A Texas state trooper stopped to pray with Lanell McGee James and her husband as they traveled to say goodbye to his brother.
Lanell McGee James and her husband were traveling to Dallas to say goodbye to his deceased brother when they were stopped on the highway for a “non-speeding violation.” But, in a very nonstandard act of compassion, Trooper Bates took a moment to pray with the couple before sending them on their way.
The gesture so touched them that James posted the story to social media, where it has been shared over 85,000 times. “With so much going on nowadays with police killing people and people killing the police as well as racial tensions, I felt compelled to share this picture,” James wrote in the viral Facebook post, remembering:
As we were traveling to Dallas on Sunday going through Madisonville on 45 I was pulled over by a state trooper for a non-speeding violation. When Trooper Bates approached the car he asked where we were headed. I told him to Dallas because we had a death in the family.
He asked was it immediate and I said yes my husbands brother. He said oh I’m sorry to hear that, do you know where he is? My husband answered “yes at the morgue” and the office responded “no he is now in his heavenly home”. At this point my husband and I are both moved to tears because his brothers death was very unexpected.
The officer asked for my ID and returned to his vehicle. He came back with a warning and asked if he could pray with us. He removed his hat asked to hold our hands and he prayed with us. I have NEVER had this happen before but it was everything that we needed in that moment. Thank you so much Trooper Bates for praying with us!
The couple was let go with a warning after the moment of prayer. “Thank you so much Trooper Bates for praying with us!” Lamell said.
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