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The Fuqua Family
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The Fuqua Family adopted us back in 1992, 16 years ago.
Or rather,
I should say...
"ALICE"
:-)
adopted us
introduced us to and included us in her family from then on
and caused the rest of the family to see something in us that only she, by the spirit of the Lord, could see in the beginning.
About the only similarities I could see between us back then was love of the Lord, Family, Children, and... Shelties.
Now...
I am humbly and joyfully grateful to The Almighty, All Knowing, Completely heart understanding Lord for bringing us together.
The list of reasons would be 16 pages and 16 years long,
but a few big ones are:
They showed me that not ALL those that claimed to be and seemed to be Christians, totally immersed in organized religion,
were ALL judgmental, Pharisees and hypocrites like most all I had met so far that thought THEY were better or holier than
people like me and mine...
They showed me the meaning of many bible verses just by watching how they lived and how they treated me, mine and others...
They showed me the meaning of the second greatest commandment in the way they treated me and mine and others...
They shared their precious children with me and their children became precious to me, and especially to my daughter who
yearned for siblings...
I could go on and on, but suffice to say that God used them to shed a little light on the dark portions of my/our path
on this journey of life to Him, tried to protect us, lovingly showed us obstacles on the path and picked us up and held our
hands as we stumbled along...
and I am very grateful they were humble of heart, obedient enough to God, and filled with His spirit enough to allow him
to use them as His Gift to us from Him... and to see me and mine as He did.
"Thank You, Abba, for the siblings in Christ you gave to me and mine"
At the age of 10, I was mercifully befriended by an elderly couple who, after watching us daily for months, took me, and my
two little sisters I walked home from school with each day, on as their "little friends". They provide shelter in
the rain and cold storms in downtown Dallas, for me, my six year old sister, and my two year old sister. Then they provided
friendship, goodies, pop, and wonderful stories each day. No one was ever home to question our where abouts so we spent many
happy hours with them in their radio repair shop before we had to head home to our empty home in the slums of Dallas before
dark. We were the kids from the hell of the dregs of humanity... but they saw much more in us than our unwashed bodies, scraggly
hair, and unfitting clothes. I much later learned it was because they were seeing with the eyes of Christ. The wonderful stories
they told and read to us turned out to be Children's Bible stories. And eventually, they did battle with my stepfather to
be able to take us to Church. What a wonderful place it was! I don't ever remember being made to feel filthy, ragged, unkept,
unmannerly, poor, or pitiful... or unworthy in any way by anyone in the church. In fact the older women invited me to help
with younger classes, to help with vacation bible school, to join with them in whatever they did. They made me feel completely
accepted and very valued just as I was, which made me want to be just like them. My heart responded to an invitation one Sunday
morning, as we were all singing Just As I Am", the song you heard playing here, that near brought me to legs that couldn't
walk to the front and almost drowned me in tears. 10 years old, near 11. And so I was baptized and meant it with my whole
heart. I was His and wanted to be with all in me. It was a wonderful, happy two years there.
Then we moved again, and my stepfather didn't have the Buckmans to make him let us go or keep our bibles or to talk us
away from Jesus, so we lost the path for many years, until I was grown and married. When I finally started searching again
for the place to join with other Christians as I so longed for in those old memories, I found class structures, clicks, groups,
ostracism, and social peer mongering as bad as any I ever experienced in school or on the streets. It amazed me that no matter
where I searched, there was so much of what I had been initially taught was NOT God's ways in the very pillars and pastors,
deacons and 'important" people of the churches. From coast to coast I looked. I found no Buckmans, I found not another
church like the first one in all the years I tried. I searched denominations, threw myself into trying to meet their standards
to belong, yet I saw me and all around me, carry bibles, teach classes, attend the church and all it's functions, and yet
live in sin as we claimed Christ as our Savior in our fancy clothes and snobbery at the world at large, and I finally gave
up in disgust at my own being a hypocrite as defined by the bible I read, until I was near forty. Shortly before I met the
Fuquas, I met a pastor of a small church who was really trying to get his people on the right track. Humble, full of grace
and mercy and seeing with Christ's eyes, he invited me in. I put up with the people there, just to hear him and teach, and
could see what he was trying to do and teach, and it was good.
Then...
I met the Fuquas.
Alice, and her husband, their children.
And I finally found (or rather God brought me to) people like the Buckmans and that first church full of people who lived
it, that showed me what Jesus was like so many years ago.
They accepted me, never condemned me or made me feel small in any way..... "Just As I Am".
If they ever change from those kind of people, I don't want to know about it, for so many in the world need those kind
of people so.
Read the lyrics to "Just As I Am"
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights,
with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning. ~ James 1:17
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My first dinner with Alice and her children occurred when Dwight was absent for some reason.
I watched as the family joined in, helped Alice prepare and rounded up small ones, getting us all settled at the table.
Matt, being the eldest officiated at table, led the prayer, kindly and lovingly corrected the younger children if their
manners slipped, and impressed me with his kind notice and gentlemanly treatment of me as an "honored guest". It
was so sweet it humbled me and has stuck with.
That same Matt, years later, would sing and play guitar to me in my own backyard, often with guests present.
One song I remember well that touched my heart first with humbled love for the Lord, and then with a never ending glee
at how he came to write it, was then being called One Drip or One Drop ... he wasn't sure yet. Now days he is very sure of
all he sings and moves my heart all the time as I listen to his band's CD's and watch them on YouTube.
I can hardly believe this is the same little boy that always treated me with such consideration and kindness or who played
around my house and backyard.
I so often wonder if he ever thinks of me
or remembers the times we had together...
or knows how much our one on one bible study changed me...
Maybe more than him.
Thank You some more Lord.
My little Gentleman Matt today....
With his band "The Afters"
on YouTube
By INO and Columbia Records
Passion & Purpose
My Beautiful Love ~ 8th and Ocean Theme Song
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Although each and every child of the Fuqua were and are all equally precious to me for very different reasons,
I have not room for all of them here today.
I do intend and hope to come back and do one of my many stories for each one, for there are some precious memories in
my heart of each.
For today, I want to end with one last comment
about one more Precious Memory that keeps on going
and growing year after year....
My Daughter calls this little Fuqua Lady "Sister" and "kindred spirit" (can you guess the movie this came
from?:-)
She is the only person in the world who never forgets Beci's Birthday and has never failed to send her a card and fun
Birthday box full of treasures of beauty, fun and laughs.
We Thank The Lord for Rachel.
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