roller Coaster Ride of a Coach’s Wife.” Here’s what she said: “When Jerry was unexpectedly transferred to Atlanta I finished the semester at school and joined him there. We both realized that we desperately needed to re-examine our lives. We were out of God’s will and we desperately needed Him back in control. On his knees, Jerry prayed, ‘If You really want me to coach, put me in a

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place where I can be a spiritual force in the life of my players.’ This is where we began to feel God leading.”

It was then that Jerry called some of his coaching friends, like Tom Osborne who coached at Nebraska and Ken Hatfield who coached at Arkansas. According to Margaret, here’s what Coach Hatfied said to Jerry when he called: “Would you be willing to do some volunteer coaching here in Arkansas? We can’t pay you, but we sure could use you.”

Margaret continues, “With three kids in college now, we accepted and once again I got a teaching job. I will forever love that coaching staff and their families. They were all believers.

They took us in and loved us back to life. God restored our Christian lifestyle and reminded us how Sovereign He is.”

It was in that context, after Arkansas had won their conference championship and played UCLA in the Cotton Bowl that Jim Gardner called.

Coach Moore describes that phone call like this: “He hit the nail on the head when he said, ‘You’re not making a difference in anybody’s life out of coaching.’ And so he hired me over the phone.”

Discipleship and Coaching When Coach Moore arrived here he didn’t come with a formula in mind for building the foundation that Coach Clark, Coach Drinkiwitz and Coach Satterfield have continued to build on in their tenures here. As Margaret said so well, they just came with a renewed commitment to follow Christ wholeheartedly.

There were two major factors that came into play, which led to the foundation that exists now. One was the influence of a former U.S. Marine war hero who miraculously survived when his platoon was ambushed in Vietnam in 1968. That man’s name is Clebe McClary. Coach Moore met him in 1988 when he was “volunteer” coaching at Arkansas before moving to Boone. “During his tour of duty in Vietnam he suffered the loss of one eye, his left arm, and

on his life, Coach Moore gave me a small leather-bound book of Psalms and Proverbs similar to the one Clebe gave him in 1988. He had my name engraved on it on the front because that’s what he did for everyone of his players and coaches when they joined the team. The book is arranged in such a way as to get the reader through the whole book of Psalms and Proverbs in 31 consecutive days.

subsequently underwent 41 operations to retain use of the remainder of his body” (Quote taken from Living Proof by Clebe McClary).

Coach Hatfield had invited Clebe to give a motivational talk to his team before they played Texas A&M for the conference championship that Arkansas won. (What an irony, right?)

The inside cover of the Psalms and Proverbs book Moore gives out includes a picture of Clebe.

Clebe’s influence emphasized the importance of reading God’s Word every day in your personal devotional life — essential for building the type of godly character that will enable a person to weather any storm or adversity on this planet.

To illustrate the impact of Clebe McClary

“Coach Moore gave me a small leather-bound book of Psalms and Proverbs similar to the one Clebe gave him in 1988. He had my name engraved on it on the front because that’s what he did for everyone of his players and coaches when they joined the team.”

The other significant influence was the relationship that developed between three men who made it a point to befriend Coach Moore when he moved to Boone. Richard, Lowell, and Jim Furman were those men. The Furman brothers’ influence majored on the importance of providing safe places for men to come together to hear God’s Word taught, as well as the importance of praying for and with one another.

To illustrate the impact of the Furman brothers, Coach Moore invited me to witness firsthand the traditional fireside coaches meeting that was taking place at Dick Furman’s house. It was on the Wednesday night prior to App State’s third game of the season against the Troy University Trojans from Alabama. This was our first Sun Belt conference game and ESPN Gameday was in town. Anyone who was paying attention knows what a big deal that was for Boone and the High Country.

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

22

Clebe’s book, Living Proof

I must admit, I wondered if any ESPN folks would be at that meeting.They were. ESPN was there with a camera crew to film this important tradition that began small in 1991 and grew to what it is today. We sat on wooden benches around a huge bonfire by the pond. The guest speaker, wearing an old, beat-up App State sweatshirt was none other than Coach Moore himself.

App State won its first conference championship under Coach Moore in 1991. When they returned to Boone after winning that title, Moore and his wife took all the coaches out to eat. After returning from dinner late that night Dick Furman called Coach Moore. Here’s how Jerry remembers the phone conversation: “He said ‘Whatchu doing?’ ‘Well we just fed all the coaches and their wives and we just got back in.’

