I know that not all people have pets, but I believe that most people have had contact with a four-legged critter at some point in their lives.   A beagle was my first encounter with a dog and I fell in love instantly.  Bootsie lived to be a ripe old age and I was sad when she left.  There have been many of God’s creatures in our home–hamsters, rabbits, guinea pig, cats, dogs, and now we have mama cows on the farm.

Anyone who does own a pet knows that the love they give is so complete, so pure, that they will love you until it is time for them to leave.   We pet owners realize that our pets are 100% dependent on us and that our caring for them and giving them a good home is a privilege we offer for their unconditional love.

Not all of God’s creatures have the benefit of warm beds, good food, or clean water.  That is why our church members picked the Wise County Animal Shelter for our October Mission of the Month.  What little we can offer is so much more than these neglected and unwanted animals have.  We hope that more people will be willing to give to their local shelters and will look into adoption of these precious animals.

Here is a picture of the things we gathered this month.

Last September we helped the Wise Hope Shelter and Crisis Center, which provides safety, strength, and hope for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.   Women and children leave their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs–sometimes in the middle of the night.

This year, the Center was collecting school supplies to kick off the school year.  The director of the Center, Pat Slayton, told me they do their big school supply collection in August to get ready for the school year, but that there are kids who come in after school has started and have to leave their homes without any supplies.  The Center also gives back to the “school supply pool” of supplies in a particular grade each year if they are notified by the school that children from the shelter have used some of those supplies the school gathers from students.

We were also advised that they were in dire need of paper products, so our congregation collected several items along with the school supplies.  Below are pictures of some of the things collected.  We received a nice thank you card from the Center.

If you would like to donate, please check out their wish list on www.wisehope.org for items needed.

The Dog Days of Summer are alive and well in North Texas.  With triple digit temperatures and no rain, the fear of fire is on our minds.  In Wise County, Texas, we only have one fire department that has a few paid firefighters–all the rest of the departments are manned by volunteers.   Whatever fire department is called as first responders, they supply all the water and energy drinks for every other fire department who comes to assist.  That can mean cases and cases of water and sports drinks.  The heat takes its toll on the firefighters and the electrolytes in the sports drinks are vital for the normal functioning of the human body.

We found out that our small community of Boonsville and the Boonsville/Balsora Volunteer Fire Department were in need of drinks–especially sports/energy drinks.  So, our August mission was to focus on collecting as many sports drinks as we could each week and deliver them to the department.

Here is some of what we collected to donate.

THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE BRAVE VOLUNTEER FIRE FIGHTERS!

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a horrible problem with those who have been abused and remember terrible things that have happened to them.  Many of our military veterans live with the disorder.  The horrific sights they have seen and fear they have experienced leave scars that are hard to heal.  Sometimes even with therapy and medication our veterans feel there is no hope and because of that they consider suicide as a way to end the pain.

For June and July we are supporting Mission 22.  “Twenty-two veterans take their lives due to PTSD every day.  Our mission:  End it.”  To raise awareness and to help support those with PTSD, veterans are planning a 30-day, 455 mile hike from northern California to the Oregon/Washington border throughout the month of July.  Our church members are supporting five veterans, who themselves have suffered the ill effects of PTSD.  We, as a congregation, wrote supportive notes for the them to read along the way.  We gathered small items, such as lip balm, rain ponchos, individual sized insect repellent, sun screen, hiking socks, bandanas, snacks, cap visor lights, etc. that they can pick up at stations along the way.

The five vets we are supporting are:  Bryan Westerfield, Chad Lutz, Magnus Johnson, Kenny Tarpley, and Bryan Reiter.  Below is a picture of all the supplies and notes we collected along with a picture of 3 of the hikers,          

Kenny Tarpley, Bryan Westerfield, and Bryan Reiter

Below is a link to an article about the hike that was in The Register Guard.

http://registerguard.com/rg/opinion/34529920-78/help-keep-veterans-on-lifes-trail.html.csp#civil-comments

Our little church found out how excited the men were to receive their goody packs they picked up at the stations along the way.  We thought it important to support these men not only with items to make their trip a little more comfortable, but to let them know how proud we are of them and that they were being prayed for daily.  We received a sweet thank you note from one of the hikers on behalf of the Mission 22 PCT Hiking Team.

