As the only child of Buck and Dottie Rambo,
she adored them and what they did. But their
life wouldn't be hers. An exceptional student
with an inquisitive mind, Reba had already set
a lofty goal. She would be a neurosurgeon.
Reba's early life had been normal, if poor.
Her parents had been living in Dawson
Springs, Ky., when God called them to minister
through song. He impressed Reba that this was
something they had to do.
Buck and Dottie packed everything and
loaded it into boxes. When they drove away,
3-year-old Reba stood on her grandparents'
porch smiling and waving a hanky. In all her
young life, she never let them see her cry when
they followed God's calling.
To protect her from the hard life on the road,
Reba stayed behind in Kentucky with family.
In addition to her grandparents, there were
lots of aunts, uncles and cousins. Her dad had
been one of 13 kids. Her mother, one of 11.
One of the people Reba admired most was a
family friend who was a neurosurgeon. Reba
had been 11 years old the fi rst time he let her
watch a brain surgery. She was awestruck.
In the summers, she traveled with her
parents. Churches often put them up in what
they called "prophet's rooms." One such place
was in the basement of a church.
With only one bed, Dottie made Reba a pallet
by Melanie Hemry
Lifting
Him Up
REBA RAMBO
SAT ON HER PALLET
ON THE FLOOR. SHE
LEANED AGAINST THE
COLD CEMENT WALL,
THINKING.
SHE WAS NOT
GOING TO BE
A SINGER.
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