Searcy Living Issue 5 2018

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2 Your Hometown Magazine

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4 Your Hometown Magazine

6 Your Hometown Magazine

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issue 5 volume 18

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Taylor Reed’s Production Manager Gary Bartlett, Taylor Reed, and Taylor’s dad Bobby Reed

An Honor Well Deserved 16

Publisher’s Note 10 Over The Counter 14 Fashion Fun 18 We The People 24 Out & About 38 Financial Focus 40 Living In Searcy 62 Imagine & Believe 70 Fab Do It Yourself 76 Dinner & A Magazine 78 Crossword & Riddles 80

Young Life 22 The Magic & Comedy of Taylor Reed

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Passing On Grace Cards 50 Following The Thread 56 Who Wants More Energy? 60 The Pangburn Flood Story

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Bible Marathon 68

taylor reed

Photo by

Meadows Images

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l a c i g a M

Moments

The cover story of this issue began to unfold

when I was in Missouri on a business trip. I was standing in line at Panda Express when the man in front of me kept trying to order, but his child kept interrupting him. I overheard the child telling his dad, “No, I think mom would rather have that for dinner.” Exasperated, his father finally said, “Son, I’ve known your mom a lot longer than you have, and I know what she likes.”

I couldn’t help laughing and a short conversation ensued. He was finally able to get his order completed and was almost across the room on his way out when he turned and came back. He explained that he was a magician and that he would like to comp my family for the show that night. I explained that my children were not with me on that trip, as I was there for business. I don’t usually do this, but I felt prompted to hand him my card and told him maybe we could do a story about his show in the future. He looked at my card and said, “My family is from Judsonia!” That moment led to the article about Taylor Reed, and in my book that was no accident.

In a later incident, I had someone come into my office and leave a book and a message to call her about a story she wanted to write.

As it turned out, I had actually already heard about her story, as one of my friends is a pretty close relative of hers. However, when I looked at my calendar to see when we could meet to discuss the story, I did not know what to do, as my schedule was packed pretty full. Then I realized one of my appointments was to have a recall done on my car, which meant I would have some downtime 10 Your Hometown Magazine

in the waiting room at the dealership. So, we had our meeting there. As we were talking, a man was sitting close by, hearing our conversation. We were trying to recall a Bible verse that was a good fit for the story. The verse kept coming to my mind, but I could not remember where to reference it. So this total stranger not only got to hear her testimony, but he helped us to locate the verse for the Grace Cards story and became a part of the progress for this issue. Once again, no accident.

Life is so full of magical moments. God moments. I haven’t always thought of things that way, but when you start to pay attention, I think we are all surrounded by them.

As always, thank you for reading Searcy Living. I hope each issue brings you a little more insight, a little more connection to this community, and, of course, a few magical moments.

remember

the extras

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Publisher Christine Walker

Art Director & Webmaster Garrett Johnson

Editorial Assistant Cherie Sewell

Makeover Coordinator Evelyn Moss Contributing Independent Photographers Kimberly Brackins (501)279-1515 George Dillin (501)268-9304 Taylor Howard Photography (870)917-8012

Feature Writer Cecelia Wilson

Searcy Living Locally Owned and Operated 812 South Main Street Searcy, AR 72143 searcyliving@yahoo.com (501) 368-0095 SearcyLiving.com For subscription information go to SearcyLiving.com

Copyright 2018 Shark Promotions LLC. Searcy Living, Cabot Living, and Your Hometown Magazine are trademarks of Shark Promotions. All rights reserved. Ownership, rights, and logos are property of their respected businesses. No part may be reproduced without written permission. Shark Promotions LLC is not responsible for claims, misprints, discrepancies, advice of any kind, or content in advertisements or editorials, but will rectify errors in forthcoming issues.

Copyright Š 2018 Shark Promotions LLC

Searcy Living Magazine is a subsidiary of Shark Promotions LLC.

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Over the Counter Harding University College of Pharmacy

Head Lice: A Lousy Parasite

By Morgan Crews, PharmD Candidate 2019; Lana Gettman, PharmD; Melissa Shipp, PharmD, BCPS

H

ead lice are small parasitic insects that survive by removing blood from the scalp every few hours. These parasitic insects are usually found close to the scalp, towards the back of the neck, and behind the ears. An adult louse is about the size of a sesame seed, while the nits (eggs) are much smaller and are attached to individual hair. The most common symptom of head lice is itching due to an allergic reaction on the scalp caused by louse saliva. The allergic reaction is evident by redness or sores caused by scratching. You can confirm if someone has head lice through the identification of a live louse on their scalp.

If your child has head lice, it can be treated with overthe-counter (OTC) products, but may require a prescription product if the OTC products are not enough to do the trick.

There are currently two OTC products available to treat head lice. Rid® is FDA approved for children 2 years of age and older and is proven to be safe and effective when used as directed. However, this medication can only kill live lice, not nits; therefore a second treatment is recommended 9 to 10 days after the first application. Nix® is also FDA approved for the treatment of head lice in children 2 years and older. Similar to Rid®, it can only kill live lice, not unhatched eggs, therefore a second treatment is also recommended on day 9. Nix® will continue to kill newly hatched lice for several days after the treatment.

Retreatment is meant to kill any surviving hatched lice before they are able to produce new eggs.

In addition to OTC products, there is also a homeopathic approach to the treatment of head lice. Add a few drops each of 2 or 3 essential oils such as lavender, bergamot, tea tree, geranium, lemon, rosemary, or ylang ylang to olive oil. Smother the hair with the olive oil and essential oils mixture and wrap the hair in plastic wrap. The olive oil will suffocate the lice, so it will need to stay on the hair for at least 4 hours or more depending on the infestation.

When the plastic wrap is removed, use a lice comb to comb dead lice out. Nits will be loosened with the oil mixture and can be easily combed out. For the next two weeks, two to three times daily, put a dab of tea tree oil, lavender oil, or peppermint oil behind both ears and the hairline at the neck in the morning before school and at bedtime to prevent reinfestation.

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There are treatment steps that a person must follow to ensure the best possible outcome. 1) Apply the lice product according to the instructions contained in the box or printed on the label. 2) The infested person should put on clean clothing after each treatment. 3) If a few live lice are still crawling around 8-12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly, then retreatment is not necessary. If after 8-12 hours, live lice are found and are still as active as they were before, the medicine might not be working. In this case, it is important not to retreat until speaking with your healthcare provider. 4) Nit combs are provided with the medication; these should be used to comb nits and lice from the hair shaft. After each treatment, use the nit comb every 2-3 days to decrease the chance of self-reinfestation.

5) Continue to check head for 2-3 weeks to be sure all lice and nits are gone. It is important not to use a combination shampoo/conditioner, or conditioner before using lice treatment. Do not re-wash the hair for 1 to 2 days after the lice medication is removed.

Some supplemental measures one can take to prevent reinfestation include: Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items that the infested person wore or used during the 2 days before treatment using the hot water (130°) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle.

For car seats, vacuum the car seat/headrests thoroughly. Remove the seat cover and dry on high heat for 40 minutes, place in a freezer for 12 hours or in a sealed bag for 5 days.

Soak combs and brushes in hot water (at least 130°) for 5-10 minutes.

Vacuum, not sweep, all floor areas and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay. Strip all the sheets from their bed and place in the dryer on high heat for 40 minutes. Vacuum the mattress and all areas surrounding the mattress. This needs to be done daily for 5 days. Place pillows in a sealed bag for 5 days.

Do not use fumigant sprays; they can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.

There are several measures one can take to prevent contracting head lice. 1) Do not exchange hats, hair brushes, scarves, headbands, or anything else that comes in contact with the head. 2) If your child plays sports, avoid sharing helmets. 3) Also, try to avoid head-to-head contact. 4) For girls, wearing their hair in a ponytail can reduce the risk of contracting head lice and for boys, keeping their hair cut short is best. 5) Using a spray bottle with water, combined with essential oils of which includes lavender, rosemary, peppermint, and tea tree oils. Use this spray to spray the bed linen and pillows nightly before bed. This can also be used to spray the neck at the hairline daily before school and at bedtime. Tea tree oil can also be added to shampoo products to help repel head lice.

If you have any further questions regarding head lice and how to treat it , stop by your local pharmacy to speak with the pharmacist or call the Local Lice Centers of America located in Cabot, AR at (501) 482-4468.

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An

By Kristi Smith

Well-Deserved Searcy Public School’s Teacher of the Year Kim Rupard

By Kristi Smith

I have had

the privilege of knowing Kim Rupard for many

years, so when she was nominated to be Searcy Public School’s Teacher of the Year, I had a feeling she would be the winner!

