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
