Holidays are wonderful, but it is good to be back in the normal swing of things, able to interview someone for this column. Seeking in prayer for that someone, I knew I had to go in to the bank yesterday, instead of just driving through. Any one of the gracious bank personnel at The Citizen’s Bank in Decatur would be a good subject for this column, and I hope to be able to bring them to you in the future. Also, there was a kind gentleman there who I knew instantly would be a good person to feature.
The smiling lady who usually serves you at the drive-through window of the bank is Ms. Lena Allen. She was born Lena Corinne Miles, in Hollandale, Mississippi, the third child to Rev. Lester Miles, Jr., and Susan McCool Miles, originally from the Delta. They moved here when Lena was six, as her father began teaching at East Central Junior College in 1985. He taught air conditioning and refrigeration there for eighteen years, before retiring and moving to Moorehead, Mississippi, to teach at Mississippi Delta Community College for 6 ½ years.
Rev. Miles had pastored a Church of God in Union for a number of years, as Lena grew up. Moving to Moorehead, he pastored there, then at Riley, Mississippi, before returning to Union, where he has been pastoring the Union Church of God for five years. Besides caring for the family and doing the church work of a pastor’s wife, Lena’s mother Susan Miles also worked at the East Central Daycare for several years.
Lena’s older sister is Lacreatia Miles Pierce. She and her husband Jeff live in Chunky. Their children are Jeffrey Pierce and Victoria Pierce Adams, with her husband Anthony and three children, Bethany, Caleb, and Mason. Her second sister was Leslie Cleveland, a nurse, who passed away in 2016. Leslie’s two boys are Trey and Jacob Cleveland, who both live in Hickory with their wives Mary Lou and Kelsee, respectively. Trey and Mary Lou’s boy is Bentley. Lena’s younger brother is Lester “Bubba” Miles, III. He and his wife Jaki, with daughter Lily, also live in Hickory. Young Lester teaches managers how to manage stores in Laurel.
With a smile, Lena recalled that Ms. Pat Anderson was her first grade teacher at Boler Elementary. The school situation eventually changed, as Lena’s class only attended Decatur High School for a year before becoming, in her tenth grade year, the first class to attend the new Newton County High School. She graduated from NCHS in 1998. Things she most remembers that she enjoyed in high school were the child care class she took at the Vo-Tech and the friendships that she made then and still enjoys now.
Lena’s best friend in 1997 was Melody Dewitt, now Gilbert, of Little Rock, who introduced her to Chris Allen, son of Clarence and Sandra Allen of Newton. After socializing with friends a while, then dating, they were married March 10, 1998. Chris worked at ESCO at that time, then at La-Z-Boy for a while. For a year and a half, he worked at Georgia Power, but they couldn’t stand his being away from the family so much. Now, after working his way up at Pearl River Resort, he is a manager of surveillance. He works nights, which keeps him available to take their children wherever they need to go. Lena says, with obvious gratitude, “Anything I ask him to do, he does it.”
Their children are Christian Shane, 21, Natalie Michelle, 13, and Brandon Gabriel, 12. All three are “straight-A students,” Lena reported. Christian graduated from Newton County High School in 2016, attended East Central Community College for two years learning Drafting and Design, and now works at the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
Natalie does gym and cheers, and is in the eighth grade at NCHS. She participates in team gym and goes to competitions, adding to her wall full of medals. Natalie wants to be a doctor or pediatric nurse. Brandon, in the seventh grade at NCMS, likes video games and hunting with his grandfather. He is also looking forward to taking archery this year.
In May 0f 2009, Mrs. Lena Allen began working at the bank. She told me, “I love working there. I like the customers, and the people I work with, too.” As one of those customers, I know I miss her when she is not at the window.
Two years ago, the family had a huge scare. Lena thought she had a cold, but was feeling so bad that she had to miss Natalie’s first competition of the year. Becoming increasingly unable to breathe, she was taken to the Emergency Room at Laird’s Hospital, then to Rush Hospital in Meridian by ambulance. Doctors think she had a blood clot on her lungs. Since then, she uses inhalers and medications and has to see her doctor immediately at the first sign of a cold or similar problems, as it seems her lungs are weaker and more vulnerable now.
When I asked about the biggest miracle she had ever experienced, she replied, “My being able to survive and not missing out on my kids’ lives. That came from a lot of prayers and a lot of good doctors.” She remembered, “When I woke up, I could hear my daddy praying for me.” She also told me of how her mama never took her phone to church, but did that day. Lena declared, “The Lord got her to do it.” When Chris called her to tell of Lena being taken to the hospital, her parents left in the middle of the service to go.
Having been brought up in a devout Christian home, with parents who were pastors of a Church of God, she recalled asking Jesus into her heart at a young age, as she prayed with her mother. Lena married a young man who was reared in the Church of Christ, which was very different. As a young bride, she was baptized in Union Church of Christ, and they are members at the Duffee Church of Christ now, where she enjoys helping teach preschool children when they have evening Vacation Bible School.
She assured me that they also enjoy visiting her parents at their church and love all the people there as well. Concerning her experience at the Church of God, she related, “We used to go to Arlington church camp close to Philadelphia. Used to go help my parents as they ran the concession stand.” She loves feeling how the Holy Spirit moves in a church service and told of feeling God’s presence in the room when someone would receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Lena restated how she loves both churches, saying, “My kids have a lot of involvement with my parents’ church. Wonderful people that go to both of them.” It is refreshing to see this kind of love between church people who believe so differently, yet who all believe in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that all true Christians, regardless of the denomination name, will be together with the Lord for eternity, praise His name!
Live for Jesus! He’s coming soon!
You may contact me at lagnesrussell@gmail.com or 601-635-3282.
