Publisher's Synopsis
Life can sometimes as the old saying goes, "throw you a stumbling block in the road." My plans were when I get out of High School were pointing to the ministry. I was helping dad on the farm but it was not a big enough farm to make a good living. But the Vietnam War was escalating and many of my classmates were being drafted. Well I had two things going for me that might keep me out of the service. One was I was farming with an aging Father who had turned 60. And the other thing was that I was studying for the ministry. But I was not enrolled in Bible College yet nor could I afford to go because of the cost and because I would have to leave the farm. I had already been preaching since I was 12 years old and had conducted a few Revivals and was serving as youth leader of our church. I had conducted a Vacation Bible School at our church and helped our church to grow. I preached for the elderly Pastor several times. I had completed some correspondence courses with Berean Bible collage but if I did complete all the courses I would still have to be in internship program under another preacher and church In the Assemblies of God. That would have taken a few years to complete. Our church in Mt. Sterling Illinois was a small Assemblies of God that had an old 80 year old pastor who was not able to help me much because of his age and health. But I used to love to hear him preach. He passed away when I was in Vietnam. Our whole County of Brown County was about 5,000 people. The County seat was Mt. Sterling and was about 3,000. The rest mostly farming community . A Marine recruiter from Quincy, Illinois came out to the farm in Versailles Illinois in the fall of 1965. I had graduated from Brown County High School in Mt. Sterling Illinois in May. I was working during the day at the Brick yard in Mt. Sterling and helping dad when I got off work. We were on the back of dads 80 acres where my 40 acres joined his. It was mostly timber and pasture. Dad had 5 acres of level ground back there. We were shucking corn by hand and throwing it into the wagon. I saw this Marine walking up to the corn field in his dress blues with a white rim hat. I noticed his spit shinned shoes were dusty. He asked if I was Ronnie Waters. I said yes but your shoes are getting dusty. He said no problem and quickly took out his handkerchief and whipped them off. He was a definite clog in the road that began to wreck my life because of where I was destined to be sent. Later in Vietnam alcohol, depression, bad moral, continued to wreck my life. and the people back home didn't help. You will read about my personal experience with PTSD and my journey to recovery. My faith in God and deliverance from alcohol. May God Bless you and keep you and cause his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you And the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace. Numbers 6:24-26.