According to Betsy Bailey, School and Community Coordinator for Searcy Public Schools, “Searcy School District selects a district teacher of the year annually to represent the district in the Arkansas Department of Education State competition. The district rotates every other year as to whether an elementary or secondary teacher is chosen. Certified employees only may nominate and vote. In an elementary year, all teachers from the elementary schools can nominate one person to represent his/ her campus. The top nominee from each campus is placed on the ballot (McRae, Sidney Deener, Southwest Middle School, and Westside). In a secondary year, only teachers from AJHS and SHS can nominate. Then, the top two from Ahlf Junior High School and Searcy High School are placed on the ballot. Finally, after the ballot is formed each year, all certified employees district-wide vote on the winner.”

I chose to ask Ms. Rupard some questions so that you could get to know her better.

K.S. Where are you from?

K.R. I was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

K.S. Where did you graduate college?

K.R. Arkansas State University, Jonesboro K.S. Do you have your Masters?

K.R. Yes, Masters of Art in Teaching

from Harding University K.S. When did you move to Searcy?

K.R. When I was in 9th grade, my dad got hired at Eaton.

K.S. How many years have you been teaching?

K.R. This is my 29th year.

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K.S. Where all have you taught?

K.R. Searcy McRae the entire time in kindergarten K.S. What are the names and ages of your children?

K.R. Max 10 years and Jack...he passed away when he was 3.

K.S. Do you have any pets?

K.R. Yes, a dog named Charlie Bucket K.S. What’s the funniest teaching story you can recall?

K.R. Many years ago, we were decoding words in reading.

We decoded the word Jen, /j/ /e/ /n/. Then I asked a child to make a sentence using the word Jen. She said, “My momma drinks Jen (gin).” I have many other stories, but it is best not to tell! LOL K.S. What is the BEST part about teaching?

K.R. When you spend days teaching a skill, and then the lightbulb finally turns on K.S. What is the hardest part about teaching?

K.R. Sometimes it takes a toll on your heart.

K.S. What is one thing that everyone needs to know and understand about the teaching profession?

K.R. It’s rewarding, but it is a hard job. Teachers’ jobs are not 8:00 to 3:00. There is a lot that no one sees that has to be done. Every year brings new changes and challenges, but one thing stays the same - everyone works together to make the school day run smoothly. It takes a village at McRae! K.S. What do you love about McRae Elementary?

K.R. McRae Elementary is my school family. They have been with me through the good and the bad the past 29 years.

I was very lucky that I was placed there for my student teaching with Mrs. Debbie Walker Bell all those years ago.

I found where I belonged. Together, the teachers at McRae make a difference in the lives of our school kids. I have been very blessed to have worked at McRae Elementary with many great teachers and administrators in the past and at the present!

I’m very grateful that Ms. Rupard was willing to share facts about herself, but I was also eager to hear what parents and kids had to say about Ms. Rupard. Shelley Faulkner (mom of three boys who had Ms. Rupard) from THINK Idea Studio said, “As a parent, I always felt welcome in Ms. Rupard’s classroom. She invited parents to come help with various events, which made me feel like I was assisting in my child’s education. Ms. Rupard is one of those teachers you come across once in a great while. She gets to know each student in her class as a whole person and is able to find a way to meet the specific needs of that child.” Two of Ms. Rupard’s current kindergartners had plenty to share about her. Paxton Streit said, “I love the apple pie she made, and she’s funny.” Anderson Sims said, “She likes counting, singing the alphabet, and she likes chocolate.” One of her students from last year, Raney Yancey, shared that what she loved most about Ms. Rupard was that she’s nice and sweet, and she lets her students play in centers a lot.

You see, the name “Kim Rupard” is a well-known and highly respected name in Searcy.

She is known for loving kids, loving teaching and making learning fun! Ms. Rupard is one of the most self-LESS people I’ve ever met. She’s the one who remembers to celebrate everyone else in the school. She plans countless events for teachers and makes sure anyone who is sick gets a card or some other type of encouragement. Ms Rupard is witty and funny and super talented. And, she never fails to notice the little things. I am honored that I’ve gotten to work on the same campus with Kim Rupard going on seven years. Thank you, Kim, for representing yourself, your family, your school and your kids well! This title and this feature are both well-deserved!

“She is known for loving kids, loving teaching and making learning fun!”

}

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Evelyn Moss Makeover Coordinator

∂

3005 E. Race • Searcy (501) 268-0800 shophays2.com

I enjoyed meeting Kim Rupard when she came for her Searcy Living makeover! She has used a few Mary Kay products in the past and was able to get updated on the latest skin care products Mary Kay has to offer!

As an Independent Beauty Consultant, I help women create a skin care routine according to their personal style, perceived needs and budget.

Susie DuBose Kim has a natural style and enjoys learning color application techniques.

To accent Kim’s greenish blue eyes, Apricot Twist Cream Eye Color was topped with Precious Pink, Copper Glow and Espresso Mineral Eye Colors then lined with MK Deep Brown. The black Ultimate Mascara finished off her lashes in a great way. She applied a touch of Cherry Blossom Mineral Cheek Color and Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipstick in Tuscan Rose. NouriShine Plus Lip Gloss in Sparkle Berry for the completed look! Her favorite products were the Deep Cleansing Charcoal Mask and the Mary Kay Foundation Primer.

By Carrie at

Birlson

Charlestown Village 2305 W. Beebe Capps Searcy (501) 268-4540

Some of the Products:

Susie DuBose Independent Beauty Consultant

Apricot Twist Cream Eye Color

Foundation Primer

Ultimate Mascara

Deep Cleansing Charcoal Mask

NouriShine Plus Lip Gloss in Sparkle Berry

Turn the page for more fashion & beauty retailers. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

501-827-8932 www.marykay.com/sdubose SearcyLiving.com 19

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By Laura Roussel

O

ver the past three years, Searcy High School students have come to know an organization called Young Life. Young Life is a non-demoninational Christian ministry who’s goal is to reach high school and junior high students who need mentorship, guidance, and a positive community. Harrison and Megan Carpenter moved back to Searcy in November of 2015 with the vision of starting a Young Life chapter in our community.

“Our city has many kids who are being overlooked, and we have a college full of students who want to give back. You would be surprised at how many kids go through a day without anyone talking to them or even knowing their name. Many have never studied for exams, or traveled out of Searcy, or heard the Gospel in a way that they understand,” explains Harrison.

The 5 “C’s” Of Young Life Include: Committee: The backbone of Young Life, made up of a group of adults who operate much like a Board of Directors. Our Young Life committee consists of Joel Hoggard, Marshall Hughes, Marla Duncan, Laura Roussel, Patrick Connell, Judge Michael Lincoln, Officer Trace Madden, and Harrison and Megan Carpenter.

Contact Work: When adults and college student leaders go where kids are. Young Life leaders can be seen in the lunchroom at SHS, at sporting events, choir concerts, or anything that can get them in front of kids. Currently Young Life has 17 Harding University students who serve as leaders to Searcy High School kids.

Club: A weekly event that is “controlled chaos.” It’s a night during the week when high school students and college leaders play games, sing, dance, and get to hear the Gospel.

Campaigners: Campaigners is a smaller setting, like a small group or Bible study, where kids are more comfortable with asking questions. It is a space where you really see them start to grow in their faith.

Camp: Young Life camps are like 5-star resorts. At most summer camps, kids are living the rustic life, with uncomfortable beds, bugs, and the bare necessities. Which is AWESOME! The problem is that this is an everyday reality for a lot of our kids. Young Life gets to take them to Colorado, South Carolina, or Georgia. We go far away in the mountains where they can sleep on an incredible bed, eat like kings and queens, and experience hope and opportunity like never before.

Emily Clayton, a senior volleyball player at Harding University, serves on Searcy’s Young Life staff. When asked about her Young 22 Your Hometown Magazine

Life experience she said, “I got to experience what it was like to be a High School student and be involved in Young Life in my home town in Texas. I loved what the organization gave to me as a teenager, and when I met the Carpenters, I was honored to be a part of giving that same opportunity to the youth here in Searcy.”

Emily led a group of more than 20 Young Life kids to camp at “Windy Gap” in South Carolina this summer: “Two of our campers accepted Christ for the first time, one of which I got to share my story with! I was amazed at how similar our stories were. The next day, that person was baptized,” she recalls.

Danielle Rogers, a senior at SHS, is a regular at Young Life.

Danielle is a suicide survivor. But you would never guess this part of her story, as she has an infectious personality. When Danielle was asked about her Young Life experience she said, “I was invited to Young Life by Harrison one day when he stopped by my lunch table at school. I love going to Club because it is a place where we can have fun with our friends, hang out with some cool college leaders, and hear about God in a way we understand. Camp was awesome! Being able to meet kids from all over the country and hear their stories was a highlight, but what I loved most was how my relationship with my Young Life leaders grew closer.”

“Danielle is one of my favorite students,” says Harrison. “Her example is the full circle of a Young Life kid. A student has a hard story; we pour into them with love, and then watch them lead others.”

Young Life’s work compliments that of the local church, reaching out to kids - often at risk kids - who might not attend activities at a church. Church congregations can minister in ways that Young Life cannot. Yet, because one of the principle characteristics of Young Life is that they go to the kids and interact with them where they are, they have inroads to reach kids who are disinterested in church. The end goal is that they will become Christ followers and eventually be active members of a local church.

