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NONPROFIT, PHIL A NTHROPY & FAITH EDITION

YO U R VIE W O F E A S T T E X A S

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Highlighting locals who lead by example

Santana Wood

Dear Readers, t’s a pleasure to write to you for the first time. I may be a new face on this page, and a relatively new East Texas resident at that – but I’m not new to telling stories of close-knit communities and their wonderful people. Previously an Alabama resident, now it’s Sweet Home East Texas for me. So far, I’ve truly loved living here, seeing all our area has to offer and meeting each and every individual who makes our home so special. I hope we’ll meet each other soon, but first I have several of our neighbors I’d like to introduce. Our cover feature highlights Longview native LaDarian Brown, whom many of you likely already know due to his active community involvement. In everything he does, his unwavering commitment is admirable. His story is full of heart and one you’ll be touched to read. A roofing company in White Oak has instilled a faithbased culture that extends all the way to marginalized villages in countries around the world with its nonprofit. Dos Rossouw, Clean Cut owner and Samaritans Servants International founder, along with his staff and volunteers, lead with true servants’ hearts. In fact, this issue spotlights several religious leaders. In Lindale, Pastor Joe Fauss takes us through the beginnings of Calvary Commission International and how the nonprofit has grown to be a worldwide ministry. In Tyler, new Green Acres Baptist Church Pastor Michael Gossett’s passion for preaching shines through in his words and actions. Nearby at the Mentoring Alliance, President and CEO Kevin East walks us through his year-long battle with cancer. Despite facing unexpected challenges, East

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PRESIDENT Stephen McHaney PUBLISHER Justin Wilcox ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Alyssa Purselley-Hankins 903-596-6295 EDITOR Tim Thorsen ETX VIEW EDITOR Santana Wood 4

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remained dedicated to his job and never failed to see God at work. Through music and ministry, Gilmer native Curtis Grimes aims to make an impact by asking himself, “What would Jesus really do?” We could all take a page out of Grimes’ book – or sheet of music, rather. Step right into Hot Springs, Arkansas, in our travel feature. A scenic trip to the historic site includes must-stop attractions such as Bathhouse Row, Hot Springs National Park, and of course, a multitude of unique culinary experiences. Speaking of food, I hope you’re hungry because our food feature will likely leave you craving sushi. GZ Asian & Sushi Bar in Longview, Wasabi Sushi Bar & Asian Bistro in Tyler and SushiTo’s in Gilmer serve delectable, high-quality rolls sure to provide a delightful dining experience. Elsewhere in the magazine, you’ll see how thrifted fashion is making a comeback and benefiting East Texas at the same time. Plus, you’ll meet more difference makers and find plenty of upcoming events. Thanks for allowing us to share these incredible stories with you. I’m humbled to have the opportunity to lead this publication as we continue to showcase the best of East Texas life and culture. Enjoy!

DESIGNER Ted Townsend WRITERS Christina Cavazos Ana Conejo Jo Lee Ferguson Maleri McHam Courtney Stern Raquel Torres Zak Wellerman Santana Wood PHOTOGRAPHERS Michael Cavazos Les Hassell

S A N TA N A W O O D s w o o d @ t y l e r p a p e r. c o m

THE COVER Longview native LaDarian Brown uses his faith to guide him through his work as a pastor and police officer. Brown is also heavily involved in the community and aims to be an example for the next generation. COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY Michael Cavazos COVER DESIGN BY Ted Townsend © 2022, M. ROBERTS MEDIA 100 E. Ferguson, Suite 501, Tyler, TX 75702

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CONTENTS

8 Passion and Purpose

LaDarian Brown is committed in everything he does, from policing to preaching to serving his community.

18 Building a Foundation

Two East Texas Habitat for Humanity groups make homeownership possible for those in need.

24 Faith-based Mission

Clean Cut Roofing helps villages around the world through its Samaritan Servants International nonprofit.

32 From Small Beginnings

Just a seed in the 1970s, Calvary Commission International has grown to be a worldwide ministry.

40 Passionate Preacher

Green Acres Baptist Church Pastor Michael Gossett wants to see his ministry provide for East Texas and beyond.

44 Actions of a Disciple

A year-long battle with cancer has not stopped Mentoring Alliance CEO and President Kevin East from being dedicated to his job, family and faith. 6

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60 48 Spa City Peters Autosports travel takes you on a scenic trip through Hot Springs, Arkansas.

60 Young servant Arya Germanwala fell in love with volunteering at age 6. Now, she helps fellow students through her nonprofit which distributes hygiene products.

68 Peters Fashion Members of the Longview cheer squad model secondhand fashion from Hope’s Closet.

68 Rockin’ and Rollin’ Three East Texas restaurants serve high-quality, tasty sushi rolls.

88 Music and Ministry Gilmer native Curtis Grimes has climbed the music charts but always keeps his faith at the forefront of everything he does.

94 Calendar A list of events in East Texas in March and April.

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March/April 2022 | etxview.com 22-0055

FEATURE

Faith serves as a guiding force for Longview pastor, police officer | CONT. ON PG. 10

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Pastor LaDarian Brown

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| CONT. FROM PG. 8

s a child, LaDarian Brown would return home from Sunday worship services and mimic every single thing he’d witnessed at church that day. From the preachers giving sermons and deacons praying to church ladies jumping around and clapping as they sang to music, Brown would imitate everything he’d seen that morning. S T O RY B Y C H R I S T I N A C AVA Z O S PHOTOGRAPHY BY M I C H A E L C AVA Z O S

Pastor LaDarian Brown at Parkview Baptist Church. 10

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On weekdays at school, he didn’t spend recess like other kids running around the playground. As a firstgrader at Hudson PEP Elementary School in Longview, Brown saw recess “as a time to try to save the souls of my classmates.” “That’s the type of student I was,” Brown recalled with a laugh. At 15, Brown received his license to minister. That was in 2008. By 2014, he was ordained. When he began pastoring a few years ago at Parkview Baptist Church, he was one of the youngest – if not the youngest – pastors in East Texas. Today, at 29, he’s the youngest president of the Longview Area Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance and he just started his second term of office. He’s also a member of the Longview Police Department, where he serves as a Police Area Representative (or PAR officer) for his native South Longview community.

He’s a proud Lobo, an avid Dallas Cowboys fan, serves on a school board, is a member of nonprofit organizations — and he’s helped raise a young man just nine years younger than him. Though an introvert by nature, Brown also has never shied away from speaking up when he sees injustice at a national, state or local level. As a pastor, as a police officer and as an African American man, he’s guided each day by his faith. “Being an African American in this country and the history we’ve had … It has been faith that has always given us hope,” he said. “That’s how I grew up. You trust in God. You

support system with his aunts and his great-grandmother, Clara Crayton. And, he said, he never wanted for anything. “I didn’t grow up wealthy, but I didn’t grow up poor,” he said. “A lot of my friends thought I was privileged just because… My grandparents, they worked hard to make sure I had everything I needed and everything I wanted. There was literally nothing in the world that I couldn’t have that I wanted. What my grandparents didn’t do, my aunts stepped in.” On Sylvan Street, Brown grew up three houses down from Twelfth Street and he lived right in front of

community because of that.” That helped spark an interest in law enforcement for Brown. Meanwhile, attending Friendship Baptist Church with his grandparents helped nourish his faith. His grandfather, who passed away in 2020, served as a deacon and a Sunday School teacher at the church. During that time, Brown developed a strong bond with his pastor, the Rev. D.J. Nelson, who continues to mentor him today. “Faith played a very big role inside of my life,” Brown said. “My grandfather’s advice was typically going to be biblical. I grew up seeing my grandfather at the kitchen

Pastor LaDarian Brown speaks during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day worship services at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church in 2018 and 2020. believe in God. You put all your faith in Him. In my younger years, church was just church; it was fun. Now that I’ve experienced quite a bit in my life, church is more than just church to me now. It literally is worship. My faith plays a very huge role in my life. … Christianity is not a part-time living. Christianity is a way of life.” Brown was born and raised in Longview. His mother was a high school sophomore when he was born; his father was on his way to the U.S. Marine Corps. His grandparents, Johnnie and Carol Carter, raised him in a home on Sylvan Drive in South Longview. While some may have been bitter about being raised by their grandparents, Brown wouldn’t want it any other way. “My grandmother and my grandfather, those two are the best foundation that I could have had,” he said. He also grew up with a strong

Thirteenth Street. Over the years, both streets have seen their share of crime. “I had a drug dealer right in front of my house,” Brown recalled. “So in the front yard playing as a kid, I would see a man selling drugs.” But he also witnessed something else in South Longview. He saw his great-grandmother help run some drug dealers out of the neighborhood. Crayton is known in South Longview for her work with her neighborhood crime watch group, the Timpson Crime Watch Group. “She was in front of dope houses on Birdsong Street, Young Street, Timpson Street. I remember as a little boy, her and her crime watch group, they would chant, ‘Up with hope, down with dope. Up with hope, down with dope,’” Brown recalled. “They ended up running a lot of drug dealers out of the

table or in the garage with his Sunday School book and his Bible, studying, preparing himself for Sunday to teach the Sunday School class.” As Brown grew in his faith, his interest in law enforcement also heightened. Longview Police Office Gene Duffie was among those who inspired Brown in what would become a future career. “Officer Duffie was one of the few officers who worked the beat (in Brown’s neighborhood) that I saw continuously who looked like me,” he said. “A lot of people say that everything’s not black and white, that everything’s not about race. They’re right; everything’s not. But as an African American male it plays a huge part in your life to see other African American males doing certain things.” | CONT. ON PG. 13 March/April 2022 | etxview.com

“Being an African American in this country and the history we’ve had … It has been faith that has always given us hope. . . . That’s how I grew up. You trust in God. You believe in God. You put all your faith in Him.” Pastor LaDarian Brown

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| CONT. FROM PG. 11 Seeing Duffie every day in his neighborhood wearing a Longview Police Department uniform motivated Brown. As a high school student, Duffie helped Brown become involved in the Police Explorer program. The career development program offered to students allows young men and women to learn about career choices available in law enforcement. “That’s really what did it for me was the Explorer program. It let me see what all police do,” Brown said. “Everybody knew on weekends when you saw Officer Bennie Cooks, you saw LaDarian Brown in the passenger seat with him. Because every weekend I was out there with him. I was very intrigued by the profession.” After graduating from Longview High School in 2011, Brown attended the Police Academy at Kilgore College. He began working for the Longview Police Department in 2013. He served in the patrol unit for six years prior to being selected as a PAR Officer for Beat 60 in South Longview. As a PAR officer, Brown serves as the police department’s liaison to the community and interacts with those who reside in the neighborhood. As a Black police officer, he hopes to build trust with the South Longview community, particularly with youth. “I want to have that relationship to where any young person that I encounter now, no matter where they go in life in this community that they would always feel they have a department of officers who they can trust, who will do them justice and who will do right by them,” Brown said. “That’s been my biggest push. “This is my community. This is my city. These are my people. I take personal responsibility for always trying to do what’s right for this community.” As for ministry life, that also began at a young age. When Brown was 15, the Rev. Vandell Smith served as his pastor at St. Paul Baptist Church. Smith, who has since passed away, awarded Brown his license in 2008 when Brown was 15. “I went into my sophomore

Pastor LaDarian Brown speaks during the National Day of Prayer service at Mobberly Baptist Church. year of high school as a licensed minister,” Brown said. Brown said he’s always felt pulled to the ministry. He noted the Bible verse, Jeremiah 1:5, which says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” “I feel that I’m definitely one of those people that He called,” Brown said. In 2014, a year after he’d started with the Longview Police Department, he became an ordained minister. In 2019, he began serving as the pastor of Parkview Baptist Church. He initially came to Parkview as an interim pastor and, he said, at the time he had “no interest” in leading the congregation permanently. Prior to that, Brown thought he would be asked to serve as pastor at St. Paul Baptist Church. In the midst of a chaotic and confusing situation, he wasn’t chosen to lead St. Paul. That experience initially left him with some hurt feelings and bitterness, but with God and his family, he worked through it.

