03/01/2026
𝓘𝓻𝓲𝓼 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓢𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂: Lin & Lavada
It all started one fateful February day in 1955 when 18 year old, Lavada, decided to hunt down a young man whom she had heard pastored at a church in Minco. That young man was Lindley Jones. Lavada, a newly saved Christian, was looking for some literature for her friend who enjoyed having “too good of a time.” Her mom told her she could find him at Woods Grocery Store, where he worked while putting himself through school. She approached him in the aisle and they got to talking! He felt like he could help her, but was also hoping to get to know her too. He invited her to attend church with him. At that time, she was just interested in the literature for her friend, but they remained in touch. Then one Sunday, the weather wasn’t great and Lavada didn’t want to risk her usual routine of driving to Amber to meet with friends for Church. She called Lin and asked him to pick her up for the local service. He eagerly pulled up in his old Chevy that would honk sometimes when he turned. In poor timing, it went off right as he was pulling up to her house. Lavada looked at her mother and said “did he just honk at me?!” Lin was so embarrassed and apologized! She still agreed to join him and began joining him more & more. By April, she had invited him to a family we**ie roast. Then a few days later, Lin invited her to a rodeo. By summer, he knew she was the one and asked for Lavada’s hand, but she declined. She didn’t feel equipped to be a pastor’s wife. Much to her frustration, he asked her 4-5 times after that day. She continued to pray on it and stuck to her guns, but also knew she loved Lin. By August, Lin convinced her to let him join her for a day at Falls Creek. They enjoyed a full day of activities and attended some church sermons together. As the day was coming to an end, they sat near a group of students giving testimonies. One testimony in particular really struck Lavada. The person said “you can do a lot of things in your life, but if it’s not God’s plan, you won’t ultimately be happy.” She immediately felt a wave of emotion come over her believing that God was speaking to her about her not feeling worthy of being a pastor’s wife. Lin knew something was wrong, but Lavada couldn’t put into words what she was feeling. She prayed many times before about the fact that she was a new Christian still learning the books in the Bible and didn’t feel equipped. Afterwards, he walked her to her cabin and she became emotional again. Lin was worried something had happened and tried to consul her. Finally, she was able to get out “Lin, if the offer still stands, I’ll agree to marry you.” They embraced and became emotional together. By October, they were married in the First Baptist Church of Amber, Oklahoma. God was the author of their love story and He has continued to add chapters to it ever since! 🙏✝️❤️
