People enter our lives for all different sorts of reasons. Many of them help us discover something new about ourselves, while others teach us things about life and the world around us. Some like a freshly lit candle, burn brightly but briefly and are gone as quickly as they came.And then there’s the one that changes your entire destiny.Journey through one woman’s extraordinary tale of Faith, Love, Hope and finally Victory as she recounts the tale of one of the greatest stories never before told. The tale of a man who dared to walk out on nothing more than a Word...and ended up Launching a Legacy. See his supernatural story from his humble beginnings to his heart wrenching demise, and the longstanding legacy he left behind, through the eyes of one who dared stand courageously by his side until the very end.Meet Buford "Pat" Snipes, the wife of preacher, pastor and evangelist, Aaron Snipes, Sr. as she helps you discover the Miracle of Faith, the Strength of Love, the Healing of Hope and the Power of Victory.

THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF A DYING CONQUEROR

By Pat Snipes

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2011 Pat Snipes
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4634-3806-7

Contents

Forewords..........................................ixIntroduction.......................................1Chapter 1: The Love Story..........................3Chapter 2: The Lessons Learned.....................11Chapter 3: The Laboring Leader.....................18Chapter 4: The Life................................22Chapter 5: The Legacy..............................30Chapter 6: The Last Days...........................71The Conclusion.....................................91

Chapter One

The Love Story

There are people who come into your life for specific purposes. These may be unknown to you at the time, but there is awareness. That is how I felt the first time I met the man about whom I'm writing. It happened one hot, sunny Sunday in 1950. While visiting my Auntie Eula, my sister and I noticed a shiny, super-clean, black 1949 Ford car parked across the railroad track. My sister's boyfriend came to see her. He looked at me and said, "I have a friend out in the car. He drove me here. Will you go out there and meet him?"

Not knowing this first meeting was connected to my destiny, I said, "Of course I will."

I proceeded to the car and introduced myself. I asked Aaron to get out and come join me and the others inside the house. He replied, "No!" His refusal was motivated by having to drive on a muddy, unpaved road to where I lived. Imagine the fury of a young man whose car was freshly washed and polished, with whitewall tires!

After he got over his anger, we introduced ourselves properly. When I told him my name—which is Buford—he said, "I am not going to call you by that name. I am going to call you Pat." From that day until his death, he called me Pat as my nickname.

I learned a lot about Aaron Snipes Sr. that day as I sat in his car. Born March 21, 1937, the youngest of his siblings, he was seventeen years of age. Born in Schley County, Georgia, he lived with his mother, four sisters and two brothers. His dad had died, leaving his mom to raise the children alone. Aaron came up the hard way but never took the easy way out. From the time he was a little boy, he wanted to make life better for his mom.

It was not easy for his mom raising seven kids. So she married again. This was a big mistake, because Aaron's stepfather was a mean man who spanked the children unmercifully. Aaron and his siblings vowed that when they were older and he spanked them, they were going to kill him. I thank God this never happened. One day, his stepfather just up and left. Later, Aaron and the family learned their stepfather had become sick and died.

Shortly after Aaron's older brother, Willie "Boot" Snipes, enlisted in the military, something terrible happened to him. Willie was aboard an American ship during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was one of the soldiers who lost his life during the attack.

Thereafter, Aaron's family worked for many years as share croppers on a farm in Ellaville, Georgia. They never came out in the clear at the end of the year, always being told they owed "the man." They kept hoping they might break even—maybe the next year.

When Aaron's mom received the money from the military for her older son's death, she bought land in Americus, Georgia. She had a house built. Mrs. Essie Snipes-Trice told the kids that the family was leaving Ellaville and moving to Americus.

After moving to Americus, young Aaron Snipes began to acquire popularity at school. He became one of the best school crossing guards ever. The children knew he didn't tolerate foolishness. He gained their respect, and they in return loved and respected him. He was the kind of person who never started a job he didn't finish. He always wanted to be the best he could be in everything, and he tried to convey this message to everyone. He constantly stated, "When you come to a place, make sure you leave it better than you found it."

After moving to Americus, he took a job at Eli Attayah Grocery as a grocery boy. Back then, people could come to town and buy groceries or call in their orders and have them delivered to their homes. That's the kind of work Aaron did. He had a bicycle with a big basket on the front. The groceries were placed there for Aaron to deliver to the customers' homes.

This was where he was working when we met the second time. Oddly, I had never seen him at Eli Attayah Grocery before. Our family always went there once a month to do business. We'd sometimes go biweekly to sell blackberries or pecans, as the custom was for the "country folks." Now I was looking for Aaron when I came to town.

On Saturday, I came to town with my parents on the back of a truck cut from a car. We didn't know what it was to be ashamed of riding on something that looked so ridiculous. We were just happy coming to the "big city" to go to Nona's, a hamburger place. Hamburgers were sold for twenty-five cents each. We parked our car/truck there while the whole family ate until we were stuffed.

