Family Friday

Mr. Chuck who lives on Secondary Roads has challenged us with a "Family Friday" meme. Although I have posted many family stories on this blog, they have been scattered at random. This is as you would expect, since this is a random sort of blog. Please don't let me hear you mutter "undisciplined."

Here is the first of the family stories on "Family Friday."

Spring 1932 on the high plains of Eastern Colorado, twenty-one year-old Delbert Lacy was working in the northeast corner of Bent County. He felt strongly the call of God on his life, knowing with certainty that he was to preach the gospel of Christ. Long before daybreak on Sunday morning he would rise and walk ten miles to a schoolhouse which was his preaching station. He would conduct the services, then trek the many miles homeward. It was while thus engaged that he was able to obtain a Model-T coupe, and thus expand the horizons of his life.

Delbert had heard of a revival which was being conducted in the next county to the north. He made the trip to Haswell where he met a young lady, Vera Morrell, who with her sister was providing the music for the meetings. When the evangelist felt it time to move on, Miss Morrell stayed behind to establish and conduct church services on a regular basis. Thus it was that the young preacher lad heard this preacher girl from her own pulpit. A correspondence between them was started in which they shared accounts of their endeavors in the Lord's work.

Eventually, these young people found their letters to include more and more endearing salutations, and finally a visit by Delbert to Miss Morrell resulted in an invitation to meet her parents in Hartman. Long story short, the wedding took place in Hartman on December 24, 1932. It was the beginning of a life-long love affair with each other, and with their Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, in whose service they labored together until Vera exchanged her earthly life for her heavenly home in 1991. Delbert followed in 1999.

Delbert and Vera Lacy were known to me as "Daddy" and "Mama." It was a blessing from the Lord to me that I was allowed to be born into their home. I have a packet of letters that they exchanged with each other during the year 1932, the last one written four days before the wedding. I have pieced the above paragraphs together from verbal accounts I remember as well as from material contained in the letters.