The Gates of Andre

By Gerald R. Sumner

Andre is a young, well educated, Asian American whose parents kept his country of origin, his native language and his cultural heritage hidden from him. Andre finds himself in a pit of depression and is struggling to escape. You will experience Andre's recovery and you will experience every emotional experience with him. You will find yourself examining your own life to find issues with your own identity, your divine purpose and your cultural heritage.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gerald R. Sumner
• Release date: Aug 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311263902

Gerald R. Sumner

Gerald “Roger” Sumner is a former pastor, retired IBM field engineer, husband, father and grandfather, talented musician and skilled craftsman whose wife says, “can do about anything but sew!” Born to a poor family of 15 in the wiregrass regions of South Georgia, Roger has a rich heritage of values and a quest for spiritual truth. This combination has enabled him to write with wisdom and pathos, and a gentle and respectable treatment of simple folk. He is called by many to be a very wise man; a storyteller; a shepherd; and-- again his wife Susan interjects--“He is a prince among men.”Roger and Susan live in the mountains of Southeastern Tennessee. They have four children and three grandchildren, and a dog named Reagan.

Book preview

Chapter I

Beginnings

The little boy sat quietly, if not still. It was obvious that there was a lot of little boy energy that needed to be released. It was also obvious that his parents had taught him well. His fidgeting did not offend me in the least; it merely incited a great deal of sympathy for him. However, the two elderly ladies only gave him occasional stern glances, which he did not notice, but they continued their banter without pausing. Observing him caused me to lose my focus on the conversation that was taking place. I thought about taking a time-out to see if the little fellow wanted to go run around the perimeter of the old southern estate at which I was a visitor and he a temporary resident, however etiquette dug in her heels and I kept listening to the droning of the two genteel ladies. The little boy’s presence and manner kept me battling between attentiveness and daydreaming about another little boy who occupied that chair not so many years ago. The similarity of their features kept sending my mind back across the years.

The discussion seemed to eternally focus on their large southern family. I listened again to the unfolding saga of how Papa Lanson had come to the heartland of South Carolina in 1841 to grow cotton. I had heard this story many times over the last ten years but found it easier to listen once more than to offend these two elderly southern bells.

Papa Lanson made a fortune growing cotton, the older of the two sisters declared.

Our Daddy, Jefferson Harris Lanson III left us this house in his will.

I silently, if impatiently, listened again to the tale of how their father, Papa Lanson’s grandson, had rebuilt the family fortune by growing tobacco, cotton, and peanuts along with rice. For some reason, she left out the part about the acquisition of the adjacent rice plantation that eventually doubled the family fortune. I suppose the repeated telling of this saga was playing havoc with the old woman’s memory. Nevertheless, there was no interrupting the story and so I listened without comment as the two elderly sisters relived the major events of their lives

The little boy’s name was Andre, that is- the little boy from long ago. The sisters insisted on calling him Andrew, the reason being, it was a more proppa southern name. Andre was Filipino by birth. How he came to live in the two sisters’ house was another long tale.

His parents were of Asian ancestry, though exactly what region I never knew. They looked somewhat Chinese; however there was a roundness and puffiness in their faces that made me think that there might be some Mongolian genes in the mix. They could have passed for being from northern Japan, however they always declared that they were not Japanese and seemed a little put off when people suggested a resemblance. In the back of my mind I wondered if perhaps their defensiveness was because of Japan’s actions in World War II. Whatever the circumstances, Andre’s parent’s pursuit of freedom landed them in the Philippines, where Andre was born, and then to the United States. By the time Andre was six months old, they were in South Carolina and were sponsored by the younger of the two sisters, Maude along with her husband Ferris.

Maggie, the older of the two sisters, never married and chose to stay on in the old house with her younger sibling. Maudine, who preferred to be called Maude, married young and lived in the south wing of the old plantation house. Ferris Pettigrue was an independent, strong willed man in his own right and insisted that they would leave the plantation as soon as he was back from the war. Events conspired against him; his father-in-law passed away shortly after Ferris shipped out to Europe. After the war, he and Maude stayed on to help Maggie with their mother.

Ernestine Lanson was the perfect model of the genteel southern lady. So strong and domineering was she that no one ever wondered why her daughters, the only two children she and Jefferson III would have, turned into the spitting image of her. They dressed as they were taught, ate as they were taught, smiled and blushed—just as they had been taught. No one ever made mention of anything that these two ever did that was outside of the teaching of their mother. They cared for their mother with great devotion until her passing in 1949.

I found it amazing that Ferris and Maude got along so well. Each of them was strong-willed and one would never have been surprised to see a great deal of friction between these two. However, if there was friction between them it was hidden from all but them. Maude spoke as she pleased for the most part and fairly ran the show at most family gatherings. There were those rare and odd moments when Maude would begin to speak critically of someone and Ferris would say: Maudine, or on some occasions, Maudine that’s enough. This was the only time he would call her Maudine. Otherwise she was either Maude, or simply Mau. Whether it was the hearing of her formal name or the tone with which it was said, Maude would cease her talk and change the conversation without the least hint of annoyance. I was always delighted and amazed to see this. I wondered often how these two came to such an understanding and it evoked at great deal of admiration for them on my part.

