August 31. Andy Kellywood. Andy was the maintenance man for Navajo Ministries. And he was eager to help boys who needed help.
The director had his hands full with three particular boys, ages nine to fifteen. They ran together, sneaked out at night, and caused trouble. So the director assigned the boys to work for Andy every morning that summer. Here’s what happened.
When you trust an untested man, he can grow to pass the test.
The first day Andy had the three troublemakers on his maintenance crew, he lined them up and pointed to a patch of weeds. The day was over 90 degrees. The work was dusty, monotonous, and back-breaking. The boys wiped sweat on their shirt sleeves, but not once did they complain. For a whole week, they persevered. At first, Andy stayed close. As they proved themselves, he left periodically to show they had earned his trust.
The next week Andy introduced the boys to the push mower, used to care for more than an acre of lawn. He taught them to check the oil and gas, explained the mowing pattern, and then pulled the cord. The engine rumbled to life.
The boys took turns. When grass clippings filled the bag, he showed them how to empty them into the front-end bucket on the blue tractor. Then he drove the tractor to the dumpster, deposited the clippings, and taught the boys to reattach the bag. After the lawn was finished, he told them to refill the mower’s gas tank.
The boys seemed more engaged. But the day he led them to the blue tractor really drew them in. “Do you wanna drive?”
Their eyes widened in shock. He was trusting them with the tractor? Fear and excitement flitted across their faces.
Andy invited Casey to climb onto the driver’s seat and showed him where to place his hands and feet. The others watched as he taught Casey to turn on the tractor and put it into the low-low gear.
The chug-chug of the engine matched the slow speed of Casey’s first drive. And Andy walked right next to him.
Once Casey had control, Andy put the tractor in a higher gear. As Andy repeated the process with the others, eagerness shone in their eyes. They became proficient. Their grins widened.
Then they learned their favorite part—how to release the bucket, so the clippings fell into the dumpster.
As summer progressed, Andy gave them more responsibility. When one task was finished, they asked what else needed to be done—and they stayed past their mandatory work hours. The boys took ownership of their work.
When water lines broke, they put their backs into digging through the hard earth—even breaking concrete—to help with repairs.
Andy knew their work was not only an investment in Navajo Ministries but also in the boys’ futures. He watched for opportunities to teach them new skills. They changed oil, brakes, and rotors on the ministries’ vehicles. And when it was time for new tires, he taught them to shop for the best price so no one would overcharge them. “If you ever get a car, then you know what to do,” he said.
Once summer was over, the boys found Andy after school and asked if they could help. “They are standing taller,” said Andy.
Half Navajo and half Laguna Pueblo, Andy knew what it was like to struggle to grow up, navigate multiple cultures, and get into trouble. When he blew it, he had no one to talk to. But it’s different for these boys—they talk to him. Andy loves planting good into their futures, and “to plant that one little seed” has Andy standing taller too.
“But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred” (Mark 4:8 NKJV).
Whose life can you seed into? When you trust an untested man, he can grow to pass the test.
Based on an interview with Andy Kellywood, September 10, 2019.
*Names of minors have been changed.
Story read by: Joel Carpenter
Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter
Audio production: Joel Carpenter
Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/
Project Manager: Blake Mattocks
Copyright 2020, 365 Christian Men, LLC. All rights reserved.