He said ‘Let’s go up to the pier.’ So we went out to the pier in this little pond that he’s got, and we sat out there till 1:00 AM. We sat on that pier out there and just talked and we closed it with both of us praying. Next thing you know we started building a fire and that was where the idea was hatched to start an informal time of getting together to fellowship and pray together around this fire by that pond and to invite any of the coaches who wanted to come.”

At this point, it’s important to mention that it is not mandatory for the coaches to come to

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that meeting! And you should also know that the players do their own version of a meeting like this that is also not mandatory to attend. Furthermore, it’s not mandatory for any of them to read the Bible, pray or go to church. But many of them do because they have discovered for themselves the wonderful joy of knowing God in a personal way. And if they haven’t discovered that, they appreciate the atmosphere of being around people who accept them and love them where they are, while encouraging them to achieve their full potential.

Whoever the speaker happens to be at these meetings, their talks are always inspirational and centered around biblical truths. These principles are helpful to remember when facing the challenges that coaches and players encounter. These meetings also emphasize that winning isn’t everything, but is meant to be the by-product of a life well-lived; a life with the priorities that the One who created us makes clear in His Word and lived out Himself. Thus, when we face failure, it’s not the end of the world. God always has a good redemptive purpose for the hardships and difficulties of life.

When Coach Moore did this interview, the popularity of App State Football in Boone was at a fever pitch. But that wasn’t the focus of our conversation. You see, what’s so encouraging to me about being around this 83-year-old man, who is not ashamed to proclaim his love for Jesus, is his humility and exuberance for life and his groundedness in Christ.

As we talked it was clear that we both love sports—the game of football in particular—but in the context of our conversation, we both expressed concerns about how sports entertainment is idolatrous in some people’s lives in ways that should concern us all. That’s why the stories in this magazine about these two great coaches must be viewed through this lens: Coach Moore and Coach Clark are great men, but they are men of a Great God to whom alone goes all the glory!!!

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199-B Jefferson Rd (Hwy 194) Boone THE JOURNEY |Winter 2022

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God’s Hand Upon Me

By Paula Roark Perry with Maggie Watts

Paula and her husband, Lamon, during Christmas

“I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHICH STRENGTHENETH ME.” PHILIPPIANS 4:13 (KJV)

I

was born in Cleveland, Ohio on November 11, 1952. My parents’ work sent us to Ohio, but they always planned to return to Ashe County when my father retired. When we visited Ashe County and eventually moved there, we attended Trout Union Baptist Church.

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THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

The church was always a big part of my life.

Mom always made sure we were able to attend — she set an example for all of us. I was saved when I was 11 years old at a worship service at Hayden Baptist Church in East Cleveland, Ohio.

I always enjoyed Sunday School and just thought

before we were even born.

Paula’s son, Jared, and his family everyone went to Sunday School, but through the years, I learned that so many people have never been to church or Sunday School, or that they had drifted away from it.

I wasn’t baptized until I was 15. I wanted to be baptized in the creek on Three Top Road at Trout Union Baptist Church. My grandfather, Preacher Avery Testerman, and my mom arranged for me to be baptized when we came down on vacation. It was such a special time in my life.

I met my husband, Lamon Perry, when I was 15, while on vacation in Ashe County. We wrote back and forth throughout the years and would see each other when I came down to visit my relatives. After graduating high school, I

“

“

God was working things out

moved to work in Boone.

In November 1917, Lamon and I were married by Reverend Bruce Roten at Mount Paddy Church, when it was a little church on Buffalo Road. We just celebrated our 50th Anniversary! So, you could say good things can happen when two worlds collide.

I was raised in Ohio and he was raised in North Carolina, but God was working things out before we were even born. Faith and trust are what make the wheels turn in life.

We have two sons, Kelly Joe and Jared Lamon. I am blessed to know they are both saved and have been baptized. God is so good.

God has been so good to me that I can’t thank Him enough.

We moved to High Point in 1973. But after my father died unexpectedly in September 1977, we started feeling the Lord was calling us back to Buffalo, to be closer to my mom and Lamon’s parents. In 1978, we moved back to Ashe County with our five-year-old son, unsure what we were going to do. We started building a home and both had jobs, but I was not happy. I missed my friends and church in High Point.

