God’s Faithful Servants News
SEPTEMBER 2021
The transition from the “dog days of summer” to Fall has finally begun! Although we’re still running fans in our outbuildings, they are set on low and even completely shut off some nights. The animals are all happy for the cooler weather, and so are we! Unfortunately, for some local farmers, their bean crops went too long without rain. I think our little community of Edna was passed over just about any time rain was around. And I mean AROUND! It was ALL around us, and we were left without it.
We’ve continued working hard to get out and about, visiting various businesses, sharing with them how God has called us to host His Hearts a’Fire Charity Event and asking them if they will help sponsor it. And we continue to meet amazing people we would never have otherwise come in contact with. We are so inspired by their stories and the conviction so many have for being Disciples of Christ.
So if you are like we were before we set out on this journey, and you wonder if this world has completely lost its way – try wandering into a business you haven’t been in before and telling them about how you are working to plan an event to raise funds to deliver mobility to those people who can’t help themselves in the name of Jesus – and just see who He reveals to you!
We now have an agreement with Horses of Hope to partner with them, raising funds to provide scholarships for kids to participate in their therapeutic riding program in Baxter Springs, Kansas. I mentioned our visit there and our new friend, Cassie, a beneficiary of their program in the August News Letter. Shelly & Valarie, co-owners of the non-profit business met with us at their new facility near Miami, Oklahoma – another beautiful facility. We had such fun and learned so much about how God’s hand is leading them to serve the physically and mentally challenged. We couldn’t have had a more perfect day to be there, visiting and walking on the grounds of this life changing project. Both ladies are truly inspirational for us! And we want to do everything we can to help with their cause. Shelly had us at “We are the hands and feet of God.”
Never in a million years would we have known about the next gemstone we discovered in the middle of our SE Kansas area until a friend of ours suggested we visit with Kim, the owner of Show-Me Birds Hunting Resort, L.L.C., America’s Largest Pheasant Hunting Resort. We had seen his signs from time to time, but who would have guessed just how awesome the place is! Only people from all over the country and the world! Kim’s generous donation of a hunt was incredible; but, his love of Christ was priceless! We witnessed it as we toured his Club House museum, walked by the beautiful white crosses depicting the death and resurrection of Christ on the beautiful property he lives on, and listened to the life stories he shared. He captured our hearts. There is no way I can do justice to Kim’s story in this newsletter. Just listening to him gave me chills and made me want to hear more. You feel like you are in God’s place on earth when you see and feel the serenity of the place that was built because of his Christ-led vision. I can only hope that everyone has the opportunity to be in that place someday. It’s the closest thing to Heaven I’ve ever experienced.
And then there is the Saw Shack Redemption woodworking shop in Altamont! The name of the business was intriguing, and when we stopped and knocked on Mark’s door, he was inside working. A very clean shop with lots of different types of wood, all to be used for his custom projects was before us. Mark was friendly as we handed him our “WILL YOU HELP?” flier and he sincerely wanted to help. He made a very generous donation of one of his custom made Cornhole games (GO CHIEFS!) to be used to help raise money for our event, and we can’t thank him enough for what he has done. Likewise, David, owner of the very place we take our vehicles to be repaired – SOONER AUTOMOTIVE – donated an amazing fire pit for the same purpose! Again, we were humbled by the time and energy these men are donating, not to mention the materials used to manufacture the gifts.
Then, just a few days ago, here in our little cozy community of around 400 people – Edna, Kansas, sits two small businesses owned by Steve & Sheila. We’ve been in and out of both stores for the eleven years we’ve lived on the farm. I like the S&S Western Wear Store – they have the cutest Cowgirl clothes, boots, jewelry and home décor! Kurt finds most things he needs for the farm at their S&S Lumber Company. There’s not a lot in Edna – a Post Office, library, museum in the old bank, our Community National Bank, and the Edna Mattress Company! We also have a Woodshed Gas & Convenience store located on the highway. We’ve had a couple of little restaurants off-and-on; but, currently neither is operating. Anyway, we are so grateful for the generosity of Sheila & Steve. I know they are always supportive of activities in our community – but it is a great honor to have them support our international wheelchair mission and the Horses of Hope Community project we have now adopted. Sometimes it’s hard to explain how important it is for a child to have a wheelchair to someone from this country. In America we have so many programs available to provide basic medical equipment and treatment, it’s hard to envision people who will simply never have the opportunity to move about on their own – because there are no such programs in many other countries. I felt so excited and relieved to hear Sheila share with me her understanding of that fact. SHE GETS IT!!! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Sheila & Steve – for desiring to follow God’s call for us to help His hidden and hurting children.
