Where Angels Tread by Leslie Rule

Author:Leslie Rule [Leslie Rule]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781449408022
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Published: 2011-02-14T16:00:00+00:00

Let There Be Light

When Jon Arno was a boy, his life was in constant upheaval. His parents were missionaries, and the family moved often.

Just as he got settled in a new school and began to make friends, it was time to move again. The Arno family traveled often, preaching the word of God and helping those in need.

Time after time, Jon found himself awkwardly standing in front of a classroom of strangers as a teacher introduced the new kid. It was always an embarrassing moment, especially as he grew into a teen. “I was desperate to fit in,” he confided.

When the Arno family moved to the small town of Chattahoochee, Florida, in 1970, Jon felt he had finally found his home. His new friends recognized his athletic ability, and soon he was pitching for the baseball team. “For the first time I felt like I belonged,” he said. “People treated me like I had value.”

The fifteen-year-old began dating his first girlfriend, and it seemed everything was going his way.

Then his father announced that, once again, they were pulling up roots. It was time to pack their things for a move to Montgomery, Alabama.

Jon was devastated. “It was so frustrating,” he said. “And I rebelled.”

But his parents were determined to do God’s work in a new place, and Jon had no choice but to go along. He was miserable and spent every spare minute talking long distance to his girlfriend. “I had a collection of silver dollars, and I spent them all, calling her,” said Jon.

The months dragged on, and Jon could stand it no longer. “I told my parents I was going back to Chattahoochee. “They said it broke their hearts, but they let me go. My dad reached into his wallet and gave me the last of his money.”

Jon hitchhiked back to Chattahoochee.

But things were not as easy as he had imagined. He spent a few nights sleeping under bridges until a good-hearted family offered him their couch and a job. He worked hard, assisting brick masons.

Before long he had saved enough money to rent a rundown apartment. It overlooked the Chatta Burger, the fast-food restaurant where all his friends hung out. Jon was thrilled. “I couldn’t believe that they would lease an apartment to a sixteen-year-old kid,” he said.

On his own for the first time, he had never thought about things like electricity or paying bills and was a little surprised to find that the lights didn’t come on with a flick of the switch. “I guess I thought the power came with the apartment,” he said with a laugh.

It was springtime, but it had been raining all morning, and the afternoon was gray as Jon walked the two miles to the power company. “The power company was in a small building, and I remember that the clerk was an older, balding man. He told me I was twenty dollars short.”

Embarrassed, Jon told the clerk he’d be back later with the cash, though he had no idea where he would get it.

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