Some of you know that Katy is being tutored by a dear lady that has many years of experience in teaching among a number of other things. I could go on about her credentials and what a wonderful person she is but this post is about what happened yesterday at Katy’s reading session. Katy has had a very difficult time reading. She has trouble retaining what she has learned. Sometimes it feels like we never move on because we have to go back and learn what we thought she had already mastered. Opal brought out a book that Katy had finished last summer just to see how much she remembered. Katy began to read with out missing too many words she finished the first story. She read the second story and I was amazed at how much faster she was reading. She was reading the third story when I became so overwhelmed with happiness. I had goose bumps on my arms and tears were starting to fall. Opal reached over and put her hand on Katy’s shoulder and began to pray. She immediately thanked God for his faithfulness and asked forgiveness when our faith was less than it should be. She asked him to continue to help us with Katy’s learning disability. Time just stood still for a while. We actually left 15 minutes early but Katy read more stories and flash cards than we have ever been able to do in our hour sessions. Thank you Father for hearing and answering our prayers!!!

My heart is breaking for a very dear family as our community has suffered a tragic loss. Below are some high lights taken from a news report. Please remember this family in your prayers.

A volunteer fire chief died Monday fighting a blaze inside a downtown grain bin, while his two firefighting brothers were pulled from the flames and taken to hospitals, authorities said. Hydro Fire Chief Nolan Schmidt a father of two and a local mechanic was one of five firefighters who climbed into the mammoth bin half full of soybeans at the Hydro Cooperative. Fellow firefighters later cut through the side of the metal bin to remove Schmidt and four other colleagues, who were overwhelmed by the thick smoke. The Hydro Fire Department consisted of only 10 volunteer firefighters three of whom carried the Schmidt name. "We’re a small department,” Ward said. "We spend a lot of time together, and we are very close. We’re like family. The Schmidt brothers are the very best Christian, family oriented people. We have suffered a horrific loss.”
Jimmy Murray, Hydro’s police chief, cried when he spoke of that loss.
"We’re a small community,” he said. "I want the families to know that our hearts got out to them. These guys are not only firefighters, they are our friends.” The Schmidt brothers are considered cornerstones in the community, especially at the local firehouse where their father, Max, served as a firefighter for years. Nolan Schmidt was also a member of the Mennonite brethren.
"He was an outstanding young man who did a lot for the community,” said Jeff Krehbiel, chairman of the state Wheat Commission and a Hydro resident. "He was a close friend. He was an outstanding man.”

These volunteer firefighters in rural Oklahoma often put their lives on the lines and we sometimes take it for granted.