M O N D AY, J U LY 4 , 2 0 1 6

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O Continued from Page 1

The sun was beating down, but

with work to do, and having
coated myself with sunscreen and
bug spray, the sun was of little
consequence. We had a job to do
build a church.
Later, during lunch break, I sat
near Tony, and despite our
inability to know each others
language, we figured out a way to
share our ages, our family and our
jobs.
Few could match Tonys work
ethic. He continued to run a pick
axe through his mixture of
concrete and fill handheld buckets
that were passed to volunteers and
up the stairs to fill in a column
along a wall.
Once the column was full, there
was still extra concrete, so Tony
started to build a concrete speed
bump on the dusty road, letting
none of the concrete go to waste.
Had Tony been born in Florida
or Kansas, he would have been a
standout concrete contractor.
But Tony was not born in the
United States. He did not have
access to the tools we have with a
simple phone call or a trip to the
rental center.
And yet, Tony was helping build
a beautiful church. Once the
rough concrete was hardened and
in place, the Dominicans place a
final coat of mortar to provide a
smooth finish to the rough
concrete.
Later, Tony and I stood by a
window overlooking La Romana,
and I was not sure where the
ocean was from our location.
I crudely asked Tony what
direction was Haiti. From that, I
could determine the ocean.
Tony pointed to the left and
said, Haiti.
I pointed to the opposite end of
the room and said, Atlantica,
and Tony said, Si, Atlantica.
And then Tony pointed straight
out the window where we stood,
and he said, America.
Yes, me casa es America (my
home is America), I said.
Tony started to speak quickly in
Spanish, and I didnt understand
what he was saying.
So he put his hands in the shape
of a pillow and laid his head on his
hands. He pulled away one hand
and put it to the top of his
sleeping head, slowly raising it and
pointing out the window he said,
America.

I understood that. Tony dreams

of coming to America.
This is the dream of many as I
looked down in the street below
and watched two, three,
sometimes four people riding on a
single motorcycle, a few cars pass
by and many others walking.
While we came form different
parts of the world, our faith had
brought us together in that
concrete building in La Romana,
and our cultures touched.
I never dreamed of America
because I was born in it.
I never realized the gift.
Friday afternoon while sitting in
Kentucky Fried Chicken, I
watched a concrete truck drive by,
and I remembered what I would
have given to have used one for
just one hour in the Dominican.
This was one of several examples
using a handsaw to cut the
wooden frame for a brace, using
the head of a nail as a screwdriver
to open a bucket of paint,
watching an electrical cord burn in
half when two devices were using
it at the same time and watching
the Dominicans cut off the singed
burnt ends and splice them back
together and keep going.
There was no public water
system, no public sewer system,
and trash was burned outside in
the city of almost 150,000 people.
When we worshipped together
Wednesday, there was not a sense
of despair but a feeling of hope, a
shared belief in God that removed
the conditions of the day and
provided a sense of purpose to it
all.
America had that same spirit
when it was founded, and there
were times that it seemed Gods
hand allowed a faithful people to
become a blessed nation.
I found my mind wandering
from the streets of La Romana to
The Battle of Brooklyn in August,
1776, when Washington was
trapped by the British along the
East River, and how he began a
desperate overnight evacuation.
His troops would have been
caught early in the morning by the
British, but an eerie fog settled in,
camouflaging the Americans until
the last one, Washington himself,
boarded the final ferry, and the
Continental Army avoided
decimation to continue the battle
for independence.
We are a blessed people.

ABOVE: American missionaries

sit in chairs with shaving cream
and shower caps on their heads
while Dominican children try to
stick cheese curls into the cream
during a fun activity prior to the
main church service June 23 in La
Romana, Dominican Republic.
LEFT: Three area youth
including, from left, Sicely
Jackson, Satanta, Ren Watt,
Liberal, and Jacob Isaacs, Turpin,
enjoy a lighter moment during a
missionary trip to La Romana,
Dominican Republic June 19-25.
The youngsters helped in the
construction of a church as well
as interacting with Dominican
youth. L&T photos/Earl Watt

Time and time again Providence

had been on our side during our
struggle for freedom, and it was a
belief in a higher power that
compelled the colonists to declare
their independence, stating that
rights were not given by
governments or by other men, but
that everyone was born with Godgiven rights, that an equity of
spirit existed among all humanity,
and none held dominion over
another without consent.
As a sports reporter, I have
heard the National Anthem
thousands of times. I played it
many times when I was a member
of That Liberal Band.
But on the final ride from La
Romana to the airport, one of the
missionaries on our trip, a young
girl from Satanta, was asked to

sing the song.