Lastly, Harrison states, “I wish our community could see all the wonderful things that our committee, staff, and volunteers are doing: from getting a bed and mattress for a kid who was sleeping on the floor, to traveling across multiple states so a football player could attend camp, to tutoring a room full of students.

Or simply being there to hear about their day.”

Like most non-profit organizations, Young Life Searcy depends on the support of its community. If you are interested in getting involved or donating, contact Harrison Carpenter at 501-278-6048. Also, you can follow them at “Young Life Searcy” on Facebook and @younglifesearcy on Instagram. “ You would be surprised at how many kids go through a day without anyone talking to them or even knowing their name. Many have never studied for exams, or traveled out of Searcy, or heard the Gospel in a way that they understand.” — Harrison Carpenter

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United Way Of White County Receives

Union Pacific Foundation Board’s Local Needs Grant

O

n September, 18th, 2018, United Way of White County received a $1500 Local Needs grant from the Union Pacific Foundation Board. Union Pacific places great emphasis on civic leadership and responsibility. United Way of White County is honored to accept the grant.

The funding will help to support the 15 agencies that United Way of White County allocates funds on behalf of. Brandon Morris and Brenda Mainwaring, representing Union Pacific, met with United Way of White County’s Anne Eldridge (Executive Director), Kristen Richardson (Campaign Chair), and James Horton (Board of Director’s President) to accept the grant.

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A special thank you to those who brought their copy of Searcy Living to visit the Ark!

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White County Christmas 4 Kids Event December 8, 2018, 10am - 3pm Look around the community for more information about Christmas 4 Kids coming up.

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southwest middle school community science day

S

outhwest Middle School hosted a Community Science Day emphasizing the school’s STEAM initiative. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics! This was a wonderful way to demonstrate to students how science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics are used every day in the work place. The school had wonderful volunteers from local businesses to demonstrate to SWMS students just a few of the amazing careers that involve STEAM. SWMS greatly appreciated all the talented volunteers for investing in the students!

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SWMS greatly appreciated all the talented volunteers for investing in the students!

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Pictured from left to right are WCSPSF, Inc. Executive Director Dan Newsom, Stephen Rice, Erika Robey, Mike Franklin, Jeff Spearn, and Darren Richardson.

Eaton Corporation’s Community Action Support Team Awards Grant to

White County Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Inc. he Community Action Support Team (C.A.S.T.) of Eaton T Corporation, Searcy, recently awarded a grant to the White County Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Inc. The funds will

be used to award Eaton Scholarships to White County parents of minor children who are working on completing their postsecondary education. Since its beginning in 1999, WCSPSF, Inc. has awarded 598 scholarships with a value totaling $348,949. For more information about WCSPSF, Inc. contact Executive Director, Dan Newsom, at wcspsf,inc@gmail.com or call 501-230-2414.

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 Representatives from Unity Health accepted the prestigious Governor’s Quality Award. The honor was given to hospital representatives at the recent Governor’s Quality Award banquet, in which Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson recognized Unity Health with the award. Unity Health is the only organization to have ever received the honor three times.

Unity Health Receives

Arkansas Governor’s Quality Award nity Health is pleased to announce that U it has received the prestigious Governor’s Quality Award. The honor was given to hospital representatives

at the recent Governor’s Quality Award banquet, in which Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson recognized Unity Health with the award.

“We know that the future of healthcare rests in our ability to provide superior care for our patients,” said Unity Health President/CEO Steven Webb.

The Arkansas Governor’s Quality Award is the highest level of recognition presented to state organizations that have demonstrated the highest level of performance excellence through their practices and achievements.

“It is an enormous honor to accept this award and we are so humbled to be the only hospital or any organization that has won this honor three times,” said Vice President of Patient Services LaDonna Johnston. “We hope this truly paints a picture of our long-term commitment to utilizing this process and our recognition of the value of the process to our organization and to our customers. It is the quest for excellence that we all strive for in healthcare.”

“The Governor’s Quality Award allows organizations like ours to look at various areas of our hospital, from a leadership and strategic planning perspective, as well as human resources and processes, in order to measure our overall results,” Johnston said. “It is a transparent and objective way of looking at our level of achievement and how we arrived here, much like a road map guides your journey to a specific destination; we want to continue on this route to achieve even higher levels of success in providing quality patient care and creating a healthy community.”

Unity Health is the only organization in Arkansas to receive the Governor’s Quality Award three times; the hospital also received the prestigious Governor’s Quality Award in 2002 and 2012.

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The goal of the Governor’s Quality Award Program is to encourage Arkansas organizations to engage in continuous quality improvement, which leads to performance excellence, and to provide significant recognition to those organizations. The Governor’s Quality Award was founded by Arkansas business leaders who understood the need to recognize companies reaching for the highest standards in their products, services and processes and who understood the need for organizations to have the tools and training to improve and to strive for performance excellence. The Governor’s Quality Award Program, a private non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, was established in 1994 for the purpose of supporting the broad based use of quality principles throughout Arkansas to drive performance improvement.

ABOUT UNITY HEALTH: As the leading healthcare provider in an eight-county area, Unity Health and its associates strive to improve the quality of health and well-being for the communities it serves through compassionate care. Unity Health is the largest employer in an eight-county area, with more than 2,000 associates. The Searcy facility has a combined total of 438 licensed beds and a medical staff of 150 physicians that specialize in various areas of healthcare.

In addition to the White County Medical Center and Specialty Care Campuses, Unity Health in Searcy includes Unity Health – Clarity Health and Wellness; Unity Health – Family Practice Associates; Unity Health – After Hours Clinic; Unity Health - Orthopaedic and Spine Center; Unity Health – Searcy Medical Center; Unity Health – Searcy Medical Center, West; Unity Health – Westside Family Medical Clinic; Unity Health Cardiology Clinic; and Unity Health Oncology Clinic.

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St. James Catholic Church’s 2019 Annual

Inte rnational Food F est St. James Catholic Church’s 2019 International Food Fest is set for February 2, 2019.

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Congratulations!

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Find Yourself on

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Financial Focus:

Have You Planned for

Long-term Care

?

If you are fortunate, you will retain your physical and mental capacities throughout

your life and can always live independently. But there are no guarantees for any of us. If you ever require some form of long-term care, will you be prepared?

So what is the risk of needing long-term care services?

According to the Department of Health & Human Services, about 40% of individuals over age 65 receive some form of paid in-home care, with an average care period lasting less than one year. However, about one-third of the population receives care in a nursing home: Of those individuals, about half stay less than one year, 30% stay between one and three years, and 20% stay longer than five years.

And, unfortunately, this care can be expensive. For example, it costs $97,500 per year, on average, for a private room in a nursing home, according to the 2017 Cost of Care Survey produced by Genworth, an insurance company. In some major metropolitan areas, the cost is much higher. Furthermore, Medicare typically pays only a small percentage of these expenses.

So, how do you protect yourself against these potentially catastrophic costs? Essentially, you have four options: ■■ Self-insure – You can try to build enough financial assets to cover the costs of a long-term care event. However, you would need to accumulate an extremely large sum to fully protect yourself, and you’d be diverting assets that could be used to help fund your retirement.

■■ Long-term care insurance – A traditional long-term care (LTC) insurance policy will pay for qualified long-term care costs. The younger you are when you purchase your policy, the lower your annual premiums are likely to be. Keep in mind, though, that a basic LTC policy offers no death benefit or cash value – your premiums are only paying for a nursing home stay, home health care or other type of long-term care service. (Also, even a good LTC policy will include a waiting period before the insurance kicks in and a maximum amount of coverage, such as three years.)

■■ Hybrid/linked benefit insurance – Because of some concerns about paying for insurance but never needing care with traditional long-term care insurance, this type of insurance provides a death benefit plus long-term care coverage. You can accelerate the death benefit to help pay for long-term care costs, and you can also choose to create an additional pool for these costs after the death benefit has been exhausted., But if you don’t need long-term care, you still have the life insurance 40 Your Hometown Magazine

death benefit. Due to the death benefit, your premiums will be higher than those of a traditional long-term care policy.

■■ Life insurance with long-term care/chronic illness rider – By choosing a permanent life insurance policy with this rider, you can accelerate all or part of the death benefit to pay for long-term care costs. (Your death benefit will then be reduced.) This option generally provides more flexibility in paying premiums than a hybrid policy, which may require a larger dollar commitment. Similar to hybrid, you still have the life insurance benefit if you don’t need care.

Which option is best for you? There’s no one “right” answer for everyone, but a financial professional can help you choose the method that’s most appropriate for your situation. And from an economic standpoint – and possibly an emotional one, too – you may be better off by taking action sooner, rather than later.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

Edward Jones is a licensed insurance producer in all states and Washington, D.C., through Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P., and in California, New Mexico and Massachusetts through Edward Jones Insurance Agency of California, L.L.C.; Edward Jones Insurance Agency of New Mexico, L.L.C.; and Edward Jones Insurance Agency of Massachusetts, L.L.C.

