Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised...

Sunday, August 6, 2017

Diamond, Missouri

What is it about this area in Missouri?

George Washington Carver was born as a slave in Diamond, Missouri around 1864. His owner, Moses Carver, though not for slavery needed help on his farm and bought George’s parents for $700. Just a week after George was born, bushwhackers (people who stole slaves and then sold them in other states) kidnapped his mother, sister and him. Moses hired a man to find the slaves and bring them back. He found George, but never found his mother and sister. It cost Moses a good horse to procure George’s return. Moses Carver, after the slaves were freed, raised George and his brother as their own children. We will never know the impact Moses Carver had on the integrity found in George Washington Carver.

The primary crop of the south was cotton. Cotton is a plant that depletes the land of its nutrients and eventually the land cannot sustain the crop. On top of this the boll weevil invaded cotton in 1892 almost destroying the cotton industry. The economy of the south was in crisis. It was found that planting peanuts and other crops in rotation with cotton put the nutrients back in the soil, but peanuts at that time did not bring in much profit. George Washington Carver worked tirelessly to find products from peanuts that would be profitable and therefor give reason to plant them. He invented over 100 products from the peanut, such as peanut butter, plastics, paint, dye and a type of gasoline. In 1921 George Washington Carver testified before congress in an effort to implement a tariff on importing peanuts, giving the south the advantage in the market place. Carver’s work helped the south and its economy come through a very difficult time.

George Washington Carver once said, "If I know the answer you can have it for the price of a postage stamp. The Lord charges nothing for knowledge and I will charge you the same."

Also born in Diamond, Missouri in 1906 to a Baptist minister, Paul Miller became a worldwide influence in the area of journalism. Even during high school, college and after he graduated in 1931 he worked as a journalist for several newspapers in Oklahoma. In 1932 he married Louise Johnson and began his first job with the Associated press. He became chief of the Washington bureau in 1942, covered the 1945 United Nations Organization conference in San Francisco in 1945 and joined the Gannett Corporation in 1947. Paul went on to become president and chief executive officer of the Gannett Corporation from 1957 to 1978 and also president and chairman of the Associated Press from 1963-1977. He met with world leaders and became a national spokesman for journalistic affairs. His integrity was well known while maintaining that "Our actions must be determined not by mere compliance with state or federal law, not by public attitudes, but on the basis of doing the right thing."

Doyle’s mother, Paul Miller's first cousin, was born in the same town, Diamond, Missouri in 1908. She told the Lord, "if you will give me a son, I will give him back to you." The Lord answered her prayer. God took Doyle as a young boy, adopted him, and led him on a path to do His will. Alba’s son is now preaching the Gospel, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus to the whole world and interceding in prayer for this country.

Wikipedia, George Washington Carver,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Carver

Bio, George Washington Carver,
http://www.biography.com/people/george-washington-carver-9240299

National Park Service, George Washington Carver National Monument,
http://www.nps.gov/gwca/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm

Paul Miller, A Biographical Sketch, Paul Miller Collection Oklahoma State,
http://www.library.okstate.edu/scua/collect/miller/paulmiller.htm

Written by Kathie Davidson

Diamond, Missouri George Washington Carver National Park

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