William's Story

Welcome friends in the name that is above all names, “Jesus”.

I would like to briefly share with you a story of two people in my life . The loser and secondly the winner. Both of these people I know personally . Both of theses people I grew up with, and both had a tremendous effect on my life.

The loser was born December 21st 1955 in a clinic in Greenville, South Carolina. Born to Thomas Harold and Pauline Beulah Hollaway. I am sure they loved this little one and provided the best they could. So, as most parents do they decided upon a name. He would be called William Earl Hollaway. Not William the conqueror, but just plain William. No need for a conqueror in a small cotton mill village. No need to bother a child born there with any false expectations about being anything but a “millbilly”.

William was the youngest of four siblings and distanced by 8 years from the third child, his sister Elaine. Both of William’s parents were sickly and both were very depressed by the times in which they lived. So William did the best he could to prepare his own meals, wash his own clothes in the bathtub and tried to get to school as much as possible. William was always called the ‘Loser’ kid from Dunean, the mill village where he was raised. That was just a small hurtful memory in many that would become a part of William’s personal life. William felt always without exception that he was a lower form of life born in a caste society. Why wouldn’t he?

There was one person that tried very hard to show this little “millbilly” that he was loved and that God loved him. This person was his mother, though often in a stupor by mass doses of morphine taken to ease the pain of cancer eating the life from her body she told him stories of Jesus and how He loved everyone equal, and how… One day… One day…

William was hardened once again by the untimely death of his mother Pauline just after his 10th birthday. Another blow, another defeat , another dark memory . William in his gray wool suit from the goodwill store making his neck itch stood with the family and said goodbye to a mother and friend. God knows that really hurt me!

Time passed but life stayed the same.

One day William “fifteen at the time” on a return trip hitch hiking from California happened upon some people in New Mexico on their way east who stopped and picked up the hitchhiker and was led to tell him about a long forgotten story about Jesus and His love.

William awakened to the need to find this “Jesus” stopped at a local church after finally getting home after months on the road. Wow! what a magnificent edifice!! This church is awesome thought William, surely I would find Jesus here he thought. Slowly William walked through those grand doors and the beauty of the place made him feel wonderful. People singing, music playing, it was.. WOW!!

As William started to walk down the isle to find a place to sit and learn of the one they called Jesus he was met by a stately gentleman, perfectly dressed, perfectly groomed, a perfect man surely!! “May I help you young man?” the perfect gentleman said. “Yes sir,” William said, “I am new in these parts and I was told that I could find Jesus in a place like this!” The perfect gentleman looked William up and down and said in such a kind christian way, “Son you wouldn’t fit in here. Why would you even come into God’s house looking like you look? You have long hair, and just look at the way you’re dressed! Don’t you care what people think of you? I am sure you’re in the wrong place son, you will have to leave.”

This was the beginning of a hate that would visit William on a regular basis. A monster that begged to be fed at regular intervals. William hated anything to do with church or anyone who claimed to be affiliated with such. The church was for winners, not for losers!! I knew what I was, so why pretend.

A bitter seed was sowed that day that would last for three years. Much happened, no need to tell. In April of 1975 after an overdose of angel dust a friend of Williams , Gary Cornelson led him to the real Jesus, The Jesus of the bible not the Jesus of the grandures! The Jesus WHO LOVED THE LOSERS!!!!!!!! So in April of 1975 William the loser became William the winner. William the guardian, William the lover of lost souls. William the lover of losers. Thank you Father.

p.s. Gary I wished I could see you and thank you for the love you showed me. Friends , no matter how far you have fallen or how bad you’ve been hurt, Jesus loves you!! Let Him find you!

Yes, this is my story and its true.

With all my love, William.
browill@bellsouth.net

Copyright: Copyright (c) 1996-2005 Michael Fackerell · · Generator: TopicTree 0.8 · Generated: 11 Feb 2012, 11:47 am AEST · Last modified: 2005-05-22 10:08:02 · 16 ms · Think eternal, act temporal