Then one day, I was driving down Buffalo Road. As we were passing Buffalo Baptist

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

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had only been living there for 13 months. We lost everything but what we had when we left for work and school that morning. We were devastated and so afraid of what to do. Had we misjudged where God wanted us?

We worried about Kelly, a first-grader, losing everything he had. But he was worried about his mommy. He kept wanting to know if I was okay. He said, “I have to take care of Mommy. She’s so sad.”

“

Yes, it was scary, but that is when I could really feel the hand of God on me.

Church, Kelly Joe looked over at me and said, “Mommy, we don’t have to go to church anymore, do we?”

God just hit me hard. It took the words of a five-year-old to make me see I’d been running from everything that was important — the most important thing, God. Kelly Joe had been in church since he was born, and now when he really needed the understanding of God and church, I was throwing it away. I was throwing Hope out the window.

That Sunday we were in Buffalo Baptist Church and are still there to this day. We have strayed, but we have always come back. I need that nourishment from the Word of God. Our home burnt in January 1980, when we

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THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

“

Paula’s family preparing for Lamon to leave for Desert Storm/Desert Shield in 1990.

God sends messages through the voices of children. Our lives were changing again, but we kept clinging to God, to each other, and to our church.

Lamon retired from the North Carolina National Guard. But when he was still in his unit, he was called to active duty in 1990 for the Gulf War. It was a scary time, and it was hard on me and our sons. But our family, friends, and church family prayed for us and comforted us with their support. Yes, it was scary, but that is when I could really feel the hand of God on me and how peace was laid on my heart. I could lay down at night knowing that God was, and is, in control. I couldn’t have handled that time of not hearing from Lamon and not knowing where he was, without the strength, comfort, and guidance from the Lord.

My life took another turn in 1996, with the decision to start my own business. I had been a licensed insurance agent since 1980 and then worked for an agency for 15 years, but I kept praying about another job. One day, my husband said, “I think the Lord is leading us in the direction for you to open your own agency.”

In 2020 I began praying about retiring and asking God to lead a way for me. He did! He blessed me with a fine group of agents from Alliance Insurance Group of North Carolina. They are believers, and they give God the glory for all they do. They purchased the agency in January 2021 and provided the employees with great things. I feel so blessed to know that God’s work is being carried on.

My husband and I have been so blessed in all our years. Now we have both retired and can share our time together. As I look back over my life, I thank the Lord for the parents He gave me; the spiritual mother that made sure we heard God’s word, my brother who has always been an encourager, my church family, my wonderful sons and the families the Lord gave them, and for my husband, who is my soulmate.

Preparing for Lamon Perry to leave for Desert wStorm/Desert Shield in 1990.

We started praying, and the Lord opened the doors with a location, insurance companies that were willing to help a new start-up agency, and many helpful people in the insurance association that guided me with taking the steps needed. It was a scary time, but I had a praying, supportive family, and my church family.

Things were not easy, but I could feel His hand upon me every day. Guardian Insurance Agency opened October 30, 1996. There were a lot of struggles and sacrifices, but it was a great blessing. The Lord’s hand was upon it all the way. I’ve made many new friends that I call my treasures, and I’ve had great years working beside my son, Kelly Joe, and with Wendy Patrick, a very special lady in my life.

Paula with her parents

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

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In 2016 I was elected to be a county commissioner, and I served a four-year term. Those were four years that the Lord gave me to do His work, and I do not regret that season in my life.

I feel honored to have served the people of Ashe County. I was not re-elected, but it doesn’t break my spirit or remove the love I have for each person who supported me. I pray for the ones that do serve — that they will seek the Lord’s guidance in the decisions they make for all of Ashe County. When I served, I was told I couldn’t pray in the name of Jesus. That is the only way I know to pray, and I am not ashamed of it.

A Guardian Insurance Company ad from years back that includes Paula and her son Kelly.

The Lord is all one has in the end. I pray people will come to Him and seek to serve Him. I look forward to each day I have, and I try to remember that we don’t see what is ahead until God opens that door.

Psalm 30:5 (KJV): “For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favor is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

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Ancient of Days Malcolm “Mal” Tanigawa with Bonnie Church

“I grew up in a three-generational family.

