A small church in Axtell with just about 70 members is cleaning up a mess left by a vandal.
Tonya Bland is the pastor's wife at Olive Branch Baptist Church.
She's been holding down the fort while her husband is away on a mission trip. She walked right into a mess on Thursday morning.
"You never want to believe that people will do things like this," Bland said.
In the church's prayer garden, an angel was ripped off its stand and crushed in the grass.
The fence that leads to the garden is covered in dozens of nails that remind Bland of where crosses once hung.
"My husband had carved crosses from different areas on this wall. They were ripped from the wall," Bland said.
A window of a building was also shattered, leaving shards of glass covering the ground where children go to learn and play.
A busted doorknob shows whoever did this also tried to get inside.
Bland is disappointed by the vandal's actions, but she's thankful the stained glass made by her husband was spared.
"Many, many things that could've been damaged. We are grateful that there's no more damage than there was," Bland said. "Maybe just a crime of opportunity rather than a premeditated sense hate toward the church."
Bland said they will work on fixing the damage once her husband returns. In the meantime, she'll turn the other cheek and pray for the person who did this.
"Our desire is just to pray that these young men, these young women, come to know the Jesus we love," Bland said. "I think that it means much more now than before this happened."
Bland said the McLennan County Sheriff's Office was called out to the scene. We have yet to learn if they are investigating it as a hate crime.
If you would like to volunteer your time or make a donation to the church, you can call Tonya Bland at 254-230-5607.
For more details on Olive Branch Baptist Church, click here.
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