Now, he realizes there was a reason for everything. Because he belongs at Parkview. “I pastor the best people in Longview here at Parkview. I don’t say that just because my name’s on the sign and I’m the pastor here. I literally pastor the best people,” Brown said with emphasis on the word ‘best.’ “This is the most judgment-free church I have ever been a part of in my life, and they were like that before I came.” With a congregation of about 300 people, Parkview has doubled in size since Brown arrived. With virtual services through Facebook Live, even more participate each week during the 10 a.m. Sunday service. Parkview also offers a variety of ministries. In addition to the church’s children’s, youth, men’s and women’s ministries, Parkview recently added a new ministry to serve young adults – mostly millennials, like Brown. The young adult ministry is called Be Real Baptists. Parkview also has partnered with Church on | CONT. ON PG. 14 March/April 2022 | etxview.com

LaDarian Brown member of the Longview High School ROTC in 2010. | CONT. FROM PG. 13

“Christianity should be 24 hours. When you wake up, it ought to be on. When you go to bed, it ought to be on. Christianity is not a light switch that you turn on and turn off.” Pastor LaDarian Brown 14

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Purpose for an outreach ministry that provides a food pantry and more for those in need. “Our mission here is to build disciples to win the world for Christ. That’s what we care about,” Brown said. “This truly is a judgment-free church. We don’t care if you’re black or white. We don’t care if you’re gay or straight. We don’t care about where you come from, by no means. You can be a drug addict or a drug dealer. We don’t care. When you come inside of this church, it is judgment-free. We might look at you a little crazy, but then we’re going to wrap our arms around you and we’re going to love you. That’s just the way Parkview is. That’s why I say, it’s the best church. It’s a wonderful church with amazing people.” In January 2020, at age 27, Brown was appointed president of the Longview Area Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, a religious organization of clergy in the area. As the youngest leader in the organization’s history, Brown said some days are fun but other days he feels like the weight of the world is on his shoulders as people look to him for guidance in times of crisis. In 2020, after George Floyd’s death by a white police officer, many people in the community turned to Brown. He said every day, but especially in times such as that, he asks the Holy Spirit to lead him as he speaks to people. As a pastor and as a police

Officer LaDarian Brown visits with guests at the East Side Community Reunion at the Broughton Recreation Center. officer, Brown’s faith guides him in the way he treats and responds to people. He believes faith can play a role in changing and shaping the community “if people are true to the faith.” “The issue with our world is that we only want to turn our Christianity on on Sunday mornings when we go to our segregated churches. That’s not the way it should be,” Brown said. “Christianity should be 24 hours. When you wake up, it ought to be on. When you go to bed, it ought to be on. Christianity is not a light switch that you turn on and turn off.” Brown also believes while some might argue politics and faith aren’t intertwined, to him they go hand in hand. “The policies which we make as leaders prove our faith,” Brown said. “In Matthew 25, Jesus said, ‘I’m going to judge you based on how you treated the least of these.’ … You can’t stand in front of people and tell me that you’re a Christian but you treat people around you as if they are beneath you. That starts from the top. If the head of our community – if the leaders of our community – are exhibiting that type of behavior, then you can’t have high expectations of the individuals that follow their leadership.” Faith can play a key role in guiding and shifting the community, Brown said, if people allow it. In addition to leading the

Pastor of Parkview Baptist Church LaDarian Brown speaks during a 10th day of peaceful protests after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

ministerial alliance, Brown also serves as a member of the Arts!Longview Board of Directors, overseeing the city’s cultural district, and on the board of East Texas Advanced Academies. When Longview ISD created its charter program, the board for East Texas Advanced Academies was tasked with overseeing six campuses. Brown serves as the secretary on the board. “I want to make sure that every teacher is equipped to provide as much as they can to every student while they have them,” he said. Serving on the East Texas Advanced Academies board has a personal meaning to Brown. When he was 22, he began raising a young man – Tyshawn Taylor. Taylor was going into his freshman year at Longview High School when he asked Brown if he could live with him. Brown agreed and became his legal guardian. Today, Taylor is 20, attends Kilgore College and continues to reside with Brown. “It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Brown said. “I love that kid with every fiber of my being and all of my heart.” Brown started 2022 by marrying his wife, Jillian. The couple recently adopted a dog, a Rottweiler named King. Though raised by his grandparents, Brown maintains a relationship with his parents and talks to his mother and his father daily. When he’s not working or volunteering in the community, he

enjoys spending time with his family, cheering on the Dallas Cowboys and watching TV. Professionally, he simply wants to continue serving both Parkview Baptist Church as its pastor and Longview Police Department as a PAR officer. He’s content in his career with no aspirations for advancement. He said he does want to keep pushing for measures that would help clear the path for future generations just as others did for him. He’d like to see more diversity in leadership teams across Longview. He noted the first Black police officer for the Longview Police Department was Officer Floyd Brown (no relation to Brown). LaDarian Brown said he’s grateful for officers like Floyd Brown who helped break the race barrier in his career. He’s also grateful for officers, like Duffie and Cooks, and pastors, such as Nelson, who have inspired and mentored him over the years. He hopes to play a role in leading the way for the next generation. “When the time comes for me to close my eyes and it’s my time to die, I know I want to be remembered as an individual who spoke up for people who couldn’t. I want to be remembered as an individual who did right by people. I want to be remembered as a man who did the best he could for all he could while he could,” Brown said. “That’s how I want to be remembered.” March/April 2022 | etxview.com

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VISUAL

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FOUNDATION S T O RY B Y M A L E R I M CH A M PHOTOGRAPHY BY M I C H A E L C AVA Z O S AND LES HASSELL

Northeast Texas Habitat for Humanity volunteer Dave Wallin helps with the construction of a new home. 18

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Local groups a ‘blessing’ for those in need of new homes & repairs

t one time, Crystal Wheeler and her two daughters were living in a single-bedroom apartment in Smith County. It had always been a dream of hers to become a homeowner. Living in apartments with her girls was not something she enjoyed having to do, Wheeler said. Often, there was no yard for her kids to play in, the neighborhoods could be unsafe and space was limited. Nonprofit organization Habitat for Humanity is a “blessing” and the reason Wheeler’s dreams of homeownership became a reality, she said. In August 2021, Wheeler and her family moved into their very own home. “I was excited to own a home,” Wheeler said. “Habitat for Humanity made it possible.” Today, Wheeler said they are living in a neighborhood she likes where her daughters have their own rooms and a yard to safely play in. Along with the benefits of living in a home of their own, Wheeler added that it is also in a very convenient location for her family. Her oldest daughter attends elementary school and her youngest daycare, which are both near their new home. Wheeler called Habitat officials and volunteers “lifesavers.” “They don’t just help people get houses, but even help people who need remodeling,” Wheeler said. “They really are a blessing to the community.”

According to its website, Habitat for Humanity affiliates do not give away homes. “They empower and strengthen communities by building simple, decent, affordable housing for low-income families and individuals. Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat affiliates finance affordable loans and sell to partner families selected through nondiscriminatory policies.” The unique part about Habitat is that homeowners spend hundreds of hours building their Habitat house as well as the houses of others. In Texas there are 66 Habitat for Humanity locations, about 1,000 in the United States and about 13,000 internationally, Smith County Habitat for Humanity CEO Jack Wilson said. While each location has their mission in common, it is not accomplished in the same way everywhere, he added. LaJuan Hollis, Northeast Texas Habitat for Humanity CEO, said their main mission is to help everyone live in a safe home, improving quality of life. “We find that home is everything,” Hollis said. “When I say that, I mean home is where your foundation is.” A major area of impact Habitat for Humanity has on the community are the newly built homes and critical repairs to homes in need. Wilson said there are at least 15,000 families who could qualify to purchase a home and at least 3,000 seniors, veterans or disabled individuals who own a home but live below the poverty level and can’t fix hazards in their homes. “To be able to create stability for your family, that’s the main thing,” Wilson said. Habitat for Humanity comes in and partners with individuals to create, build and help them purchase a | CONT. ON PG. 20

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| CONT. FROM PG. 19 home that fits their budget, Hollis said. No more than 30% of a family’s monthly income is spent on their home, she added. Doing this ensures families have enough remaining resources to take care of other essential needs like buying healthy foods, medical care when needed and more, Hollis said. Families are also able to build financial s ecurity for their futures. “Right now in Texas one in four individuals live in a home that either threatens their health or safety or that is considered cost burdened, which means that more than 30%, and for a large number more than 50%, of their monthly income is spent just to put a roof over their heads,” Hollis said. Spending more than 30% of a household’s income on a home leaves little for other needs, or investing in the future, Hollis said.

Habitat for Humanity is between $100,000 and $125,000. Homeowners purchase the home with money lended to them by Habitat for Humanity with 0 interest mortgage, Hollis said. Habitat acts as a homeowner’s mortgage company and they pay that money back along with paying their own taxes and insurance, she added. Many people don’t “realize how deeply invested a family is,” Hollis said. “We believe in a partnership. The benefit of that … is when they are that deeply invested we have an almost 0 foreclosure rate. They are proud of their homes and they work really hard.” Becoming a homeowner for lower income families increases quality of life, Wilson said. It offers families stability, which in turn provides things such as improved health, financial security and more success for children in life, he added.

Nonprofit organization Habitat for Humanity is a “blessing” and the reason Crystal Wheeler’s dreams of homeownership became a reality. In August 2021, Wheeler and her family moved into their very own home. Wilson said over the years Smith County Habitat for Humanity has had around 350 people live in a Habitat home. At the Northeast Texas Habitat for Humanity, about 10 people are enrolled into the program each year, Hollis said. Income, credit checks, and criminal background checks are some of the things that are looked into when determining if an individual or family qualifies to become a Habitat homeowner, Wilson said. Hollis said those in the program must also take 60 hours of new homeowner education and 300 hours of volunteer work, or “sweat equity” as they call it. “One of the misconceptions is that we give away homes, which we’ve never given away homes; no Habitat affiliate has,” Wilson said. “Homeowners put in a lot of work to qualify and purchase a home.” Smith County Habitat homes are sold below $200,000 and are energy efficient, Wilson said. Likewise, Hollis said the average home at Northeast

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“Children of homeowners actually have a 27% higher high school graduation rate than (that) of renters,” Hollis said. Those who become homeowners through Habitat for Humanity are also able to secure their family members’ futures for generations, Hollis said. She recalled one woman who moved into a Habitat home with her two children, has now paid it off and intends to move her mother into the home so she doesn’t have to live in a nursing facility. When building a home then seeing someone become a homeowner, “you can stand there and know it’s changing their life for generations,” Wilson said. “It just has that positive rippling effect.” Volunteers play a large role in building the Habitat homes, Hollis said. They help with framing, installing floors, building fences, landscaping, painting and | CONT. ON PG. 22

Smith County Habitat for Humanity CEO Jack Wilson, right, and Director of Operations Carl Watson.

