Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity. (ESV) (Psalm 133:1)

Views of a Farm Boy--Dedicated to promote Iowa agriculture and Iowa values

Robert Vaughn--Urbandale, Iowa  EMAIL:   vaughnrobert@me.com

I like to take you to places you may otherwise not have been. I think this is one of those places. This beautiful art mural was painted on a basketball court in the Des Moines Oakridge Neighborhood in 2021. I visited it for the first time last month. I thought of it as a hidden treasure and I want to share it with you. Residents of Oakridge pitched in to help paint this--under the supervision of one of my favorite Des Moines artists, Jordan Weber. This touching mural depicts an Oakridge resident, Yore Jieng. He was a South Sudanese refugee, who was killed, by a bullet of unknown origin in 2016. He was 14 years old at that time. The case is still unsolved. It is good to see this beautiful real-person mural on the basketball court where Yore used to play. I hope it encourages other young people in the neighborhood to seek out activities that will lead them to a brighter tomorrow.