H.O.M.E. Graduate Spotlight
When Espie Ran- dolph agreed to meet his estranged wife one eve- ning in May 2018, he couldn’t imagine the turn his life was about to take, or where God would have him standing today.
Randolph grew up in a strict home where expectations of excellence were placed on both himself and his siblings. Randolph’s father received Christ into his life when Randolph was eight. Randolph recalls life changing at that point, a pivotal time in his childhood home. The fam- ily began to attend church regularly, and the gospel was taught in his childhood home. Randolph’s fa- ther eventually became a Deacon in their church, a man who worked hard all his life; he was a father that expected his children to achieve academic excel- lence and remarkable careers. Randolph often felt like he didn’t measure up. In contrast, Randolph’s mother provided a loving home and was the type of parent that encouraged her children to discuss their problems, a nurturing caregiver. As a young adult, Randolph rebelled from the expectations that were set for him. He had several well-paying jobs, and he married and had children. While Randolph tried to live by the world’s standards, he found no joy, no peace. So, when he agreed to have dinner with his wife on that Monday evening May, she presented him with information about the House of Mercy’s Christian Human Development Program, and he decided to surrender and didn’t even go home to pack a bag. He hasn’t looked back.
Preston Crow, the program director, states “Espie Randolph has completed this program exactly as it was intended to be completed. He surrendered and accepted what God had for him.” At House of Mercy Randolph learned, “To slow down and understand God through reading God’s Word. “I always thought I knew God’s Word, but I never really read the Bible until I got here,” Randolph said.
Randolph minimizes his role in the good things going on in his life, and he acknowledges that all the credit goes to God. He said, “Once you’ve experienced that love [God’s love], there’s no love other than that. I want other people to experience that same love. I know God has a ministry for me - to create that same feeling in other people so that they can take it to their families, to their community and the world.”
Randolph will continue to make his home in Olney. In his position as quality assurance supervisor for Tower Fab Lighting, Randolph will strive to live the life God called him to. “He gave me a position of Christian leadership at my job. My job is an extension of what God is doing in my life. He just put me in an arena where I could be a spokesperson for Him,” he said.
In regard to his view about the House of Mercy, Randolph said, “It’s not about the house, it’s about the life that’s lived there. You’ll find something there that none of us deserve, mercy.”