On Aug. 26, Senator James Lankford visited Checotah, touring Freedom House and met with city leaders to discuss Oklahoma concerns.

Lankford met with Kathy Love, the director of Freedom House which is part of Oklahoma Teen Challenge, and her staff and toured the historic Oddfellow’s ( I.O.O. F) building renovated to become a home for women struggling with addictions.

Several of the ladies from Freedom House gave their testimonies of how coming to Freedom House and being delivered, set free, filled with the Holy Ghost and walking away from their addictions changed their lives for the better. Lankford, being an ordained

Lankford visits with city leaders at Perk Place in Checotah.

Southern Baptist minister who was a former president of the Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center from 1996 to 2009, stated he understood the power of change in a godly atmosphere and was impressed with the success rate that Freedom House ladies were achieving, which is above the national average.

Lankford viewed the new Worship Center still under construction and also got to see Julie Tittjung’s previous picture and story of redemption from writing hot checks in the local newspaper. He found that her current job of managing the finances of Freedom House to be quite interesting and definitely a testament of God’s life-changing ability.

He then met with city leaders from Checotah, including Mayor Daniel Tarkington, City Councilmen Mike Key and Tony Fields, Checotah Superintendent Monte Madewell and staff, Eufaula Indian Journal along with McIntosh County Democrat manager Shauna Belyeu, who is also serving as OPA president, Chamber of Commerce manager Holly Lackey, President of the McIntosh County Cattlemen’s Association Josh Emerson and other town business owners and ministers.

Lankford was very attentive to the questions and concerns of those in attendance and to rural America’s issues that affect Checotah and the surrounding areas. Lankford also met with First Responders earlier in the day to hear their concerns.

Lankford is a U.S. senator from Oklahoma and a member of the Republican Party. He has represented Oklahoma in the U.S. Senate since 2015. Before his service in the Senate, he represented Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011-2015.