Church Helps Injured OK Soldier's Family Pay Electricity Bill

An Oklahoma soldier and his family can breathe a little easier Tuesday night. The Allisons were worried their power would be shut off, leaving them in the dark over Christmas.

A home full of frenetic energy is what you get with Randen and Jamie Allison's family. Three young kids of their own, plus they now have guardianship of Randen's 12-year-old sister. Despite the love and chaos, the Allisons have had a tough time lately.

Randen is in the 45th Infantry and was just promoted to Sergeant. In August 2011, he was shot during combat in Afghanistan and nearly lost his arm. His wife says he won't admit it, but Randen still has numbness in the fingers, making it hard to hold onto things.

"The pain doesn't bother me. I'm fine," Randen said.

"He has his moments, he has his moments," Randen's wife Jamie said.

In October, the water tank in their home leaked. Carpet and tile were destroyed, now their washer and dryer are sitting in their living room.

"So it's put us behind on things. Vehicles breaking. Just your daily life of stuff that happens," Jamie said.

Then comes the kicker. The Allisons got a bill from PSO. It has a December 23rd due date. Pay $153 or your electricity gets turned off.

"Your kids shouldn't have to wake up dealing with that on Christmas Day," Jamie said.

The Allisons reached out for help from the First Baptist Church in Tulsa, which agreed to pay $100 of their bill some time within the next 30 days.

Jamie says a customer service rep at PSO told her they had no record of that pledge and her power would most likely be shut off after the 23rd.

We called PSO and cut through the red tape. A few hours later, we learned the $100 pledge had been found. The Allisons had worked out a payment plan, and there's no danger of their power being shut off anytime soon.

"You think that, usually, there's no one else to help you and it just goes to prove that you can reach out and ask someone for their help and they help you. They helped us and it's awesome," Jamie said.

PSO says it'll work with any of its customers who are having trouble paying a bill, they just ask that you contact them as soon as you can to work out a plan, don't wait until you get a shut off notice.