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By Cecelia Wilson four years old. Too young to read the kit’s instructions, his parents sat down and read the instructions for him. But, the youngster audiences from South Korea to Las Vegas and took extra time to study the drawings and soon presented a private all points in-between. He saw his name in lights magic show for his mother and father, revealing three or four tricks in Las Vegas and impressed Howie Mandel as a they were shocked he had discovered on his own. The die was contestant on Season 7 of America’s Got Talent. cast.

Voted the #1 Family Show in Branson, The Magic & Comedy of From Kindergarten on, Taylor proclaimed his intention to be a Taylor Reed books 150 shows a year in the Jim Stafford Theatre magician. “I knew magic would be my life,” Taylor declares. The in the Missouri city. Though traveling to the Ozarks to see his child who was too shy to read in class act is easy enough, audiences will began to find the fear of facing people be happy to know there will be a evaporating. Over time he would shorter drive to see the magician in be the opener for his father’s act at person. On December 15th, the Texas high-end lounges and conferences, “The child who was too shy to native will be on tour with a stop in in addition to performing at private central Arkansas to play two shows parties. By the age of 12, his father’s read in class began to find the at the Maumelle Performing Arts entertainment connections paid off Center. Because his father Bobby is handsomely, and Taylor became the fear of facing people evaporate.” a Judsonia High graduate, Taylor is warm-up act for Chubby Checker, particularly excited to showcase his Freddy Fender, Billy Crash Craddock, act in the State where his father was and Jim Ed Brown. He had learned raised. to play drums at an early age and was Entertaining, it appears, was in Taylor Reed’s DNA. The elder already a frequent member of his father’s band — a talent that Reed is a musician, singer, and songwriter who loved to delight would become a great backup when between magic gigs. At 13, audiences with his impersonation of the King of Rock & Roll. he was named the Texas Association of Magicians’ Junior Stage Bobby Reed’s relocation from Arkansas to Texas netted a wife, an Magician of the Year. only child, and Texas-size venues in which to perform. Bobby and To capitalize on their talents, Bobby bought a theater so audiences Carolyn Reed provided the impetus for their son’s future career by could come to them rather than the two of them go to audiences. placing a magic kit under the Christmas tree when Taylor was only Until he was 18, Taylor honed his skills in the Reed’s theater while

agician Taylor Reed has entertained live

44 Your Hometown Magazine

“I didn’t know where I was going, but I knew God would show me the way.”

– Taylor Reed learning to build his own illusions. By 1981, Bobby’s venture into real estate translated to his son being asked to be a special guest performer for a real estate convention in Las Vegas. Taylor even wowed the audience when he cut the real estate association’s CEO in half! It was a turning point. The desert mecca’s bright lights called and Taylor was enamored. In 1986, sure that “this is my town,” Taylor moved two 24’ trucks loaded with illusions and a few pieces of furniture to Vegas to make it big. He also packed his drum set as a backup plan…just in case.

For the next 15 years, Taylor made a name for himself as a young up-and-comer in the magic community. He headlined at the Sands (“I was the youngest illusionist ever to play a main showroom.”), he wrote jokes for Carrot Top, built illusions for Kris Angel, met Siegfried & Roy, and David Copperfield, and shared creative notes with the best in the business. But with almost two decades logged in Las Vegas, he found the cutthroat business less appealing. Taylor moved back to Texas, determined to get back to “only magic” and decided to regroup. “I didn’t know where I was going,” Taylor remembers, “but I knew God would show me the way.”

Remembering his own theater from his youth, and with his family’s encouragement, Taylor began to consider the best tourist sites for a new theater. He looked in Buffalo, New York and Hot Springs, Arkansas before ultimately landing in Branson, Missouri. His 2012 appearance on America’s Got Talent and a subsequent production offer from Merle Osmond was

SearcyLiving.com 45

“Like any good act of illusion, you’ll have to wait until the end of Taylor Reed’s performance to see where it all leads, but by the closing curtain, you may just learn to believe in magic.”

Two Shows Coming:

Maumelle Performing Arts Center (located on the campus of Maumelle High School) 100 Victory Lane, Maumelle, AR

Saturday, December 15, 2018

MATINEE SHOW: Pre-show 1:00pm • Show Time: 2:00pm (Doors open @ 12:30pm) EVENING SHOW: Pre-show 6:00pm • Show Time: 7:00pm (Doors Open @ 5:30pm)

46 Your Hometown Magazine

a major boost to his career that made ticket sellers (and ticket purchasers) take note of the magician. At one time there were more than 32 billboards on all roads approaching Branson emblazoned with his name!

With his wife Heather, Taylor has made the outskirts of Branson home since 2006. The father of four isn’t certain his children will follow in his footsteps (son Dylan from his first marriage is 29, daughter Jillian is 10, sons Anders age 7 and 2-year-old baby Henrik round out the crew), but Jillian and Anders did make their own television appearance on Steve Harvey’s Little Big Shots a couple of years ago. The two children showed off their skills of illusion and did so with personality and a few extra ounces of cuteness.

It’s possible the entertainment DNA originating from their grandfather Bobby Reed may make its way through another generation to the youngest Reeds, but only time will tell. One thing is for sure, when Magician Taylor Reed comes to Maumelle in December for two shows, Bobby will be in the lobby greeting family and friends from Arkansas and inviting them in the doors to watch his son’s performance. Taylor may make a motorcycle appear or saw someone in half, or he might even have you considering buying your own child a magic kit for Christmas. Like any good act of illusion, you’ll have to wait until the end of Taylor Reed’s performance to see where it all leads, but by the closing curtain, you may just learn to believe in magic.

For more information and to purchase tickets for Taylor’s show, see his website:

www.TaylorReedRoadshow.com

For Show or Booking Information Contact:

Bobby Reed – Show Coordinator (979) 482-0915

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48 Your Hometown Magazine

SearcyLiving.com 49

P a s s i n g

O n

G race C ards “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Luke 7:41-42

By Sherry Brewer

M

ost people would say they are not writers

but every day we add a page to our story by how we choose to live our lives. Those choices will become our legacy and while they may never be written on paper, they will live on in the memories of those who knew us.

On May 5, 2017 my husband finished writing his story. A week later many of the people whose lives God had graced us to be a part of, gathered to celebrate his life. People from our childhood all the way up to people freshly woven into our lives came to stand alongside our family and honor that man.

But they sat there knowing two different men. Some knew the pre-Jesus one while the others knew only the man who had stood with them as their pastor, mentor and friend. Two lives, one man.

And I’m supposed to try and take a story that will fill three books and condense them into an article? Hmmm, here we go trying.

Lenny and I met my senior year at Searcy in 1982. He was a hot, ‘mulletted’ mess. To be honest, when I met him I labeled him trouble. He was friendly, but cocky. He was good-looking, but he knew it. He had lots of friends, but he had wayyyy to many girlfriends, if you know what I mean.

I would have dodged him like a bullet… but God. You see he wasn’t my type and I wasn’t his type. We were traveling two different roads, seeking two different ends. He lived for the moment. I was living in light of my dreams and prayers, and that boy didn’t fit. His own friends joined in with mine warning me to stay clear of him, and I tried. But I didn’t try long, and then I fell for the guy.

After he broke my heart, I tried to move on and get back to finding my ‘happily-ever-after.’ As soon as I graduated I ran away and joined the Marines. Six months later I was home on leave when he asked me out again. I said, “No.” But my kid sister said, “Yes” for me. I determined not to play any more games 50 Your Hometown Magazine

with him and came up with a beautiful plan of how to safeguard myself. But I didn’t last long either. When he randomly said, “Marry me,” my safe plans blew up and my heart surged forward.

Our ‘courtship’ was something nobody could have scripted.

Ridiculous! We both had tried to run from it… but God. We went to Okinawa and eventually came home and settled in next door to my folks on Morris School Road, but our life wasn’t anything like my Cinderella dreams. On the outside it looked good, but it’s the heart of a man that reveals who he is and the heart of a home that defines its health… our marriage and our home were very much in jeopardy. Infidelity, lies, pride and selfishness plagued our marriage.

Oh, we were in church. Born in the South, where else are you going to be on a Sunday? But it was hell most Sunday mornings as he fussed and cussed until he walked through the doors of his home church in McRae. Five years into our marriage I understood why. He had been baptized as a youth, but it had been because he had followed a cute girl down the aisle instead of Jesus. In October of 1988 he listened to The Right Voice and experienced the fullness of God’s incredible grace and forgiveness.

The next five years women and clubs weren’t an issue, but with time his intensity and anger around the house returned as he threw himself into whatever season was in season: hunting, fishing, softball, etc. He worked hard at work. That was part of who he was. But then he played hard before work, after work, weekends… he was running again.

We were still in church and now went without the wars beforehand, but church can’t heal what we won’t loose, and our marriage was rocked by his unpredictable explosions and my

“That day redeemed him and our marriage as grace flew from heaven and he laid down his Copenhagen and right to choose for a

Bible and a pocket full of grace cards."