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| CONT. FROM PG. 20 more. Typically, there are 100 to 200 volunteers who help build Habitat homes each year, Hollis said of the Northeast Texas organization. Their help saves around $100,000 in construction yearly, she added. “It’s a beautiful thing to see because someone comes in and donates their time on a Saturday and they get to sit down and have a real conversation with someone who’s working right beside them .. and hear their stories, journey and past to this (moment of) homeownership,” Hollis said. Northeast Texas Habitat for Humanity volunteer Bill Charles said he has been volunteering with the organization for 26 years. When Charles retired in 1996, he knew he wanted to volunteer for the organization. When Charles was younger, he helped his father, who was a carpenter, build houses. Volunteering for Habitat for Humanity is a way for him to give back and apply those skills he learned from his father, he said. “My feeling is that God calls us to use our skills, the gifts he has given us, to help other people,” Charles said. Building one or two houses at a time for a family is special, Charles said. It is amazing to see “the smile on their faces and the tears in their eyes because they finally got their own house,” he added. “Habitat has always been the charity that’s at the bottom of my heart,” Charles said. “It is a very worthwhile charity that does a lot of good work.” Wilson said volunteers can always be used in Habitat’s ReStore and other areas of Smith County Habitat for Humanity. When it comes to construction, they will typically go to bid for construction groups to build the homes, he said. Another big program is Habitat for Humanity’s critical home repairs, Wilson said. Habitat will go to homes owned by seniors, veterans and those with disabilities and make repairs, improving the safety and quality of the home. Oftentimes, these individuals will be forced to make a decision between food, medicine or fixing their homes, Wilson said. Some of those helped live off or $500 to $800 a month, he added. These are people who may have owned their homes for 20-plus years, but have reached a point where they cannot afford or physically fix safety and health hazards in their homes, Hollis said. Wilson recalled one instance where a homeowner was using a sheet for a door, which Habitat replaced the same day. Many don’t realize their neighbors are living in hazardous conditions, but it is a reality, he said. “Nobody should have to live afraid in their own home, so we go in and we help those individuals,” Hollis said. While Habitat for Humanity helps people become

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homeowners and does critical repairs, they also impact the community in other ways. Wilson described Habitat for Humanity as four companies working under one umbrella. There is construction, retail through the ReStore (which not all locations have), a management firm and they are legally a bank. While Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, Wilson said it is not all “warm and fuzzy.” It must still be run like a business to operate effectively. Many roles such as a director or operations, director of finance, director of management and marketing, accountants and more work together to keep the nonprofit running, Wilson said. The organization is also able to operate as a bank, Wilson said. Habitat for Humanity holds the mortgages for all of the homes. Both the Smith County and Northeast Texas Habitat

for Humanities have ReStore locations. Wilson said the ReStore is one thing that helps support the operations of Habitat. “We are a home improvement center,” Wilson said. “I like to think of us as a baby brother to Lowe’s and Home Depot and that sort of thing.” Items sold at the ReStore are at 50% of the original price, Wilson said. The store allows people to purchase quality items for their homes. There is no other nonprofit that does the work Habitat for Humanity does, Hollis said. Through Habitat, people are able to “make an impactful investment in the future for themselves or their family,” Hollis said. Learn more about the area organizations at www. netxhabitat.org and www.smithcountyhabitat.org .

LaJuan Hollis, Northeast Texas Habitat for Humanity CEO, said their main mission is to help everyone live in a safe home, improving quality of life. “We find that home is everything. . . .When I say that, I mean home is where your foundation is.”

Northeast Texas Habitat for Humanity volunteer Bill Charles helps with the construction of a new home in Marshall. March/April 2022 | etxview.com

VISUAL

White Oak-based company keeps at heart of company, mission of nonprofit | CONT. ON PG. 26

S T O RY B Y C O U RT N E Y S T E R N PHOTOGRAPHY BY M I C H A E L C AVA Z O S A N D C O U RT E S Y O F S A M A R I TA N S E RVA N T S I N T E R N AT I O N A L 24

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n modern day times, it can be difficult to imagine what life in the ancient world looked like and what the lives of Biblical figures were like. But through needs-meeting missions work, employees at an East Texas roofing company are able to catch a glimpse of life in the early Christian church. | CONT. FROM PG. 24 Clean Cut of White Oak, through its Samaritan Servants International nonprofit program formed in 2019, helps bring wells to marginalized villages in countries around the world. The program has operated in countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, India and more. “The main goal for Clean Cut is to help as many people as possible,” Chief Operations Officer Philip Jordan said. “So that’s always been our driving force, for the business and in all of our different ventures that we do and now in helping the Samaritans across the world.” Clean Cut Owner and Samaritan Servants International Founder Dos Rossouw said the organization was born out of traditional missions efforts going back 10 years. “As we made these journeys to share the gospel, we became more aware that if you go to these areas that are often the poorest and often marginalized people, that there is great physical need,” Rossouw said. “Really, people

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in those situations and circumstances are not ready to hear your message.” It’s hard to be receptive to a faith message when survival needs are not being met. The villages need access to clean water. Some villagers were walking miles to get water that was often stagnant and poor quality. In these rural areas across Africa, it’s very common they’ll have water during the rainy season but then when there’s no rain that quickly changes, Rossouw said. “They’ll begin to walk further and further.” So Rossouw shifted the focus to meeting physical needs first before following through with evangelistic efforts, spiritual guidance and leadership. When people think of gathering places, some imagine sporting events or a well manicured public park. For many small villages, that gathering place is the well. “Typically a well will serve, at minimum, 50 families,” Rossouw said. “Naturally, those wells | CONT. ON PG. 28

Joshua Roché, Philip Jordan, and Dos Rossouw of Clean Cut. March/April 2022 | etxview.com

| CONT. FROM PG. 26 became a central gathering point.” A sign is posted on all the wells that the water is free to all with John 4:13-14: “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” Rossouw said the well not only is a life giving place with water but also spiritually life giving. “We then followed that up in those same rural areas with building a pavilion where people can meet under a shelter, a group of believers,” Rossouw said. “That sparked, really created a format for us of what we want to do.” The well efforts led to the group establishing churches in Moru Village and Kamuli in Uganda. These churches are pavillions, not cathedrals or large buildings with a full worship band. The people are the true church, Rossouw said. “Both of these churches were started as a result of the wells and continue to go very strong as a result,” Rossouw said. He hoped to get back to build pavilions in those two villages. It is important to continue working with the villages to maintain the wells. “It starts with the water and it grows into food situation help and farming see, providing seed,” Rossouw said. “We want to stay in touch.” The Samaritans Servants International’s motto is #ItsAboutPeople and for Clean Cut

employees and volunteers involved, the experience has made a profound impact. “These last few years have been life changing for me,” Jordan said. Jordan and Marketing Videographer Joshua Roché have traveled on the missions trips. “I think one of my big takeaways or impressions on these trips, especially from Zambia, is to see the need but then you see the gravity,” Jordan said. “I mean, these people have no running water, electricity. They work in their fields with subpar farming equipment. They live like they did 500-plus years ago.” Jordan said he was overwhelmed by the eruption of gratitude and joy when they would announce that they were providing a well to a village. Roché echoed those sentiments, saying his perspective is forever changed. “My first trip, I always had this adventure mentality of ‘oh, I’ll go see animals and everything like that,” he said. “I came back and . . . I just saw people struggling with their daily life and it affected me.” The most recent mission trip was to Zimbabwe. Roché traveled with Rossouw and his family, among others. “Some of these trips are different than others,” Roché said. “Sometimes we’re going to assess the different wells that have been drilled. I never really saw the importance of that | CONT. ON PG. 30

“As we made these journeys (to villages and countries around the world) to share the gospel, we became more aware that if you go to these areas that are often the poorest and often marginalized people, that there is great physical need. . . . Really, people in those situations and circumstances are not ready to hear your message (until physical needs are met first).”

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Dos Rossouw, Clean Cut Owner and Samaritan Servants International Founder

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| CONT. FROM PG. 28 until later. Going back to look at these wells, it’s important, making sure we’re continuing care.” Jordan traveled this past July to Mulobezi, Zambia to inspect a well. “Actually, they found water on the church’s grounds,” Jordan said. The church was already established. Jordan said to think, “How many times do you need water? How many times do you turn the faucet on every day? You need it for cooking, drinking, bathing, washing.” Naturally, the well is the most frequented spot in the village. “They were literally washing clothes right there and so here they are gathered around this church,” Jordan said. “Jesus said he will build his church. We’re not technically planting the church. He’s using us in some small way to enrich the lives of his people. It’s just a beautiful thing.” Samaritan Servants International based its ministry around Luke 10. The Samaritan in Jesus’ story stopped to help a man’s physical needs after several others passed by and did not help. At the heart of everything it does, Clean Cut has a company culture of faith, helping others and giving back. “We try to keep it at the forefront of our company because that’s rather unique, I think,” Rossouw said. The company covers 100% of the employees’ cost to travel for these missions trips and the time off to travel does not count against their vacation time. They are working in 11 countries. “We’ve got work going on in Guatemala and also in the Dominican Republic and soon to be in Haiti as well,” Rossouw said.

Philip Jordan of Clean Cut Roofing speaks about participating in a recent mission trip to Uganda to help inspect a water well and dedicate a new church after a village church was destroyed. The nonprofit runs on donations and 1% of Clean Cut’s revenue each year. “We care about our people, our communities, their families, our customers, their families, and more globally looking at the needs and how God can use us to do good,” Jordan said. “Jesus went about doing good and I think that’s kind of our goal.” View videos from the recent trip and more at www. cleancut.com/culture .

“My first trip, I always had this adventure mentality of ‘oh, I’ll go see animals and everything like that.’ . . . I came back and . . . I just saw people struggling with their daily life and it affected me.” Joshua Roché Marketing Videographer Clean Cut Roofing 30

March/April 2022 | etxview.com

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

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n the 1970s, Calvary Commission was just a seed Joe Fauss was sowing. Now, the nonprofit founded in 1977 shares the gospel and changes lives through foreign missions, prison ministry and discipleship training at the Lindale-based outreach facility. Nearly five decades ago, Fauss, Calvary Commission international director, was a businessman and leader of Tyler’s Teen Challenge, a Christian faith-based program helping teens rehabilitate from addiction. | CONT. ON PG. 34 S T O RY B Y Z A K W E L L E R M A N P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y M I C H A E L C AVA Z O S

from SMALL

BEGINNINGS

Joe Fauss leads life-changing ministry at Calvary Commission

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| CONT. FROM PG. 33

One day, one of the Teen Challenge residents asked Fauss to go to court with him, believing he would get probation for a marijuana possession charge. Once they arrived in court, officials began to talk about three- or 10-year prison sentences, and Fauss didn’t get a chance to advocate for the teen. The boy was later transferred to the Coffield Unit in Anderson County and Fauss was on his visitors’ list. While visiting the prison, Fauss saw inmates crying as the time to see their loved ones ended. On that day, Fauss busted into the prison warden’s office

He and his wife, Charlotte, made the decision to sell their home, and within 20 minutes a woman offered Fauss her Lindale farm — something she said God told her to do. Where cattle once grazed, multiple buildings rose over time, and students, including inmates and anyone seeking biblical education, earned degrees and had their lives transformed. “This is now what has come from a small beginning to a Bible college that is approved by the state of Texas and that we’re able to offer degrees (everything from a diploma to an associate degree

crucifixion, and commission, a group dedicated to doing special work. “In our name is that we have a group of people that gather together for a certain purpose and our goal is to change society by seeing a breakthrough in a person’s life,” Fauss said. The nonprofit also has dozens of missionary bases across the globe — the first being in Leon, located in central Mexico. In Reynosa — a Mexican city that borders Texas — sits a fourstory building that houses the orphanage, Josiah and Bethany Children’s Home, where Calvary missionaries often go to help and

from SMALL

BEGINNINGS “This is now what has come from a small beginning to a Bible college that is approved by the state of Texas and that we’re able to offer degrees (everything from a diploma to an associate degree and graduate degrees).” Joe Fauss, Calvary Commission international director wanting to help the inmates. “He said, ‘Preacher, don’t worry about that. The state pays a preacher money for that kind of stuff.’ And that could’ve been the end of it,” Fauss said. “There was a major (and) he said, ‘Preacher, if you really want to help them; help them when they get out.’” Those words — “when they get out” — left a mark in his mind and began a calling for something, he said, that needed to be done. Fauss searched for rental property space and had 12 men just out of prison. He initially found a place on the old Garden Valley golf course, where they made bunks for the former inmates, in July 1977. 34

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and graduate degrees),” Fauss said. “The requirement is we have to teach the Bible, which is what we want to do anyway.” Starting out with portable offices, the first building had an office, cafeteria and room for 12 men in 1977. Twenty years later, an upstairs portion was added as well as an auditorium seating over 200 people. Then came the international offices as well as a student life center. An academic center, including classrooms, a media center, library and computer lab, is in the works. Along with those beginnings came a name that holds a vision: Calvary, which is the site of Jesus’

educate the kids. Fauss recalled the orphanage started when Keith Green, a cofounder of the Last Days Ministries, wanted to give Fauss a base Green had started to give relief to refugees. Green said he would fund it, but Fauss initially disagreed with the venture. Fauss later went to Reynosa and his team gave out relief items for a while. Green and two of his children later died in a 1982 plane crash, and people started giving funds in honor of the children. His widow Melody said she would assist if Fauss wanted to do | CONT. ON PG. 36

