Donnie's Field

By Lorie Fifer Chinn

Donnies Field is soothingly good inspiration. The story opens around the time of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. The main character, Donnie Jensen, born into slavery, reaches his eighteenth birthday and becomes a man, a free man, soon after abolition is mandated.

Donnie is the Abraham of his day: he doesnt know exactly where he is going, but he knows he must leave his former life behind and follow Gods leading to a new land, a land God has prepared for him flowing with milk and honey. His journey of faith takes him and his new wife, Deloris, from the bondage of enslavement to a life of freedom in which they become a powerful blessing to others in their new community.

The vitality of Donnies faith inspires and energizes the reader to take God at his word: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Donnies Field is a fictional account that was given to the author by God in a vision; however, it is a story that God told her actually happened. In the novel, the reader is presented with a double blessing of faith: it is an illustration of how God can be moved to action by ones childlike trust in him, and it is a demonstration of the Biblical definition of faith: the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512775273

Lorie Fifer Chinn

Lorie Fifer Chinn is a Christian minister, a community activist, and a mother of two. She currently lives in Texas City, Texas, where she is active in the Fellowship Texas City, a non-denominational church. This is her first God-inspired novel.

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Donnie’s

Field

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LORIE FIFER CHINN

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Copyright © 2017 Lorie Fifer Chinn.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-7526-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-7528-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-7527-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017902157

WestBow Press rev. date: 04/06/2017

Contents

Dedication

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Dedication

To my Heartbeats;

Roderick, Rachel, Anthonye,

P’Shana, Della and Jenae…

Remember to always walk by faith and not by sight;

For without faith, it is impossible to please Him.

Preface

All of the ministers at Covenant Worship Center, in Berkeley, California, had to take turns preaching during the Wednesday night mid-week service. It was a cold night back in February 2009, and it was my turn to preach. When I was studying the Word and seeking God on what He wanted me to say, I fell asleep at my computer desk. I always dream when I go to sleep, but then there are times when God gives me dreams as well as visions. This was one of those times. That dream was powerful. After I awoke from it, I immediately went into a vision in which I was sitting on top of a big boulder overlooking a beautiful field. The area had rolling hills and a meadow full of beautiful pink wild flowers.

As I sat there admiring the view, the Lord spoke to me. He said Lorie, the heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men (NKJV). This is a story that actually happened, and it needs to be told. I have given you the whole earth to glean your harvest from. If doors are not opening for you here right now, go to the other side of the field and glean. The harvest is ripe, but the laborers are few. Go glean your harvest. The words the Lord spoke to me, the dream, and the vision weighed heavy in my spirit for weeks.

Occasionally the Lord would tell me to write down the dream, but I would get busy doing something else, and I would forget to do it; then about 12:30 a.m. on August 4, 2010 while trying to fall asleep, the Lord, in an audible voice, told me to get up and write down the dream because it was to become a book and a movie. So I got up, pulled out my laptop and began typing. I typed two full pages. When my daughter woke up and started getting ready for school, I asked her to read what I had written up to that point.

She said Mom, this sounds like a book.

That’s when I told her what the Lord had said about this story becoming a book and a movie. By the end of the week, the electrical cord that I used to operate my laptop broke. As I prayed about the situation, the Lord told me to write it down in tablets. So I found a composition book and a spiral notebook and began writing the story.

It was Back-to-School Sunday at Covenant Worship Center, and we had an awesome service. This was the time in which we would pass out free backpacks and school supplies. Everyone was just about gone when I went to Sister Nakia and asked her if there were any spiral notebooks left. I then proceeded to tell her about the dream and what the Lord had told me to do. She immediately handed me the last three notebooks and told me to go write the story, and that’s what I did.

Today those notebooks are so precious to me because I can see how the Lord used my hands to write this story. There were times when I would go into my room and began writing, thinking that I had only been writing for an hour, only to find it would be four or five hours later. No scratches or mistakes, just flowing handwriting for at least ten pages at a time. It was amazing. He gave me the hands of a ready writer. The more I wrote the more I had to write. It took me six months to the day to write this story. However, it has been a journey to get it to this point. I am so grateful that God has chosen me to tell this story. Enjoy!

Acknowledgments

First, I would like to give all honor and glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is through Him that I live, move and have my being. I would also like to thank my amazing children, Roderick and Rachel, for believing in me and supporting me throughout this journey; I love you both so much. To Anthonye, P’Shana, Jenae, Della, Anggie, Dottie and Willie Mae Auntie Johnson; I love you all and I pray that God will continue to bless you.

To my mother, Cora Fifer and all of the Fifer clan: Melvin, Jackie, Felix, Lil’ Melvin, William, Jr, Dessalyn, Vickie, and all of the little Fifer’s and Jones’; I love you all so much. To the rest of the Fifer’s, Colvin’s, Walton’s, Caldwell’s, Lewis’, Baldwin’s, Bradley’s, Holifield’s, Godfrey’s and Chinn’s; we are family and I love you all.