Ferris and Maude loved children though they were never able to have any of their own. Maude attended the local Baptist Church, one that her family had helped to found. Lanson Baptist Church had strong influence by the Lanson family since it’s founding.

The Lansons really did not care for the fact the Church bore the family name and insisted that it was named after the community rather than after the family. The area around their plantation had been known as the Lanson Settlement for over a hundred years. It was at Lanson Church (so called by the locals there) that Maude befriended many young people. She always gave them an encouraging word whenever they would sing or participate in a play or skit. She would lavish praise upon them, so endearing them to her that she was able to be a powerful influence in their lives. On any afternoon or evening it was not unusual to see several young people or small kids in Maude’s kitchen devouring cookies or cake and receiving huge helpings of praise.

Ferris was quiet but somewhat of a tease. He knew every child by name and paid close attention to them, so much so that he would make little trinkets for them and at opportune times he would pull them out of his pocket to present them. Every trinket was custom made according to the child’s own taste. One might be a heart, another a tiny train engine. I had seen him pull tiny hammers and wrenches out of his pocket to give to little boys. One little girl was moved to tears when Ferris pulled from behind his back a miniature piano that he had made from popsicle sticks.

Perhaps it was this love for children that moved Ferris and Maude to sponsor the Altans. Bataar and Bolormaa Altan had fled China and sought the help of the U.S. consulate in the Philippines. An American Corporation needed his skill with the Chinese Language as well as his engineering ability and employed Bataar. Bataar had been schooled in England and was proficient in English. I am not sure where he picked up the Chinese language but he was very successful with this company. His success along with his association with the United States made him a target of the Chinese social revolution and he and Bolormaa had to leave everything they owned and flee for their lives. I don’t know how Ferris and Maude found out about the Altans but they offered to sponsor them and within a few months the Altans were housed temporarily at the Lanson Estate with Ferris and Maude Pettigrue.

The terms of their sponsorship would not allow them to live with the Pettigrues permanently. With Bataar’s ability to speak English and with his education he soon landed a very good job doing drafting. Bolormaa’s English was poor but was adequate to allow her to do washing at the little hospital in Hapeville five miles to the east of the Lanson Estate. The Altans eventually were able to buy a small house in Hapeville.

The Pettigrues had the perfect situation for babysitting Andre—the Altan’s six-month-old baby boy.

At first Bolormaa insisted on calling Andre by his given name but Maude’s domineering nature prevailed and Andre was called by his Americanized name: Andrew. Most of the time Ferris called him Andy and that was the name that eventually stuck with him.

Andy called Ferris and Maude Poppa and Granny. The Altans were grateful for the help that the Pettigrue’s gave to them and thought it best for Andy to spend a lot of time with them in order to learn to speak English like Americans speak it. Though Bataar’s English was excellent his Asian accent was very prevalent. The Altan’s did not want this for Andy.

Since Andy was born in the American Consulate in the Philippines, he was an American Citizen. Bataar and Bolormaa did not find this out until Andy was over a year old. When they had to go to Columbia to update their immigration status they discovered this and came back to Hapeville very excited and happy. It was at this point that the Altans decided that they would never reveal to their son or anyone else the details of their past. They wanted Andy to have a clean start as an American. This decision, as logical and well meaning as it was to them, would leave a painful wound for Andy in years to come.

Andy’s young life seemed ideal to me. He had American grandparents who doted on him and supplied all that he needed. Andy loved his Poppa and spent time with him exploring the farm and listening to Poppa’s lectures on how men should behave. The majority of his time was spent with Granny. Maude was in some kind of church function just about every day and little Andy was almost always right there by her side. I suppose that Ferris’s business dealings prevented little Andy from spending more time with him. Ferris owned a company that performed large earth-moving projects. A manager ran the business but Ferris was very involved in the procuring of contracts. It was rare for Andy to go on business trips with Ferris but it did happen on occasion.

I suspect that Maude may have had a hand in where Andy spent most of his time. Ferris had had a disagreement with a deacon of Lanson Church years ago and had refused to set foot in the church again. He was respectful to the church and always treated the pastors well. He encouraged Maude to attend church and even paid tithes but he stubbornly refused to attend services. I think for this reason Maude preferred that Andy get most of his influence from her. Poppa never argued with Maude about it and Andy loved both of them dearly.

