Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Date: May 09, 2017 10:25PM
Lily Rose asked me to share about the van rides, I wish I could tell you more but all that sticks after almost 40 years and not wishing to see, was that JRS and Marilyn talked between stops and mostly no one else. They were going over the messages as they were shared in each service, Blix girls, her, making notes. At the time it didn't seem strange but after we left it did. Why was she having so much input?
Picking up from where I left my last post, we saw Shaw and one of the "elders" from Terrebonne at a service toward the last week of our stay, they were not happy campers with us, and me in particular. Wouldn't speak to us but glared big time. They may have been going with JRS to Shiloh that week as was my husband, JRS took my husband with him on that trip, spring 1978. Not sure how long they stayed I was still with the Riches and working in LW building with collating.During our stay we had a private counceling session at one point with John, he was having trouble with his eyes and spoke with us about wondering what the was, he and several others had been recently experiencing issues along this line. That is all I recal about that visit but I'm sure he asked my husband questions about our issues with Shaw, McKinney, I just don't recall.We had also had Klines ask us a lot about the issues before leaving their home.
This is very emotional, sharing this, never having spoken to anyone in all these years about any of this, my husband never would speak of any of it clear up until his death in 2001.
When they arrived back from Shiloh, it seems like they were gone a week, not certain, everyone was very pumped, my husband also. In the van that Sunday John spent the whole ride speaking with my husband, telling him he wished for him to manage his farms in Iowa, and help with what John was looking into about doing cost effective masonry, with bricks made from dirt, someone in AZ I believe was doing something along that line.Having an ranching/farming background as well as building contracting in his background, John wanted him to work directly for him.
He pointedly asked my husband if he thought they could work together and he told him yes.
JRS told us he would be in contact with the Shaw, McKinney bunch that we would be leaving for that to Iowa and they were not to hinder us and what we needed to do to bring that to pass when we got back to WY. JRS ministered to my husband that evening after the service.
This is what followed and even today as I write this I still do not know the full of it because my husband would never speak of it.We had been married since 1958 so I trusted his judgement and left it there.We had only been in the LW since 73.I learned years after leaving in '79 that Shaw's churches all said I was a Jezebel and that my husband was to divorce me,but I do not believe this came from John because he spoke with me included that day in the van.
It was how they had been treating our kids while we were away that broke our hearts, we moved immediately back to our home in Rock Springs, and decided then and there there was to be nothing more to do with any of it. My Husband also said, the only real comment he made about the whole month, that he did not like what he saw while at Shiloh.Our oldest son had been at Shiloh for a few months and he called us and wanted to come home we told him, "Come On".
I know I didn't add much to this information but I did need to get this out and I know it's a safe place here. Thank you.