We lived behind my grandparents’ flower shop in central Honolulu.”

T

he Lord provides for us, His children, in every way, from small things to larger ones.

Some stand out as particularly noteworthy for each one of us. I remember how the Lord has provided for me over the years.

I was born in Hawaii in 1941, just months before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Like most Japanese families, we were Buddhist-Shinto.

Buddhists believe in a cycle of death and rebirth that continues until a person achieves an enlightened state. One’s reincarnated state is dependent on the Karmic debt —good and bad behavior — they have accrued in life. Shinto tradition holds that after death, a person’s spirit passes on to another world and watches over their descendants.

I grew up in a three-generational family. We lived behind my grandparents’ flower shop in central Honolulu. In keeping with our religious tradition, we maintained a family shrine. It was an ornate black lacquer and gold model embellished with tiny wooden plaques, resembling gravestones inscribed with ancestral names. It was housed in a prominent nook in our home.

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THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

Every morning Grandfather and Grandmother would pause briefly before the shrine and utter a short prayer.

Before dinner at night, my grandmother would put a tiny portion of freshly cooked rice into a tiny rice bowl and place it in the center of the shrine.

At the end of each year, Grandfather would sit before the shrine and chant for an hour from a little book.

As head of the family, my grandfather had the responsibility to take care of the shrine.

It would pass to my father when Grandfather passed away. As the first-born son, of the firstborn son, care of that shrine would pass to me when my father passed away.

When I turned six, every Sunday morning I would accompany my grandmother to the Buddhist temple. I was the only child in the congregation. I didn’t understand the reason for the endless gongs, chimes, and chanting. I passed the hour by flicking tiny spitballs here and there while trying to avoid detection by Grandmother. I was quietly gleeful whenever one of my spitballs would lodge in Mrs. Tanaka’s hair in the next pew.

Sometimes I felt pangs of remorse for the scattering of spitballs. However, every Sunday the pews would be completely devoid of spitballs.

Years later, with the release of the TV series “Kung Fu,” it occurred to me that the temple likely had “grasshoppers,” young monks in training, who were assigned to gather my spitballs. Any remorse I felt disappeared.

No one ever sat me down and taught me the tenets of Buddhism or our Shinto tradition.

We all participated in the various events, from Sakura-Matsuri, the Cherry Blossom Festival, to O-Bon, when the spirits of our ancestors would visit us on earth. As I understood it, the basic tenet was to do good because bad things happen to bad people.

My parents wanted their sons to receive a good education. The best option was Iolani, an Episcopal day prep school for boys in Honolulu. Each student was required to have a prayer book and a hymnal. Though my mother was not a Christian, she took me aside and taught me the Lord’s prayer, saying that I would need to memorize it.

During my years at Iolani, I don’t recall ever hearing about the saving work of Christ. Yet, there was a strong drive in me to know God. Sometimes my brothers and I would be asked to sing before dessert. My brothers chose to sing trendy songs. I always sang hymn 274, “Ancient of Days” from my hymnal.

“Ancient of Days, who sittest, throned in glory, To Thee all knees are bent, all voices pray; Thy love hast blest the wide world’s wondrous story With light and life since Eden’s dawning day.”

I wanted to know this “Ancient of Days,” and

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38

Mal’s wife Yaeko I knew I would not find it among the Buddhists.

I would often pray for things that I wanted or for things that I wanted to happen. Even though quick and silent, my parents noticed that I was praying, and that worried them. They began to make comments, such as, “It’s okay to be religious, but don’t become a fanatic.”

Because of difficulty in the construction business, my father worked on Johnston Island in the Pacific, and then on Okinawa. I was in junior high at the time, and my grandfather did his best to nurture my growth. We went to baseball games together, to club activities of the particular group of Japanese who emigrated from the same region of Japan, to the Judo club, where my father had earned his black belt.

In the summer of 1956, our family moved to Okinawa. My dad had taken a job with the Army Corp of Engineers at Fort Buckner. I attended Kubasaki High School for American dependents. While there, I studied Okinawan Karate.

My interest in martial arts continues to this day.

I currently teach Tai Chi to seniors.

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THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

When I graduated in 1959, I entered Michigan State University, where I majored in mathematics. As I was boarding the military sea transport in Okinawa that would take me to San Francisco, my parents admonished me, “Remember, Malcolm, don’t become a fanatic.” They both shook my hand (our family was not into hugging).

