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TO THE EDITOR:
Approximately 40 years ago there was a huge scandal in Jordan, Minn. about many kids being molested by teachers, superintendent and a few cops. Lots of parents hired lawyers and everyone accused, denied it. After some time some of the kids retracted their stories and a slick lawyer told the judge that we can not have kids destroying the reputations of community leaders. It could have also been said that we can not have community leaders molesting kids. But the judge threw the case out. One Christian psychologist said that if people are demonic they can lie quite convincingly to cover it up. That was the only explanation that made sense to me.
About 10 years later I was a student at Augustana. One day the students were taking turns introducing themselves. The most positive one declared proudly that she was from Jordan, Minn. Most of them had not heard about the scandal. For a possible solution I mentioned the problem and said that if they grew up in covered up molestation, they needed a way out. I mentioned that they should all move out of that town a few at a time so the housing market would not crash because they did not need to also lose all their wealth.
Twenty five years later I met my daughter and granddaughter for a family outing at Emma Krumbies Apple Orchard at Belle Plaine which was a great family outing for over 50 years till they closed last year. Afterward we were going to go to the McDonald’s in Belle Plaine but it was closed. So we went to the next town of Jordan. As we ate I told my daughter about the scandal. When I told about the idea of everyone moving out to get a new start on life, a 40 year old customer who was eating by himself two tables away suddenly said, “Oh my God, that is why there is almost no old people here that were born here.” A couple of tables further away an old man started to shake in fear.
If God can take someone from over 100 miles away to suspect a problem, give a possible solution and then come and get proof of a guilty person, then when God says in the Bible “be assured that your sin will find you out,” then he can make you have a chance to repent so you do not find flaming pitchforks when you thought the gates would be pearly.
Roger Elgersma
Pipestone