In 2019 Kurt and I decided to bring back a fond memory we had of Christmases past. As children we had both participated in Christmas Pageants, acting out the biblical story of the birth of Christ in the churches we attended. We realized that that tradition had all but disappeared, so we were ecstatic when the Bartlett Community Church decided to support our effort to bring it to our surrounding communities! And this year, we’re doing it again! We are already in the midst of rehearsals with a cast of nearly 25 children & teens. You’ve probably heard of Christmas in July? Well – I guess we’re having Christmas in September! The interactive musical play, The Christmas Eve Visitor Story, will be performed December 17, 18, & 19, 2021. Admittance is FREE! And Love Donations are welcomed. All donations will be go directly to our wheelchair mission.
All in all – we have wonderful new friends in Christ – and we are being shown every day, that God is at work in our little corner of the world!
As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel to contact us at godsfaithfulservants2@gmail.com!
Praying you have an extraordinary day!
May God’s love surround you,
Kate
P.S. – “IT’S ALWAYS FUN ON THE FARM!“
September has been fun! The grandkids are all back in school in the Kansas City area; football games dominate the television set; and, winterizing for the chickens and horses has turned into somewhat of a reality, rather than a “We’ll need to do this by the time it gets cold!” idea.
We’ve been planning all summer to get up to the city to watch the grandkids in their activities. We’ve had good times with the LITTLES this summer, but we haven’t gotten to see the BIGS much; so, we are finally heading to Kansas City this coming Saturday to watch the BIGS in their respective activities! It will be an exciting day! Noah (16) and Allie (14) are both in the Blue Valley SW Band. So, we’ll start our day by watching them: the EMERALD REGIMENT compete at the Olathe Marching Invitational @ the College Boulevard Activity Center! Noah plays baritone and Allie plays the drums. We hear their band is outstanding!!! Then we will trek across town to see their younger brother, Zach (12), play his football game. Zach has always been a venturous boy! He has LOVED running since he was a tiny tot! Now, he runs competitively, and he also plays football. One of the positions he plays is Wide Receiver. Last week he caught his first pass and made it across the goal line! GO TIMBERWOLVES!!!!
We can’t wait to see three of our favorite kids doing what they like most!!!
God’s Faithful Servants News
AUGUST 2021
“I’m late! I’m late! For a very important date!” Isn’t that a line right out of Alice in Wonderland? I’m late in getting my August news letter written! How do the days just keep flying by?
HOT! HOT! HOT! Is what it’s been around here. The corn fields are full of tall browning corn stalks – ready, or almost ready for harvesting; and, the bean fields look lush and taller than usual, as we must have had enough rain earlier in the summer to give them exactly what they needed for nourishment. For someone who as a younger person loved worshipping the sun, I can honestly say that “I’m over it!” I guess it takes this type of weather to get me thinking about the cool crisp feel of Fall and all the wonderful aspects that touch our senses when summer says goodbye and transitions to cooler weather. Our animals must be looking forward to it, too. They have survived, but have all been drawn to the fans we seem to have placed in every coop, barn, and stall on the property.
God continues to work in our lives and demonstrate that we are on the right path with our mission work. The most obvious proof of this can be seen in the generosity of others. Our most pressing need today is for sponsorship for the Hearts a’Fire Charity Event next June 11th. And we feel so blessed to be getting the kind of support we are from local businesses and individuals who believe in what we are doing. Every one of the many businesses we have contacted requesting support has treated us with the utmost respect and many have donated! We promised to include their logos in all our marketing materials, so let me start by placing those here today so we can celebrate their support:
As noted above, we have also had some very special individuals contribute as sponsors, and some of those have made significant contributions. I won’t identify those people by name, but we do want to offer our heartfelt thanks for their devotion to helping us bring a 1st class day of fundraising events designed to answer the prayers of those in need of mobility both locally and internationally.