PHOTOS STARTING ABOVE LEFT. Mathew Mylar speaks about the first time he prayed while attending a prayer class at Calvary Commission. Joseph Filippazzo attends a lesson about ministering to the incarcerated led by Pastor Joe Fauss. Calvary Commission intern Brandon Hitt. Brett Hodges teaches the power of prayer during a class at Calvary Commission. Vonderic Barlow attends a Principals and Practices of Ministry class at the Lindale campus. March/April 2022 | etxview.com

| CONT. FROM PG. 35

something that helped children. So the orphanage began and was named in honor of the Greens’ two children who died. “We bought a piece of property. What she had was not sufficient but it was a good start,” he said. “We’ve been able to help a lot of people.” Other missionary bases are also in Mexico, Cuba, Belize, Romania, India, Africa, Canada, Native American reservations, Chile and Peru. Fauss helped start a chaplain’s assistant program at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice,

what I expect you to do.” The buildings at Calvary Commission and people coming out of it are proof that the early stepping stones decades ago were fruitful, Fauss said. One such person who has transformed his life thanks to the ministry is Brandon Hitt, who described his life as completely out of control at one point. Sentenced to prison four times, addicted to drugs and a known thief, he vividly remembers family members hiding their belongings when he entered their home. Almost three years after giving

“Calvary Commission has played a pivotal role in the discipleship and the continuous growth in my life after my salvation,” Hitt said. “If you’re not sure what your calling is or your gifts are, Calvary Commission is a wonderful place to come as a catalyst that spring boards you into the calling of your gifts.” In his third year, he’s an intern for Pastor David Herndon of Church of Living Hope in Tyler, which was founded by Calvary Commission over 30 years ago. For students and alumni like Hitt, this ministry is much more than a school, it is a community and home

from SMALL

BEGINNINGS Other missionary bases are also in Mexico, Cuba, Belize, Romania, India, Africa, Canada, Native American reservations, Chile and Peru. where there are now over 20,000 ministry volunteers, he said. He also serves as the chaplain at the Smith County Jail. As he sees the growth of what he founded, Fauss said he and others at Calvary are humbled and thankful to God. “With men, it’s impossible. With God, all things are possible. It’s good to see the growth and delegating to other people and realizing this is something that was created that will continue because it has the growth principles in it,” Fauss said. “People like to brag on us. I don’t like to hear it; it’s not us. We only obeyed the Lord — that’s 36

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his life to Christ in prison and finding the Calvary Commission, people are seeking his advice and asking him to pray over meals. “It’s been a radical transformation from who I was before Christ and who I am now,” Hitt said. While serving a 10-year prison sentence, Hitt found his salvation, and as he sought direction from God he learned a roommate was headed to Calvary Commission. Hitt arrived at the 180-acre campus in June 2019 and has since earned a diploma in biblical studies and an applied science degree in media ministry.

with families, households and love. “The community is so tightknit and loving and caring. You’re never just alone,” he said. “There’s always somebody there you can lean on, seek counsel from or just experience life with.” Some of the alumni include entrepreneurs, a nurse practitioner (whose daughter followed a similar career path), chaplains and missionaries as well as church planters. Calvary Commission is located at 15983 County Road 4140 in Lindale. For more information about the nonprofit, visit www. calvarycommission.org .

Joe Fauss, Calvary Commission international director

March/April 2022 | etxview.com

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COMMUNITY LEADER

Michael Gossett

New Green Acres pastor seeks to further spread truth of Jesus Christ “With great passion comes a great desire to do it. When I get up in the morning, I’m thinking through what has God called me to preach. . . . I want to be God’s spokesman on His behalf. I want our church to be so on fire for the Gospel of Jesus Christ that there is absolutely nothing that could stop this church.” | CONT. ON PG. 43

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Pastor Michael Gossett at Green Acres Baptist Church. 42

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he truth of Jesus Christ — “a spring never drying up or food that keeps nourishing” — is what Green Acres Baptist Church Pastor Michael Gossett wants to see the church provide for East Texas and beyond.

| CONT. FROM PG. 40

He and other leaders of the Tyler church aim to see 10 Green Acres campuses and 10,000 people baptized because of the Gospel. It’s something the church’s leadership and membership are praying for in an effort to make sure every East Texas community will have a church home. Gossett said he hopes Green Acres can help keep churches in need stay open. “We’re in the business of expanding God’s kingdom, not minimizing God’s kingdom. We want to do everything in our power with all of our resources and with whatever God entrusts to us,” he said. “We want to do whatever we can to make the greatest impact for the kingdom of God.” Gossett emphasized it’s not just about physical expansion or more buildings, but having an eternal impact on every individual’s life in East Texas. “We want to show love by being compassionate while showing the love of Jesus, but we also want to proclaim the truth of Jesus because that is the only way to eternal life,” Gossett said. “We want to stay focused on the mission that God has put us on because that is the only thing that really matters.” One part of the Green Acres’ mission is helping those in need — such as giving out over 3,000 meals and finding ways to love the community. “We really strive to be a church that if our doors were to ever closed, the community would mourn at our absence because we want to love the community that well,” Gossett said. “We also want them to have the truth of Jesus because we know that is the ultimate thing that really gives satisfaction and help. We can give out meals all day long. We can give out water, but the very next day they’re going to be hungry or thirsty again.” Gossett, who became senior pastor of the church’s 18,000-member congregation in September, previously served as teaching pastor since June 2019. He’s the sixth pastor in the church’s roughly 66-year history. Former Pastor David O. Dykes led Green Acres since March 1991 to become its longest-serving pastor and the first to retire. Toward the end of 2021 — three months in as senior

pastor — Gossett described his time in the position as similar to “drinking water from a fire hydrant.” “You just take in what you can and spit out what you don’t get. At the same time, it’s been really, really fun,” he said. “These past couple of months have been very challenging in some ways and just really, really rewarding in many other ways.” For Gossett, preaching God’s word is his biggest passion in life. He was called to pursue preaching years ago when he was a firefighter in Georgia. “With great passion comes a great desire to do it. When I get up in the morning, I’m thinking through what has God called me to preach,” he said. “I want to be God’s spokesman on His behalf. I want our church to be so on fire for the Gospel of Jesus Christ that there is absolutely nothing that could stop this church.” He grew up on the south side of Atlanta, Georgia. His father was an Atlanta firefighter, and Gossett then became a firefighter and EMT before he says God moved him into full-time ministry. Gossett has been married to his high school sweetheart, Katie, for 14 years. They have four kids together: Ryleigh, 12, Reagan, 8, Rowan, 6, and Lincoln, 4. Outside of church, Gossett loves camping with the kids and attending various family activities. In 2012, the family came to Texas to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. The Gossetts served on staff at a couple of churches before they came to Tyler two years ago for his previous role at Green Acres. The church is full of new members and has had baptisms every week within the past couple of months. Gossett describes the growth as “tremendous” to see and “incredibly fun.” He noted the church has a large TV ministry reaching all over the nation and an online presence across the world. “We have different church plants all over the U.S. and all over the world. We have church plants in southeast Africa, Seattle, Portland, California (and) Fort Worth,” Gossett said. “It’s a wide reach for sure of where Green Acres goes around the world.”

S T O RY B Y Z A K W E L L E R M A N PHOTOGRAPHY BY LES HASSELL

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COMMUNITY LEADER

Mentoring Alliance’s Kevin East aims to

‘shepherd’ others & guide community S T O RY B Y J O L E E F E R G U S O N PHOTOGRAPHY BY LES HASSELL

rust was at the heart of Kevin East’s more than year-long battle with colorectal cancer. East, executive director of the Mentoring Alliance in Tyler, was diagnosed with advanced stage colorectal cancer in June 2020. Today, he is cancer free after completing more than a year’s worth of chemotherapy treatments, radiation and two surgeries. “I’m in complete remission,” he said. “I don’t have cancer in my body right now.” He’s grateful, he said, thankful to still be here, thankful to have been here for Christmas, and he is continuing his life in what he called a “sweet season of intimacy” with God, brought by the statement of faith he started his journey with: Lord I trust you.

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“It has been hard to let myself think about the future,” he said, explaining that he doesn’t know if it’s audacious to think about five-year or 10-year plans or if he should “just be grateful for today.” The Tyler resident also is the former executive director of the Christian camp Pine Cove who joined the Mentoring Alliance in 2013. He and his wife of 18 years, Stephanie, have five children, including two they adopted in 2012 after serving as their foster parents. They also have an infant foster child. East recalled turning to friends when he first noticed he was having trouble, in late 2019 or early 2020. He was at church and asked a couple of friends who are physicians about trouble he was having | CONT. ON PG. 47

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Kevin East, President, CEO and a mentor at Mentoring Alliance. 46

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“After cancer ... I realized probably the biggest impact I’ll have is not through some speech or podcast. It’s going to be from those few people who are closest to me. . . . I really want to pursue them and teach them and guide them and shepherd them, and all of those things that a disciple would do, a mentor would do.” Kevin East

| CONT. FROM PG. 44 defecating. He also had blood in his stool. “They scheduled me to get a colonoscopy,” he said, but it ended up being delayed from March to June because of COVID-19. He recalled his friend, gastroenterologist Dr. Craig Radford, being there when he came out of the colonoscopy. Radford assured East’s wife he didn’t have COVID-19 and asked if he could remove his mask. “’Man, I hate to tell you this, but you have cancer,’” East said, recalling his friend delivering the news to him. “He was white in the face. I said, ‘Craig, I’m sorry you’re having to tell me this.’” Then, his friend told him his diagnosis would be life-changing and he needed to clear his calendar for the next year. Telling his children wasn’t fun, he said, and his family was still dealing with the death of his father in law several years earlier from cancer. But East, who describes himself as a “man of faith, a follower of Jesus,” determined early that he wouldn’t

rely on statistics or probabilities about the potential outcomes of his cancer journey. “It was like, OK, Lord, you are the only one who has numbered our days,” he said. “’I trust you, and if you’ve numbered my days to end in the next few months, I trust you.’” The diagnosis led him to explore his beliefs about heaven, including discussing that topic during his podcast “Following to Lead” with a friend in ministry. He said he never asked God why this had happened to him. Instead, his heart went in a different direction. “If someone was going to have cancer, my wife or a great friend, I would rather it be me,” he said. He kept working during his treatment. His board was gracious, he said, encouraging him to focus on his health and family. His “great staff” and leadership team bore the weight for him. “I basically focused on relationships with financial investors in the ministry,” he said. He worked as he was feeling OK, acknowledging that chemotherapy treatments left him in bed sometimes, which routinely included a pump he would wear home in a fanny pack after sitting in a chair for chemo. He saw God at work though, even in those hard days. His children already have developed compassionate hearts through the family’s work with foster children. Their characters developed even more, East said, through watching him suffer and working to serve him when he wasn’t feeling well. “There are so many things you can’t teach your kids aside from suffering,” East said. “How can you teach your kids to have compassionate hearts, servant hearts? You can teach those things, but it gets put on steroids (through seeing someone suffer)... God used that to shape the character of my kids’ hearts in a way that in a way that I could not have done other than through suffering. God doesn’t want suffering, but there’s something he can do in us during

a season of suffering that can’t be accomplished outside of it.” East still deals with the effects of his treatment, particularly learning to cope with various digestive issues after having 12 inches of his colon removed. Before cancer, East would run a few miles in the morning, particularly after COVID-19 hit, so that he could get out of the house. When he was diagnosed with cancer he set a goal to keep running 6 miles every other day during chemotherapy and then 6 miles again every day he left with a chemotherapy pump. He’s working to rebuild his strength after his last surgery and had plans to participate in the Fresh 15 race in March. “It was my way of reminding myself that I’m still alive,” he said. “It was my way of making it a competition.” His experience has changed his view on the work he’s doing at the Mentoring Alliance and on how he approaches discipleship. The Mentoring Alliance’s goal, he said, is to “mobilize godly people into the lives of kids and families, to provide tangible help and eternal hope.” “We know lives are changed in the context of relationships,” he said. Before cancer, he said he was “probably gung-ho to change the world.” Now, though, he sees his biggest impact will be on the smallest amount of people around him, and his discipleship starts with his children. He also mentors an 8-year-old boy, and East said he “doubling down” with that child and his grandmother to walk life with them. Crowds followed Jesus, East said, but he had the biggest impact on his 12 Disciples. “After cancer ... I realized probably the biggest impact I’ll have is not through some speech or podcast. It’s going to be from those few people who are closest to me,” he said. “I really want to pursue them and teach them and guide them and shepherd them, and all of those things that a disciple would do, a mentor would do.” March/April 2022 | etxview.com

TRAVEL

Bathhouse Row, Hot Springs, Arkansas

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Spa City Hot Springs offers opportunities to relax, rejuvenate | CONT. ON PG. 50 S T O RY B Y C H R I S T I N A C AVA Z O S P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y M I C H A E L C AVA Z O S

F E AT U R E P R E S E N T E D B Y

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| CONT. FROM PG. 49

t’s known as “Spa City” – America’s first resort. But the interesting history of Hot Springs, Arkansas, is filled with Native American legends, gangsters, baseball heroes and tales of the restorative powers of the city’s water. Famous for its healing water, Bathhouse Row today offers visitors a chance to relax and rejuvenate in the heart of the city. Located about four hours from East Texas, Hot Springs is the top tourist destination in the state of Arkansas as it is visited by nearly 8 million people each year. “Its colorful history includes Native Americans, professional baseball players, mobsters and today’s tourists who all come to soak in and drink the water the town is named after,” said Bill Solleder, director of marketing for Visit Hot Springs. With many spas, abundant shopping, a national park, multiple lakes, top-quality dining, a relaxing botanical garden and more, Hot Springs makes an ideal weekend trip for couples, families and girlfriend getaways. | CONT. ON PG. 54

F E AT U R E P R E S E N T E D B Y

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Hot Springs gets its name from the naturally thermal spring waters that flow out of the ground at an average temperature of 143 degrees Fahrenheit.