To my extended family: the Thomas’, Bibbs’, Owens’, Taylor’s, Singleton’s, Hill’s and now the Reddicks’; I love you all and I pray that God will continue to bless you.

To all of my other sons, daughters, nieces, and nephews in California; I love you all and you will always have a special place in my heart.

To Deborah Castille Shelton, my editor, words cannot express my gratitude. I pray that God will bless you a thousand times over for everything you’ve done for me.

I want to thank Ginny Hobbs for encouraging me and sowing the seed to start this publishing process. Also, I want to thank Mrs. Donna Warren; your wisdom and typing skills were invaluable.

To Shawntae Lyons; thanks for being my first reader and encouraging me. I really appreciate you.

I want to thank Pastor K.R. Woods from Covenant Worship Center in Berkeley, California for giving me a platform to be used by God; I love all of my Cove family.

I would like to acknowledge my Fellowship Texas City family and Pastor Kevin Herrin for always supporting me. I would also like to thank my McKinney Memorial UMC family for giving me a place to go and type my manuscript.

Lastly, I want to thank in advance, everyone that will help to make Donnie’s Field a huge success. God bless you!

Chapter 1

Once there was a young man named Donnie Jensen who was born into slavery but became an adult a few days after abolition. He soon married his first love, Deloris, and decided to move away from the South and head up to the North. Donnie didn’t have a clue as to where he would go; he just knew he was going by faith and that God would lead and guide him to the place that he should go. He knew that most of the people had already received their forty acres and a mule; however, he waited to get his allotment until after the wedding.

The newlyweds had traveled two full days when they came upon some breathtakingly beautiful hill country. Mesmerized by the view, they decided to stay the night in this location. All they had the strength to do was pray and worship God. Then sometime around three in the morning, the Lord woke Donnie up and began to speak to him. He told him that, just like Abraham, He had given him this land as an inheritance and that he should remain there and build his family with his new wife. Donnie was so excited that he began to weep, thanking and worshiping God for blessing him.

Once the sun came up, Donnie told Deloris that this was the place the Lord wanted them to have and that it was time for them to go into town and find their land that the Lord had prepared for them. They went into town and found the office where they could obtain their forty acres and a mule.

When Donnie walked into the office, there sat three white men laughing and talking until they saw him. They looked him up and down: his six-foot-four-inch frame, his medium-brown skin, his body with big, broad shoulders, and his warm smile. Their smiles turned to frowns as they wondered what this big buck wanted. Donnie ignored their looks and asked, Who do I need to speak to about obtaining some land?

There were two men sitting at a desk, and one man was sitting at the counter. One of the men sitting at the desk yelled out to the guy sitting at the counter, Hey Jack, why don’t you give him that area down by the stream where that ol’ house is; you know, the one that the other fella decided he didn’t want.

They all began to laugh. Then the man named Jack, looking Donnie up and down, said, Yeah, he’s bigger than that other one, so let’s see if he can handle it. They all laughed again.

Donnie looked bewildered at first, and then he asked, Did you say there’s a house on the land?

Jack responded, There is. It’s been vacant for a while, so I don’t know what kind of shape it’s in, but there’s one out there. Do you want it? If not, you can go to the next town over and see what they have available; seems we’ve had a lot of folks move into this area here lately.

Donnie smiled and said, I’ll take it.

Jack gave Donnie the paper to sign to obtain the deed to the land and was surprised to see that Donnie knew how to read. Before Donnie signed his name, he looked up at Jack and asked, So this is Liberty, Illinois, right? Where is Stenson’s Ranch located so that I can pick up my mule?

The other man at the desk responded, Go to the end of the main street and make a left. Go to the big oak tree and make a right, and it’s about a mile down that road; you can’t miss it.

Donnie signed his name, took the deed, smiled real big, thanked the men sitting in the office, and left. When he walked outside, he lifted up his hands and said, Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus!

Deloris looked up and saw Donnie, and she could hardly keep still. She jumped down out of the wagon, ran and hugged his neck. She was very excited because she could tell by the way he was praising God that something good had happened. As they walked arm-in-arm back to the wagon, Donnie told her everything that had happened. Deloris began to weep because she was so grateful for what the Lord had already done and for what He was about to do. As they rode in silence, each one in deep thought, all Deloris could think about was how the Lord told the children of Israel that He was giving them the land that was flowing with milk and honey as an inheritance. At that point she knew that God was doing the same thing for her and Donnie. Her heart became overwhelmed with joy.

When they arrived at Stenson’s Ranch, a large, middle-aged black man with a big smile came out to meet them. Donnie jumped down out of the wagon and introduced himself and Deloris.

