Scripture: “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).
Well, My Friends,
I’ve missed you very much, as usual, these past few days, but I’ve been a bit “under the weather”. However, it has been most encouraging to realize our God is omniscient (all knowledge), omnipotent (all powerful), and omnipresent (ever present). His aforementioned self-description is awesome. We will never find adequate words to describe him. We thank him for his continuous unselfish displays of those characteristics as we travel toward our goals to explain how he guided me, one of his servants, to become a columnist for this publication, The Monroe Free Press.
I must admit, as you know, that some days have been dreary, frightening, discouraging, tiring, etc. But eventually, he calls in his “rays of sunshine” and adds a rainbow every-now-and-then to give us the courage, hope and strength we need to remain on his road. Some of you may be wondering where the often mentioned New Town is located. It is my birth place and located in Monroe, Louisiana. Bordered on: (1) North: by Missouri Pacific railroad tracks; (2) East: by South 14th Street; (3) West: by the merging of Louise Ann and Texas Avenue; (4) Texas Avenue. During that time frame, the Texas Avenue projects had not been built. It was an open cotton field which only housed a radio transmitting station and one house in which some of my family members-the Brown and Daniels family lived and sold fresh milk and eggs.
During God’s relaying of this message to me, he wanted to make sure that you are made aware of the multi-talented African Americans he placed in his small acreage named New Town: two different railroad companies employees ( brakemen, firemen, passenger car attendants, etc.); teachers, principals, doctors, beauticians, barbers, ice-men, insurance agents, grocery store and service station owners and their workers, restaurateurs, barbecue specialists, owners of laundry and cleaners, long and short distance truck drivers, seamstresses, musicians, hotel owners, entertainers, pastors and ministers, movie theater manager, bar owners, pharmacists, gardeners and yard attendants, nurses, etc. Oh, my friends, the list is endless and God is awesome. Our crime rates were zero. Oh! What an awesome God! Again, what an awesome God!!
After “Daddy” moved his entire family back to Denver, Colorado, me included, we lived in an apartment. One day while “Dena was pulling Julia in a wagon outside the apartment, they suddenly came bounding up the stairs, looking distressed and crying. Between tears, they explained to me that a girl outside was threatening to throw Julia out of the wagon on the ground. Our parents and land lady were at work.
I raced down the stairs to confront the girl and warn her against trying to carry out her threats, because, to me it would be disastrous for her.
Oh, she awaited my arrival; hands on her narrow hip, short in stature and with a snarl which was suppose to be frightening on her face.
My friends, next week on the road you, will meet Joda, a so-called gang member and my dearest friend, Margaret Ann Davis, now deceased who was an “entire gang” all by herself. Don’t forget to pray.
Love
Jacquelyn Simmons
