May 25 Report
By Brenda Spurlock
Our team is in Hutchinson, KS, 50 miles outside of Wichita. Flip said that earlier today Mercy spooked and almost threw Rusty in front of a car. She took off running with Rusty chasing her. He said she runs off like that once in a while for reasons known only to her.
Their experiences in Hutchinson today must have given them all a deja'vu feeling. They walked through town, their loud speakers playing Christian music. As they neared the end of the main street, they saw kids playing in a park, having an end of the school year picnic. As always, the kids were attracted to Mercy and Judgment which opened the way for Flip to tell them about the broken Ten Commandments, the broken baby and Jesus. Well, that is, he managed to get the name of Jesus out o-n-c-e before the teachers went ballistic (this is the deja'vu part). Teachers said, "You can't say that name around here! We have separation of church and state!"
The police showed up (more deja'vu).
One of them said, "We hear that you're harassing these kids."
Flip responded, "We're doing no such thing. We're presenting the gospel of Christ."
Policeman: "You can't do that here."
Flip: "This is a public park we have a responsibility and duty to tell them."
Policeman: "The teachers are their guardians and they don't want you
talking about that."
Flip: "This is a public park. What about our First Amendment rights?"
Flip said, "The thought came to me that if we were homosexuals and brought an AIDS quilt to the park, the teachers would have had all the kids down there to listen to our story. Then, they probably would have taken up a collection for AIDS. Or if I'd been a Buddhist, the teachers would have been encouraging the kids to ask me questions and learn about my beliefs. But," he said, "It’s this Jesus thing that gets everyone so upset."
Policeman: "Let me see your ID."
Flip: "I don't carry it when I'm walking with the horse."
Policeman: "You know that you can't have a horse in the park, don't you?"
Flip: "No, I don't know you can't have a horse in the park. What ordinance says that?"
Policeman: "This is a horse at large."
Flip: "It's not at large, I'm holding the reins."
Policeman: "I'm trying to be nice. I just want you to leave."
Flip: "You don't understand we want to tell the kids about Jesus."
Policeman: "If you won't leave I'll have to arrest you." (He handcuffs
Flip.)
The police talk about arresting Rusty also. They threaten our kids, telling them that if their dads go to jail, they'll be sent to "juvey." Police show the animal ordinance to Flip; only it says if the animal is menacing the public it won't be allowed to remain in the park. Flip tells me, "This isn't about the animals; it's about the name of Jesus." Finally, the police tell Flip and Rusty, "If you leave town we'll free you. They don't make any promises but police let them go anyway.
Flip said, "It's when we come in the name of Jesus that we get in trouble. From the west coast to here that's what we've found."
They're staying at an Assembly of God church tonight. Flip said the pastor's wife and another saint brought them in and prayed over them referencing Ezekiel 37 and the dry bones. She told them that even though they speak to a people who are spiritually dead they must trust God for a spiritual revival.
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