If the site of that big house out in such a rural area in a remote part of the state was not a shock to me while I was out riding around then what I saw next certainly was. Just a few feet north of where the house sits I came upon some magnificent statues. I grew up Catholic so seeing a statue of the Virgin Mary is nothing new to me, but this is the Bible Belt, and Southern Baptists are the norm here so this site seemed a bit out of place as much as the house did. I had to go back and find out more. There is a wrought iron fence around the large field where the statues are located but the gate is not locked and the sign encourages visitors so we went in to find out what all this was about. When I first saw it I thought it may be a cemetery but it is not. It is a dedication to the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ placed there by Vietnamse refugees who came to this area. These are gigantic statues! Larger than what you would see at most churches, they tower over the field. I don't think they have anything to do with the large house, there is a farm between the two, I don't have any details so they very well may be connected somehow. It just seemed odd to me to see two things so close in such a remote area, two things that are so out of the normal in this part of the country. Two things I just happend upon randomly while driving around one day.
it is so much larger than it appears in these photos
Virgin Mary extends her hand as a young Jesus gives a peace sign
there are 2 plaques at the base, one in English and the other in Vietnamse