I’ve never wanted to be a door-to-door salesperson! So getting over that mindset has been a little challenging. Going into businesses requesting financial support would not be happening if we didn’t know that God is asking us to give businesses the opportunity to help do His work! And they are! But totally unexpected is what is happening as we go through this step in planning a fundraiser – we are meeting people we never would have met otherwise! They are welcoming people, compassionate people and Christians who are encouraging us and telling us we are doing something good! What a nice feeling to know that we live in an area where people care. Probably, the most rewarding experience we’ve had in August has been meeting Cassie, a client at Horses of Hope and observing her therapeutic riding lesson. Cassie graciously gave us permission to watch her during her lesson. Cassie has Cerebral Palsy and is in a wheelchair. I could only imagine the feeling of being free of the wheelchair when on the horse she rode. I think the horse’s name was Spirit, but don’t hold me to that.
First we were amazed at the wheelchair lift which was secured to the rafters of the barn! The instructor pushed Cassie in her wheelchair up a ramp to a spot right next to where Spirit was stationed, the lift was moved above Cassie and lowered so the instructor and volunteers could help situate her and then lower her into position on the horse. Very smooth!!! And then the one hour lesson began.
Next we were amazed at how Marge, an occupational therapist and the lead instructor, conducted stretching exercises with Cassie and provided interesting therapy activities for her to do as Spirit provided the vehicle which in itself helps the client with leg & core strength and offers a platform for the client to practice good posture as it improves their balance.
I’ve ridden horses my whole life, and now I know I’ve taken for granted the incredible benefits I’ve gained from that. But watching Cassie on Spirit, I felt God was showing us a way to give His child, Cassie, a special opportunity to connect with a horse emotionally and physically, an experience we wish everyone could have. In my heart, I believe that this meant more to Cassie than it has ever meant to me. She deserves this kind of freedom: freedom to move in sync with the warm blooded, steady and amazing animal she rides.
Horses of Hope is God sent, if you ask us. And we hope to be able to partner with them to offer more people like Cassie this beautiful experience.
Horses of Hope is like God’s Faithful Servants – a non-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation and if you are interested in helping them offer therapeutic riding lessons to the disabled, I know that what they need most are VOLUNTEERS! You can call them at (620) 674-3458.
On a final note, the most incredible part of going to Cassie’s lesson, was meeting Cassie, a beautiful and joyful young woman, who loves God and who loves participating in all life has to offer her! She inspires us! And we hope to be able to see her again in the near future!
As for Kurt and I, we will continue following God’s lead to make Hearts a’Fire an event to answer the prayers of those in need of mobility! Stay tuned for more information to be included on our website!
As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel to contact us at godsfaithfulservants2@gmail.com!
Praying you have an extraordinary day! May God’s love surround you,
Kate
P.S. – “IT’S ALWAYS FUN ON THE FARM!“
Our beautiful granddaughters, Lily and Emma, came for their visit the first week of August. We had the best time! Chickens aren’t just farm friends, but they are the BEST toys you can imagine! The girls were the chicken trainers, which meant they spent many an hour in the Silkie pen, chasing, handling, kissing and loving each and every one of the twelve 5 month old Silkies there. I call it “wallering” them! As little girls do, they fell in love with certain special chickens and it was quite an emotional day when they knew they had to leave them.
Besides playing with the Silkies, we were blessed to have great helpers when it came time to pick up hay out of the field and move the big bales from the pasture to the hay corral! Riding in the pick-up bed and pushing the button to raise and lower the big bales on the spear helped give the girls a REAL farm experience – an experience I seriously doubt many, if any, of their friends in Kansas City have had. They also rode horses; and, just like their cousin Zach, they got to go on a canoe trip at Elk River. We got them Snorkles which came in handy for finding treasures on the bottom of the river. Rock collections ensued, and we went home with more than we took!
And I can’t end this recap without saying there was plenty of POOL TIME!!! Remember? It was HOT!!!
Overall – it was a lazy, fun-filled week that we will remember always, and we’re already looking forward to next summer’s visit!