Here is another link to a video about the hike.  This mission was one of the most satisfying for us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDsM3olNslY&feature=youtu.be

You may visit their website for more information at www.mission22.com.  Click here to support Mission 22 Pacific Crest Trail Hike by Sara Dawdy if you wish to support them by donating directly to their GoFundMe page.

On Saturday, May 21, several members of the congregation met at Kwik Klean Laundromat in Decatur from 9:00 a.m. to noon to hand out quarters, laundry pods, dryer sheets, hangers, packaged snacks, bottles of water and laundry baskets to those who wanted a little help.  We had supplies for children’s activities if they wanted to color or do puzzles; two sweet girls each picked out a book to take with them.  Some folks were a little shy, but we let them know we just wanted to make their laundry day easier.  We also helped a few people carry some of their baskets and laundry supplies into the laundromat.  If we wish to revisit this Mission, we learned that we might need to set up at a later time.

L. to R. – The Rev. Anthony Hiatt, Angie Whitley, Jill McClendon

L. to R. – Sarah Walker, Ellen Whitley, Angie Whitley, Jill McClendon, Clydie Walker

All of the left over laundry supplies, snacks, quarters, coloring books, crayons, children’s books, and puzzles were donated to Wise Hope Shelter and Crisis Center for women and children who must leave their homes due to domestic violence.   Anyone needing assistance may call their 24-hour hotline (940) 626-4855 or visit their website www.wisehope.org.

The Fort Worth Daughters of the King (DOK) order hosted the Province VII Assembly at St. Christopher, Fort Worth, April 22-24. Bishop Sam Hulsey, assisting bishop of Fort Worth, took part in the opening Eucharist at 8 pm on Friday, April 22, along with the Rev. Mike Gemingnani, Province VII chaplain, and the Rev. Hope Benko, Diocese of Fort Worth chaplain. The Glory Bound Singers from the Diocese of Texas was also part of the service.  Ms. Pat Hinds of the Diocese of Dallas is the Province VII DOK president.

The Episcopal Church of Wise County’s Daughters of the King furnished table favors for the DOK Assembly.  Round coasters were printed with the date of the assembly.  The initials FHS  was also imprinted on the coasters which stands for “For His Sake.”   The coasters adorned each table setting.

Below is a picture of Lydia Hiatt holding one of the coasters.

Thanks everyone!

“Daughters of the King are women and girls between the ages of seven and one hundred and seven who desire a closer walk with the Lord. We are Christian women, both lay and ordained, who are strengthened through the discipline of a Rule of Life, and supported through the companionship of our sisters. We are all at different stages of our Christian journey – some have just begun and some have been on this path for a long time. But no matter where we are on our sacred journeys, our primary goal is the same – to know Jesus Christ and to make Him known to others,” according to the web site of DOK.

We have so many blessings for which to be thankful, and sometimes we take things for granted.  For example, we take it for granted that we will always have a roof over our heads, clothes to wear, and food to eat.  However, not everyone has these things.

We became aware of a Wise County family in need…being displace from their home.  The children did not have the basic necessities–clothing.  The members of the congregation donated funds for the purchase of clothing.

Here is a picture of the counselor of the school showing the clothing that was purchased for the family.  Thank you all for your kindness.

Gloria Sanders organized our January Mission of the Month.  She chose to collect socks, underwear and neutral-colored sweats for boys and girls, sizes 6-8 and 10-12.  Gloria said, “I was excited to use Bridgeport Elementary for our mission of the month because my daughter, Stacey, works there.  I have heard stories that so many children come to school with no socks, coats, or underwear.  If children accidentally soil themselves, the school sends them home in clean underwear, socks, and sweats. The children are so excited to receive these items.  It breaks my heart to think of children going without such basic items.”

Our contact person at the school was Kristen Shelton and she was overjoyed to receive the 3 boxes of clothing.  It is amazing how such a small congregation can give so much from their hearts to help others in need.  This is what Christ teaches and it is our goal to do whatever we can to assist.  Thank you all!

Gloria Sanders (l) and Kristen Shelton

Lydia Hiatt is a teacher at Boyd Elementary School in Wise County.  She stated that there was a need for school supplies for the next semester of school–after Christmas.  A list of supplies was given to the congregation and before you knew it, things began to appear in the box we provided for the collection.

Below are a few pictures of the items collected for the school children.