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| CONT. FROM PG. 50 HOT SPRINGS: A HISTORY Hot Springs gets its name from the naturally thermal spring waters that flow out of the ground at an average temperature of 143 degrees Fahrenheit. According to information from Visit Hot Springs, the springs produce almost 1 million gallons of water each day. Native Americans were said to have called the land “the Valley of the Vapors.” Native Americans visited the land for thousands of years, according to the National Park Service, to quarry stone that was used for their tools and weapons. The land upon which Hot Springs now sits is believed to have been neutral territory where all the tribes could quarry stone and enjoy the healing powers of the waters in peace. Spanish and French settlers claimed the area in the mid-1500s,

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but it became U.S. territory in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Soon after, settlers came to the Hot Springs area and quickly began to realize the community’s potential as a type of health resort. In 1832, President Andrew Jackson designated Hot Springs as the first federal reservation, meaning Hot Springs Reservation was essentially America’s first national park. After Congress established the National Park Service, Hot Springs Reservation became Hot Springs National Park in 1921. By the 1870s and 1880s, several Victorian-style bathhouses had opened in Hot Springs, inviting guests to enjoy the healing powers of the water. Hotels also began to emerge to give visitors a place to relax while they enjoyed the city’s spas. Among those was what is today known as The Arlington Hotel.

From the late-1800s to the mid1900s – especially during the 1930s – Hot Springs became a hotbed for organized crime, according to information from Visit Hot Springs. The city was a popular hangout for infamous mobsters such as Al Capone, Frank Costello, Bugs Moran, Lucky Luciano and others. According to information from Visit Hot Springs, “the safe, secluded scenic location of Hot Springs made it the ideal hideout.” Owney “The Killer” Madden, referred to as “The English Godfather,” was one of the most notorious mobsters to visit Hot Springs. Madden arrived in 1935 and settled into Hot Springs, bringing more criminals to the city. Gangster activity in Hot Springs came to an end in the 1960s when the federal government cracked down on illegal gambling operations.

Beyond gangster activity, Hot Springs also has another colorful past related to baseball. Players of America’s game began visiting the city in the late-1800s and early1900s, soaking in the restorative healing waters of the bathhouses. In addition to Hot Springs’ healing mineral waters, the seclusion of the Ouachita Mountains also provided the perfect place for spring training for professional baseball times. Over time, several ball fields were built in Hot Springs and hundreds of players visited the city to train. Legendary baseball visitors included Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Buck Ewing and Mel Ott. Today, guests can still soak in the thermal waters on Bathhouse Row, experience the intrigue of the mobster era, learn about Hot Springs’ baseball heritage and more.

BATHHOUSE ROW For first-time and recurring visitors, a stop at Bathhouse Row is a must to experience Hot Springs’ history. Bathhouse Row comprises eight bathhouses that each were constructed between 1892 and 1923. Some of the bathhouses remain in operation as spas while others have been converted into new ventures, such as a microbrewery, a hotel and a museum of sorts. For those looking to take a dip in an operating bathhouse, consider visiting either Buckstaff Bathhouse or Quapaw Bathhouse. Buckstaff opened 1912 and is the only bathhouse that has remained in constant operation. Today, Buckstaff continues to offer bath and massage services along with other spa add-ons, such as manicures, pedicures and facials. Those who choose to

experience Hot Springs’ famous mineral bath at Buckstaff can expect temperatures that reach up to 102 degrees as they relax in a Whirlpool bath. Meanwhile, Quapaw Bathhouse opened in 1922 and operated until 1984. It remained vacant until 2008 when it reopened as a family-oriented spa. Quapaw offers a variety of thermal water services, including public pools that are family-friendly and private baths. For private baths, a variety of add-ons are available such as Microsilk Hydrotherapy which improves skin cleansing, exfoliation and hydration, and Aromatherapy Bath which uses salts enriched with magnesium, calcium, potassium, bromine and sulfur to relieve muscle tension and leave the body feeling refreshed. Other bathhouses that are | CONT. ON PG. 56

F E AT U R E P R E S E N T E D B Y

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| CONT. FROM PG. 55 worth checking out include Hale Bathhouse which was recently renovated into a luxury hotel with an exquisite restaurant, Superior Bathhouse which today is home to local brewery that also serves up delicious bites, and the Fordyce Bathhouse which serves as a Visitor Center and Museum. The Fordyce Bathhouse operated from 1915-1962. Its interior has been preserved and today it provides an excellent location for visitors to get a glimpse into the past. With preserved men’s and women’s bath halls, massage rooms, dressing rooms and even a gym, it offers a chance to learn a bit more about Hot Springs history. Just as the Fordyce Bathhouse offers a chance to learn more about Spa City, the Gangster Museum of America also offers

a glimpse into the city’s past. Located on historic Central Avenue in Hot Springs, the Gangster Museum of America transports visitors back to the 1920s and ’30s when gambling and bootlegging brought a variety of guests to the city. Exhibits include information on Madden, Capone and others who frequented Hot Springs. While exploring Bathhouse Row, make sure to stop into some of the local shops that sell everything from clothing and shoes to locally produced wines and art. And be sure to bring a water bottle or jug to fill up. Several modern fountains are spread out on Bathhouse Row and the surrounding area, inviting guests to drink some of the water for which the city is famous. OUTDOOR ADVENTURES In addition to relaxing at the spas or by shopping, Hot Springs also offers beautiful

F E AT U R E P R E S E N T E D B Y

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outdoor spaces that invite guests to rejuvenate in nature. Hot Springs National Park offers the opportunity to take in mountain views, hike and explore an outdoor paradise. Visitors should plan to hike the Peak Trail or take the paved drive up to Hot Springs Mountain Tower. The scenic drive has places to stop with lookout views of the town. But the views from the top of the 216-foot tall Hot Springs Mountain Tower are even more stunning. The tower, which opened in 1983, features an open-air observation deck at an elevation of 1,256 feet above sea level. The observation deck gives visitors views overlooking 140 square miles of surrounding countryside, according to information from Hot Springs Mountain Tower. From there, visitors can see Bathhouse Row, the Ouachita Mountains, the Magic Springs amusement park

and more attractions. A lower, enclosed observation area in the tower contains exhibits and information about the city’s history. Meanwhile, a gift shop is located at the base. There are many trails to explore in the mountains surrounding Hot Springs, but for those who prefer a bit of a more controlled (yet still outdoor) environment, Garvan Woodland Gardens offers just the solution. Nestled in the Ouachita Mountains, Garvan Woodland Gardens is a botanical garden of the University of Arkansas. The gardens’ mission is to preserve and enhance the Ouachita environment and give visitors a place to learn, research and relax. March and April are ideal times to view tulips, daffodils, azaleas, wildflowers and other blooms. There’s always something blooming at the gardens and a full bloom calendar is available on the Garvan

Woodland Gardens website at www.garvangardens.org. At Garvan Woodland Gardens, there are a variety of other attractions. Anthony Chapel Complex features the historic Anthony Chapel, set on a hillside overlooking Lake Hamilton. The serene sanctuary features a 160seat chapel with a vaulted wood and glass ceiling surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows. While it’s one of the most requested wedding venues in Arkansas, Anthony Chapel is open yearround to the public at Garvan Woodland Gardens unless it’s reserved for a special event. Additionally, the Bob and Sunny Evans Tree House is another attraction to explore at Garvan Woodland Gardens. The tree house, which opened in 2018, was designed to provide guests with an interactive educational experience and offers stunning views of the surrounding area.

DELICIOUS BITES AND NIGHTLIFE No visit to Hot Springs would be complete without dining at some of the top-quality, locallyowned restaurants. Among those, The Ohio Club is one of the most famous. The Ohio Club, which first opened in 1905, is Hot Springs oldest bar. It started as a bar and casino, attracting visits from Capone (a statue of whom sits on a bench outside the doors of The Ohio Club) and other gangsters of the early 1900s. Baseball players, including Babe Ruth, also visited this famous venue in the early 1900s. Today, The Ohio Club maintains its bar and while guests might find themselves dining at a table that used to be a roulette wheel, there isn’t a casino inside anymore. But | CONT. ON PG. 58

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| CONT. FROM PG. 57 there is much life to be found. The restaurant features live music three nights a week, including jazz on Thursdays and the house band – The Ohio Club Players – on weekends. The restaurant’s menu features everything from light salads to hearty entrees. The Ohio Club is best known for its burgers which feature juicy patties and a variety of toppings. While the full-service bar can serve just about any cocktail imaginable, Madden’s No. 1 Beer is exclusively found at The Ohio Club. The beer, which originally was produced by the gangster Owney Madden who frequented Hot Springs, is now brewed at Superior Bathhouse Brewery and served at The Ohio Club. Superior Bathhouse Brewery, which is the only brewery located in a national park, serves up a variety of beers using Hot Springs thermal waters. In addition to Madden’s No. 1, the brewery

serves everything from light, pale ales to stouts and everything in between. Guests can drink by the glass, try a flight of four 4-ounce pours or – for those brave enough to try – a Beer Bath is offered. A Beer Bath includes a 4-ounce sample of all 18 beers produced by Superior Bathhouse Brewery. In addition to brew, Superior also features a food menu of delightful sandwiches, salads and hamburgers. Family-friendly, the brewery also offers a “World Famous Root Beer Float” for its patrons. Like its selection of craft beers, the root beer float also is made using Hot Springs thermal water. It’s served in a frosted glass mug and is well worth a treat. Nearby, SQZBX is another family-owned brewery that doubles as a pizza joint. SQZBX is pronounced “squeeze box,” referring to an accordion. Appropriately, the restaurant’s interior features a variety of musical instruments, some of which are

F E AT U R E P R E S E N T E D B Y

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de-constructed, to add to the cool vibe. The handmade pizzas, which come in a multitude of offerings, are filling and delicious. For those who feel like more of a Mexican vibe and who want to venture a bit further off the main strip, Capo’s Tacos is a must try. This taco joint offers a variety of street tacos in a brightly decorated interior. The atmosphere is basic but inviting, and the tacos are to die for. A variety of other “street snacks,” such as empanadas, quesadillas and elote bites are also available. For breakfast, be sure to check out another Hot Springs icon – The Pancake Shop. Serving breakfast since 1940, this quaint breakfast joint on Central Avenue is from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. Its charming staff and fresh breakfast make it worth stopping for a hearty meal before venturing out for the day. Be sure to try the pancakes – made from scratch and about the size of a plate, they’re filling, fluffy and delicious.