 Lenny and Sherry passing out grace cards on a Mardi Gras mission trip.

wounds. Our children were by now getting too old to hide it from, my heart was too tired and I was prayed out. I was done… but God. In desperation, he asked to go visit Mark & Janice Porter, who had pastored at Temple Baptist but now lived in Murfreesboro. As our kids played with theirs downstairs, upstairs I sat numb and they sat silent and listening. In the hours that followed Lenny finally broke and rededicated his life, and then surrendered to that from which he had been running since he had received Christ… the call to ministry.

That day redeemed him and our marriage as grace flew from heaven, and he laid down his Copenhagen and right to choose for a Bible and a pocket full of grace cards.

The next summer he left Vickers and began youth pastoring in Northern Missouri.

And so it began… the praying, seeking, growing, heeding. Our family on call in the ministry. Our home? Wherever God led us for as long as He allowed us to stay.

My husband’s gifts: loving God and others. He passed out grace cards as he had received them… liberally. He was self-less, humble, fun and passionate about the Lord and people. He worked hard and prayed hard and cried much. He was a different man. He was a good father. He was my best friend, the one I leaned into and danced through days and nights with. It was all I had prayed for and more.

In 2015, we returned to Arkansas after nine years in Oregon. Our gifts had equipped us for healing and re-igniting broken, halted churches; and God, in His wisdom, led us to Toltec where we set up house and began praying and waiting for God to move

The Brewers with their children and grandchildren.

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 Memory rocks that two of

“I had never met another man so willing to be broken to retrieve a lost soul. Lives had

our former youth delivered to Oregon where we did missions and get-a-ways during our time there.

been changed as Lenny had shared about God’s ability to redeem us

past our past." as He had in former times. Just like in marriage, there are usually several reasons things become stagnant and/or unhealthy, and it takes awhile to get the vessel reset… we were serving and waiting.

As empty nesters, we had begun not taking weekly days off, opting instead to disappear three days at a time every four to five weeks. It was romantic, quiet and allowed us to re-engage with each other and make sure we were with the Lord. (It probably should be called ‘unplugging from your life for a faith and family reality check’ and should be required, at the very least, annually in every marriage. That’s just me being real.)

In May of 2017 we were well overdue for a rest and we loaded up the camper and took off for the JFK campground on the Little Red, just below the dam.

One thing we aren’t supposed to do on our trips is discuss church ‘stuff.’ Our phones are set to the side and the world comes back to just the three of us: Lenny, Sherry and Jesus.

Wednesday night we watched the fire burn down, trying to shake

the weight of the past couple of months. It had been too long since we had stepped away, and we were exhausted. Thursday it rained so we read, went out to eat, watched movies and lazed the day away. Friday, we awoke to sunshine and I fixed eggs and bacon as Lenny gathered his fishing equipment. His plan: kayak and fish ALL day. My plan: to have no plans.

To my surprise he called after a few hours. “Babe, come pick me up.”

“Are you at the swinging bridge already?”

“No. I just want to come back and spend time with you. Maybe play some cards?”

So, we did. He grilled. I fried potatoes. We played hand and foot.

Then he said, “I think I want to hit the water one more time. I was catching some nice browns.’ So, I drove him to the ramp. He unloaded his kayak. I took off with no goodbye. I realized it before I got to camp, but as he was just going to fish and float 600 feet down to our campsite I didn’t turn around.

Three gates were open and the river was moving on. I was listening to it and piddling with the radio when I thought I heard Lenny call my name and I headed to the point to see if I could spy him around the bend. I didn’t see him and turned back toward camp only to realize that suddenly I was angry, incredibly angry, with like a desire to hit something, throw rubber on the pavement... M A D! Shocked, I decided to skip the radio and grabbed up my IPOD and Lenny’s keys and took off across to the lake so I could watch the sunset and have a little talk with Jesus and work whatever ‘this’ was going on inside of me out!

I came back after dusk to find the message light blinking on Lenny’s phone.

“We found your kayak, you can contact us at….” My heart stopped even as I raced to the truck and took off to the gate to seek help.

Lenny at Gold Beach in Oregon.

Fishing in the Little Red 52 Your Hometown Magazine

An hour later I had spoken to a sheriff, but had not called our families. I was standing in the dark, with the only other One invited on our trips, praying and arguing with God, unwilling to embrace what my heart knew.

Tears rolled down my face as I begged, “You are the One who does miracles. You raise the dead. You give life. You redeem what was lost.”

Then He spoke firmly, ‘Sherry, he is gone. You need to call somebody.”

And I did. I sent out a prayer request, and they came racing up to help and stand with me. The search had been put on hold because they couldn’t release boats until they knew they weren’t going to open the gates back up. Men and boats were in place all the way to Pangburn. Hours passed while our children and some family and friends walked along the river with flashlights. I stood frozen with my silent pleas still echoing in my heart.

Hours later, as the night rolled on, a phone rang in the camp and Lenny’s sister answered it and fell to the ground screaming.

I immediately passed out, my brother catching me as I fell to the ground.

Sitting there, I stirred and then heard a familiar voice, ‘You have to see him. Go to him.’

No one had come to tell us anything, but the same One who had spoken so clearly in our ministry led me. Without a word I slipped away, racing toward the boat ramp, sobbing and repeating God’s word to me.

Arriving at the ambulance, I raced over to the EMT. “I have to see my husband.”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry I don’t have your husband.”

Firmly I repeated my plea, “I need to see him.”

His voice was tinged with regret, “Ma’am, you’ll have to ask the coroner.”

Exhaling, I turned toward the man the EMT had waved in and repeated myself, “I have to see my husband.”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry but your husband is dead.”

I insisted, “I understand. But I have to see him.”

He looked skeptical but stepped over and got help. Only silent tears remained as I waited and watched them pull the gurney from

 Lenny leading a Bible study at the Siskiyou Baptist Association Camp.

the back of a truck and unzip the bag so I could see the one who called me Babe.

There he was, looking back at me, his hair still perfect. Over four hours in a raging river and there were no cuts or bruises anywhere.

A smile lingered on his lips. A light I recognized shone from his eyes. In that moment I knew he had seen Jesus. And I let go.

God grows us on purpose and for a purpose. Lenny had fulfilled his and left without me, which he had just said two days before he wouldn’t do because we were going out in “Notebook” fashion. He had been wrong.

At his service there were many who had walked with the young Lenny, and then those who knew only the man fulfilling God’s purpose who had stepped through their lives and into their hearts.

Lenny was the man who wept during Mardi Gras missions as he looked into the eyes of men and women as lost in their sin as he had been. He was a man with passion, joy and a heart that resonated outside the walls of the churches he led, as he walked into the community where he had been called to sow grace and the message of Christ.

Those who knew him the last twenty-four years did not know the Lenny I met cruising Race Street. Even though we shared pieces of our past, they could not wrap their minds around the man he had been… it just didn’t fit with the man they knew.

As I sat in the stillness in the weeks following his service, I was undone. I had never met another man so willing to be broken to retrieve a lost soul. Lives had been changed as Lenny had shared about God’s ability to redeem us past our past. Now he wasn’t here to share, but the need still was.

“The Lord knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever.” psalm 37:18

 Lenny walking on the beach in Oregon.

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I didn’t understand how this was the best plan. In my mind, Lenny should have stayed and I should have gone home. You can do without worship, events and admins, but the world needed the Message: to see and know what God could do with a heart, not perfect, but abandoned to His. When I quit talking, I heard God speak.

“I am glorified in a life, as much as a sermon. Write the book.”

“Uhmmm, Lord, we have been here before. It is one thing to journal. It is another to share pieces of our testimony verbally. But the only way his life, and our struggles, could help somebody would require that I be transparent, raw and real about everything. In order for them to comprehend the depths of Your goodness and grace toward us and the work You have done in us, they would have to know us. They’d have to know me, and both Lenny’s… everything.”

God was silent. And with reason. He hadn’t been asking me. He had been telling me.

Lenny didn’t like his past. Most of us don’t. Hindsight being 20/20, we now see our other options and our errors. Yet while grace covered it and him, Lenny had never dismissed himself from the pain his choices had inflicted on others. His past was generally left in the past unless God stirred it up in order that we might use it to minister to and encourage another. And while he wasn’t here now to shield it, it had become second nature to me.

Besides, I didn’t want to go there and tarnish the man he had become. And to be honest, there were some things I didn’t wish to relive.

Actually, when we had moved back from Oregon, Lenny had told me to seize the lull between churches to start writing our story. But I couldn’t. Now it wasn’t Lenny asking, it was the Lord setting my course, instructing me. I sat in the quiet, knowing it was mine to do. I wept. I couldn’t do it. But God...

And so it begins, the merging of the man in the grey Camaro into the man who gave up trying to outrun God and lived for Him. Welcome to our lives. They weren’t polished and pretty and pew-perfect. They were messy and littered with the chaos of our choices, passion and problems. Once and Again is the start of our journey.