God’s Faithful Servants News
JULY 2021
It’s been a whirlwind of activity at CEROKWA (our farm) this month! We’ve been in grandparent mode! Zach, 12 years old, has just been returned home to Kansas City, and now we’re heading to a nephew’s wedding & reception at the Country Club Plaza. After staying overnight with Ryan & Mandy, we are scheduled to bring their girls, Lily (8) and Emma (6) to the farm for their 2nd week-long visit this summer! The weather in SE Kansas has been unbearably HOT, but fortunately due to lots of rain, the ponds and creeks are holding their own. There will be water to play in and fish to catch! And, there’s always the above ground pool, too!
Even amongst all the FUN, Kurt and I continue to work hard for God’s Faithful Servants and are making progress toward the “Answering Prayers for Wheelchairs” charity event. God is in charge, but we are His instruments, following His lead. Ever since I heard Pastor Les talk about keeping your focus on Jesus amidst all the craziness of our world, the song “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” has been pervasive in my mind. I’m singing it either in my head or out loud constantly – I even dream about it! And I know that’s what we’ve got to do. We must have faith that God’s work will be done, that our special event will be one that brings people together, strengthening their faith and allowing them to receive the blessing of being God’s Faithful Servants.
The “News” I have to report this month includes the following:
Our Board of Directors met for our first annual meeting on July 11, 2021. It was so good to be together and share our thoughts and ideas for the organization. One exciting item we discussed was adopting a community project to add to our philanthropic work. In addition to raising funds for the container of wheelchairs we will deliver to Mexico in Fall of 2022, we are now working on partnering with Horses of Hope in Baxter Springs, Kansas to pursue raising funds for a therapeutic riding scholarship for a wheelchair bound/disabled child from a local community. And, we’ve added that component to our fundraising plan for the June 11th Charity Event.
After discovering that sometimes obstacles keep us from what we think is best, we have been reminded that God will place before us what is truly best. We know that He put Susie McEntire, award winning country music celebrity and co-host of the Cowboy Church on the RFD TV channel, and her husband Mark Eaton on our hearts as we were seeking the right headliner for the event. As soon as Kurt spoke with Mark about what we were doing, there was a connection; and, now Susie is committed to perform during our evening event next June! Only God could create such a perfect match!
We’ve been so fortunate to have developed a friendship with Byron and Kyla Hogan – Byron, as you know, will be providing his testimony and revealing how God works on our character, all while he tames a wild mustang. It is remarkable! Both Byron and Kyla have hearts of gold. They are graciously helping us with the planning of our event – more than we deserve. Byron’s performance will be part of our morning event, and you won’t want to miss it!
At this point, our event has a new title that reflects a more all-encompassing theme. We are now calling it the HEARTS A’FIRE “Answering Prayers for Wheelchairs” Charity Event. Our hearts are a’fire! And we hope that all who participate and attend will feel the same!
Finally, I’ll share that we are working hard to connect with Randy Bird, paralyzed rodeo cowboy and author of I’m Not Dead Yet! If you are a reader, you need to read his story. It actually makes my heart ache to even think about what he went through after an auto accident almost killed him and the painful path both physically and emotionally he traveled to in-the-end become God’s instrument to show people that no matter what life deals us, with God, we can survive and be better than before. We will visit his church in Celeste, Texas on our way to Houston at the end of August. We believe that Randy’s story has been placed before us as one people need to know.
Very quickly - we have also discovered there is a Ms. and Little Miss Wheelchair Pageant every year. Many states participate and the winners of those contests compete in a National competition. How beautiful is that? I am so pleased to know that our great country offers this kind of opportunity to young women without the ability to walk normally! We have contacted the co-coordinator of the program and it looks like we will have representatives from our area here for the event to help bring awareness of the need for wheelchairs and hope for those who are in need.
Today, our office work happens to be taking place in the truck as we travel to the wedding! As much as I seem to have a love-hate relationship with technology, I am happy I have the chance to create a Word document as Kurt drives.
As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel to contact us at godsfaithfulservants2@gmail.com!
Praying you have an extraordinary day!
May God’s love surround you,
Kate
P.S. – “IT’S ALWAYS FUN ON THE FARM!“
We had a wonderful day at the river while Zach visited CEROKWA! Luckily, a friend’s nephew, about the same age as Zach, was eager to join us on our canoe trip! After a slow start in their own canoe and the boat making a 360 degree turn, the boys got it all figured out. It was HOT, but the cold river water felt good as we made plenty of stops along our 8 mile trek. There was just enough white water to make it exciting!
