A Farmers Suicide

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

My wife and I flew up to Wautoma Wisconsin with my elderly mother. Some of her side of the family still lives in that area. My aunt and uncle still live on the old family dairy farm.

While my uncle Jerry and I were driving into town in his pickup truck, we rounded a corner and on the left was an old farm. People were living there, but it wasn't a working farm anymore. A beautiful house,  and a nice barn, and a few other out buildings.

Jerry pointed out the farm house and told me a sad story about a suicide that happened there in the late forties. A farmer and his family lived and farmed there. The farmer fell into some debt. After his harvest was in for the season, he was still a little short.

This farmer family was very proud, and refused to speak about financial matters. They refused to even consider asking for help from their pastor, church, or even the neighbors.  They had let the issue of their debt wear them down into a state of great depression!

Finally the husband just couldn't take the pressure anymore!  So one morning, he walked out to the barn, gathered a long rope, through the rope over one of the structural beams of the barn, stood on a bale of hay, and hung himself!

If that wasn't sad enough, it was discovered later that the debt that burdened them down so greatly, was only twenty-six dollars!  That amount of money was worth more seventy-five years ago, but it was still a very manageable amount. If they could have only asked for help....

William James Roop, M.A.B.S.

 Roop-Crappell Ministries 

 The Bible and Life 

 The Trucking Tango 

 Apostolic Theological Seminary