DERBY BLOG

The KY Derby always conjures up images of chestnut horses, colorful jockey uniforms, big hats, bow ties and lest we not forget lots of money. Most of this held true during my few days working at Churchill Downs recently. Annually, G.O. Ministries hosts a derby fundraiser at Churchill Downs. G.O. finds responsible staff people to help a company called “THE GAME” sell apparel and other memorabilia.

Last year I had a fun time working in a tractor-trailer turned sales booth near the paddock area. It was an interesting mix of rich folks, poor folks, working folks and the horses. There are also sales locations outside Churchill Downs, in the walkways, across from the one thousand dollar mint julep stand and in the infamous “infield”. This year I was assigned to the luxurious and well known Jockey Club. Many people refer to this area as Millionaires’ Row. The minimum cost of a meal in this area was three hundred dollars. The food consisted of finger food, salads and fancy little desserts. The extra money obviously was to cover the impeccable service and fantastic view of the entire track from the sixth floor.

During my three days of work I was able to spot just one person who I knew for sure was famous, that was the Governor of Kentucky Steven Beshear. I knew him for sure because there were state police around him. That was not unusual, as all day there were police coming and going with whoever could pay their salary for the day. I did not recognize a single person who had police protection other than the governor of the commonwealth of Kentucky.

G.O. succeeded in what we wanted to accomplish and we are so thankful for each and every volunteer who spent their own resources and time to assist us in aiding Dominicans and Haitians.

There were some differences in being in the paddock area last year and millionaires’ row this year. The biggest was obviously the money and the purchases made. In millionaire’s row almost every dialogue started with “give me”, “I need” or “I want”. In the paddock area each transaction began with “how much is…”?

During one very brief break I was able to run to the restroom. While in the bathroom I turned toward a mirror and immediately recognized a famous person. I did not know who it was but I knew I had seen him on TV or the movies. In the mirror I saw this “star” primp himself but more so I noticed the look on his face. It was an expression of “am I good enough or can I do this.” The expression was sincere and the look in his eyes seemed to be searching for confidence. I did not understand it because he was in a great looking suit, is famous if I recognized him so I knew he had money, and there he was clearly pondering something. Later it came to light to me why he was searching for confidence. When the derby ended I saw him leaving with a woman that was seemingly 20 years younger than he, taller than he and very pretty.

Another interesting thing occurred right in front of my eyes in millionaire’s row. At one point a woman came up to the booth and asked for some items. I sold them to her without looking at her credit card. She was a mid-age woman, blondish hair, thin build and a little unkempt. After the transaction she turned to leave but stopped and bent over to tie her shoe. Her skirt was camouflage and short much different from the colorful, frilly, cocktail dresses everyone else was wearing. Needless to say the skirt got shorter when she bent over. I turned back toward the display and gave her a moment to walk away and I turned back to aid the next customer. At that point she reached up in the air to stretch and fix her hair and exposed another part of her body. Again, I turned away. It was a busy point so I gave her just another moment and turned back again to help another customer. At this point she looked at me and said, “have a good afternoon.” I simply said “you too” and served the next person. I was later to find out that allegedly she was a very rich daughter of a past US president.

Another gentleman who stayed around our booth for a few hours was full of laughs. He was making joke after joke about life, people, the derby, horses and about being rich. He was constantly on the “blackberry phone” to his wife about what she wanted him to buy for various members of the family. I have to say I enjoyed his company. We found out that he lived in Dallas/Ft. Worth and owned a horse farm in Lexington, KY. We also found out that he is an owner of not one but two horses in the derby, neither of which won, placed or showed. He talked about how he missed his kids but that they were spoiled, he wanted his wife to be with him but there were challenges there and the list went on as the day drew later. It was clear from numerous comments that he was a lonely gentleman.

One last scenario that played out over the day was with a woman and two men. The first time I saw this man he was by himself, coherent and was wanting to buy something but was not sure who to buy for and he would stop by later. Before the actual derby race he came back with a woman who was clearly intoxicated as was he now. He started to buy things telling her, “get whatever you want.” She said simply, I just need something for my two sons and proceeded to look at the t-shirts. Another woman standing near-by commented to her that her, how do I say bra, was showing a bit too much. She fired back instantly, “he’ll take care of that later.” Of course that started a drunken dialogue and kissing. They left with about 150 dollars worth of items. After the derby was clearing out that woman stopped by the booth with another man who also bought her some things and they left together hand in hand. After the last race was over the first man came by with two other guys and yet another woman. It was clear from their conversation that they had all just met and were going to party.

People are people. We all have problems no matter race, monetary level or education. One of the nicest persons I met during my time at the derby was Nikki who was a tattooed 6’2’ woman who was working in the elevator all day. She was real, cheery and very helpful.

The rich are no different than the poor. We think there are different levels of poverty and wealth but we are all the same. We are all seeking love, unconditional love which only God can supply.

I am in Louisville and have a busy time in the USA. One of the most frequent questions I get is, “how are you enjoying your vacation?” Something I have learned over the last years in the Dominican is that I don’t take a Sabbath and make it Holy. Since January of this year I have been really trying to not break that commandment. It is possibly the commandment we break most frequently. While in the USA I have been taking that day of rest but outside of that my rest has been getting 7 or so hours of sleeping in a quiet environment. I am so thankful for my host family. Dick and Bev are wonderful hosts and treat me as a younger brother. They will attest to the crazy schedule I keep while in Louisville. My friend Tom with whom I often stay while in Florida will speak up quickly about the running around I do in that state. Coming to the United States is a break in some respects and more difficult in others. If I can make one point from this little blog no matter where I go I am a missionary and so are you. Missionaries who are stateside reaching out to non-Christian populations here in the USA are also on the front lines. That front line starts at your home’s main entrance.