It was an usual Saturday. I had gone with my mother to meet my niece, Rebecca, and her two children at the Hagood Mill Kids Fest.

For my mother, it was another opportunity for her to brag about how the two boys, Austin and Nicholas, are the two cutest children ever. For me, it was a chance to take photos for the Courier.

When we got there, I snapped three photos before the battery for my camera went dead. I keep my spare battery in my car, as this has happened far too many times. Did I mention I rode with my mother? So my day turned into sitting in the hot sun, watching cute kids, and letting the top of my head get sunburned. The next day, I realized how thin my hair must be getting, because I could feel the effects of my sunburn on my head.

My uncle Jerry once told me he didn’t care if his hair turned gray. He just didn’t want it to turn loose. My hair apparently has started to turn loose. In five years, I will be that bald-headed guy you see at events taking photos.

As I was waiting, I was greeted by Guy Jenkins. Guy is a longtime veteran of Kentucky Missions, and he told me how the team was planning to go back this summer in late June. Would I like to go?

Yes I would!

I mentioned last year how I hoped to return then. But for some reason, the Pickens group did not go last year. Then I had an opportunity to go with a group led by Bobby Haley, who started the Kentucky Mission trips many years ago. But then I found out that my tax check from last year was actually going to be a tax payment, because after I was fired from my last job, my employer did not take out taxes from my retirement savings. So I was basically broke.

But this year it looks like I will be able to go.

You look for some reason I had so much trouble last year. Perhaps I was taking the wrong attitude about working with lower-income families.

Maybe God figured I would understand better if I had money problems, too.

Or perhaps God felt I was not taking my mission opportunity seriously enough.

Whatever the case, I will be going back this year. Perhaps this is the first step in my recovery from losing a job I loved so much. Whatever, I promise to take this opportunity seriously. I want to help the people of Kentucky any way I can.