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WELLNESS

Arya Germanwala, Longview High School senior

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Longview student helps others

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ince she was just 6 years old, Longview native Arya Germanwala has been serving the community with her family. Growing up in a household that established the need of giving back, Arya founded a nonprofit organization called Simple Bare Necessities to help those in need with hygiene products. Simple Bare Necessities started in 2020 with a goal to provide Longview Independent School District students in need with essentials such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner and deodorant. In the past two years since the nonprofit came to life, it has distributed at least 5,000 hygiene product bags to students, raised $50,000, and has gained 40 local and national sponsorships. Arya has always had a giving heart, her family said. It was Arya’s grandmother, Manju Germanwala, who introduced her to an important family value — giving back. It all started when Arya was young and would visit her grandmother in Pittsburgh during holiday breaks. “We would partake in so many community service and volunteer opportunities. She really emphasized the importance of community service to me and taught me the change you could make in society,” Arya said. Arya recalls volunteering with Meals on Wheels, reading at daycare centers and helping with local backpack programs. During the holidays, Arya and her family give out meals and toys door to door, and even fill backpacks with food and give them to those in need. | CONT. ON PG. 62 S T O RY B Y A N A C O N E J O PHOTOGRAPHY BY LES HASSELL

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| CONT. FROM PG. 61 But Arya said the volunteer activity that “lit up a lightbulb” to start her own nonprofit was helping out with a backpack program in Pennsylvania that provides non-perishable food to children in need. Seeing the faces of those impacted made her want to make a difference, beyond just taking part in community service activities. “We got to meet some of the students and they were so excited to receive these bags and that was another moment that inspired me to do something,” she said. “They had so little but they were so excited to receive one backpack.” After that experience, Arya sat down with her mother to brainstorm on what she could do to help her neighbors. As she researched and observed the community, Arya realized a need that was not being met and “often overlooked” — hygiene products. “Another thing that inspired me to start the organization was researching about the community and its needs. After I talked to various counselors and school administrators across the district I learned that 83% of all the kids in Longview ISD are considered economically disadvantaged,” she said. “There’s so many kids that need help in our community and that really inspired me to start this organization and showed me that I need to make a change.” Arya did more and more work behind the scenes and eventually came up with the idea to assist students with the hygiene essentials, since government subsidies allow economically disadvantaged families to purchase food but not hygiene products, she said. “I think personal hygiene is something that’s something overlooked. Most individuals take that for granted and we think of brushing our teeth as a simple activity that everyone has access to and the ability to do, but I learned that so many kids don’t have this privilege,” she said. Arya said hygiene products are more than an essential product; they can truly impact a person’s life in deeper ways. “Being able to have proper hygiene and smell good, just feeling your best is so important.

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Without it, it really reduces a person’s selfesteem, confidence and doesn’t allow students to learn in the school environment,” she said. The Simple Bare Necessities headquarters is currently Arya’s family home. Visitors can find boxes and hygiene items inside the house and the garage, where Arya fills the bags alongside any volunteers who want to help. Arya is a senior at Longview High School and was a sophomore when SBN began. She has also been involved in activities such as tennis, piano lessons and clubs. Although she enjoyed all these activities during her high school career, Arya said SBN has allowed her to grow as a

person and realize her real passion — helping others. As she wraps up her last year in high school, Arya will be passing the torch of SBN to someone close to her – Alec Germnawala, her younger brother who also attends Longview High School. Arya and her family consider SBN as a family priority and are looking forward to impacting hundreds of lives through the nonprofit. Since its launch in August 2020, SBN has conducted several distributions which happen four times per school year — in August when | CONT. ON PG. 64

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| CONT. FROM PG. 62 students return for the new school year, before winter break, before spring break then once last time before students head out for the summer. Thousands of bags have been distributed and packaged with the help of school organizations, clubs and close friends. Running a nonprofit as a high school student has taught Arya the concept of time management. She has managed to balance school, extracurriculars, and running SBN with daily social media management, packaging bags for distribution, recruiting sponsors and volunteers and personally purchasing items with her family. As of October 2020, Simple Bare Necessities has established a partnership with the

national nonprofit of ‘We Help Too,’ and Texas International Baccalaureate programs which has allowed SBN to reach more schools across the state. The concept was floating around for a while, but Texas students from kindergarten to high school in International Baccalaureate programs now have the opportunity to join and contribute to SBN through enrollment for their cast project, a community project taken by students through campuses that offer IB programs. “Initially we thought this program would go locally but now it’s gone across the state, and hoping it would go across neighboring states,” said. “We have a lot of hope.” For more information on Simple Bare Necessities, visit https://www.simplebarenecessities.org

Alec Germanwala, 15, right, helps his sister Longview High School senior Arya Germanwala fill plastic bags with personal hygiene products at their home. Arya established a nonprofit that distributes hygiene and wellness products to students in her school district.

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FASHION

Lexie Cannon, left, Rachel de Jong and Randi Floyd

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Thrifted fashion at holds greater purpose S T O RY B Y S A N TA N A W O O D PHOTOGRAPHY BY LES HASSELL

S FASHION PRESENTED BY

econdhand clothes are given new life through Hope’s Closet, a local thrift store group that benefits the Women’s Center of East Texas. As shoppers give clothes a second chance, funds raised by the store can do the same for women in need. In this issue, Longview cheerleaders model thrifted fashion from Hope’s Closet. The girls said bringing back old trends can be fun, but even more, they were humbled by the opportunity to support the nonprofit and give back to their community. | CONT. ON PG. 70

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| CONT. FROM PG. 69

From paper-bag waisted denim and graphic tees to crop tops and oversized sweaters, decades-old trends always become popular again. Of course, modern-day designers can recreate the styles into brand new clothing items, but nothing beats the unique, vintage clothes from years ago. One of the best places to hunt these one-of-a-kind finds? You guessed it, thrift stores. Thrifting has been on a steady rise over the last several years as consumers look to stay on trend and save money, all while supporting sustainability. The secondhand market is projected to double in the next

and their loved ones, but clients can also shop for free at all Hope’s Closet locations. “It’s two-fold,” said Megan Johnson, outreach coordinator for Women’s Center of East Texas. “The funds allow the Women’s Center of East Texas to provide a variety of services for women as well as men and children. Plus, clients can use vouchers to shop at any Hope’s Closet location allowing them to get anything they may need. Many survivors leave their circumstances with just the clothes on their back or whatever may fit in their car, so for them to be able to go in and get anything they need is empowering and allows them to have a choice.” Casey Tolbert, now retail director at Hope’s Closet for eight years, once found herself in a situation where she needed the help of the women’s center. Several years passed, and in 2014, she wasn’t even looking for a job when she saw a ‘now hiring’ sign for Hope’s Closet and noticed it was affiliated with the women’s center. Because of all the center had done to help her, Tolbert’s heart tugged at her to check out the opportunity. Nearly a decade later, she couldn’t be

With two locations in Longview and one each in Kilgore and Marshall, Hope’s Closet has a mission to end family violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. All proceeds go to the Women’s Center of East Texas, helping survivors start over. five years, reaching an estimated high of $77 billion, according to ThredUp’s 2021 Resale Report. NPR predicts the industry will “eclipse fast fashion by 2029.” In August 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau reported about 16 to 18% of Americans will shop at a thrift store during a given year. To put that into perspective, consider these statistics: During the same time period, 11.4% of Americans will shop in factory outlet malls, 19.6% in apparel stores and 21.3% in major department stores. In East Texas, thrifters can find pre-loved treasures at Hope’s Closet, a nonprofit that was established about 20 years ago to help locals in need. With two locations in Longview and one each in Kilgore and Marshall, Hope’s Closet has a mission to end family violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. All proceeds go to the Women’s Center of East Texas, helping survivors start over. Not only do the proceeds help the women’s center provide life-changing services at no cost to survivors

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more proud to work at Hope’s Closet and partner with the women’s center. “There’s so much compassion that goes into Hope’s Closet and who we are and what we do,” Tolbert said. “Every purchase of a shirt, shoe, scarf, anything, goes into helping survivors. Every penny that is spent at our stores is then put into the women’s center providing assistance to those in need. It keeps a lot of us motivated and focused on the difference we’re truly making in our communities.” Tolbert said she and other employees enjoy explaining the Hope’s Closet mission to shoppers. “Their purchase makes a difference locally by helping out our neighbors in need,” Tolbert said. “You never know who you’re helping and how much of an impact your purchase could make.” Tolbert said thrifting has picked up over the last several years and the nonprofit’s sales are higher than they’ve ever been. And although she sees all ages | CONT. ON PG. 74

Longview cheerleaders Kate Thompson, left, Rachel de Jong and Lexie Cannon model denim and T-shirts from Hope’s Closet. Randi Floyd, left, wears an oversized tan jacket and paper-bag waisted jeans while Margaret Langston models a slouchy sweater and black jeans.

FASHION PRESENTED BY

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FASHION PRESENTED BY

Lobo cheerleaders Kate Thompson, above left, Lexie Cannon, Margaret Langston, Randi Floyd, Rachel de Jong and Coach Dee Minor model fashions from Hope’s Closet for the ETX View fashion. Above right Margaret Langston, left, Kate Thompson and Coach Dee Minor.

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Special Thanks

n each issue of ETX View, we are fortunate to have a number of supporters who help us bring our fashion shoot ideas to life. Thank you to Hope’s Closet for allowing us to showcase the local nonprofit by providing our models with some of the pre-loved clothes available at their stores. It was a pleasure working with Hope’s Closet Retail Director Casey Tolbert along with Women’s Center of East Texas Executive Director Hollie Bruce and Outreach Coordinator Megan Johnson. We’d also like to thank Longview High School for allowing us to use their property and work with the Lobo cheerleaders for our shoot. Our models, Lexie Cannon, Kate Thompson, Randi Floyd, Rachel de Jong, Margaret Langston and Coach Dee Minor, brought their cheerful spirit and helped make the shoot a success. And thank you, as always, to Peters Chevrolet of Longview for sponsoring the bi-monthly fashion shoots and partnering with us for coverage. Visit www.facebook.com/PetersLongview to see a behind-the-scenes video of this fashion shoot.

| CONT. FROM PG. 70

shopping at Hope’s Closet stores, she has seen an increase in young shoppers. “I’ve noticed a trend of the younger generation shopping at our stores. They come in and have a lot of fun trying on the clothes and leave with some treasures,” Tolbert said. It’s true, as ThredUp reported over 40% of millennials and Gen Z shoppers shopped secondhand apparel, shoes or accessories in 2020. “It’s cheaper than buying new clothes, and it’s a lot of fun,” said Rachel de Jong, senior and cheerleader at Longview High School. She said she and her friends just recently spent the weekend thrifting.

Randi Floyd, a junior Lobo cheerleader, said she does a lot of upcycling with pre-loved clothes. “It can be harder to find things because I’m so petite,” Floyd said, but she added that the adventure of finding items is what makes thrifting so enjoyable. Johnson mentioned her younger cousins love going to Hope’s Closet to find things like Levi’s that can be distressed or altered into their own unique garment. “There are a lot of little surprises you can find,” Johnson said, recalling a cashmere sweater she bought at Hope’s for nearly 90% less than retail. Thrifting may require some digging, but the thrill of finding a one-of-a-kind item makes it a worthwhile process.

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Sushi rolls offer health benefits & tasty flavors

ealthy and savory, there’s almost nothing like the taste of fresh fish melting in your mouth as flavor bursts on the tongue. It’s no surprise why people enjoy sushi so much. A Japanese dish, sushi consists of raw or cooked fish with a variety of ingredients – such as vegetables or cream cheese – that are wrapped together in rice and seaweed, which is called nori. Sometimes sushi is topped with additional garnishes and sauces. Meanwhile, ginger and wasabi serve as the faithful sides to a sushi roll. Not only is sushi tasty, it can be low in calories and offers a fairly well-balanced meal. The nori itself contains a variety of vitamins and is packed with minerals. According to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the proteins found in nori can help reduce blood pressure and improve the heart. Plus, ginger and wasabi are rich in antioxidants while fish is high in Omega-3s. Today, sushi comes in all shapes and sizes. The plating is typically stunning, so you’re certain to get an Insta-worthy dinner photo. And have we mentioned chopsticks yet? There’s something that’s just inherently fun about getting to indulge in a meal while using these fun utensils. Whether you’re a sushi pro or a novice, these East Texas restaurants are certain to please your tastebuds with their wide varieties of rolls served in a warm, inviting setting. | CONT. ON PG. 80

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GZ ASIAN & SUSHI BAR

or 15 years, Goung Zhou Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar – better known as GZ – has been serving up some of the Longview area’s most loved sushi.

Owner David Choy is deeply rooted in the East Texas restaurant industry and he credits the concept behind GZ for its success.