Far away from home and from my parents, I found the freedom to search for God. Though I attended many different churches, it wasn’t until the end of my junior year at a Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) meeting that I finally heard that Jesus Christ was calling me, and I responded. Unlike Buddhist teaching where one is bound to karmic debt, I learned that God provided a Savior to save me from my debt of sin, declared me righteous, and personally loves me.”

Summer break came and it was time to return home and visit my parents before my senior year.

I did not want to worry them that I had become a believer, so I did not share my newfound faith.

Upon returning to campus, my friends sensed my enthusiasm for serving Christ had quieted.

“Buddhist teaching where one is bound to karmic debt, I learned that God provided a Savior to save me from my debt of sin, declared me righteous, and personally loves me.”

Again, God provided. I was not left alone in this spiritual low point. I was able to spend time with a new Cru staff person, Jim Green, who gently

drew me back to the Lord. I enjoyed an active senior year with the Cru team as I learned and grew in Christ.

During my freshman year, in May of 1960, the U2 reconnaissance plane flown by Francis Gary Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union. I was extremely proud that our country could build a plane that could fly so high that they couldn’t shoot it down during the many previous missions. When I found out that the CIA had built that plane, I decided that was where I wanted to work.

During my junior year at a career fair, I met John Bigelow of the CIA. He assured me that the CIA was seeking mathematicians and encouraged me to apply for a position. I filled out an extensive application. but forgot to include passport size photos. The Agency contacted me during the spring of that year and requested that I submit my photos. With so many things going

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Mal with his wife, Yaeko on in my life, I put the photo request aside to focus on pressing matters.

The next year, the same John Bigelow was there at Career Fair and sought me out. He again encouraged me to submit my photographs. I did, and in 1963 I entered duty with the CIA in Washington, D.C. It was not just a dream come true; it was a calling.

After working for the CIA for two years, some dear friends, Bob and Bernie Strain, invited me to join them in their new home and assignment.

They were relocating to Oregon to establish a prayer breakfast ministry on the west coast — a ministry patterned after the National Prayer Breakfast held annually in Washington, D.C. Though the opportunity to live with the Strains was attractive, it would mean quitting my dream job and disappointing my parents, who continued to be concerned that I had become a Christian fanatic. I was conflicted. Then one day it became clear to me. I needed to step out in faith, leave my dream job and move west to work with the Strains.

My parents accepted my decision but were not pleased. My employer was also disappointed in my decision. I was learning that sometimes obeying the Lord, meant disappointing others,

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40

but my Lord was leading me to the northwest. The verse of Scripture that I embraced then and since is from Proverbs 4:23 (NASB): “Watch over your heart with all diligence. For from it flow the springs of life.”

I left my position with the CIA and moved west. To support myself, I secured a position as a technical representative for UNIVAC, which had built the first general-purpose electronic digital computer.

As a young believer in need of discipleship, I was blessed with the opportunity to live with this wonderful Mal with his two brothers, Wayne and Carl.

“Then one day it became clear to me. I needed to step out in faith, leave my dream job and move west to work with the Strains.”

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THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

family. I watched and learned the dynamics of a young family committed to the Lord. Those lessons would serve me well in the days ahead.

I had learned much from being part of the family and ministry, but after two years, I felt it was time to return east. During my time in the northwest, my former supervisor at the CIA called monthly to inquire whether I was ready to return. This time I was ready.

Again, God provided. Not only did they take me back, but they offered me a promotion in their newly formed research and development office. This was a better-paying position and offered more opportunities for advancement. The CIA paid for my MBA and provided additional education and training at Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, and the Brookings Institution.

During my 48 years with the CIA, I traveled much — in Europe, the Middle East, Far East, but mostly domestically and primarily in Silicon Valley. I worked on cutting-edge technologies and with fascinating people. Those were exciting years.

Richard Halverson, my pastor at the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Washington, who had urged me to move to Oregon with the Strains, now urged me to brush up on my Japanese language skills. Though raised in a Japanese family I had a mere rudimentary knowledge of the language. I needed a tutor, and God provided a wonderful tutor in Yaeko Arthur. She was not

only lovely and very bright but also had a profound relationship with Jesus Christ.

