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We have enjoyed our time here in Vicksburg, MS, on dear hubby's work trip. Well, I have anyway. He has had to work while I go see the sights. Before I started seeing a lot of things, there was something I was adamant about setting out to do. I was on a mission. Let me share my story of this adventure.
When I say there is nothing I want do for my Momma, that's exactly what I mean.
For years, my momma has told me that when she was a little girl, her daddy, my PaPa, pastored a church in Vicksburg. MS. Only problem was, she had no recollection of the name or location.
When I found out David was going to work in Vicksburg, I made it my mission to see what I could find out. When I say God lead me every step of the way, I'm not exaggerating. He literally put people in my path. Everybody knew somebody for me to get a hold of.
I started at the mayor's office and city hall. Nothing.
Then I thought about the courthouse. Nothing (not this day anyway).
Then I was directed across the street at the old courthouse, which is now a historical museum and storage of OLD city records.
I walk in and tell my story and my mission. Granted, all I had was his name. Two young guys named Jordan and Chris worked, dug, and were very persistent and thorough in their research. THEY FOUND HIS NAME in a 1955 news article in the Vicksburg Post Newspaper. It was an announcement of church services and dates. AND MY PAPAS NAMe ALONG WITH THE CHURCH'S NAME. I started crying, I was so excited. I think the guys teared up a bit as well.
They also found an article that was written on the history of the church from 1944 to 1984.
It talked of how the church was founded and the land that was donated. Two more times, the church grew and was able to purchase more land and rebuild. But each time, they changed the name of the church. We tracked them down and found out the name of the present church.
They dug further and found the original location of the little old white country church my momma remembers. It's no longer there, sadly. Of course, this was 1955. The article also stated a family's name that my mother recognized. They were family friends of my grandparents. She recognized people in pictures, also from the article. Chills were going up and down my spine.
They gave me the location and lot number. I was given the name of the tax assessor, Benn Luckett, whom, once again, I spilled my story to. I give him the lot number, and we pinpoint the location. This man went above and beyond as well. He knows people. He knew the name of the family that befriended my grandparents and family while they were there. He is personal friends with a descendant of the family. He so graciously called him and introduced us.
I drove out and found where the original little old white country church used to be. A well water system now stands in its place, but it was there.
With all the information and new contacts, I was able to further my mission and meet the family descendant of whom his family befriended mine. His name is Glen Conrad. His aunt was the little girl with the pigtail braids that my momma remembered from childhood.
Once again, the Olivers and Conrads meet and befriend one another.
Mr. Glen gave me more information and names. And most of all, a book on the history of the church. I FOUND HIS NAME AGAIN.
I was able to find, meet, and attend a few church services of the present-day church, which is called Oakland Baptist Church.
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Everyone was so welcoming and nice. They loved the story of my mission and journey.
I met so many wonderful people on this journey, and their help will never be forgotten.
They will never know how much this meant to my little momma and me as well. Now we have a name and a place. My momma has been able to relive some childhood memories through this mission I was on. I am so thankful I did not give up. It was God who placed all these people right in my path for my journey. Everywhere I went, somebody knew a guy who knew a guy, and it all started with one guy, and it was my PaPa Oliver.
I will forever be grateful.
After my journey was accomplished, I could finally relax and start seeing some things I wanted to see while I was here that I had not done a few years ago.
I knew that my grandparents always loved going to the Military Park here in Vicksburg when he was here pastoring. They always took the family and some friends from the church. So needless to say, I wanted to go too.
I got up one morning and was there when they opened. The Vicksburg National Military Park is a 16 mile long ride through park. If you want to walk through it, you had better be in shape. Good shape. There are places to pull over, observe, and take pictures. Some areas, not so much, because some areas are on top of a cliff and there is a big drop off. There is so much history here, and all the landmarks and statues tell their own story.
Vicksburg is also a sewing place for me. Reason being there is a store here that I love to visit every time we are here. It is called The Sewing Boutique. They offer so many things here. They specialize in heirloom sewing and smocking. They also offer sewing classes to further your education that you can sign up for. They offer one-on-one classes, too. I had the opportunity to schedule a set time for a one-on-one session to learn how to blind hem stitch some dress pants that I had brought with me. We had the best time. A few years ago, while we were here, I had a session showing me some features on my serger. They have fabric, sewing notions, threads, patterns, books, and even machines that you can purchase. They specialize in Phaff Sewing Machines. You can find them on Facebook and on their website on Google.
I got my embroidery accessories out for my machine and practiced on some things.
The rest of my time, I was busy working on new recipes and practicing some things I'm teaching myself.
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