The beauty displayed is ALL Jesus. The issues in character are ours. Any errors of print/punctuation are mine, and sadly reflect my inability to understand the editing program. :o)

 Sherry with the grandchildren in August 2018. Remembering Pa on his birthday by teaching them to take up their cross.

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”  Baptism of our Cade at Lenny's Memorial service. I stood in Lenny's stead and our son baptized his son.

54 Your Hometown Magazine

Isaiah 52:7

SearcyLiving.com 55

following the

by Terri Lee Orrell

S tephanie

Sheppard’s story started out similar to father, Stephanie set out on a journey. She had not been able to many. She met her sweetheart in school and married him. make contact with any of her relatives in Germany, but had a name They had children and settled into the life they always dreamed of a town where Eddie worked as military police after the war of. Even her family history had a few common strands woven ended. Stephanie and her mother met up with Stephanie’s brother in. She was raised in an American home with American ideals in July of 2015 in Slovakia while he was working for a non-profit. and had the typical American family tapestry. But her roots From there, Stephanie and her mom traveled to Munich by train reach across an ocean, where only a tiny thread was left bare and then on to the small town of Hohenfels by taxi.

Traveling anywhere can to her knowledge. be stressful, but Stephanie’s Like many people in this trip had more than the normal information age, Stephanie was amount of anxiety. She was searching, trying to follow that traveling in a foreign country, thread back as far as she could. with no local language skills, She knew a few things about and only an address from her heritage, but was interested the 1940’s to go on. She had to find out more. arranged to stay at a bed and She knew her father’s dad, breakfast in Hohenfels, which Edward Underwood, was was the only place to stay in drafted into World War II, like the small town. Upon arrival, many during that time period.

Stephanie explained to the Stephanie was 10 months old owner of the inn about her when her grandfather “Eddie” situation and who she was passed away, so her knowledge looking for. The owner quickly of him was through stories recognized the name and passed down. She knew Eddie contacted Paula Lutz and her had married Maria (pronounced daughter Martina to organize Marie) Neuheirl in Germany March 2017. Left to Right Emily Sheppard (Stephanie’s a meeting. The anxiety and and Maria had passed away in excitement increased as daughter), Hollie Adams (Stephanie’s cousin, Ressa’s daughter), 1973, leaving Eddie with young Stephanie realized she would Ressa Dix (Stephanie’s aunt) and Stephanie Sheppard. children to raise. Eddie married be meeting her grandmother’s soon after and Stephanie knew his sister, Paula, the next day. wife as her grandmother. Even without knowing Eddie and Maria, Paula and Martina picked Stephanie up the next morning and Stephanie had always been interested in this part of her heritage. among hugs and tears, a family was reunited.

Thankfully, Martina With only a few documents including a passport, a letter from knew enough English to translate for Stephanie and the rest of the Wilbur Mills for Maria’s citizenship, and letters from Maria’s 56 Your Hometown Magazine

“Eddie symbolized what many saw in America.

A way to a better life.”

Europe family. What Stephanie thought would be an introduction to some long-lost biological ties ended up being a connection with a family she never realized she was missing.

She found out quickly that her grandmother had met Eddie while he was working as military police at a gate in the city. Paula said Eddie would bring the younger children candy, which was an unknown treat to the German children in the village. Maria and Eddie struck up a little romance, but after the war-torn era, Eddie symbolized what many saw in America. A way to a better life. Paula told Stephanie how Maria and Paula prayed on their way to the fields every day that Eddie would marry Maria and take her to America. The prayers succeeded and the two were married in a Catholic ceremony in Hohenfels before returning to America.

Paula brought out a photo of Maria taken on her last day in Germany, and although the photo was a black and white image, Paula remembered what color Maria’s dress was. With tears in her eyes, she explained it was the same color as the shirt Stephanie wore to meet her family.

Paula said Maria had never returned to Hohenfels, but they never stopped missing her. The family spoke of her often and especially on holidays and family get-togethers. They were always looking for her return, and after she passed away, they looked for someone, anyone, related to her. 68 years after Maria left, Stephanie walked through their door and they knew instantly she was family.

Paula lives in the original family home and many family members live there or very close by.

Stephanie was able to meet about 50 kinfolk in the five days she spent in Hohenfels. None were more impactful than Marie’s brother, Uncle Aldorf. From the moment Stephanie walked in the home, Aldorf recognized her and kept referring to her as “Maria, Maria”.

He cried and lamented the short amount of time she had with them.

Stephanie did not fully understand this at the time, but knew he had some health problems. Forty days after Stephanie met Uncle Aldorf, he passed away. She knew then what he was waiting on. He was waiting on that last chance to see his sister’s descendants and was finally at peace after visiting with Stephanie. Although she would have loved to have spent more time and gone to visit sooner, things seemed to have worked out in a purposeful way.

Along with meeting family members, Stephanie was also able to learn about the culture and family history she had longed to know.

They had tea or coffee and cake every day at 3:00 p.m. She only stayed in the bed and breakfast a couple of nights and was then

Hohenfels

“With only a few documents...

Stephanie set out on a journey.”

SearcyLiving.com 57

“68 years after Maria left, Stephanie walked through their door and they knew instantly she was family.”

welcomed to stay with family. She was able to clarify a lot for herself and her family about dates and names. She learned where her looks came from and that her German family happily considered her to look very “German”. Stephanie’s mom was able to witness many of these interactions and recorded some for Stephanie. Stephanie’s mom also put some pieces of the puzzle together about Stephanie’s mannerisms, features, and personality.

Her German family sent her away with hugs and well-wishes, photos and a precious family locket. The feelings from the trip were overwhelming to Stephanie and it took time to process all of it. Her drive to search for her family led her to them, but also to the feeling of a deeper connection to her roots. She is convinced her German roots are why she even searched at all. The family dynamic was so close and its history was so important to her German relatives.

58 Your Hometown Magazine

One could probably try to count the lessons and benefits of Stephanie’s journey but would always come up short of the actual impact on her life. Her trip full of unknown places, very different languages, new forms of transportation, and questions around every bend did not deter her from doing something important. Stephanie’s experiences gave her a newfound love of adventure, which led to a second trip to Germany again in March of 2017 with her daughter, and she has encouraged others to go on their own searches. She does not let her fear of the unknown stop her from straying from routine and safety and exploring this big world God created. Her family tapestry might have a few missing pieces, but it is far more colorful and beautiful than she could have ever imagined.

“One could probably try to count the lessons and benefits of Stephanie’s journey but would always come up short of the

actual impact on her life.”

SearcyLiving.com 59

R

>> By Dr. Tim Kamerman

ecently, I was working out in the yard. It failing health. Those of you that follow Dr. Mercola and recently was hot and humid, in the 90-degree range. When his guest Dr. Zach Bush, who is a triple board-certified doctor I came in, my wife replied, “You seem to have in internal medicine, endocrinology, and metabolism have heard endless energy.” This is not true. However, I have them speak about phase angle.

Whereas, there is no magic fountain of youth or magical tool been blessed with a high level of energy and am able to go from morning until night with a reasonable amount of activity. I, to increase energy in the body, the phase angle is very useful in too, would like to have a higher level of energy than I already allowing us to assess where a patient is at currently on the scale and enjoy, and I frequently hear from patients that come into the where we would like to be. A phase angle of 3.5 is an individual office that they have a low level of energy. Many have even who is very sickly and approaching death whereas, a phase angle of 10 is someone that has more slipped into a level of fatigue or optimum health. Optimum exhaustion. There was a point health equates to higher levels in my life when my health and of energy. vitality had reached a low, and If you are finding yourself so I can relate to what it’s like “Optimum health with low energy and possibly to have low energy. fatigue or exhaustion, doing There is a test in our office equates to higher a BIA evaluation could be called BIA which stands for helpful in finding ways to “Body Impedance Analysis.” levels of energy.” increase levels of energy in It is a very simple and nonyour life. invasive test that reveals Here’s to your health! accurate info that is easily reproduced when doing retesting. It allows us to look at many different aspects of body composition. For example, water inside the cells and water outside the cells.

There is one component of BIA that is very interesting and valuable in my assessment of patients. It is called “the phase angle” (PA). You can go onto sites such as pubmed and find a lot of information regarding phase angle. It is something that is very complicated unless you are one of those math and physics geeks. It has something to do with a measurement of the values of resistance and reactance. Rather than give a patient some complicated definition of phase angle, I just call it the battery charge of the body. Its kind of like the ever-ready bunny. When the battery is strong the bunny is going all over the place. The battery runs down, the bunny starts to stop. It has been associated with the health of cells in the body and has been published as a leading indicator of Call 501-268-2273 the survival rate of patients with cancer, AIDS, and other diseases.

