Roy Dotson and his wife have had their share of experiences in their lives and now the two are making it a point for children to have Christ in theirs.

Born in Oklahoma, Dotson moved around a lot as a youth — a total of 26 times — because his dad worked in the oilfield industry.

Dotson eventually settled in Franklin before moving to Homua, then to Lake Arthur and finally New Iberia.

“We moved to New Iberia when I was in the fourth grade and I have been here ever since,” Dotson said. “I’m 65 now and I’ve been here pretty much my whole life.”

Like his father before him, Dotson too worked in the oilfield, much to his chagrin, but did the job as well and six months ago retired from work, though not by choice.

Dotson worked in the oilfield for half of his life. He and wife Debbie, who have been married 40 years with two children, son Samuel and daughter Lindsey, and one grandchild, Lydia.

For over 20 years, the Dotsons attended Highland Baptist Church and recently began attending Our Savior’s Church before the start of COVID-19.

When Dotson was younger, his first memories of his faith were at the Lydia Baptist Mission in Lydia.

“I came to know the Lord there, at about 12 or 13 years old,” Dotson said.”I was saved and attended church faithfully because my mom took me.”

Like most people today, Dotson said he felt he strayed from his faith while in college.

“I wasn’t what you call a ‘bad kid,’” Dotson said. “I just wasn’t doing what God wanted me to do, for sure.”

Knowing that He was always protecting him, Dotson said he eventually got out of college, started working and met Debbie. And as their relationship grew as well as their love, Dotson said he found he and his wife had taken similar paths in life.

“It turns out we kinda had similar backgrounds,” Dotson said. “She got saved at an early age and she went crazy in her teenage years and we both thank God that He has brought us together.”

Ten years later, after starting their family, Dotson said he and his wife knew the value of having Christ in their lives and started taking their children to church.

“It wasn’t for me or her, it was for our kids,” Dotson said. “And we both agreed God worked that out and said, ‘You guys need to be back in church.’”

Since Lindsey was around 3 years old, Dotson and his family have been regularly attending church having practicing faith for their children and calls it a great trip with Him.

It was important for Dotson and his wife to instil the Christ’s values in both their children’s lives, as they didn’t want them to stray like their parents did.

“My wife is very faithful at praying for our children at a very young age,” Dotson said. “We had them attending church at a very young age.”

Dotson joked that his kids were on “drugs,” meaning he and Debbie dragged them to church every week to keep the word of Christ in their lives.

Dotson and his wife also taught their kids at Sunday School and enrolled them at Highland Baptist Christian School, where Dotson said helped keep them grounded.

“That’s where my daughter met her husband. He’s a great guy,” Dotson said. “My son met his wife at a church event. We accomplished it to this point that our kids are following God.”

Throughout his children’s lives, Dotson said he and his wife made an effort to ensure they followed the correct path, and he said it’s paid off.

It’s that constant presence of Christ that Dotson is forever grateful to have that form of faith in his life, something he says means everything to him and his family.

“It’s important to know that my wife, my kids and my grandchild … to know that one day we’ll be together again, worshiping God like we should be,” Dotson said. “It’s everything to me.”