Horse riding lessons are always on the schedule! Dusty is a good girl and the kids, including Zach love riding her in the round pen! It’s the perfect “wanna be cowboy” experience
God’s Faithful Servants Updates
JUNE 2021
As I sit in the office looking outside through our wall full of windows, I can visibly see and hear the large torrential raindrops coming down. This is a WET Spring, but at least we’re having a Spring! Last year it seemed to move from winter to summer with nothing in between.
Kurt and I in our retired state feel like we are working more than full time jobs these days. And WE LOVE IT! We rise around 5:30 am, pour the coffee and move quietly to our office, where we begin by praying, thanking God for all He provides us, and asking His blessings for our day. We know that WE can do nothing on our own, even though we’re putting in lots of hours working on God’s Faithful Servants and our “Answering Prayers for Wheelchairs” benefit for June 11-12 of 2022. And we ask that He put His loving hands on our projects designed to glorify Him.
Since this is our first publishing of “News,” I want to briefly catch you up on what we’ve accomplished thus far: we have begun presenting an update to our local church supporters, we have begun an annual request for support campaign from our “Compassionate Supporters,” those individuals and groups who have supported us with donations of time, energy and money in the past, we are working with the manager of the Woodshed Ranch on plans for the “Answering Prayers for Wheelchairs” benefit, and we continue to think of well-known Christian musicians, inspirational speakers and performers whom we can invite to help celebrate our donors and bring awareness of the importance of wheelchairs to individuals in need of mobility throughout the world.
We are happy to announce one celebrity we invited to participate has graciously agreed to be a part of our program! We found Byron Hogan, of Hogan Equine, last summer when we attended one of his workshops on Emotional Intelligence in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. We were so intrigued that we followed up with a visit to his ranch in Nowata, Oklahoma. We consider Byron “our local horse whisperer.” He has a moving life story of how God brought him out of a past filled with chaos and turmoil. Watch the YouTube video of him speaking of “Grace, Redemption and Horses” - Wild Mustangs, to be exact! - Meeting America’s Mustangs – Byron Hogan and “Guapo”
Today, we continue our work to identify and contact corporations to help sponsor our wheelchair event. So pray for us!
Something exciting that’s been developing over the past couple of days is that after trying hard to contact some celebrities to perform at the event, we actually made contact with one of them – personally! Bradley Walker, an amazing country, bluegrass, gospel singer, is considering coming to our neck of the woods! Bradley knows about wheelchairs – he was born with Muscular Dystrophy and has been wheelchair bound during his 43 year young life. We truly hope he will be able to join us – and bless us all through his music!
We are still waiting to hear back from another country performer – Rory Feek – as to whether it might be possible for him to join us. We believe God led us to discover Rory when Mother’s 90 year old friend, Arlene, gave her a book to read: This Life I Live. When Mother finished reading the book, it laid on a table waiting to be returned to Arlene – and one day, as I was walking by, I picked it up to see what it was about. Rory’s story was moving as he shared the darkest days of his life growing up and breaking into the Nashville scene, meeting the love of his life - Joey, their faith in our Heavenly Father, the birth of their beautiful baby girl, and the bitter sweet story of Joey’s life and “too early to leave” passing. We had the great pleasure of attending one of Rory’s Homestead Hall barn concerts recently and meeting him in person (and we got to see his now seven year old daughter, Indiana). He is as genuine in person as he sounds in his book, This Life I Live and I imagine on the social media sites he engages in as well. Kurt nor I are technically inclined, so no Facebook, Tweets or Twitters for us!
Coffee time is almost over, so I’ll sign off for now. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel to contact us at godsfaithfulservants2@gmail.com!
Praying you have an extraordinary day!
May God’s love surround you,
Kate
P.S. – “IT’S ALWAYS FUN ON THE FARM!“
Even amidst the downpour of rain, Albert (Prince Albert to be exact) was reminding us that daytime was upon us. He and his girl, Wild-Thing (AKA Goldie), live in a little house in what we call Silkie Village, right behind our courtyard patio. Every morning, Albert announces the day by crowing several times. When we stepped outside during a pause in the rain, the pair came out to say, “Good Morning, Mommy and Daddy!”