An increase in the phase angle is generally associated with a higher 2924 Hawkins Drive level of health and a decline in phase angle is associated with

Searcy, AR searcychiropractor.com

60 Your Hometown Magazine

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The

Home

By Ashley E. Hannagan

Kirk and Diana Tepe

decided three years ago to move from Tennessee to Searcy, Arkansas to enjoy their retirement in the company of their children and grandchildren. Kirk retired from a career with FedEx and looked forward to building his dream home in such a wonderful community. With a background in both interior design and landscape architecture, Diana says she had always kept various copies of home magazines around the house. Little did she know that she would one day refer to them again. And this time, the ideas residing on the pages of those magazines would prove more useful than ever before. Accompanied by Diana’s expertise, the Tepes would finally begin to realize their “forever home.”

Nestled against the picturesque hillside, the home’s exterior is marked by exquisite landscaping, using the natural materials from which it was carved. Guests are welcomed by a circular driveway making access to the lighted entry and large front porch easy and inviting. The great room welcomes you as you enter the home and leads the way to the outdoors, boasting peaceful earth tones; they are an asset to the mood of the room.

The classic tile flooring, skillfully installed

by Premier Flooring and Design, and magnificent vault-style ceilings with beams of timber lend a sense of grandeur. The elegant fireplace and comfortable seating make this room an inviting haven on the cold winter nights to come. Gorgeous casement windows provide an abundance of natural light, making it possible to experience a glimpse of God’s breathtaking handiwork from virtually any part of the room. Kirk said, “For me, the windows were one of the more important features. I worked in an office space in front of a computer for 32 years without windows, so I rarely had the privilege of viewing the scene outside.”

Out those windows you will find a meticulous garden complete with walking paths and quaint, quiet areas to sit and read or visit with friends. The Tepes employed the services of Integrity Pools of Searcy to finish their outdoor space. Integrity installed a large 62 Your Hometown Magazine

salt water true L pool, measuring 16 x 32 and 24 x 12. The pool features a sundeck entry and a state of the art DE filter, rather than a traditional sand filter. This magnificent pool was finished with a surrounding area and tiled patios that easily lends itself to summer barbecues and laughing grandchildren. Diana mentioned, “This is the third time we have had a pool built. Our experience of working with Integrity Pools was by far the most enjoyable.”

As you move back inside, Premier’s gorgeous tile floors continue and lead you into a kitchen and informal dining area that are equally stunning: the seating takes centerstage at an island-style bar. It is there the Tepes enjoy some good times preparing meals for family and friends. On more formal

 Guests are welcomed by a large, inviting front porch. occasions, the adjacent dining room can comfortably accommodate 8-10 guests. Easy access to the kitchen makes it a perfect space to host on any occasion.

The master suite’s style matches that of the great room, with minimal distractions. The bedroom is spacious and comfortable, hosting a quiet sitting area and a cozy fireplace. There is an easy flow into a spacious master bathroom, featuring a large shower, soaker tub and double vanities. The flooring and tile work, completed by Premier Flooring and Design, give the space the elegance of a restful spa with comfort and convenience that is unmatched. It is inviting and tranquil, an ideal place for the Tepes to recharge.

The upper floor consists of 2 guest bedrooms and a guest bathroom. Diana keeps these spaces lovingly decorated to host her grandchildren, who love to come and spend time with Grammy and Gramps. The space also allows the Tepes to host out of town friends and family.

“ The great room welcomes you as you enter the home and leads the way to the outdoors, boasting peaceful earth tones; they are an asset to the mood of the room.”

 The Tepes employed the services of Integrity Pools to finish their outdoor space, installing a large salt water true L pool, measuring 16 x 32 and 24 x 12.

“The Tepes would finally begin to realize their forever home.”

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No camera angle fully justifies the beauty of the Tepe home. Each space has been lovingly staged to provide both occupant and guest a sense of intimacy and warmth. Kirk says his wife is the one who is worthy of recognition for the magnificent interior, as she did most of the work herself. When asked from what source their inspiration had been in making the house their home, Diana simply replied, “It is our home, full of memories from our nearly 36 years together. I am not perfect, and he is not perfect, but we are perfect for each other.”

“ Premier’s gorgeous tile floors continue and lead you into a kitchen and informal dining area that are equally stunning: the seating takes centerstage at an island-style bar.”

“ The adjacent dining room can comfortably accommodate 8-10 guests. Easy access to the kitchen makes it a perfect space to host on any occasion.”

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“It is our home, full of memories from our nearly 36 years together. I am not perfect, and he is not perfect, but we are perfect for each other.”  The master suite is spacious and comfortable, hosting a quiet sitting area and a cozy fireplace.”

“The flooring and tile work, completed

by Premier Flooring and Design, give the master bath the elegance of a restful spa with comfort and convenience that is unmatched.”

 A meticulous garden completes the home with walking paths and quaint, quiet areas to sit and read or visit with friends.

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the

Pangburn

S tory t o g o d b e t h e g l o r y

By Gwendolyn Napier ur nightmare began Monday, February 6th at 2 am. That was when our dock was washed upriver 1/4 mile, and the deck above the dock, along with a 30 foot metal ramp, disappeared. We began to lose land that would eventually wash away our backyard to within 15 feet of our home. All of this had been building for over a year without our knowledge. We live on the Little Red River outside of Pangburn, Arkansas. Across the river from us are lovely mountains. The railroad built a railway bed 100 years ago, and built up 90 foot high extensions to cross Paxton Pass, with 5 foot diameter concrete culverts to drain the water from the mountains into a small brook across the river from us. For those 100 years, they worked.

As the pass filled in with rains, it became an 8 acre, 90 foot deep lake with a very insecure damsite. On that fateful Sunday night, it rained 10 inches. The railway bed gave way all at once, ripping out huge trees and rocks and slamming into the river directly across from our home in a 15 foot wall of water and debris. The impact ripped out trees on our land, which caused the land to be disturbed. The flood gates had been opened at the damsite above us. The river was raging.

The second night our Japanese bridge, waterfall, large Japanese lanterns and several more trees were ripped away. We could see them the next morning 30 feet down in the river bed.

O

“The river was raging.”

The third night our concrete steps going down to the now gone deck were gone; the fourth night the sidewalk to our back door was gone.

I was calling everyone I thought could help during the day, including congressmen, the Core of Engineers, the Arkansas Game and Fish Department and the governor’s office. The answer every 66 Your Hometown Magazine

time, “We’re so sorry, but no, we will not help you.” At night, I walked the floor praying and crying.

On the fifth night, I will admit, I yelled at God, “I have begged and don’t even know if You hear me!” Yes, God heard. Maybe He wanted me to know my help came from him and not man, but the next day, 15 neighbors showed up with truck loads of concrete, wood and filter fabric. They wrapped the canyon wall to stop some of the erosion. That same day, Terry Farris came and said, “I have 100 people waiting on me to do rock work, but I am putting you at the top of the list because you will lose your home if I don’t.” He was one of the angels God sent. His beautiful wife, Andrea, did the paperwork for Terry to get an emergency permit to begin building a wall to shut out the raging waters. It was scary and exciting to see the wonderful ways he did it.

“But God,” I prayed, “how in the world can we ever pay for

“NEVER GIVE UP ON GOD. HE will make a way. PRAYER WORKS!” the tons of boulders and workers this will take?” God has his ways. I mentioned to my neighbor that we would begin by selling the lot between us. He said, “I want it.

Here is a down payment of $20,000.” And so it went, as God showed his wondrous ways. Each time money was needed, God provided it. Terry Farris gave us the most beautiful backyard we could have imagined. Even when it seems there is no way, when your circumstances seem hopeless and beyond your control, NEVER GIVE UP ON GOD. HE will make a way. PRAYER WORKS!

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By Nikki Warren It was at the Garner service one Sunday night earlier this summer Finding a church with an effective children’s ministry can be a challenge. It’s not difficult to find that Ms. Ava, just out of curiosity, asked the children how many of one that is great at entertaining our children, one that puts on them had read all the way through the Bible. No one raised their an amazing Vacation Bible School, or even one that gets kids hand. She then asked how many would want to, and hands shot up everywhere. They had a look on their faces that would stay with really excited about church camp or whatever other activity Ms. Ava for days. they have going on at the moment. To find one that actively Wednesday evening she posed the same question to the children instills the Word of God into our children to the point that the at SCN and got the same response. Again, that look of hunger and kids literally thirst for more… well, that’s difficult. That is, excitement for God’s Word.

She knew that she had however, exactly what is stumbled onto an idea that going on at Searcy Church could be a very big deal for the of the Nazarene. kids. She began researching Children at SCN know the idea of leading the kids that when it is time for their through a Bible Marathon. service to start, it is time to get She scoured the internet for serious about learning. Their any pointers or information children’s pastor, Mrs. Ava on other groups who had Laidler, also affectionately accomplished this.

