creek for the foundation, using centuries- old methods and tools.


As they were finishing the founda- tion, a friend called Mitchell about a local train wreck in which a carload of 2-by-10 lumber had spilled to the ground and was being sold as refuse. Would Mitchell be interested in buying half the load? Of course! Weeks later, for a total of $225, the Tolles’ house—built entirely of 2-by- 10s—was up and under roof.


It was now winter. Mitchell says, “At 24 years of age, I went into a bank for the first time. I showed the banker my draw- ings of the house we were building and I showed him photographs of our progress. Then I told him we needed $10,000 to build a road, bring in water, and finish the house. The banker was so astonished by my request that he came to the farm and walked the half mile through the snow to see what we had done. He said, ‘My board would never approve this, but I’ve never seen a young man with such vision and unwavering faith. If you have found a way to do all of this, you will find a way to pay me!’”


“Big Spring”


When the weather grew warm, the Tolles would go for picnics on a shady spot of a 165-acre farm owned by fellow church members Frank and Ella Frazier. One Sunday when their son was 5, Mitch- ell asked Linda what her dreams were. Growing up as a pastor’s kid, Linda had attended seven different schools, so she responded, “I don’t want my children to move from school to school the way I did. I want them to stay in one place and develop lifetime friends like you did.” Mitchell then asked his wife, “So where do you want to live?” Linda said, “It would be great to have a house right here!” Mitchell asked Frank Frazier if he would sell part of the farm to them. He said yes—65 acres for $80,000. Mitchell remembers, “We did not even have $50!” As little Mitchell’s first school year approached, the Tolles learned that the place they were renting was not in the


school district they desired; however, the Frazier farm was. So every morning, Mitchell would drive his boy to the bus stop near the farm, let him get on the bus, and then drive on to work.


Ella Frazier had seen little Mitch- ell being brought to the bus stop each morning, and told her husband that if the Tolles ever asked again about buying property, they must sell them something. A year after the first request, Mitchell did ask again. Would Frank sell them just one acre—that shady spot about a half mile from the road, where a sawmill once stood? Frank said yes—for $700, and the deal was finalized with a small down payment.


Mitchell and Linda talked about the house they wanted to build, and he drew a picture of it. They dug the footers for their new home by hand. Unable to afford con- crete, they chipped stone from a nearby


The loan was granted, the house was completed, and the Tolles lived there for 27 years!


Transcending Barriers


A somber painting of President Jimmy Carter and a portrait celebrating the suc- cess of the Kentucky Wildcats are among Tolle’s best-known paintings. Many of his works have a Christian theme; all of his pictures speak of what is good and right about life. Don Wildmon, CEO of the American Family Association, said of Tolle, “His work represents everything we hold dear.”


Guests from some 80 nations have vis- ited his art studio—some could not speak English. However, “Art is an incredible communication tool that transcends all barriers—age, income, race, gender,” the artist says. “Art also transcends time: God can continue to anoint a man’s art work long after he is gone from this place.” Mitchell said some people have received Christ while visiting his gallery. Lee University’s Campus Choir has sung


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