Although Maggie called the Lanson Plantation her home, she was in and out during Andy’s growing up years. Maggie was a devout Christian and studied at a Bible College in Alberta Canada. She called herself an Evangelist but she was really much more than that. Years ago a missionary had spoken at Lanson Church. The missionary had been trained at Grange Bible College in Alberta Canada. Maggie and the young missionary had become close and had planned to be married after her graduation from Grange. Her domineering personality and her obsessive attention to minute details proved to be more than the relationship could endure. The young missionary left her a curt note just days prior to the planned event. I have never known the young missionary’s name and frankly have always been afraid to ask Maggie much about it. Occasionally she will make mention of some detail of the events and invariably she walks away in tears.

Maggie spent a lot of time at Grange as an instructor. She was also very sought after as a speaker. Besides those time consuming demands she loved to go on mission trips. She went often to Africa, Europe and Southeast Asia. Despite all of this, she managed to be a profound influence on young Andy. Maude and Andy made the trip from Hapeville to Alberta every summer for Summer Conference. She and Andy became fixtures around the campus and were well known by the staff and by many of the students.

Maggie was in Hapeville often as a guest speaker at Lanson Church. Maggie was the only Woman Preacher who was allowed to speak at Lanson Church as Baptists don’t usually allow women to speak in the pulpit. I always wondered why they made an exception for Maggie. Perhaps it was the family influence or perhaps they had learned how valuable her teaching was.

Despite her strong personality I greatly admired Maggie. She was very solid in her teaching and had learned to handle adversity with grace. She counseled many people through times of grieving and difficulty. Other people’s faults never put her off and she could be found counseling many down-and-outers as well as up-and-outers.

That Andy’s life would take the turns that it took was a mystery to me at the time. Andy had many advantages. He was able to go to a very good private school; he was intelligent, had a great personality, and was well liked by everyone. While the next portion of this story may be difficult, it is not the end of Andy’s story. His story is unfolding day by day. You may even see your story in his. I have seen this same story over and over in many different flavors. It tells of a gracious heavenly Father with a heart for restoration.

Chapter II

The Struggle

Andy’s parents wanted him to be an engineer like his father. Despite the fact that his father’s engineering degree was not recognized in the United States, Bataar managed to do well financially. Andy set off to college to become an engineer. He did quite well for the first two years. He attended church regularly and was involved in the Baptist Student Union. He seemed to be on his way to a wonderful life.

The change was not exactly sudden. It seemed to come in gradual steps. I was pastoring the Lanson Church at that time and was always delighted when Andy would come home. I could always count on him to give a good testimony to the people. I really had the sense that there was a calling on Andy’s life and I was happy to give him the opportunity to exercise his gift. One weekend Andy came home but did not show up for church. I was a little surprised but not alarmed until the same thing happened the following two weekends. Maggie was home and in attendance on one of those weekends and I enquired of her about Andy’s whereabouts. Her only reply was He is a little confused right now, perhaps you could meet with him.

I did meet with him. I spent a great deal of time with Andy over that summer break. Andy had begun to question the faith that his Granny had handed down to him. He questioned the reality of God. He had doubts about the origin of the universe and doubted the biblical account of creation. By the end of the summer, Andy seemed to be better and said so himself. Andy finished college and obtained his bachelor’s degree with ease and his faith seemed to be intact. His church attendance had decreased somewhat but he attributed it to his schedule and I was satisfied with his explanation.

Following his graduation, Andy spent the summer helping around the church and I was able to spend a fair amount of time with him. The Lord seemed to really be moving in Andy’s life and he now felt that he was called to serve the Lord in some full time capacity though he would not say he felt a call to pulpit ministry. Maggie encouraged him to attend Grange Bible College and Andy was glad to do so since he had spent many summer vacations there and knew many of the faculty and administration personally.

Andy excelled in his studies and after graduation was asked to stay on and work in the school in an administrative capacity. Again he excelled in his work and the faculty and staff thought very highly of him. But, as Andy confided to me later, there were insecurities working in his heart and mind that he could not understand. His up bringing had been so idyllic and all the people who raised him were all so perfect. In his mind, he could not allow imperfections in his life yet he was discovering them on a regular basis and was terrified at the prospect of being the first failure in the Lanson family.

The big crisis came as Grange Bible College began to experience financial difficulties. Rising costs and decreasing enrollment had forced many cuts at the school. Unfortunately Andy was one of the ones who had to be furloughed. He took it very personally and viewed it as a personal failure. He felt he could not face his Poppa and especially his Granny and Aunt Maggie. He knew that he had disappointed his parents by not becoming an engineer. So Andy slinked into a hiding hole. He stayed in Alberta and found a job there. He rented a small apartment and, by his own account, fell into an abyss of darkness.

At work, everyone loved Andy. He had learned to put on a smile, say all the right words, and do all the right things. He was the life of the party. He was able to be the perfect employee. He knew how a man ought to behave and he did behave. But when he closed the door to his apartment, clouds of darkness and despair swept over him. He contemplated suicide on many occasions. He would not answer the phone or the door,