Grandpa

Thanks for all of your prayers for my grandpa! He had surgery in Springfield, MO, on June 28th. I arrived that night and spent the night with him; he was very restless and in some pain. I spent part of Monday and Tuesday with him at the hospital and he’s doing much better.

I also got to spend some time with my parents, and it was nice to have some time to talk with them. Grandpa will be in the hospital for at least another few days, then go to a rehabilitation facility. We continue to pray for him to heal and gain strength.

July Paper

WOW—another month has gone by already! The paper is on someone’s computer at the Wayne Herald, waiting to be printed on Monday.

A new columnist is featured on The Playroom pages this month; Morgan Burke! Morgan is 15 years old, loves to read, and wrote several book reviews for teenagers this month. She will be writing occasional teen book reviews for the paper. Marcie Sextro’s column also contains recommended reading to put on your summer reading list, so I hope you'll find some time to enjoy a Christian book this month.

The paper will be mailed and delivered sometime next week. I’m not sure of the day right now; my grandfather fell and broke his hip yesterday, in Bolivar, MO. He’ll be having surgery either tomorrow or Monday, and I feel like I should be there for him as well as for my mom and dad.

Please remember him in your prayers and pray for a fast and uneventful recovery. He has some underlying health problems but is cheerful and positive. He’s a very special man in our lives and we hate to think of him in pain. He has a strong belief in God and that gives us all a sense of peace. Marcie and Lori might be taking over the mailing and delivery for me this week but never fear, you’ll get your paper!

Christian Cross Festival

Top: Roger Miller and part of his family, winners of the June Summer Fun Giveaway

Middle: Macy and Morgan helping set up

Bottom: Lori Clausen and Shelly, taking a break

We had a wonderful time at the Christian Cross Festival in Norfolk! Morgan and I picked up her friend Macy at about 9:30, and we picked up Lori about 10:00.

The skies were threatening rain, and by the time we got to the park in Norfolk, it was pouring! None of us wanted to get out and find someone to tell us where to set up, so we sat in the vehicle for 45 minutes waiting for it to ease up. It didn’t. Finally an official at the event told us that because of the rain they were going to have to change the location of the event to the Divot’s Event Center . . . but that it wouldn’t start until 5 PM, giving the bands time to move and set up their equipment.

We took advantage of the time and went shopping! None of us had a long list, but it was fun to wander through the mall without being in a hurry.

We arrived at the Events Center and set up our table, and soon people began to arrive. Since the drawing for the Summer Fun Giveaway was at the event, we encouraged people to sign up for that and for the hourly giveaways. The hourly giveaways consisted of Winter Jam bags with CD’s and one of my books, “Home is Where the Mom Is; A Christian Mom’s Guide to Caring for Herself, Her Family, and Her Home.”

The June Summer Fun Giveaway included 10 tickets to the College World Series, a gas card, a cooler full of snacks to enjoy on the way to the game, and money for snacks at the game. After several hours of listening to Christian music by area bands, we drew for the Summer Fun Giveaway. Congratulations to winner Roger Miller and family of Battle Creek!

I lived in Battle Creek until I was 12 years old, and Roger said he remembered being a neighbor of ours! He and his family were thrilled to win the tickets and other goodies. Thanks to sponsors Preferred Insurance Agency, Battle Creek; Norfolk Transmission and Muffler Service, Norfolk; and Dr. Roger Curry, DDS, Omaha. These sponsors made the Summer Fun Giveaway possible!