Choy was born in Hong Kong and his family immigrated to America in the 1960s. Originally, they planned to settle in Dallas but Choy’s father – the late Frank Lew Choy – decided Longview was a better location for a restaurant. The family first purchased a former café on Tyler Street in downtown Longview turning it into a Chinese restaurant. A few years later, they moved to a bigger location on East Marshall Avenue and opened the Canton Restaurant. When Choy’s father passed away in 1981, he returned home from college to take over running the Canton Restaurant. Canton Restaurant focused on offering a variety of Chinese food until it closed in 2006. That’s when

the concept for Goung Zhou was born. GZ, which is located on Judson Road in The Village shopping center, is an Asian restaurant with a diverse menu that features everything from Thai to Japanese cuisine. At GZ, Choy said diners are certain to find something they will love. “We’re not stuck on just one country and that makes it easier for people’s tastebuds,” he said. Sushi is one of the restaurant’s many offerings and is top quality at GZ. “We strive for quality,” Choy said. “It’s all about the freshness of the fish and how it is prepared.” The restaurant is attuned to detail, including the detail needed to serve different types of fish. For

GZ Asian & Sushi Bar owner, David Choy 80

March/April 2022 | etxview.com

example, Choy said, fluke must be frozen for 32 hours before it’s prepared for sushi. GZ brings its selection of fish in raw and custom cuts them. Some fish, including fluke, are vacuumed sealed and placed in a freezer for at least 32 hours to kill any parasites before they are used to serve to customers. “Heat and cold are the only two things that kill parasites,” he said. GZ serves a variety of sushi rolls. Some feature raw fish, while others feature cooked fish. Some are crunchy with a tempura topping. Some are even served smoking. The Smoking Boat, for example, is a cooked roll that features crab meat, avocado and smoked salmon topped with a crunchy, smelt roe and spicy mayo.

At GZ, the sushi – just like the restaurant’s other dishes – is cooked to order. Nothing is pre-made. That means it’s fresh when diners receive their dish. Choy said the California roll is often one of the top sellers because it’s an easy, introductory roll for those new to sushi. Originated in California, the cooked roll features cucumber, crab and avocado. Popular signature rolls include the Dr. G roll, the GZ roll and the Longhorn roll. The spicy Dr. G roll features spicy tuna and avocado inside and it’s topped with spicy salmon, spicy mayo, eel sauce and Sriracha. The GZ roll features fried shrimp tempura on the inside and it’s topped with black sesame seeds,

avocado and shrimp with eel sauce, spicy mayo and crunch. Meanwhile the Longhorn roll – certain to please Texans – features teriyaki beef, avocado and cream cheese with eel sauce and spicy mayo. Elsewhere on the menu, dishes such as Mongolian Beef, fried rice (featuring shrimp, pork chicken or a combination), and Sesame Chicken are popular. “We have a variety of food that will please most people,” Choy said. “We have everything from prime steaks to sushi to Chinese food to Thai food. We even have an Indian dish on our menu. And we strive for quality, so you will receive a highquality meal.” To learn more about GZ, visit www.gzasianbistro.com.

March/April 2022 | etxview.com

WASABI SUSHI BAR & ASIAN BISTRO

or about 10 years, Wasabi Sushi Bar & Asian Bistro has been serving some of the Tyler area’s best loved sushi.

“I would say we have the freshest sushi in Tyler and we have a lot of varieties, including special signature rolls, that are unique to us,” Manager Yosep Kim said. The locally-owned restaurant derives its name from the condiment that’s traditionally served (alongside ginger) with sushi. According to the restaurant, wasabi is prepared from “the ground thick pungent greenish root of an Asian herb of the mustard family.” When served, it’s similar in

March/April 2022 | etxview.com

flavor and use to horseradish. Wasabi Sushi Bar & Asian Bistro, which is located on Donnybrook Avenue, serves an Asian fusion menu in a sleek, contemporary setting. In addition to sushi, the restaurant features other types of cuisine. The Chinese dish Sesame Chicken is among its most popular, Kim noted. Additionally, the menu features other items such as Thai curries and drunken noodles. But sushi is certainly among the stars at Wasabi – and for good reason. The food is fresh and prepared to order from scratch. The Tyler, Texas roll and the Texas Ranger roll are perhaps the two most popular sushi rolls, Kim said. The Tyler, Texas roll features

shrimp tempura, cream cheese and jalapeno inside; it’s topped with crab mix and salmon, baked and then garnished with spicy mayo, unagi sauce, Sriracha, tempura flakes, scallions and masago. “Because we bake it, it’s fully cooked. When we put the spicy mayo, crunchy flakes, green onions and unagi sauce on top, it just goes so well with the jalapeno, cream cheese inside. Everything blends really well together,” Kim said. The Texas Ranger roll is filled with spicy salmon, jalapeno and cream cheese; it’s tempura-fried and topped with tempura flakes, masago, spicy mayo and unagi sauce. “It’s fully cooked and it’s got a little bit of a kick to it,” Kim said.

Kim said the restaurant’s customers are about 50/50 on whether they prefer raw or cooked rolls, so Wasabi offers a variety of each. The restaurant also offers sushi in other forms. For example, want to try sushi but without rice? Wasabi offers sushi salads that feature similar ingredients – including seaweed – but without the rice. Locally owned and with a staff that’s local, Kim said he’d encourage new diners to try Wasabi for the quality food and to help support others in the community. “We work really hard and we’re a local business that’s trying our best to serve our community,” he said. To learn more about Wasabi, visit www.wasabitylertx.com.

March/April 2022 | etxview.com

SushiTo’s

aira Borja grew up and has worked every job in the restaurant industry, but now she’s leaving her own mark on it with her new restaurant in Gilmer. Though one of the newer sushi restaurants on the East Texas scene, Borja’s restaurant – SushiTo’s – is making a new for itself with its handcrafted sushi rolls made from family-inspired recipes. “Making sushi allows me to be creative,” Borja said. “For me, it’s like art.” Borja opened SushiTo’s on the downtown square in Gilmer in early summer of 2021, but she’s no

March/April 2022 | etxview.com

stranger to the restaurant business. Her father, Mario Borja, owns Mario’s Café in Holly Lake Ranch and her brother, Mario Ivan Borja, owns Mikoto Ramen Bar and Sushi in Tyler. Growing up, Borja said, her father owned and operated a variety of restaurants from small to large establishments. Her father instilled in her that in order to own a restaurant, a person should first hold every job available. “My dad taught me that you have to work at every level before you serve the main dish,” she said. “You have to learn everything.” For her, that started by cleaning restrooms at the family restaurant. She moved up to bussing tables, then she became a server. As a server, she also got experience washing dishes. Once her father

thought she was ready, he trained her as a chef. Now, at 33, she’s starting a new chapter in career journey as the owner of her own restaurant, SushiTo’s. A Tyler native, Borja is proud she is now a member of the Gilmer community. “I wanted to bring something to Gilmer because it’s such a small town but it’s a very supportive town,” she said. At SushiTo’s, Borja said, the two most popular sushi rolls are the Mexican Roll and the Hot Knight Roll. The Mexican Roll features snow crab salad, cream cheese and avocado inside. It’s deep fried and then topped with jalapeno, Yum Yum Sauce and eel sauce. Meanwhile, the Hot Knight Roll

features shrimp tempura, cream cheese and jalapeno inside. It’s topped with snow crab salad and salmon, then it’s baked. After it’s baked, the final toppings are added; those include crunch, masago, green onion, Yum Yum Sauce, eel sauce and Sriracha. Her brother helps provide her with inspiration behind the rolls and Borja said her homemade sauces help set her sushi apart from others. She uses the freshest ingredients and prepares food from scratch. “Everything we make here, I really put my all into it,” she said. “I believe that if you do something with faith and love, it comes out perfect.” In addition to sushi, the restaurant features a variety of rice bowls, yaki bowls and other popular

items such as General Tso’s Chicken and Szechaun Beef. When thinking about the future, Borja said she’s working toward acquiring a liquor license and she’d like to offer sake and other Japanese imported drinks in the future. She’s also hoping to partner with Gilmer Brewing Co. for drinks in the future. In the meantime, she’s just thankful for the new chapter in her journey and for her supporters. “I really appreciate everyone coming through these doors,” Borja said. “Without them, there really would not be a SushiTo’s. Gilmer is wonderful. This community has been very supportive.” To learn more about SushiTo’s, visit www.facebook.com/ SushiTosgilmer.

SushiTo’s owner, Zaira Borja March/April 2022 | etxview.com

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CULTURE

Gilmer native aims to reach others through

MUSIC

& MINISTRY

S T O RY B Y R A Q U E L T O R R E S

t was in a dorm room in Cline Hall, right at the heart of the Centenary College of Louisiana in 2005 where Gilmer native Curtis Grimes found himself fiddling with his roommate’s guitar. He hadn’t the slightest knowledge of playing music, much less the intent of becoming an artist, but after making it big and living the fast life, the East Texan musician now lives to share the testimony of Jesus. Grimes had recently discovered the Texas country underground music scene before graduating high school, and in that college dorm room, he became heavily inspired. There was just something captivating about the music he heard. The emotional storytelling was so raw compared to the commercial-driven radio music.

March/April 2022 | etxview.com

Fast forward to 2022, now with a wife and two children, Grimes has impacted people across the country, earning over 50 million digital streams, over 100,000 albums sold, 13 No. 1 singles on the Texas Country Music Chart and a No. 1 song on the national Power Source Christian Country Music Chart. Grimes said in his early life, music wasn’t even in the picture for him. Those raw songs that told stories were the foundations first seen in songs he wrote after teaching himself guitar, in, as he said, the pre-YouTube days. After earning the scholarship to attend college, the next step in his career was moving closer to that Texas country scene. | CONT. ON PG. 90

Christian Country Musician, Curtis Grimes March/April 2022 | etxview.com

“I honestly believe that God’s plan was for me to do music. I’ve been given this talent and this opportunity to do that.” Curtis Grimes

MUSIC

March/April 2022 | etxview.com

& MINISTRY

| CONT. FROM PG. 88 When he returned to Texas his sophomore year, Grimes went right into the heart of country music in Austin and San Marcos. Seeing the live music aspect of the genre helped him continue to grow as a country artist. “That was the next step on the ladder for me. Being able to go to the shows, watching these guys do it live, then going home and spending the rest of the night trying to play those songs or just practice more with the guitar,” Grimes said. He started getting the live performance experience by playing and singing at local fraternity and sorority parties and participating in some open mic nights. Through that experience, and still pursuing his education, Grimes came to the realization baseball was over for him. Baseball had always been his thing, but it was time for something new. He left that part of himself behind and began to fully focus on his music. “I honestly believe that God’s plan was for me to do music,” Grimes said. “I’ve been given this talent and this opportunity to do that.” From no musical experience at all in 2005 to opening for Kenny Chesney in 2008, Grimes continued to climb the rungs of that ladder — and at a faster speed. “You go from playing for 30 to 40 people at a bar, and then you’re playing in front of 16,000 people at an arena, that really sets the bar going forward,” Grimes said. As the band built a regional following by playing at local shows, Grimes was given the opportunity to appear on hit reality TV show, “The Voice” in 2011. Under the direction of coach CeeLo Green, Grimes left the show as a coveted Top 8 finalist from Season 1. The opportunity took his career to another level the following year. At the age of 27, Grimes went to Nashville and signed on with booking and publishing agencies and a management company. The public spotlight also came with a fast lifestyle, Grimes said. Looking back, he recalled it wasn’t a great path to pursue. He began to

