Chapter 64
Operating the espress O’House, the name we selected using an apostrophe like in our name, O’Keefe, was my new agenda. It was just walking distance off of the downtown main street and close to a college campus. There were a number of church members who would come in regularly to visit and support me. This meant so much to me. There are no words to express it. I also met many new friends at the coffeehouse. One particular gentleman named Howard would come in and visit quite often. He was robust and full of life. An antique book dealer in Lawson, he became a sounding board for me during some of my low periods. He and his wife, Kathi, were some of the finest people I met while in Lawson. He said if our van ever broke down during some of our travels to and from the gulf Coast, we should call him, and he would come immediately to help. Janie commented to him, somewhat in jest, that she did not think he would, and he quickly informed her of his sincerity. After getting to know him, Janie can affirm that Howard and Kathi are people who keep their word and mean their word.
We had other friends who stood close by us during our difficult times. A number of times Jim and Bonnie would come and help me in the coffee house, and Teresa, our Christian friend who was a nurse and single mom, also stopped by occasionally.
Shortly after our arrival to Lawson, I had attended a small cell meeting at the home of one of the church members who happened to be President of the Full gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship local chapter. We had met for coffee earlier in the week, and I was able to share a little of my testimony. I had been the founder and President of the Biloxi Chapter of the Full gospel Businessman’s group years earlier, so Larry was a natural person for me to acquaint myself with. Larry, became a dear friend and early morning walking companion. n He would spend time helping, visiting, and often witnessing to patrons who came by the coffeehouse. Larry was one of the boldest men I have ever met when it came to witnessing about Jesus. He was a continual inspiration to me. One day Larry and his wife, Peggy, found out that the air conditioning in Janie’s van was broken. This was her only means of transportation for her job in radio sales, and they paid to have it fixed. I was deeply touched. The summer heat was sweltering, and we did not have the money for the air conditioning to be repaired.
There were so many other friends that we made over the course of our adventures in Lawson that Janie and I felt extremely wealthy. An extra blessing was that our coffee house was within walking distance of the salvation Army. Several of the homeless men and women would come by and ask for free coffee and sweet rolls. It gave me the opportunity to be a friend to them and to talk to them about spiritual things. This coffeehouse was a new experience for me, and it allowed me to minister to patrons on a daily basis, face to face, while providing some of the finest coffee in Lawson.