When Yaeko was a teenager struggling along with her family in post-war Japan, she was led to Christ

by John Arthur on Okinawa. John and his wife Marie wanted to provide Yaeko with an education in the U.S. It was a tough road amidst severe immigration quotas for Japan. The State Department encouraged the Arthurs to pursue adoption. Yaeko’s natural mother assented after being assured that Yaeko would always be her daughter and could return at any time. After many trips to Washington D.C. by Margaret, Connie, and Janice Arthur (daughters of John and Marie), many meetings and an act of Congress, Yaeko became one of the Arthur sisters and was free to come to America to study.

I fell in love with my tutor. The Japanese language is difficult, and I struggled. I decided that instead of wrestling with the language, I would marry my teacher. My parents approved of my engagement to Yaeko and were beginning to accept that I was a committed Christian.

When my Grandfather Tanigawa passed away, I was a student in Michigan and my parents were in Okinawa.

My Aunt Rose, as the oldest sibling, assumed caretaking of the family shrine until my father returned to Hawaii.

My dad never returned. He died in Okinawa. His body

Mal’s wife, Yaeko, with her sisters was to be flown to Hawaii for the last rites. Yaeko and I were to meet the family there.

I realized the family expectation was that I, the oldest son, would take responsibility of caring for the family shrine. Oh, how Yaeko and I prayed during our entire

trip. I felt no allegiance to the Buddhist–Shinto religious traditions. I could not accept this responsibility.

We met the military flight carrying Mother along with Dad’s casket. After family greetings, my mother with great urgency wanted to talk to Yaeko and me alone at the airport. She said to us, “Malcolm and Yaeko, I know that you are strong Christians and do not believe in the Bud-

“I know that there are countless provisions from the Lord of which I am unaware.

He has protected me, clothed me, fed me. He provides for all His children, everyone, in unique and personal ways.” dhist ways. I don’t want my son to bear this burden. So, when we cremate Dad, let’s cremate the shrine with him. Let’s end this now.” Our breaths were taken away! I could only nod as we wept.

The joy of being released from that burden, with the blessing of my mother, was another provision of the Lord!

Yaeko and I enjoyed a strong and harmonious marriage. We were blessed with a wonderful son, David, and daughter, Susan. Yaeko was able to stay at home with the children while I tended to my responsibilities with the CIA. From the beginning, Yaeko struggled with health issues. As a child growing up during the war, she experienced deprivation that permanently impacted her health. As she aged, the health issues increased. Eventually, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The cancer did go into remission, but her health continued to decline.

At the time, we lived in a large home in Virginia and enjoyed being part of the faith com-

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

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munity at the Fourth Presbyterian Church. Our children were now grown, and it was time to simplify our lives. We moved to a retirement community in northern Virginia. We also owned a townhouse in Boone to use for vacations and to offer as a respite place for our missionaries. When our daughter moved into our Boone home, she urged us to move also, so that she could help in the care of her mother.

After 51 years of marriage, my precious wife died. On the day she died the two of us were sitting at our breakfast table. Her final words were, “Thank you, Lord.” That was a sad day. Though I knew she was in a better place, it did not stop the pain. To lose her was wrenching. There is no other way to explain it.

We had only lived in Boone a short time, but our new family at Alliance Bible Fellowship held a small intimate funeral service in her honor. We also returned to our beloved family at Fourth for a memorial service. More than 300 people turned out, a testament to how deeply loved Yaeko was to all who knew her. My Yaeko made a deep impression on many people. She truly loved God with all of her heart, mind, soul and strength, and she had loved her neighbor as herself.

I am content in the Lord and in my portion.

During my entire life, He has provided for me in every way, from the smallest, immediate answers to prayer to some very big provisions.

The Strain family for moving me from spiritual milk to solid food; My dear, precious Yaeko; A wise mother, Charlotte Tanigawa; A new life in Boone; The saints at the Alliance Bible Fellowship, Boone, NC. These are some highlights of my years, but I know that there are countless provisions from the Lord of which I am unaware. He has protected me, clothed me, fed me. He provides for all His children, everyone, in unique and personal ways. My provision from Him is unique to me.

Thank you, Lord.

At this writing, I recall some: His calling during my childhood; The CRU ministry at college where Christ made Himself known; The exciting work at CIA; The saints at the Fourth Presbyterian Church, Bethesda, MD;

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THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

Young Mal outside his family’s flower shop in Hawaii.

