A Journey of Resilience and Faith
MOORE, OKLA. – At the age of 3, Brad McKay and his sister, Kevin, age 4½, lost both their parents in a fatal car accident involving a drunk driver. Thankfully, their loving aunt and uncle, whom they call Momalo and Daddy Bill, stepped in as their legal guardians and gave the McKay children a loving home, which included an amazing older sister, Dana. Momalo and Daddy Bill loved and raised them as their own.
Fast forward 20 years. McKay was attending Oklahoma Christian College, relying on his trusty 1980 Yamaha 650 Special to get him from place to place. One Wednesday evening, McKay had taken a girl on a motorcycle ride and ended up at a prayer meeting. That night, his motorcycle was stolen from the church parking lot. Shocked that someone would steal from the church parking lot, McKay filed a report with the police. He didn’t have theft insurance to cover the bike, so it was a total and devastating loss.
After grappling with this unexpected loss, McKay decided that he would just hitchhike or walk wherever he needed to go, both could end up being a grand adventure! Not too long after his bike was stolen, McKay met an unexpected angel by the name of Dale Lofton. True to his nature, Lofton offered McKay a lifeline—a car in exchange for help on his property, including installing a lawn and sprinkler system. McKay was grateful to have transportation again. After he finished the work on Lofton’s property, McKay began working as a construction framer. Working 12-hour days, he saved almost enough money to replace his stolen motorcycle by the end of the summer. Considering his options, he called Kevin, who was living in California at the time. The conversation they had was one that would leave anyone in shock! His sister offered to give him one of her prized possessions, a Triumph Tiger 650 motorcycle, and insisted he keep it as his own.
It didn’t take McKay long to catch a flight out there to pick up his “new” Triumph. The trip back to Oklahoma was full of challenges and adventures, including a breakdown in the scorching heat of the Mojave Desert and seeking shelter from a raging storm in a dry creek bed. Yet, through it all, he stayed the course and made it safely back to Oklahoma City in four days.
As McKay reflected on his journey, he was grateful for the people God placed in his life to support him through the tough times. Losing one’s parents at such a young age would leave most people understandably bitter, but not McKay. He says that experience gave him “a strong sense of fair play in future dealings.”
Some would say that he was dealt a bad hand, but when McKay talks about his upbringing, he is full of gratitude. “Momalo and Daddy Bill always said ‘Give to others and expect nothing in return because it’s the right thing to do.’ God wants us to give to others as freely as He gave His son to us!”
McKay was baptized by Wes Via at the Hope Adventist Fellowship Church in April 2022 after 30 years of church hopping. Today, he is a father of three boys, an expert houseplant keeper and a licensed family/marriage therapist who finds most his joy in helping others who have been through tragic loss and are facing depression or uncertainty. Working for the Oklahoma County Detention Center, he has the daily privilege of remembering those in prison as if he was their fellow prisoner (Hebrews 3:13). When not working, McKay enjoys spending time in nature, fishing, hiking, socializing and riding his 2016 Triumph Tiger 800.
Brad’s story is still being written, and to see how he has let God transform his seasons of adversity into seasons of beauty is a little piece of heaven.
By Ashley Alipoon
Communication
Administrative Assistant
