KILGOROUND
LINDA BALLARD

WITH THE approach of Easter, thoughts of Christ, the resurrection and miracles become prevalent in one's life. With the thoughts of miracles, come divine intervention and - in the case of one particular Kilgore man - the words "Divine Intervention" have been used as the only medical term available for the disease that no longer wracks his body or his mind.

In February of 2006, Pastor Harry LaGrone was diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. "There is no medicine for ALS, I was informed," said Pastor LaGrone. "Beside me in the same room was another man stricken with the same disease. He had been admitted in January, only a month ahead of me. He could not walk, could not talk and was in essence a vegetable waiting to die."

A bleak picture had been painted for Harry and his lovely wife, Tootsie, but with unwavering faith, they brought the di-

agnosis back to his congregation at Victory Road Baptist Church. And the prayers began.

Four months ago, Harry was told the ALS was completely gone from his body. "'It was purely divine intervention that cured you', I was told by the neurologists at Methodist Hospital in Houston," said Harry. "The hospital is one of the best in the United States for dealing with neurological diseases and when they told me I was the second one ever to recover. I knew the Lord had done it all."

Harry was born in Garrett and raised in Dallas. "I've been in church since I was two weeks old and was saved at the age of nine," said Harry. "My mother was what I called a hard-shell Baptist and she never let us get too far astray. In fact, we led a very sheltered life," he laughed. "But, she died when I was fourteen and since then, I've been pretty much on my own."

He met his wife, Tootsie, in 1955, while preaching at a small church in Groves. Fourteen years later, they married. Together the couple had four children. A daughter died at the age of two and in 1975, a son was killed in an airplane crash. "He was the only one of the children wanting to step into the ministry," said Harry. "He had just become pastor of his first church when he was killed. I had been a pastor for 10-11 years at the time of his death and when that happened, I stepped away from the church for awhile."

"I came to Kilgore to preach at a little church called Friendship Baptist. Then in August 2002, I became pastor of Victory Road Baptist Church on Highway 135. In four years time, the congregation grew from thirty members to over two hundred," he said."

Harry retired from preaching after 58 years, and today, now clear of ALS-Lou Gehrig's disease, he enjoys a good game of golf and works as a substitute teacher.

"I'm 81 years old," said Harry. "But, I feel like Job - completely restored. And I'm waiting on the Lord to show me what to do." Miracles do happen.

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HAPPY Birthday today to Christine Louise Sadler, Frank Cline, Barbara Dickson Watkins, Connie Appling, Lisa Michelle Rowe, Cathy Collins, Marven Floyd, Megara Ballard, Betty Mills, Sidney Williams, Travis Thornton, Betty Woodard, Dorothy Dempsey, Candy Waller, Richie Benavides, Juanita Barnes, Ashley Nicole Simms, Mary Sanders, Cannon Chase Copeland.

CELEBRATING wedding anniversaries today are David and Amanda Jackson.