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“Our First Family Picture with Andi and Christian included: Michelle Hardy (mom) Christian Hardy (son) Tara Dyer ( daughter in law) Thomas Dyer (Son) Kelly Hardy (Dad) Holding Andi Hardy (daughter) Tori Dyer (Daughter ) “

Loving The Least of These

My husband is used to my crazy ideas but this was a first for him. I put his name in my prayer journal and continued to pray for him — not that he would live with us, but that he would have every need met, find favor with those he met and be blessed in everything he did. I prayed for a hedge of protection around him, and for comfort for any h urt that he may have experienced.

It opened our eyes to a situation right here in our own county. So many children Written by Michelle Hardy are in need of foster families.

The social workers are over“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to whelmed trying to find them homes. There are not enough one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” families available. We made Matthew 25:40 (ESV) up our minds: we would do everything we could to help. n March 2017 we met a little brown-eyed boy We signed up for foster care classes within with a huge smile and infectious laugh. Our the next few months. In October of that year, church youth were helping with an event, we got a phone call; the same little boy needed and I felt a tug on my heart that I had never ex- a home. We had everything ready, and he came perienced before. I played with this child whom walking up our sidewalk that following Tuesday.

I knew nothing about, other than he was visitHe was carrying his belongings in a small diing with a local family. When we left the event I looked at my husband and said, “I know this aper box. It was one year later that he finally let sounds crazy, but he is supposed to be with us. I me throw away the empty box — it was his box, and he kept his belongings close. feel like we are leaving him.”

I

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THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

Later we received the call to take his baby sister who was born eight weeks early. We brought her home after five long weeks in the NICU. We knew that this was where the Lord was leading us. We have since legally adopted these two. We have been able to have a great relationship with their biological mom and grandmother. As our children grow, they will know they are loved by a lot of people.

When going into foster care, you have preconceived notions about biological parents that no longer have their children. I was wrong. How can you love a child and not their parents? Grace that was extended to me for my sins is the same grace that is extended to them. Grace is not something we earn. The Lord called us to care for children and their parents. Sometimes the parents don’t know Jesus, and they don’t know

“

for me, but I was so happy for her to be reunited with her family. I was praying as I dressed her, “Lord, protect this little one, give her happiness and blessing beyond measure. Keep her under Your wing and shelter her from any hurt.”

I felt the Lord impress upon my heart, “Thank you for taking care of this for Me. You did a good job, and now this season is over. She belongs with her grandma.”

I will never lose sight of that. It does hurt, and I hate to see them go. But I have peace about it because that is what God intended. Every time we have a child, I always teach them they are created in God’s very image, they are special and they have a Father in heaven who loves them beyond measure — no matter where they go He is with them. My desire is for every

Grace that was extended to me for my sins is the same grace that is extended to them.

Grace is not something we earn.

the love and grace He provides. The best way to share the Lord’s grace is by loving them and trying to help the parents get their lives and homes ready to bring their children back.

We have adopted a sibling set through foster care. We extended our family not just to them but to their mother and grandmother. Our two children will have even more people to love and support them! Since starting this journey, we have had seven children in our home for different lengths of time.

I was packing a little girl up to leave our home. I was battling my emotions — it was sad

“

child to feel loved and important. People say “I couldn’t give them up.” But when you see how happy a child is to be reunited with their parents, you could give them up. After all, it’s not about us. It’s about them.

“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” Isaiah 1:17 (ESV) Jesus is calling each and every one of us to help.

If you can’t be a foster parent, you can help foster parents with clothes and supplies. Cook a meal for a foster family and pick up their groceries. Buy

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

46

Family Vacation: Left to right Kelly Hardy (Dad) Michelle Hardy (Mom) Andi Hardy (Daughter) Christian Hardy (Son) Tori Dyer (Daughter) Thomas Dyer (son) them tickets for movies, theme parks or bowling. If you don’t know a foster family, buy a gift card and donate it to a social worker in foster care. Look into becoming a guardian ad litem, which is a volunteer position to be a voice for children.

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“

The point is we can all help in some way to make these kids feel important and loved. It’s not the material things that matter; it is the feeling that they are important.

Jesus is calling each and every one of us to help.

THE JOURNEY | Winter 2022

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