Greetings from the Kolas, I hope the new year has brought as many blessings to you as we have received here at Shiloh.
We just finished up a great weekend. Our annual crews from Eastern Illinois University Campus House and First Christian Church of Greenville, Il were here. Every year on President’s Day weekend, these two groups work alongside us to get our firewood bins full. For those two days we will cut, split, throw, haul, and stack wood. The groups brought roughly 70 hard-working people. There were tons of jobs done, tons of food, and tons of fellowship. We always look forward to these crews. God has blessed this place with so many who are willing to come and serve.
A quick update about our 3 bio kids, who are out on their own now. Titus is still serving as Associate Minister at our church, Shelbina Christian Church. He leads the youth program and now is leading the worship ministry. He also preaches 5 or 6 times per year. Makenna got married last October. She and her husband, Yousef, live in St. Louis. Yousef has a degree in Civil Engineering and works as a project manager for ARCO. Makenna is working toward a certification to do medical coding. Asher gave some big news not too long ago. He and his high school sweetheart, Emma, are engaged! The date is set for this summer, June 21st. It’s approaching fast. He’s currently a sophomore at the University of Central Missouri, studying Music Technology. Emma is finishing her degree in occupational therapy.
As of February 21st, I’m proud to say Misty and I officially have been houseparents here at Shiloh for 10 years! Where those years went, I don’t know. It just seems like they flew by. All we know is they were in God’s hands, and all the years to come will be as well. When you’re busy time flies by. And being busy is what we are. We currently have 8 kids who keep us running and make life “interesting.” We love all of them as our own and pray they do well in life.
Bella, a junior, is toward the end of basketball season. She plays varsity for the South Shelby Ladybirds. They are having an awesome season, finishing the regular with 23 wins and only 3 losses, and currently ranked 4th in the state in Class 3. The post-season games are up next. She’s a lot of fun to watch. Many people in the community have told us she’s their favorite player to watch out on the court. She gets pretty aggressive at times. She’s yet to foul out this year though, unlike previous years. She’s doing great in school and plans to throw shot put for upcoming track season. Prayers for her please as her senior year and life beyond fast approaches.
Brooklynn, our other junior girl, is enjoying not being in a busy season. She cheered on the varsity football cheer squad last fall. She also does great in school and plans on getting a part-time job during her down time. Got to get her to pass that pesky driving test first though. She’ll get it. Senior year is coming right up, so prayers appreciated.
Ethan, our sophomore boy, is keeping busy with being on the South Shelby archery team, pep band drumming, and FFA things. He also enjoys lifting weights and staying fit. He’s a football player, and even though the season is over, he’s already looking forward to playing in the fall.
Samentha, our freshman girl, tried basketball for the first time, and enjoyed it. She did well. As a freshman, she stayed primarily on the JV squad and got some great experience. She liked it enough to plan on going out again next year. Running is her first love though, and she’s very good at it. She talks about the upcoming track season nearly every day. She makes it easy to cheer for her.
Devin, our 7th grade boy, participates in middle school archery at South Shelby. He also plays trombone in band. He’s a reserved, hardworking kiddo. He likes to go around the ranch with me doing whatever work I’m doing.
Kendall, our 6th grade boy, attends Shiloh Christian School. He did alright at South Shelby elementary, but we thought he’d do a little better at our on-site school. We were right. Academically and socially, he’s doing so much better. He can also spend hours making Lego creations. He loves building things and taking stuff apart.
Larry, our 5th grader, attends Tri-County Christian School in nearby Macon. He’s a smart kiddo, too smart for his own good. If he’s not challenged, he doesn’t always want to do the work or do it well. He’s coming along though. He loves to read, likes to take things apart, and is well established as our house comedian.
Julianna, our 4th grade girl, also attends Tri-County Christian School. Julianna is your biggest fan, even if she doesn’t know you. If she can keep from socializing, she does pretty well in school. She is our buzzing little social bee. She likes to work on cheers and cheerleading moves with her old sister Brooklynn.
We thank all of you for all the prayers and generosity. After 10 years of doing this, we have seen God work so much in our lives and in the lives of our kiddos. Prayer is so powerful. We pray for you and your churches. Thanks again for blessing this ministry.