It was one Saturday as I went to town in Americus that I saw Aaron sitting outside on his bike, waiting for an order. I walked toward him, scared, my heart beating loud and fast. I thought I was going to faint. But of course, I got myself together as I approached him, acting as if he didn't move me one way or the other. I knew somehow my life would be altered. It was at this time I knew I loved him but didn't know how he felt about me. In my heart, I knew this man was going to be my husband, and I was not going to do anything "unladylike" to get his attention.

Let me interject this point: when God ordains something, He will order your steps and orchestrate your life. At this time, Aaron and I didn't confess to having God in our lives. Although we were churchgoers and workers in the church, God was not the head of our lives.

On that particular Saturday, we talked casually. Aaron asked me for my address and if I had a way to get home. That was it! He never stated he would like to see me again. I guessed that perhaps I had read too much into our first meeting. I had felt this second meeting would be the one to finally connect us to our destiny. I left him that Saturday truly disappointed.

Afterward, I never saw Aaron when I went to town. He'd always be on an errand or at his boss's house caring for Jimmy, a special-needs relative of his boss.

A few months passed, and then a church near my home hosted their homecoming day. This day consisted of people bringing plenty of food and various vendors selling barbeque and all types of goodies. As my sisters and I were standing beside the road, guess who came driving up in that black, shiny, 1949 Ford with the whitewall tires, gleaming hubcaps, and sporty rims? Aaron Snipes! This time he was bringing my cousin Clara's boyfriend to see her, and my sister's boyfriend also.

Aaron called me over to get in the car, and we all went for a ride. I sat in the front with him while the others were in the back. He had the radio playing country-western music. I was somewhat amazed because I thought nobody listened to those kinds of songs except white people and me. Aaron was not only listening, but he also knew the songs. Our twenty-mile road trip to Cordele, Georgia, was filled with us singing those country songs together the entire way.

I also discovered Aaron was a musician and played the guitar. He told me, "I want you to learn how to play the guitar."

I was thinking, "Just because we love country-western songs, I don't know about this guitar playing. I don't even have a guitar or desire to play one."

Little did I know that God was preparing me for what would later be known as our Crusade Outreach for the Lost Evangelistic Ministry. Jeremiah 1:5 states, "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou came forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." Not only had He chosen Aaron from the foundation of the earth, but He also chose me to walk beside this giant of a man to help fulfill his purpose and his destiny.

During this meeting, it was obvious God had placed us together. Proverbs 18:22 says, "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of the Lord." I never "ran" behind Aaron or went out of my way to find him. Both times, it was as if he was placed directly in my path. He "found" me!

When we returned from our trip to Cordele, Aaron wanted to meet my parents. After meeting him, they just loved him! He even asked them for permission to come and see me on Wednesday nights. Believe it or not, my parents said yes! I had no problem with the consent. Somehow I knew, even before completely turning my life over to Christ, that we were purposely put together for Kingdom business.

Aaron was a young man the ladies admired. He had female acquaintances and was dating one in particular before he met me the second time. She was insanely jealous of him. When he told her their relationship was over, she became mad at me and intended to fight me whenever I came to town on Saturdays. Aaron employed his brother, Henry, to walk the streets with me and protect me while I waited until Aaron finished work at the grocery store.

After Aaron finished working on Saturday nights, he would take me home. My mom and dad trusted him wholeheartedly. They too sensed something `godly' in him. They told me he was a well-mannered young man, and I agreed. He was the kind of gentleman who would get out and open the door for me. He would also make sure I was seated before he sat down.

Every Wednesday night at seven o'clock, he would drive eight miles to my house to "court" me. Due to the loud muffler on his car, I could hear him two miles away when he turned off Highway 280 onto Huntington Road (Huntington, Georgia, was the name of the little town where I lived). Whenever I heard this sound far away, I knew it was him. My heart would start acting crazy all over again.

Aaron's weekly visits consisted of us sitting in the living room, talking about our lives and what we wanted to do in the future. My future aspiration was to become a teacher. Aaron never mentioned what kind of profession he wanted to pursue. He was a "jack of all trades." He was a hard worker who could build things with his hands. He could take nothing and make it into something. He made sure he took good care of his mother. He also helped his sisters with their children by teaching them and setting a good example for them. He believed in saving money and practiced spending wisely for necessary items.

After we had been courting for over a year, his conversation began to include me as part of his future. He never asked me to be part of it. Somehow he just assumed he didn't have to ask me. He took it for granted that I understood his intentions without saying anything. It was as if he was saying as he looked at me, "Who did you think I was talking about when I was telling you about what I wanted?"

During one of our times together, Aaron told me about the times he would pretend to preach when he was a little boy. He described how he set up a mock church outside and would preach to whatever and whoever would listen.

I remember one of his childhood friends, Lois Taylor, saying he would preach so hard she would just dance and shout. Lois told him she knew in her heart that one day he would become a preacher. He was a godly child, always helping those who couldn't help themselves. He had all those godly qualities, but he wasn't saved.

Aaron was a member of a church in Ellaville, where he attended faithfully. After his family moved to Americus, he continued to attend church. He was good but not saved, a sermon he later preached. Ephesians 2:8-9 states, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."

