Join Anthony's Journey to a New Smile

My name is Laurie Lee and I am raising funds for Anthony’s teeth. Read the amazing story below!

Anthony’s Teeth Testimony

One afternoon I stopped by my local hardware store to get some keys made. As is my habit I said hello to everyone as I entered the store.

That day I saw a new team member and introduced myself. His name was Anthony King. We shook hands and made eye contact. What I noticed was Anthony's big smile and genuine friendliness. I also noticed that he was missing many upper and lower teeth on the left side of his face.

In the months that followed I saw Anthony off and on when I visited the hardware store and we continued to greet one another. One day when he was by himself at the register I asked what the story was behind his missing teeth. Anthony told me they were a part of his testimony and that he was grateful to be alive.

As Anthony’s story unfolded he shared that he was living by himself in a trailer out in the country. One day he had just gotten off work, was getting ready to cook dinner and had made a call to his parents to check in on them. He was also reading a book and working on his computer.

After the call Anthony went to the kitchen to get a drink of water and sat back down at his computer. He dropped a pen on the floor so he bent over to pick it up.

Went he sat back up he heard a loud bang and felt excruciating pain on the left side of his face. He felt a bullet ricochet off his teeth. He was bleeding profusely so he grabbed his mouth and called his parents to tell them what had happened. As he looked down at the floor he saw the rifle bullet that hit his mouth.

This event happened on April 1st 2023. So initially Anthony's parents thought he was playing an April Fools joke on them. However, within minutes they realized he was telling the truth and called 911 and the police. Anthony could feel that many of his teeth were gone as a result of the blast.

When he shared his concern about his teeth with his parents they told Anthony that he could always get his teeth back but not his life and that they were so thankful he was alive!

The police came to interview Anthony and start the investigation. Then the ambulance picked up Anthony and took him to the Emergency Department. The physician on service who cared for him told Anthony that he was blessed and very lucky to be alive.

When what had actually happened started to sink in Anthony realized he could have died from the gunshot. He remembered saying, “Thank you Jesus it was only my teeth." It just so happened that Anthony had just met Jesus and accepted Him as his Lord and Savior a week before he got shot.

Anthony shared that before he moved back to Little Rock he had been running the streets in California. He now believes Jesus saved him from life on the streets, from a bullet that could have killed him and from his sinful life.

Anthony mentioned that he felt he was a stronger man since the incident and that it was part of what helped to change his life. Anthony has come to realize the importance and value of each new day.

I was very moved by Anthony's story and thanked him for sharing it with me. I told him I knew God loved him a lot, was going to work out everything for his good and that God had great plans for his life.

Weeks later, I was driving home one afternoon and heard a voice say, "help Anthony with his teeth." I said, “if this is you God, I'm going to drive to the hardware store now. If Anthony is at the front of the store by the register, then I know it is you speaking to me.”

I drove a couple miles down the road, pulled into the parking lot, parked the car and walked in the hardware store. Anthony was at the front of the hardware store at the register buying something.

As I walked toward the front desk, one of the team asked me what I was looking for. I told him I needed to speak with Anthony. So Anthony came out of the store to meet with me and thought he had done something wrong.

I began to tell him what God asked me to do and how God confirmed that He wanted me to help Anthony get some new teeth.

Anthony was overwhelmed and could not speak for some time. He said he didn't know what to say and could hardly believe what he was hearing. When he finally could speak, he thanked me over and over again. I told Anthony that it was God's gift to him and that it was one way God wanted to show His love for him. It was a very emotional moment. Anthony had the biggest smile and the happiest eyes I've seen in a long time.

The next step was meeting with a dentist who would be able to do the extensive work to repair Anthony's teeth. We made an appointment and went through an initial evaluation. The estimate for all the dental work was around $5000.

I would like to invite everyone who would like to be a part of restoring Anthony's teeth to give whatever you can toward his dental expenses. The money will be directed to me, Laurie Lee and will be paid on behalf of Anthony King to Edwards Family Dentistry in West Little Rock

Please post this story on your favorite social media site and forward Anthony’s story to all your family and friends. Encourage them to join this effort and keep passing it on.

Thank you so much on behalf of Anthony King.

God bless you, Laurie Lee