Tragedy helped bring Co-Mo Electric's communications manager to the cooperative, and it's the lessons learned through that tragedy that led to his new book, The Envelope.
John Agliata has been with Co-Mo since May 2009. But before he had ever heard of Co-Mo Electric, he came to Moniteau County to speak at the Tipton Community Prayer Breakfast in the wake of the death of his first son, Jacob.
Agliata will be signing copies of The Envelope, published by Tate Publishing and available through JohnAgliata.com and other book outlets, from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, at the Price James Library in Tipton. The book costs $15.
"We're really pleased to host John and have him meet with his fans," said Marsha Nelson, head librarian at Price James Library.
Jacob's Story
Agliata and his wife, Carla, were living in Ohio in 2000 when they found out they were pregnant with their first child. An ultrasound when the baby was 20 weeks revealed a problem with his development.
"There was a blockage in his bladder, and it affected his kidney and lung development. The doctors told us there would be a very small chance that he would survive much past birth," Agliata said.
From August through December of that year, the Agliatas clung to hope and relied on prayer and the prayers of friends, family and, eventually, strangers to carry them through.
"Remember, this was in the pre-social-network days. I had sent out an email to eight or so people asking for prayer, and that email list grew to hundreds of people who shared the updates with hundreds of others," Agliata said. "All of a sudden, we were hearing from people who we couldn't find a common link, people who were telling us they or they and their churches were praying for us. That helped us get through."
The Agliatas' child, Jacob Alexander Agliata, was born on Dec. 20, 2000. He died about five hours later.
"Those five hours were some of the most special hours of my life," Agliata said. "There was a good chance he wouldn't be born alive, so when he was born and started crying and telling us that he was alive, it was amazing."
The room was filled during Jacob's brief lifetime with friends and family who had been praying for him and his parents.
"When he died, it was horrible, yes, but it was also beautiful, that he had lived this short time but had made such a big difference in the lives of so many people," Agliata said.
A few months after Jacob died, Agliata began work on what would turn into his first book, Jacob's Story, also available via JohnAgliata.com. The non-fiction book details the journey through the pregnancy and the lessons Agliata feels God has for people through his son's brief life.
It was in support of that book that Agliata was invited to the Tipton Community Prayer Breakfast on Valentine's Day 2008. Sticking with the theme of the day, he talked about love - specifically, God's love in times of struggle.
"I hadn't even heard of Tipton, Missouri, when I was invited to speak," Agliata said. "But what I found here was a community that was very close-knit, that supported each other and that had a big heart for God."
The Envelope
Two years after coming to Tipton for the prayer breakfast, Agliata learned about an opening at Co-Mo Electric Cooperative for its Communications and Member Services Manager position.
"I felt such good things about this community and all of Moniteau County already, and I'd only been here one day. It was amazing to get the job and have an opportunity to bring my family here," he said.
That family included the couple's second son, Joey. Carla was eight months pregnant with their third son at the time they moved to town. Jonah was born exactly a month after they arrived.
"This area has been awesome to my family and for my family. It has welcomed us with open arms," he said.
About two years after he moved to Tipton, Agliata began work on the book he is now promoting.
"It was one of those God things, just like Jacob's Story was," he said. "I'd learned so much in the years between Jacob's life and when I started writing The Envelope. People who heard about Jacob turned to Carla and I for support during their own times of suffering, and I realized there was another story to tell. It was like God saying, "Write.' So I wrote."
The Envelope is a fictional story about David Tebbens, who is dealing with the loss of his infant son. On a visit to the cemetery, he finds an envelope taped to his son's headstone. Inside that envelope is a note that leads him to a mysterious meeting with an even more mysterious man. The book then deals with the purpose of suffering and how David can find a new hope for a future in spite of the sorrow.
"Since Jacob died, I've come across so many people who get stuck in that "hurting' stage, and they never find a way out," he said. "There is a way out. That's the message. There's a point. There's a purpose. Now that you've suffered, there's a mission for you."
For more information on Agliata and his books, visit JohnAgliata.com.