The Most Unlikely...

You have all heard about my football troubles last season with Quinn's coach, well the most unexpected turn of events have played out over the last three months. Things did not end after the football season last November. I was really mad that he was such a bully and an angry person to these young boys and equally terrible to the parents, but my heart was softened and I decided to call him a few weeks after our confrontation at the end of the season party and apologize for getting upset. We talked for almost an hour as he told me that he was going through a difficult time, he said he was sorry and didn't mean to be disrespectful. He told me that he had lost his job, ended a relationship, and his mother was sick. The conversation was mingled with football of course until he confided in me that he had become homeless and was living in the football equipment shed for the last 6 months. No electricity, no heat, no food. I was crushed. The shed is near the local Rec center so he said one of the ladys that worked there let him come in to shower and get cleaned up. We gave him some money to stay in a hotel for a week, but then he found himself back in the shed. We brought boxes of food and warm blankets and hygiene supplys. Peter brought warm meals and money late in the evening through the rainey and muddy fields to the shed. As the weather became colder we put him up in a hotel for another few weeks. And a few days here and there as we could throughout december. He started working part-time at Lowes which was good, but it required transportation. Peter and I searched a bit and found a used car in good condition that we purchased for him. We new he was grateful and we exchanged hugs with little conversation. He lived out of his car mostly through January. We helped him here and there and then invited him to church and to meet and talk with our Bishop. He came to church on a wednesday night and met with bishop Stowers and then came to church with us on Sunday. While there he met a few boys that he used to coach and I introduced him to the missionarys. Over the next few weeks he was able to secure a place to live with some roomates and got his old job back at UPS. We heard from him from time to time and kept him our prayers. On monday we were scheduled to have the missionarys over for dinner and so Peter gave Scott a call to see if he would join us for dinner and a discussion with the elders. He agreed. Dinner was ready the missionarys ready and kids are hungry, but no Scott. I started to feel that maybe he just wasn't ready. An hour later he came, we ate, we talked extensively about football and then a small miracle happened in our home that night. Scott began to share with us his life story and was careful to explain how he grew up and the trouble he encountered. The missionarys taught the first disscussion and Scott said he would like to be around more good people and stay away from bad influences. And then a remarkable thing happened as Scott turned to face Quinn and apologized for being so hard on him for not playing the sunday football games. He recall being stopped on the street by the boys on bikes with white shirts and being asked if he had a few minutes but always said no. He ponder how his life may have been different had he chose to be around good friends in hs youth or listened to his fathers advice. We read some scriptures and Barrett gave him his "birthday"Book of Mormon that he got in Primary and the missionarys gave him a reading assignment and we will meet again this Thursday. After the kids were in bed Peter and I sat in the dark living room thinking not in a million years did we think Coach Scott of all people would be having a gospel discussion in our home. This was a real testimony builder for Quinn and our family.