grow tired of the lifestyle and did a lot of self-reflection. “I grew up in the church, I got saved when I was pretty young and then in high school, started partying with my buddies on the weekends and that kind of carried over into college and kind of went full force when I started doing music. Then here I was, I’d been given this talent, this platform, this opportunity to reach and influence a bunch of people, and I did not feel like I was using that the way I should as a Christian,” Grimes said. It was the turning point of his career. He stopped living for himself and began to pursue Christ, living a lifestyle that led people to Him. The lyrics in his songs along with the content and direction of what he wanted to do with music changed. Then he met his now wife Brooke and later they had their children Cason and Blakely. He began to go down a different, intentional path, rather than just playing music for the sake of chasing a career. That September, Grimes gathered his managers and publicists to inform them of the change he wanted to make in his music career. In December 2015, every single person on his team dropped him. He was left doing everything for himself. “I was no longer a slave to the industry. I didn’t have people telling me what they think I should do, and to be fair, when someone’s paying for your album, they kind of have a say in what you record… If that would’ve worked, I probably would’ve kept chasing whatever it was, in that direction,” Grimes said. Instead of taking it as a failure, Grimes saw opportunity. He began to put out what he wanted and in the way he wanted. The following year, he released his biggest album to date, “Undeniably Country” which performed better than when he had his Nashville team behind him. Soon after, God put in his heart to start a ministry, “Ten Finger Ministry” in which he began to hand out Bibles to those who attended his concerts. As he put out his independent album, Grimes’ grandfather passed away. Most of his life, his grandfather had nine fingers. After the funeral as the family was spending time

together at his home, Grimes’ father mentioned that now, his grandfather must have 10 fingers to worship the Lord, inspiring the name of the country singer’s ministry. Grimes also mails Bibles to organizations for free by request or in certain cases. Out of all things he could share, Grimes said the Bible is the ultimate necessity and source of actual truth that hasn’t changed over the years, and is the way God speaks through His people. “I sing country music, but my main purpose of doing this is the ministry aspect of it, and just reach people at bars and honkey tonks, wherever we play concerts at,” Grimes said. Grimes said he leads by asking himself, “What would Jesus really do?” He explained the point is to reach everyone, even “the drinkers and the sinners,” like Jesus did. “It’s about not condemning, not being holier than thou, having an honest approach from an, ‘I’ve been there, there’s a better way, here’s my story, just know Jesus loves you, regardless of where you are or where you’ve been,’” he said. In 2019, Grimes was named “Entertainer of the Year” at the TCMA Awards Show hosted by the Texas Country Music Association. He also received the honor of “Christian Country Song of the Year” for the second year in a row. In 2020, Grimes took home the “Christian Country Artist of the Year” award along with “Country Single of the Year” for “River Road Dream,” a song cowritten with Trent Willmon. In 2021, Grimes released his first self-titled album, now with a clear direction of the style of music he wanted to record. Today, Grimes plays at churches, bars and concerts and is working on a few singles, although ministry is his main focus now. He is recording songs this spring and looks forward to working on his gospel record this year. As of early 2022, Grimes had racked up nearly 160,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Learn more about Grimes and his ministry online at https://www. curtisgrimes.com/ PHOTOS COURTESY O F C U RT I S G R I M E S

A Sense of Place TE X AS L ANDSCAPE ART QUILTS

JAN 22 - MAY 21

ON DISPLAY

MARCH 19 - MAY 7

62nd Student Invitational Featuring works from 9-12th graders from 14 schools. Oils, Acrylics, Photography, Digital Photography, Sculpture, Pottery, Mixed Media, Pencil & more.

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CALENDAR events

MARCH/APRIL Items on the calendar are subject to change because of COVID-19 considerations. Verify activities with event organizers.

CANTON FIRST MONDAY TRADE DAYS MARCH 3-6 AND MARCH 31-APRIL 3

First Monday Grounds 800 First Monday Lane https://www. firstmondaycanton.com/

VAN ZANDT COUNTY BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL 10 A.M. MARCH 17 AND 12 P.M. MARCH 18-19

Canton Civic Center 800 Flea Market Road https://www.facebook.com/ VZBluegrass/

COMMUNITY AWARDS DINNER: “THE ROARING 20S” 6 P.M. APRIL 22

Canton Civic Center 800 Flea Market Road https://www. cantontexaschamber.com/ events/calendar

GLADEWATER EAST TEXAS GUSHER DAYS APRIL 15-16 Downtown Gladewater http://gusher-days.com/

Longview PRCA Rodeo

HENDERSON “MOON OVER BUFFALO” 6 P.M. MARCH 4-5 AND 1 P.M. MARCH 6 Henderson Civic Theatre 122 E. Main St. https://hendersoncivictheatre. org

March/April 2022 | etxview.com

LIMELIGHT PLAYERS’ “MIRROR, MIRROR” 6 P.M. MARCH 11-12 AND 1 P.M. MARCH 13 Henderson Civic Theatre 122 E. Main St. https://hendersoncivictheatre. org

Gusher Days in Gladewater

KILGORE KILGORE CRUISE NIGHT 3 P.M. TO 6 P.M. MARCH 26 AND APRIL 30

Downtown Kilgore https://kilgoremercantile.com

LONGVIEW “ADDRESSING THE MOMENT: THE ARTIST’S VOICE” NOW THROUGH MARCH 5

Longview Museum of Fine Arts 215 E. Tyler St. www.lmfa.org

THEOLOGY ON TAP 6 P.M.-8 P.M. MARCH 1

Oil Horse Brewing Co. 101 W. Tyler St. https://www.facebook.com/ Oilhorsebrewing

LONGVIEW BALLET THEATRE’S “CINDERELLA” 7 P.M. MARCH 4-5 AND 2 P.M. MARCH 5-6 Belcher Center 2100 S. Mobberly Ave. www.belchercenter.com

ONCE UPON A MATTRESS 7 P.M. MARCH 10-12 AND 2 P.M. MARCH 12-13

Artsview Children’s Theatre 313 W. Tyler St. https://artsviewchildrenstheatre. com

LONGVIEW HALF MARATHON AND 3.21 MILE RACE 7:30 A.M. MARCH 12

Mobberly Baptist Church 625 Loop 281

LONGVIEW JAYCEES TRADE DAYS 9 A.M.-5 P.M. MARCH 12 AND APRIL 9, 10 A.M.-4 P.M. MARCH 13 AND APRIL 10 Longview Exhibit Building 1123 Jaycee Drive http://www.greggcountyfair. com/Trade_Days

“A SENSE OF PLACE: TEXAS LANDSCAPE ART QUILTS” NOW THROUGH MAY 21 Longview Museum of Fine Arts 215 E. Tyler St. www.lmfa.org

KITE FESTIVAL 11 A.M.-4 P.M. MARCH 16

Lear Park 100 H.G. Mosley Parkway https://www.longviewtexas. gov/

CLASSIC ARMS PRODUCTIONS GUN & KNIFE SHOW 9 A.M. TO 5 P.M. MARCH 19 AND 10 A.M. TO 4 P.M. MARCH 20

Maude Cobb Convention Center 100 Grand Blvd. https://capgunshows.com/ Innovated Challenges

SUPERHEROES GALA 6 P.M. TO 11 P.M. MARCH 19 Longview Exhibit Building 1123 Jaycee Drive https://www.longviewtexas. gov/

LIVE MUSIC: HELENE CRONIN 7 P.M. MARCH 19

Longview Museum of Fine Arts 215 E. Tyler St. www.lmfa.org

| CONT. ON PG. 96 March/April 2022 | etxview.com

| CONT. FROM PG. 95 CLASSIC ARMS PRODUCTIONS GUN & KNIFE SHOW 9 A.M.-5 P.M. MARCH 19, 10 A.M.-4 P.M. MARCH 20 Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Center 100 Grand Blvd. https://capgunshows.com/

STRUT YOUR MUTT ONE MILE WAG WALK 10 A.M. MARCH 26

Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center 303 H.G. Mosley Parkway https://www.facebook.com/ LongviewAnimals/

ONE NIGHT IN MEMPHIS 7 P.M. MARCH 26 Belcher Center 2100 S. Mobberly Ave. www.belchercenter.com

WANDERING MARKET CRAFTED & BOUTIQUE SHOW 10 A.M. MARCH 26

Longview Exhibit Building 1123 Jaycee Drive https://www.longviewtexas. gov/

CRAWFEST 4 P.M. APRIL 2

Longview Mall 3500 McCann Road https://longviewmall.com/

HARVEST FESTIVAL CRAWFISH BOIL 3 P.M.-10 P.M. APRIL 9

Maude Cobb Convention Center 100 Grand Blvd., http://www. harvestfestivallivestockshow. com/crawfish-boil/

ZACH WILLIAMS WITH GUEST ANNE WILSON 7 P.M. APRIL 9 Belcher Center 2100 S. Mobberly Ave. www.belchercenter.com

EAST TEXAS SYMPHONIC BAND SPRING CONCERT 7:30 P.M. APRIL 11

Belcher Center 2100 S. Mobberly Ave. http://www.etsymphonicband. com/

LIVE MUSIC: BRIAN DUNNE & BAND 7 P.M. APRIL 16

Longview Museum of Fine Arts 215 E. Tyler St. www.lmfa.org

YESTERDAY AND TODAY: THE INTERACTIVE BEATLES EXPERIENCE 7 P.M. APRIL 23 Belcher Center 2100 S. Mobberly Ave. www.belchercenter.com

LONGVIEW SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S “CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS” 7 P.M. APRIL 30 Belcher Center 2100 S. Mobberly Ave. www.belchercenter.com

MARSHALL MEMPHIS SOUL 7:30 P.M. MARCH 5

Memorial City Hall Performance Center 110 E. Houston St. https://www.memorialcityhall. com/

CELTIC ANGELS IRELAND 7:30 P.M. APRIL 2

Memorial City Hall Performance Center 110 E. Houston St. https://www.memorialcityhall. com/

TYLER THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY 7:30 P.M. MARCH 1 UT Tyler Cowan Center 2835 Old Omen Road www.cowancenter.org

TASTE OF LONGVIEW 7 P.M.-9 P.M. APRIL 5

Maude Cobb Convention Center 100 Grand Blvd. www.tasteoflongview.org

LONGVIEW PRCA RODEO 7:30 P.M. APRIL 8-9

Longview Rodeo Arena 100 Grand Blvd. https://www.longviewrodeo. com/

Tyler Azalea Spring & Flower Trail

March/April 2022 | etxview.com

East Texas Symphony Orchestra DERRICK WHITE “THE RIVERS OF MY MEMORY” THROUGH MARCH 6 Gallery Main Street 110 N. College Ave. https://www.facebook.com/ GalleryMainStreetTyler/

NORMAN ROCKWELL: DRAWINGS, PAINTINGS & PRINTS THROUGH MARCH 13 Tyler Museum of Art 1300 S. Mahon https://tylermuseum.org/

DINOSAUR WORLD LIVE 6:30 P.M. MARCH 2 UT Tyler Cowan Center 2835 Old Omen Road www.cowancenter.org

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF 7:30 P.M. MARCH 5 UT Tyler Cowan Center 2835 Old Omen Road www.cowancenter.org

ROALD DAHL’S “CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY” 7:30 P.M. MARCH 15 UT Tyler Cowan Center 2835 Old Omen Road www.cowancenter.org

VIVA MOMIX 7:30 P.M. MARCH 22

UT Tyler Cowan Center 2835 Old Omen Road www.cowancenter.org

EAST TEXAS AUTO AND CYCLE SHOW 10 A.M. TO 4 P.M. MARCH 19 Green Acres Baptist Church 1607 Troup Highway https://www.facebook.com/ etautoshow

AZALEA & SPRING FLOWER TRAIL MARCH 25-APRIL 10

Historic Azalea District https://www.facebook.com/ VisitTyler

EAST TEXAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S “BEETHOVEN@251” 7:30 P.M. MARCH 26 UT Tyler Cowan Center 2835 Old Omen Road https://etso.org/events/ calendar

11TH ANNUAL TYLER RUN FOR AUTISM 7 A.M. TO 11 A.M. APRIL 2

PELLE LEGNA WINE TASTING 11:15 A.M. TO 9:45 P.M. APRIL 2

Pelle Legna Vineyards 18655 CR 418 https://visittyler.com/events/

CELTIC WOMAN 7:30 P.M. APRIL 26

UT Tyler Cowan Center 2835 Old Omen Road www.cowancenter.org

EAST TEXAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SEASON FINALE 7:30 P.M. APRIL 30 UT Tyler Cowan Center 2835 Old Omen Road https://etso.org/events/ calendar

Have an event you’d like to submit for our calendar? Email us at info@etxview.com with information. Submissions for May/June are due by March 18. Submissions for July/Aug are due by May 20.

Pollard UMC 3030 New Copeland Road https://visittyler.com/events/ March/April 2022 | etxview.com

March/April 2022 | etxview.com

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