Relationships

After reading blogs from all over the world I wonder what interest anyone can have in Kansas. But I know each one of us has been placed in exactly the right place and for the last 4 weeks our place has been in Rexford, Kansas. We have been working feverish to get as much done on the Houston House at Shepherds Staff as we could. But an old house brings its own peculiar issues so it takes a long time to totally refurbish it. This past week the men restored doors, painted or varnished them, puttied windows, laid flooring, did more plumbing, and took down and reinstalled some wainscoting. The women continued painting, priming, hanging wall paper and always cleaning. Didn't get the house done but 4 weeks of work did improve it much.

However important these jobs may be the best life skill we have learned is that of building relationships. Working for 4 weeks side by side and almost always with a partner, as I shared last week, is a great way to gain an appreciation of the people we work with. It also helps people like me to have patience with those who have a different but not necessarily better way of doing things. Okay, sometimes they are better! The lady on the left in the picture is Joan. She is the director of Shepherds Staff and oversees and directs what has to be done and how it is done. She has the skill of helping each person feel their job is important and of encouraging them to do it to meet the expectations of her Shepherd's Staff board. Great gift to have. She has become a great friend. Her son-in-law also worked here in Rexford while we were here. His insight of the philosophy of people on the Kansas prairie was of great interest to all of us as he shared it with us on Tuesday night. He, and Joan, feel the tug of the Lord to use energy and time to bring spiritual renewal to the people here who often feel isolated. We pray that by helping to make the Houston House more accessible and inviting to people that Shepherd's Staff will truly become a refreshing and revitalizing place for area pastors and their families as well as other groups or even individuals.

Relationships were also deepened with our daily devotions.

Sharing prayer concerns and spiritual truths drew us together and, again, helped us understand one another as we had very diverse backgrounds and had taken various paths to get to a conversion experience. But our belief is based on the inerrency of the Bible and a trust in one God as well as a personal relationship with Jesus. When a group starts out with that premise it immediately gives a unity of spirit and a common bond.

We left Rexford on Thursday and are now in Branson, Missouri. We worshipped in a Baptist Church this morning and were truly blessed. Branson's theme at all of their shows is God, family and country and I think that is why we always like to come here. Wholesome entertainment, although the price of shows on the strip has kind of skyrocketed, is so good and hard to find now days. Silver Dollar City continues to be our favorite and the one-price-for-all is what we prefer. They have different shows throughout the day and many displays which are interesting. The emphasis in the fall is country crafts and gospel music. Can't really go wrong on that. We start in Oklahoma next Monday.

Hope you are all doing well. I know there are some rough spots and we certainly are praying for guidance through them. Email is working now as is the cell phone so would be happy to hear from you. Love you all,

Mom and Dad/Marilyn and Wilmer