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Yadkinville man shares Christ through gift of cross
Jesse Miles, Special to the Recorder
May 20, 2015
3 MIN READ TIME

Yadkinville man shares Christ through gift of cross

Yadkinville man shares Christ through gift of cross
Jesse Miles, Special to the Recorder
May 20, 2015

Witnessing to complete strangers can be intimidating, but not for Mickie Reavis. He has a story to tell and doesn’t hesitate to let others know how God spared his life.

Reavis grew up in the Lone Hickory Community of Yadkin County, N.C., where he and his wife, Ann, still reside. They are active members of Bethel Baptist Church in Yadkinville.

In 2010, while working on his truck in the shop behind his house, Reavis was overcome by carbon monoxide fumes. He was rushed to a local hospital and later transported to Duke University Hospital where he was placed in a hyperbaric chamber to rid his body of the poisonous fumes.

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Mickie Reavis sands one of the crosses he plans to give to someone as he shares Christ with others in his daily life.

In the months that followed his breathing continued to deteriorate. A lung biopsy revealed he had a severe lung disease known as Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis.

The treatment placed him back in a hyperbaric chamber at Duke. It was the only treatment available at the time short of the last option, a lung transplant.

After three separate hospital stays involving extended procedures and multiple battles with infections, Reavis was released to go home. He credits his recovery to determination, answered prayers and “God’s amazing grace.”

Reavis said he has always been able to witness to people, and doesn’t mind asking, “Are you saved?” But after his recovery he had a desire to do more.

He doesn’t work full time, but Reavis never seems to run short on things to do.

He serves on the building and grounds committee at Bethel and spends countless hours doing small repairs on the church property.

In his spare time, he serves the “Good Lord” by hand crafting small wooden crosses that he offers to everyone he meets.

The small cross measures about one inch by two inches. He draws the pattern on a plank of walnut wood, Reavis’ wood of choice, and skillfully cuts the cross with a scroll saw. After the sanding process he drills a hole for a chain or ring. The final step is to hand a cross to a stranger, something he enjoys.

Reavis estimates he has given away over 1,000 crosses. He carries them tucked away in the front pocket of his jeans and hands them out in restaurants, stores or wherever life takes him.

The crosses serve as a reminder that “our Savior is waiting for anyone who will accept His saving grace. When you are going through a difficult season in life, you are never alone – God is with you every step of the way.”

Reavis keeps a journal of responses from people to whom he has witnessed. He also hands out a tract on “How to be saved.” It’s his way of witnessing; his way of serving.

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Jesse Miles, pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Yadkinville, N.C., submitted this story to the Biblical Recorder.)