Ferrell

Our good friend Ferrell (F.B.) Lawrence passed away this past Monday, August 30th. Ferrell was 78 years old. He is survived by his wife Gwen, his six children and nine grandchildren. Ferrell was a very special to Kathy and I. To say he did alot for us would be an understatement. I strongly ask you to please read the following account of our relationship. It is my hope that you catch a glimpse of the person that meant so much to us. We will miss him dearly....Ron

We moved to Panama City in the spring of 1989. I was in the Air Force, my wife was 8 months pregnant with our second child and our oldest son was 4 years old. We weren't familiar with the area and didn't know a soul. We moved into temporary quarters at Tyndall Air Force Base until we could find a place to live. It wasn't easy for us to find a place to live. Actually, it was down right difficult to find a nice, affordable place to live. We were only allowed to stay in temporary quarters for a limited amount of time and that time was about to run out. We were frustrated from feeling the pressure to find a place to live. We found a small apartment that would meet our basic needs but it was far from what we were looking for. It was a Saturday morning and we had settled it in our minds to move into this 'lesser' apartment. We called the realtor and told them that we would be over to sign the rental papers. On our way out the door, Kathy said let's check the paper one last time and see if there is anything new for rent. We checked the paper and noticed one new listing for rent. My wife called the number and talked to the gentleman who answered - it was Ferrell. She told him of our situation and what we were about to do. He was kind and understanding. He told us that his rental property was near the realtor’s location. He suggested that we stop by and look at his place before we made our final decision. We agreed and arranged a time to meet him to look at his duplex. I'm glad we did. Little did I know at the time, but this was to be a life changing meeting. We were about to meet someone who would be used by God to help change the entire course of our lives.

We followed the directions that he gave us and met him at his duplex on Chippewa Street in Callaway. When we first met Ferrell we knew he was special. He was warm, kind, friendly and charming. I'd never met a true southern gentleman before. He said "My name is Ferrell but you can call me F.B" and we did. We talked and he showed us the duplex, it was like we were old friends. We hadn't even seen half of the unit and we knew that this is would be our new home. It was exactly what we were looking for - it was nice, clean and affordable. We signed the papers to rent the unit on the washing machine. He asked where we were coming from. We told him that we had just returned from Belgium. He explained that he had been to Belgium during World War II and fought at the Battle of the Bulge. My respect for him was immediate. As we began to leave, he turned to us, smiled and kindly asked "Do you folks go to church anywhere?" We told him we didn’t. I hadn’t been to church in years and had no plans on going back. He said "Well, you ought to come out and visit us at the Palo Alto Church of Christ this Sunday." Just the way he said it was non-threatening, sincere and genuine – you could tell he cared. We said we would think about it. When we left we were excited not only about our new home, but that this kind man was going to be our landlord. For the next couple of days we thought about his invitation to church. We spoke to him later in the week about moving into the duplex and we also let him know that we had decided to visit his church on Sunday. And we did. He met us at the front of the building and introduced us to anyone who would stop long enough to shake our hand. He showed us around the church, he made us feel special; he treated us like family. We met his wife Gwen; she was just as kind and generous to us as he was. We ate lunch with them after church, we were becoming friends. We came back the following Sunday and then the next and then the next. Shortly after our 2nd child was born, Ferrell and Gwen opened their home to us by hosting a baby shower for our new son. I couldn't understand how these people who just met us could do something like this for us. Ladies from the church showed up for this baby shower. People we had never met were giving their time and gifts to us and our new baby. I believe this event impacted me far more than my wife. Shortly after the baby shower, we began a Bible study in our home on Monday nights. We studied with for about 3 months and then on August, 7th 1989 at about 9:30 in the evening I called Ferrell at his home. I explained that we had made a decision and wanted to be baptized in the Lord. I told Ferrell that we would like him to baptize us. He met us at the church building and baptized both myself and my wife. Our lives were now forever linked.

From that point on Ferrell became more than just a friend. He was also a mentor and someone I could trust. Years later Ferrell would tell me that the day we met was due to God's Providence, not anything he had done. He would say that he hadn't really done anything except been obedient to what God called him to do. In our early years at the church, we would eat with Ferrell and Gwen after church quite a bit. Ferrell made really good hamburgers. When we visited his home, he would show us his garden and give us vegetables. F.B. would show me the latest car he had bought and tell me how he was going to turn around and sell it. We talked about his rental properties that he had throughout the town, I even helped him paint some of them. And of course we would talk about the Lord. He talked about how he used to preach the Word of God at churches in the area. Ferrell always seemed to sense where I was at in my life and would provide me with advice and guidance. Ferrell was always gentle and kind with me. I can’t ever remember him being hurtful or rude to me. As the years passed, we continued to attend Palo Alto and we met many new friends our age. We became involved in our church, busy with our careers and faced the challenges of raising two small boys. And as often happens, life gets in the way and we slowly saw less of Ferrell outside of church. But that didn't mean Ferrell love us any less, quite the contrary. Fourteen years after we first became members of the church we made the difficult and agonizing decision to leave and find another church home. When Ferrell found out, he was the first person to contact me to find out why. When speaking to me about this, he spoke to me with concern and love. He wasn't judgmental or harsh with me. I could see the tears welling up in his eyes as I explained why I felt led to leave. Again, all I felt from my friend was love. The same love I saw on that spring day in 1989 when we first met. The same love I had felt during all the years I had known him. That love - was the love of Jesus. Ferrell loved Jesus with all his heart and he loved me the same way.

Whenever I tell people how we came to the Lord through Ferrell or became members at Palo Alto they are surprised. They are surprised that a then 27 year old kid and a then 60 something man became good friends and formed a life long bond. Strange I know, but I believe the story of my relationship with Ferrell is not unique. I believe that many others can tell similar stories of how Ferrell extended them kindness, generosity and love in ways they had never seen before. I believe that was Ferrell's gift, his ministry; to be a friend to those who needed one. There is no way I could ever list all the acts of kindness and generosity that Ferrell showed us over the years. There are simply too many. I for one can see the fingerprints of Ferrell all over my life. I don't intend to wipe them away anytime soon. We who knew and loved him grieve with and for Gwen and the entire Lawrence family. I know Gwen will miss her husband, their children will miss their father and I will miss my friend.