Chewed out !!! :) So will try to do better again. SORRY!

I was chastised in a very goodnatured way - that I needed to do an update again. She was sick of seeing "Sept 19" come up. I know there are more of you thinking the same thing so you can thank her for speaking up.....no I won't tell you who it was :)

We have had a very good start with Religion Release Time. We feel bad that some of the kids that we had come to our Bible Study time for 3 years have opted out this year. But at the same time we have many new kids......so God's Good News continues to go out to different families. We are doing stories in the New Testament again this year.....wanting the kids to get to know Jesus more and more. So far we have had "Jesus turns Water to Wine", "Nicodemus hears the Good News, and "Samaritans Find Living Water". Our Pastors wife, Lynn Boersma, is helping out this year and her presence is wonderful. It is always helpful to have another presence in the room - the kids are a lot less restless! She is a former teacher and has those very valuable skills in control!! We also appreciate her help with the crafts.

The Juvenile Detention Center was full to the max this fall.....which means about 30 kids. Julie continues to help us out every week and we truly feel blessed by her faithfulness. She loves these kids too and presents very valuable lessons to them. We hope to make homemade pizzas on Oct. 31 with the kids and have some fun games while we wait for the pizzas to bake. We hope to put about 3 kids to a cookie sheet sized pizza, add some chips and pop and they should be happy. This will be at snack time - so we don't have to fill them full.

This past Sunday - October 23 - we began a Bible Study at the Rosebud Alcohol Treatment Center. We did this in the past but then they didn't have teens there for some time. We were really looking forward to this group because there were two boys that we knew very well taking treatment at the Center. However, they couldn't handle the freedom that they have there - and they both "ran away". Which means they are now being looked for by the law enforcement officers. We do have a very nice group of 7 young people and we actually know most of them from having been at the JDC at some time. Gary did the lesson on Nicodemus --- the need to be born again.....starting out new....changing on the inside. A good lesson for these kids. We could get a bit overwhelmed with all of our lesson plans......Tuesday, Thurs, and then Sunday. The only real problem will be the Sunday Lesson ---- the others are figured out every other week. The Alcohol Treatment Center will be every week for us....Julie will not be going along there. So if you would - pray that our minds can handle this. Thanks!!!! They graduate on November 23 ---- the day before Thanksgiving. We would like to be there for them.....but we would also like to be with our family for the holiday. So we aren't sure how we will work that one out.

I took a trip home via Amtrak to see my mother. She had a leg infection and is now in a Nursing Home for therapy. She is doing very well and hopes to return home in a couple of weeks. Gary had stayed home in South Dakota --- too many irons in the fire. The train ride went very well and we are thinking of using that means of transportation more often.

We enjoyed some company from Michigan this past week. Ross and Ken Nagelkirk, and Lee and Keith Lubbers - from our church in Overisel. They are hunters and I think they had a very good time. They were a fun group to have over. They took a lot of pheasants home with them and helped out the ranchers with the prairie dogs. They also got in on some cattle work and catching birds for a neighbor. All in all -- I think they might just be back again next year.

Gary and Toby were asked to be the ???? what is the right term????? "Man and his dog"......for a group of hunters that Dan T. had in from Illinois. Toby was the "birddog of the week". He did terrific!!!! I don't know if anyone got a count of all the birds that Toby retrieved those 3 days - just about all of them. He was one tired puppy at the end of the week. He's been getting a much deserved rest.

We were also the recipients of 3 bantams --- one rooster and 2 hens. They are sharing Toby's dog house --- no Toby can't even see them ----we put a steel barrier between them - or we know we would have had feathers flying in no time at all. We haven't dared to put them out on their own yet.....not sure we could get them back inside for the night. We can tell they were fed scraps because they really prefer potato peelings rather than cracked corn. Hopefully they will learn to accept the corn in time.

Our church sanctuary is being painted this week. It will be so nice not have to look at all those ugly streaks down the walls.

I think that just about does it for news....... I came home from Michigan with a cold - but that has cleared up and so far Gary hasn't gotten it. We are "enjoying our solitude"....as Ken Nagelkirk called it. Although it has been far from quiet lately.....neighbor weaned calves and we hear the bawling...... but it's a nice sound - much better than traffic. :)

Thanks for your interest --- maybe a few pictures will come later..........
Barb and Gary