Everyone thought Aaron was Essie's little darling boy who was perceived as being "so good," but his reply was, "They just didn't know. Even if I hadn't done the big sins that they didn't see me do, it wouldn't have meant I was saved."

Because of the way he carried himself, Aaron could have been hired by any church as a preacher. But no, this was one man who couldn't call himself. It had to be a "God called and God sent" call, not a man sent or a man went call. This man had to be convinced by God that he was a chosen vessel unto God to bear His Name before the world and show sinners that Jesus is the way. As the Lord told Paul, "For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake" (Acts 9:16).

I did not know God had chosen me to be instrumental in bringing Aaron to Him. I didn't know we were being knitted together to be a beacon of light to lost and wayfaring souls, but God did. God also knew we only had a short time to finish the course, because Aaron was a dying man; I didn't know that death was already working in his body. I can recall when he asked me to marry him, but he was afraid to ask my parents. He thought they would say no because I was only fifteen and a half years old, though I was very mature at that age.

It seemed as if my life was being interrupted at a fast pace. I wanted to become a schoolteacher. I wanted to be someone special. I wanted to make a difference in poor children's lives. My desire was to help children born into poverty realize they did not have to remain in that state. They could rise above their adversity.

But now this man was talking about marriage. When I said "yes" to Aaron, I knew that I was walking into our destiny. When he got my parent's consent, my dad told him to take care of me because I was his heart. Daddy further stated, "If you think you can't treat her right, don't take her away." My daddy made this statement even though he felt we loved each other, and love was the key.

Mr. Oscar Green, my dad, wanted to give me the best wedding he could afford. We had an enormous church wedding at our family church in Huntington. The reception was held at my parents' home not far from the church. What a big community affair that took place for this little country girl and the love of her life! I shall never forget that day. We were truly happy, although we did not go on a honeymoon. Aaron told me that one day he would take me places I had never been. And it happened just as he said.

After the wedding, we moved to Americus and lived with his mother, his sister, and his sister's husband. My mother-in-law and I loved each other dearly. She told Aaron he'd better treat me right or he would have to answer to her. In this situation, we were taught valuable lessons for what God had in store for us. For instance, we learned if we were faithful with another person's things, God would make us ruler over much of our own.

Chapter Two

The Lessons Learned

As time passed, our first child, Ann, was born in the house where we lived with Aaron's mother. One year later, we moved into the housing projects, where our second child, Aaron Jr., was born prematurely, weighing only two pounds. God blessed us to be able to bring him home with an incubator and a nurse visiting every day to check on him.

My husband was still working at Eli Attayah Grocery earning twenty-five dollars a week. God blessed us and we made it without going on welfare. Sometimes, living from paycheck to paycheck, we had to rob Peter to pay Paul, but we still made it. Aaron would do odd jobs for the Nassau family, who originated from the Middle East. They accepted him as a family member and helped us through some difficult times when we hardly had food to eat. God was always on time!

However, we still were not saved. In fact, we didn't know what being saved meant. But God was working it out. We had our third child, Alesia, two years later. Then I became pregnant with our fourth child, Jackie, and something happened before she was born. God saved me!

When our first child was born, God turned what the devil meant for evil into good. Because I lifted something heavy after Ann was born, my internal female organs were seriously affected and I developed a sore in the bottom of my stomach. After birthing two more children, I had many visits to the doctor and emergency room because of the severe pains in my stomach. Still, I was not healed.

One day, Sylvia, my sister-in-law, told me she believed God was trying to get my attention. Sylvia was saved, filled with the Holy Ghost, and constantly attempting to talk to Aaron and me about her new experience. Well, we didn't want to hear about her Holy Ghost. That was for those sanctified, tongue-speaking, holy rollers. We wanted no part of it. But she kept talking and I kept hurting.

I finally told God I just wanted Him to heal me because Sylvia said He was a healer. God responded plainly to me, "I will not heal you until you do what I ask you to do. This is your last chance to say yes to My Will. I have been calling you, but you have ignored Me." A godly fear came over me that day. I told my sister-in-law I wanted to go to church with her on Sunday, and I wanted to be saved because my time was running out. She was ecstatic to take me.

At church, I sat with my brother-in-law, Bobby, who thought it was very funny when the saints of God were dancing and praising God. We began to laugh at them. It was then that I felt the fear of God as the Spirit brought conviction into my heart. I asked God to forget about healing me. I just wanted to be saved.

I sat through the entire service, and I didn't get saved. After hearing the powerful message from Bishop Welch, the pastor, I didn't respond to the altar call. For some reason, I couldn't move. I went back to the evening service but still didn't get saved. Nevertheless, I knew God's hand and spirit were drawing me to totally surrender to Him.

After dismissal, I knew this was my last chance to get saved, since God had drawn a deadline in my life. I felt a sense of urgency. Proverbs 1:24-26 states, "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh." Further, Proverbs 1:28 states, "Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me." I did not want this to be me.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF A DYING CONQUERORby Pat Snipes Copyright © 2011 by Pat Snipes. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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