She referred to as Pastor Ava couldn’t find anyone who or Ms. Ava, has been at the had done it with children, church for 14 years, and but learned that it could be that is long enough that the accomplished in 75 hours. children know exactly what That would mean very long she expects out of them. Ms. days if it were going to be Ava is the first one to greet done in a single week, which them with a smile or a hug, was the timeframe she felt but when it comes to her she could get everyone to Children at SCN read from Genesis to Revelation in exactly 65 hours, responsibility of teaching commit to. She presented the not only accomplishing an amazing thing for children, but also setting a them about God, it’s not information to the children at record! something she takes lightly, Garner and SCN, and most and she doesn’t expect them all of them were very excited to either. to see if they could do it.

SCN has an outpost ministry in Garner called The Garner Kids After presenting the idea to Pastor Randall Beaty and the Connection. The services there each Sunday afternoon will warm ministry team, who were all on board, Ms. Ava got busy putting even the hardest of hearts. If you happen to walk in after their service the plans into place. It wasn’t long until the idea developed into a has already started, you will be astounded to hear singing… very fundraiser to send less fortunate kids to church camp, with many loud singing… very enthusiastic singing. Ms. Ava has taught the local businesses sponsoring the children. She had t-shirts made for kids a large variety of songs ranging from old hymns and choruses to the kids to wear during the week with those businesses’ logos on songs we often hear on Air 1 radio. The children know every word the back. It was another thing that made the children feel like they and have motions to many of them. They LOVE to sing! were part of a group effort.

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They began the journey on Sunday, reading until 6 pm. The rest of the week they arrived at the church at 7:30 am and did not finish until 8:30 pm, Monday thru Thursday. Finally, at 6:35 pm on Friday, July 27th they completed the reading of God’s Word. They read from Genesis to Revelation in exactly 65 hours, not only accomplishing an amazing thing for children, but also setting a record! 17 children were a part of the Bible Marathon: 11 were able to complete from Genesis to Revelation; 5 completed the reading of the New Testament, some of the Old Testament, and Psalms; and 1 completed 61 of 66 books.

Each evening, the children would talk about what they had read throughout that day. They were absorbing the Word like a sponge. They could tell you in detail what each book was about, which ones they liked and which ones were more of a struggle to get through. It was truly amazing to hear how this had impacted their young lives and how much they had gotten out of it.

Completing the initial reading was just the beginning for these kids. During the reading of the scripture, the kids took notes of things they had questions about and turned them in each day. The next few weeks will be spent answering those questions in detail, which will inevitably lead to many discussions and a greater understanding of the Scripture than these kids would have ever had otherwise.

If you would like to read the daily journal of the journey, go to www.searcynazarenechurch.org and push the Bible Marathon button.

“It was truly amazing to hear how this had impacted their young lives and how much they had gotten out of it.”

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What Foster Parents Are Saying

How You Can Help!

Amazing Donors

Imagine a world where every child has a safe and loving home.

Believe it can happen!

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T h a n k Yo u to a l l

Volunteers & Donors!

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f o u n dat io n

Located at 812 South Main Street in Searcy, Arkansas Find Us On Facebook

imaginebelieve123.com

The Imagine & Believe Foundation has office space, utilities and Foster Care Boutique space that is 100% donated by a local business. Your donations are put to great use in the serving of foster children.

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Imagine & Believe Foundation We provide the Foster Care Boutique, which is where your donations of clothing and diapers are connected to foster parents.

We connect seasoned mentors (former foster parents) to new foster and

adoptive parents, giving them a resource to ask questions and glean wisdom from someone who truly understands their journey.

We help new foster homes get set up with things such as play pens and child safety gates. We help fill in the gaps. There are so many things to get and do to prepare to be a new parent of a child or children of varying ages.

We know the journey of fostering and adopting is very rewarding, but it can also have great times of discouragement and loss. We try to be an encouragement system and reminder that this community really does care about the orphans and the caretakers of the orphan ministry.

If a foster family does not have the time to come by the Foster Care

Boutique, we deliver the clothing and diapers to them. This service is needed, for instance, when a foster family takes in a foster child at 3am and has to be at work by 8am the next morning.

Please send donations to: Imagine & Believe Foundation • P.O. Box 2042 • Searcy, AR 72145 Phone (501) 593-5263 My check is enclosed to help wherever needed.

 $20

 $50

 Other

 I want to donate my time. My talent is: ___________________________________

Imagine & Believe is a Non-Profit 501(c)(3) • Donations are Tax Deductible 501.593.5263 SearcyLiving.com 73

What Is The

H o pe Believe Foster Care & Adoption Boutique? * The Imagine and Believe Foster Care and Adoption Boutique is simply a room in the Searcy Living business office that we have dedicated for use in helping foster & adoptive families, and sometimes emergency situations. Our awesome Searcy Living readers bring in donations, enabling foster parents to be able to ‘shop’ for what they need for foster, adopted and disadvantaged children, at no cost.

Our office is located at 812 S. Main Street in Searcy. We welcome gently used or new items. Thank you, Searcy, for your generosity and time spent to support the Foster Care Boutique!

L ocated I n

Sock Drive

Gracepoint Church Vacation Bible School Imagine a world where every child has a safe loving home.

Believe it can happen!

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Fab

With Amanda Lutrell

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE (YOUR) HOME PART 3: FAMILY FIRE PIT

A

s I continue with budget-friendly ideas to customize your home, I think it’s important to remember outdoor living as well. A backyard can be an extension of your home and just as important as the indoors for family nights or entertaining. Adding a fire pit to your outdoor space creates a central place to gather, a place of warmth and coziness to sit

S u pplies N ee d e d :

around while exchanging stories and creating memories. (And let’s not forget about s’mores!) Although a fire pit can enhance your outdoor living experience, it doesn’t have to be extravagant or expensive! This simple fire pit can be made with just a few steps and a couple of supplies!

1

• Basic Retaining Wall Block (My fire pit took 36, but amounts will vary depending on block size.)

• Lava Rock (Gravel works as well.)

• Garden Spade and Shovel • Level Note: This project is intended for small fires and family use. For large fires or extended use, use a firebox insert to prevent stone damage and breaking.

2

After I was satisfied with my block placement I used a garden spade to mark around the blocks. (If the ground in your yard is hard you can use a shovel as well.)

After marking around the entire area, I moved the blocks away.

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I began by putting 1 layer of blocks to mark the exact place I wanted my fire pit.

3

Using a shovel, I shaved all of the grass (being sure to get under the roots) in the fire pit area, starting around the marked perimeter and working my way to the inside.

4

5

After removing all of the grass, I scraped more dirt away in the high spots and added dirt in low spots until the ground was level.

6

Once the ground was level, I put my first layer of blocks back, making sure each block was level with the one beside it and patting it down securely.

7

I added 2 more layers of block, alternating the rows in a brick pattern to create the fire pit.

I filled the bottom with lava rocks. (Or use gravel, if you prefer.)

8

I lit my inaugural fire and enjoyed the evening with some of my favorite people!

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Hummus If you’ve never had HUMMUS, or even heard of it, don’t feel alone. It is becoming more popular in the U.S., but it is widely famous in Israel. (Many of you know we went to Israel last summer). It is a great alternative to cheese dip if you have issues with dairy, and it is as delicious with sweet bell peppers as it is with pita bread and pita chips if you have issues with gluten. There are many recipes for HUMMUS out there, but I think this one is pretty authentic to the ones we had in Israel. I think you’ll be surprised! The ingredient tahini is made from sesame seeds and is going to be your most expensive ingredient, but you’ll only use 1/4 cup per batch.

Blend 1 Can Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans), Drained 1 Clove Garlic (Or 1 Tsp Minced Fresh Garlic) 1/8 Tsp Paprika

Combine all the ingredients in a good quality blender (or Vitamix) and purée until super smooth. Serve with chucks of sweet bell peppers, cucumbers, pita bread, or pita chips. Enjoy!

1/2 Tsp Cumin 1/4 C Fresh Lemon Juice 1/4 C Tahini (Found near the peanut butter in most stores) 1/2 To 1 Tsp Salt (You can always add more but you cannot add less!)

2 Tbsp Great Quality Olive Oil

Tanya Turner Leckie’s cookbook, Cartwheels In The Kitchen, is available at Midnight Oil Coffee House, as well as through Tanya by e-mailing her at lazydaygourmet@sbcglobal.net.

Partial proceeds through sales benefit the Makonde Team mission work in Tanzania, Africa.

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Across

Down

4. What is Kim Rupard’s dog’s name?

1. What Stephanie thought would be historical, ended up being a ________ with family.

6. Young Life camps are like 5-star ________.

7. ________ are one of the most important features of the Tepe home.

2. “I am glorified in a ________, as much as a sermon.”

3. What did Taylor Reed pack as a backup plan?

5. Lenny, Sherry, and ________ took short retreat trips to unplug.

What has an eye, but cannot see?

What do you call cheese that’s not yours?

find the answers

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Keep your head up. God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers.

Show your support for life and help raise money at the same time! Purchase an official Choose Life Arkansas License Plate for the rear of your car. You can obtain one through direct purchase from the Department of Finance and Administration.

Let’s make the readership of Searcy Living the BIGGEST supporters for life in the state!

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