Answered Prayer at the Ambush Museum

Louisiana goes on and on and on. Highway 80 exposes the traveler to the reality without the polish of fast food restaurants and tourist attractions. As I drove through towns with tiny shacks, cotton fields, and cedar swamp bayous, I was ashamed to confess my indifference to and ignorance of how most people live. I was also shocked at my uncomfortable sense as I realized I saw very few white women ---- and no new bright blue Cruisers. It seems 80 has been relegated to locals only. Miles of lonely stretches made me grateful I chose not to do this leg at night. For all those who claim we are out of habitable space, I wish they would retrace my steps. There are literally thousands and thousands of square miles of rivers, trees, and fields containing very few people. We are NOT out of land --- we are out of room for shopping malls. Before I break into America the Beautiful I want to tell you about the Ambush Museum.
Making a sharp curve in a small Louisiana town, I caught a sign out of the corner of my eye, “The Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum.” By this time, I was thinking about schedule and making it to the log house with blue garage doors before dark. But, I hadn’t met an interesting person today and this had potential. As I walked to the door, I prayed, “Let me say a word for Jesus.”
“Boots” Hinton sat behind the counter with a distinct Western flair. His colorful style, accompanied by a thorough knowledge of Bonnie and Clyde captured my attention. As he began telling me about the museum and related anecdotes about its owner and history, I found that the schedule really didn’t matter at all….I had met my interesting person! “How did you start learning about Bonnie and Clyde,” I asked. He simply pointed to a sign on the wall describing an honor given to two lawmen for their crucial role in the death of these two outlaws. “See that name?” The name was Ted Hinton. “He was my Dad.” I knew this was a great way to wrap up this day. Story after story about his past poured out. When he was born four renowned lawmen were at the hospital and were his Godfathers. “How could I not be a cop with a heritage like that?”
In retirement after his Dad’s death, he started to complete the tasks left on his Dad’s plate --- one of which was the Bonnie and Clyde Museum in the town where they were ambushed and killed.
Museum owner, Ken Holmes, Jr. of Dallas walked in and helped answer my prayer. “They met their death that day, but I don’t know where they went. They were baptized, but they certainly weren’t walking with the Lord.” A conversation about the Lord followed. Isn’t Jesus good?