The man said, Hey there, good people! You all new around here, huh? My name is Willie James, but everybody calls me Big Will. What can I do for you?

As soon as Donnie pulled out his paper work, Big Will knew what he wanted and began to smile. He said, So you good people have decided on these here parts, huh?

Donnie smiled and said, Yes, sir. We sure have. This is where the Lord told me to stay and build my family.

Big Will looked at Donnie and said, So you’re a God-fearing man, are you?

Donnie replied, Yes, sir, I am.

Big Will replied, Well, most people around these here parts are also God-fearing like you, so you should get along just fine with everybody.

Then Donnie asked, How long have you been living in this area?

Big Will looked at him and said, I’ve been living here for over ten years now, ever since my master freed me. The Lord gave me favor with him. This was his father’s ranch, and he asked me if I would come and run it for him because it was too much for him to handle at the time. He told me that he would also give me my freedom papers. He kept his word too. Soon afterward, he died. When I went back a few years later to visit my sister and two younger brothers, I heard that Mr. James was really our father. Well, you know how that goes, and that’s how I ended up here. So, tell me, where is y’alls place?

Donnie responded, I’m not quite sure. It’s near a stream with a big hill, and there’s a house already on it.

Oh yeah, that’s Luther Barns’ old place. I know that place. Oh my goodness, son, I feel I need to warn you about what you’re about to get yourself into. That place almost killed ol’ Luther. That field had so many rocks in it that Luther couldn’t even farm it. Some of those rocks took two men to carry them. He even tried to make a garden, but he couldn’t get anything to grow. So he decided to leave and go find himself another place. Now you be careful out there. You have some pretty good neighbors that will come and help you if you ask them. That’s just how we are around here. We are helpers one to another. That goes for you too, little lady. You know, you sound like a learned man. You know how to read?

Donnie smiled and said, Yes, sir, I do. My mother taught all of us how to read and write. She was like the school teacher for all of the folks that wanted to learn and would teach us at night. My mother worked up at the big house, and Miss Millie, Master Jensen’s wife, she loved my mother and taught her everything she knew. She would even buy two of the same books so that my mother could have one. Miss Millie was a nice lady. About three years before Mister Lincoln freed the slaves, Miss Millie and Master Jensen gave my mother her freedom papers and told her she could leave if she wanted to, but my mother decided to stay because she wanted to be near her children. I found out right before I left that Miss Millie was actually my mother’s half-sister. Well, I guess we better get going, Big Will. We’re excited about seeing our place. So tell me, where can I get my mule?

Big Will said, Come on in the back here. I have just the one for you. This one is still kind of young and strong and hasn’t gotten lazy. He should work really well for you.

After they had gotten the mule and tied it to the wagon, Donnie asked Big Will how to get to his new place. Big Will gave them directions and then told them it would take them about an hour’s ride to get there. He offered them something to eat before they headed out on their journey, but they were too excited to get there. So they continued their journey singing and praising God.

Chapter 2

When they finally arrived, they stopped at the top of the hill to take in the view. They could see how the stream flowed down from the mountain, through their place, and around the hill on the far side of the field. There were a few trees clustered in an area behind the house and a meadow of yellow and orange flowers growing in a field on the far side of the hill. From where they were sitting, the house looked like it was falling apart and not fit for anyone to live in, but all Donnie and Deloris could see was the great potential that little house had. Tears began to flow down their faces because they knew that this was home. They looked at each other and said at the same time, Let’s go see the house!

As they walked up to the house, they both were making mental notes as to what they would do to make this place their own. Donnie noticed that the wood on the steps and on the porch seemed pretty sturdy, and he wouldn’t have to replace that. As they walked through the doorway, they noticed that the door was just hanging on the hinges but it could easily be fixed. Deloris got very excited when she saw a wood-burning stove because she had previously thought she would have to cook on an open fire outside.

Donnie smiled and said, I can’t wait to see the biscuits that are going to come out of that.

Deloris grinned and said, Donnie, look! A bed. We have our own bed!

Donnie turned and saw the bed lying on its side with the mattress leaning in the corner. The house was messed up and dirty, but it had potential, and that was good enough for them. Donnie smiled warmly as he took Deloris into his arms. After a long embrace with their tears mingling together, they looked into each other’s eyes and said simultaneously, Let’s get busy, and they ran together out to the wagon.

As they went rummaged through their belongings in the wagon, gathering items they would use to fix up their new home, Deloris asked, What do you want to build first, Baby?

Donnie replied, "I will go into town and inquire about some building supplies and some animals. We need to get us a few chickens and a cow, for starters, and then we will see what happens. I need to have a look at the soil to see why Mr. Luther was not able to grow anything out here, but, first and foremost, I’m going to ask God what he wants me to do because I don’t want to do anything that God doesn’t want me to do. And look! I forgot Uncle Joe gave us some paint as a wedding present, and it’s going to come in handy