A Small town pastor

How come things like this aren't in pastoral practice classes?

I just spent an hour and a half standing out in the rain. Why, you ask? Because I got a phone call at 5:50 from the Sherriff's department letting me know that some kids had driven into our fence at the Cemetery (from the inside) and wanted to know what I wanted to do.

So I spent an hour and half up there. It was sheer stupidity - town kids lost on a country road, looking for a place to turn around - and instead of just doing a three point in the nice, heavily gravelled driveway, they figure they'll just loop around through our completely unpaved cemetery -- thing is, the exit gate was closed - so what do they do? Cut along the side of the fence. . . on the side of an oklahoma hill - that is full of red, Oklahoma Clay - in the middle of a rainstorm.

Into the fence they go. Aparently at 10:30 last night. Long night of waiting for them - as the cops hear that there are people out to vandalize cemeteries, and the cops spotted people at the other one east of town, so la policia are all out that way.

I get there, along with one of the Elders - and the driver is freaked. Did I mention that when the Sherriff's deputy got there he was 10 minutes from going off duty and was just finishing up the paper work from his 11 hour shift? He pointed out that if charges were pressed, they would be felony (the state of Oklahoma does not take kindly to people messing with cemeteries.

So, at the request of the town cop - who was worried that the 3 passengers weren't taking this seriously - more elders show up, we pace, we wait, cops ream them all out - and then they agree to come back and work for the Church to fix whatever (45 minute put the fear into the other kids). So the kid's SUV is still there - with the mud there's no way we can pull it out. It will stay there until it is dry - and then all four of the kids will come and get everything cleaned up and smoothed out and tidied up at the cemetery. If it ever stops raining.

But no one died, no one is in the hospital (at least that I know of), and I'll have a nice story to share when I visit my little old ladies this afternoon. Oigh.