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PASTOR SMITH, Teviston House of Prayer

After Pastor Lionel Smith's father died when he was only seven, his mother packed up the entire family and brought them to California's great Central Valley. Now Pastor for Teviston's House of Worship for the last 11 years, and commuting 45 minutes twice weekly for services and bible study class from his home in Fresno, he firmly believes "We survived because we were given a mission. If you accept the calling, you do it. You accept the bad and the good. Sometimes there are only two people, but I accepted the calling…I've had four or five kids grow up and come back — it's home for them. It's a foundation…A lot of Pentecostals came out of the fields, out of poverty — they are not ashamed. They are proud people — very, very proud. All they have is a boot and a shoe but they'll share it with you."