I know the story well, as we all
do, of how the British attacked
Fort McHenry with an
overwhelming naval force during
the War of 1812.
More than 1,800 shells poured
into the fort, and one breached
the powder store.
Had the cannon ignited, it
would have destroyed the fort.
But the direct hit was a dud,
and the Americans defended the
fort.
As the 13-year-old Sicely
Jackson sang, And the rockets red
glare, the bombs bursting in air
gave proof through the night that
our flag was still there, emotion
swelled over me as I gave thanks
to God for the blessings I had
taken for granted.

We have not prospered by

accident. Through the grace of
God, America was founded,
through the grace of God, she
survives today, and the dreams
across the planet to share in that
blessing continues.
They may appreciate what we
have more than we appreciate it
ourselves.
I will never look at a circular
saw, or an insulated extension cord
or even a cement truck the same.
I thank God for them all.
More importantly, I thank God
for blessing us with the gift of
liberty.
As we neared the airport, the
churchs pastor Benito explained
why the Dominican people
hugged us so much.
I want to tell you all thank

you, he said. But thank you is

not enough. Thats why we hug
you.
To whom much is given, much
is expected.
And so we must go to our
neighborhoods and to our global
neighbors and share the blessings
with others that have been shared
with us.
This is not the role of our
government but an obligation of
our faith. Our nation was founded
as a Christian nation with a
secular government that was
restricted from interfering with,
but charged with defending, our
God-given rights.
We are free to reach out to
others, to share the love that has
been shown to us.
Thats what it means to be
American.

Kansas denies firing Maximum-security Texas city council votes

to reinstate library cat
clerk not attending unit at Kansas
prison
on
lockdown
office Bible study
By ROXANA HEGEMAN
Associated Press

WICHITA The Kansas

secretary of states office asked a
judge to throw out the federal
lawsuit filed by a former employee
who claims she was fired for not
attending Bible study sessions at
the office.
Assistant Secretary of State Eric
Rucker argued in a filing Thursday
that Courtney Canfield cannot
prove discrimination and any
remaining claims are barred by
sovereign immunity.
The court filing contends
Canfield was excessively absent,
violated cellphone policies and
caused friction in the office.
Canfield was terminated
because of this unprofessional
conduct, disruptive workplace
behavior,
poor
attendance,
excessive personal phone use and
unaccounted time away from her
desk and not because of any
religious animus, according to the
filing.
Canfield, who was hired in
January 2013 as an accounts clerk,
claims in her lawsuit that before

Assistant Secretary of State Eric

Rucker ousted her in November
2013, he repeatedly and emphatically indicated a basis for her termination as the fact that, She just
doesnt go to church.
Rucker contends that statement,
which he allegedly made to
Canfields grandmother outside the
office after hours, can only be
characterized as a stray remark
unrelated the decision to terminate
her employment.
Rucker also said it was Canfields
supervisor who made the decision
to fire her, and defended his role as
the formal decisionmaker that
rubber-stamped the recommendation and executed the decision.
The lawsuit has provided a rare
public glimpse into the religious
activities occurring at the secretary
of states office.
Canfield claims invitations to the
religious services at the office were
distributed during normal business
hours, and they included a prayer
guide to be used at that weeks
meeting.

The lockdown comes as Sam

Cline became the prisons
new warden last week

LANSING (AP) The Kansas

Department of Corrections says
the maximum-security unit at the
states largest prison is on
lockdown after altercations
involving inmates and staff.
Corrections spokesman Adam
Pfannenstiel said in an email
Friday the maximum-security unit
at the Lansing Correctional
Facility is on lockdown after four
separate
incidents
early
Thursday. He described the

incidents as altercations initiated

by inmates against staff.
He says there were no serious
injuries, and the incidents appear
unrelated.
During the lockdown, which
will be reevaluated Tuesday,
inmates will remain in their cells
and wont move throughout the
facility. Visitation for the
maximum-security unit is also
canceled during the lockdown.
The Leavenworth Times reports
the lockdown comes as Sam Cline
became the prisons new warden
last week, replacing former
Warden Rex Pryor, who retired.

More than 1,000

messages on social media
were in support of Brower
staying at the library

WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas

(AP) A North Texas city
council has voted unanimously to
reinstate Browser the cat to his job
as live-in mascot of the citys
public library.
KRLD-AM in Dallas-Fort
Worth reports the governing
council of the Fort Worth suburb
of White Settlement voted 3-0 to

let Browser stay at the library two

weeks after voting 2-1 to give the
tabby 30 days to check out.
Mayor Ron White had said the
move against Browser was a
response to officials denial of
permission to an employee to
bring a puppy to work at City
Hall. But he says he was
overwhelmed with more than
1,000 messages on social media,
all in support of keeping Browser
on the job.
The vote was taken without
hearing from Browsers supporters
who jammed the council chamber.