Intervening 'angels' help Florida man on journey

When Peggy Kirkland spotted Charles Leary struggling to stay upright in the whipping wind as he walked along a Barnwell road, God told her to intervene.

Leary began his journey to Virginia from the Port Charlotte area of Florida after Hurricane Ian swept through the area in late September. He is traveling this distance to be with his sister, who is struggling with brain cancer.

This trek was one he felt compelled to take and is continually proven to be on the right path.

“I just feel that God’s got me here, and He’s got me on this journey,” said Leary. “I’m listening and being obedient. He has confirmed it so many different times, I have no question that I am right where God wants me to be.”

Kirkland was yet another confirmation that Leary is where he should be.

“I know God has me, and when He has people like her come into my life it just confirms it more,” said Leary.

When Kirkland saw Leary fighting the wind with every step he took on the weekend after Thanksgiving, she called her son, Barnwell County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Eric Kirkland, to do a wellness check.

“I couldn’t go home and sleep in a warm bed and wonder where you were. That is somebody’s child regardless of anything,” said Kirkland to Leary.

When he received the call from his mother, Lt. Kirkland began to pass on the call to another officer until he remembered Hebrews 13:2.

Hebrews 13:2 states, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares,” - a verse Leary carried with him as he began his travels.

“When I left Florida, I said, ‘God, when you have people pick me up, I want them to know it’s by your spirit,’” said Leary.

Once Leary got into Lt. Kirkland’s car, the two began talking and came to discuss a matter of common interest– their relationship with The Lord.

“When he got in my car, the dialogue and the conversation was like talking to an angel,” said Lt. Kirkland. “We started talking, and it was the most pleasant conversation I’ve had in a long time. In law enforcement, we don't always get those types of encounters.”

Lt. Kirkland explained as a law enforcement officer, he refrains from opening the door to certain types of conversations unless the person he is helping opens it first.

Leary had asked the lieutenant if he could pray for him, and while sitting in Lt. Kirkland’s car, he did just that.

“He prayed in the back of my car, and it was Earth-shattering, it really was,” said Lt. Kirkland, who said Leary’s prayer brought him to tears.

Lt. Kirkland then called his mother back, who immediately sprang into action.

Kirkland is able to keep doing this work largely impart of the support and dedication of Robert Thomas, the executive director of the South Carolina Regional Housing Authority #3. Kirkland explains Thomas’ continued support and encouragement allows her to tackle projects aimed at community outreach and lend a hand to individuals directly, like Leary.

As the initiative coordinator at the South Carolina Regional Housing Authority #3, Peggy Kirkland knows firsthand how scarce emergency housing is in Barnwell County and the systemic challenges unhoused or displaced people face.

Sunil Tch noticed this pattern too and was compelled to be a part of the solution. Tch manages the restaurant Eat Street as well as the Winton Inn in Barnwell, and opens the doors to the Inn every time he receives a call from a community partner.

A few years ago, Peggy Kirkland and Tch began working together to give those in need a place to stay for a night or even a few.

Their relationship began due to Kirkland’s fear of tornadoes, which her son jokingly explained. If there is a tornado projected to pass through Barnwell County, you can find Kirkland hunkering down at the Winton Inn.

Tch and Kirkland grew this partnership from aiding the South Carolina Regional Housing Authority #3 to the Department of Social Services, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Cumbee Center, American Red Cross, surrounding churches, and local law enforcement agencies.

“This partnership eliminates a lot of the red tape,” said Tch.

Tch explains displaced people who are without proof of identification, money to make a deposit or card to keep on file, are often denied rooms at other motels or hotels due to the lack of these items.

“All it takes is Ms. Kirkland or anyone from law enforcement to call, even the churches, too,” said Tch. “Just call.”

Both Tch and Kirkland see an urgent need for emergency housing in Barnwell County, and developed this solution to fill the gap while working toward that goal.

Before meeting the Kirklands, Leary politely denied assistance from those who made efforts to help along his journey. Instead, he would ask if he could pray for them and that they continue making gracious acts throughout their life.

“We never realize the impact that people make in other people’s lives,” said Leary, who finds a conversation or a prayer to be greater than any material goods.

“I may not have a lot of material possessions, but I’m in the will of God. I’d rather be in the will of God than have anything else,” said Leary.

Leary hopes more people will make daily efforts to grow their relationship with God and trust the path He has laid for them.

Sheriff Steve Griffith was eager to meet with Leary to hear about his travels when the Kirklands met with Leary and The People-Sentinel at Eat Street, however, due to an emergency he was unable to make it.

“Barnwell County Sheriff’s Office is always here to help people, and we will continue to do that,” said Sheriff Griffith, who asked Lt. Kirkland to give Leary his well wishes.

During Leary’s time at the Winton Inn, Kirkland and Lt. Kirkland provided him with meals from Eat Street and then a ride to the bus station in Columbia to finish the rest of his trip to Virginia.

Kirkland purchased his bus ticket and packed him a lunch for the ride, before she and her son brought him to the station.

“I’ve been in law enforcement for 31 years, and I’ve never had an encounter like the one I’ve had with Charles,” said Lt. Kirkland. “It was God working.”