Redeemer School Editor Times-Union: This is to the members of Redeemer Lutheran who have chosen to close the school.
The parents of this community entrusted you with our most precious earthly treasures, our children. You employed amazing, exceptional educators that strengthened them in both mind and soul. Then you crushed the heart of every child enrolled at your facility, along with the hearts of their parents. You have caused complete upheaval in more households than you can ever begin to imagine. Many will never be the same, because the pain you have caused pierced so deeply.
I know that many of you don't care. You didn't even know what you had. Because you decided long ago that a school was a bad idea, you distanced yourselves from it. You had no idea the hundreds of lives that were touched through your school each year. You simply looked at "enrollment numbers" that were never what you felt they should be to "justify" having a school. What actually does it take to justify touching hundreds of lives with the love of Christ? It has become quite evident, that for many of you, that was never even a desire. How sad. No other outreach will ever have the same direct impact on the number of lives that you had through your school. We were not children, parents, and families to you. We were expendable inventory that was lost in a "business" decision. I'm pretty sure God's view is very different.
This harvest for your Lord has brought forth the fruits of heartache, devastation, and despair. I sincerely hope you give very careful consideration before sowing your next crop. May God be gracious to you all.
Angela M. Hughes Claypool, e-mail
Deer Problem
Editor, Times-Union: Re: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 article titled City Discusses Deer Problem.
First I'd like to state that whoever titles your articles should actually read them first. A title should suggest what the main topic in the article will be about. This article had approximately 6 column inches on the deer subject, and 18 inches on other things. This seems to be a very poor choice of title.
Out of that mere 6 inches on the title subject, there were no actual facts discussed. Only a wildly inaccurate statement from Mr. Shenefield about the deer population and his "guess" about the dollar amount of plants eaten by the deer. Unless he has personally researched and interviewed the people whose plants were eaten, he has no real idea of any amounts. And since there were 2,600 deer taken by hunters in Kosciusko County in 2004, that would mean there would be well over 260 deer in the city limits, and that's only using dead deer as a base number for Mr. Shenefield's statement, that doesn't even include the remaining population. So the actual total would be considerably more.
I'd like to know where Mr. Shenefield is seeing these hundreds and hundreds of deer, so that the rest of us can go there to see and enjoy them!
You can't promote wildlife and wetlands conservation, like our greenway walk areas, which is the smart and sensible thing to do for the future of the planet, and also keep all wildlife out of town. What do you want to do, fence in the entire city, including the roadways, and have gated entry? How ridiculous!
I have been a Lake Tippecanoe resident for the last 23 years. And, yes, the deer here eat my plants and trees every year.
My number of 2,600 for our county comes from the state deer management records.
Dawn Kramer Leesburg, e-mail
Be A Light
Editor Times-Union: Do you think constantly about yourself? Is what you want highest on your priority list? You have an ego, which is a consciousness of being a person. But to live entirely for yourself will drive you crazy. This happens to some who are confined to mental institutions. Life will be miserable and unfulfulling if you live entirely for yourself.
God is infinitely more concerned about you and your life than you could ever be. After all, He created you and me for a higher purpose than a selfish life.
My daily devotional book this morning told of the frustrations, exhaustion and defeat felt by an office worker at the end of the week. Reading his devotions on the next Saturday, he came to, You are the light of the world, but admitted he felt his light had burned out. To be light he needed God to replace his light bulb. He asked and he received. Now, that is scriptural.
Returning to work Monday he proved it for he was a light to his fellow workers and himself, plus fruitful and joyful.
Then there was an elderly lady. Her children were all married. Her husband had died. She was in her pity mood and the loneliest person in the world. A friend suggested that she share her Christian faith and material goods to others in need. She did. Just two weeks later she was heard saying, I am the happiest woman in town.
A fun loving, outgoing Christian Sunday School teacher said to his class of youth use this as your motto J-O-Y. A youth asked, "What does that mean?" "It means do for Jesus, then Others, then Yourself." Pretty good antidote for the disaster of worshipping self. Jesus said, "I am the Light of the World", and later He said, "You are the light of the world".
Let us sing and live that little Sunday School chorus: "This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine". Will you join me and ask God to switch on our lights for Him?
C.L. Hendrix Winona Lake, via e-mail
Bird Boxes Stolen
Editor, Times-Union: I monitor a bluebird trail of approximately 80 boxes in the Clunette area. For those who don't know, bluebirds were on the threatened list for a number of years, but have made a tremendous comeback due to many people involved in blue birding. Some people became aware that the problem was that the bluebirds did not have nesting spaces due to the introduction of the European House Sparrow, loss of old dead trees, less use of wooden fence posts and the removal of fence rows. Putting up bluebird boxes and monitoring them, has made a huge difference for the bluebirds. The reason I am writing this is because over the last two months I have had four boxes (poles and everything) stolen. For those who don't realize, it is against the law to tamper with any nest, eggs or babies of any native (protected) birds. The last two boxes that have been stolen had nests probably both with eggs and this last box which I discovered missing this afternoon, May 22, most likely had tiny baby bluebirds in it. I guess the main reason I am writing this, is not to get the boxes back (the babies would be dead by now), but to tell whoever is taking these boxes to please contact us if you want more, we can get them for you for little or no cost if you are serious about having bluebirds nesting in your yard. Please don't take a box! Why do people steal things that don't belong to them anyway? Just to see if they can? I will not replace this last box again as this is the third time this one has come up missing in two months, and that bluebird pair would probably not come back anyway. These boxes were placed just south and east of Quail Run on CR 500 N. My husband is president of the Indiana Bluebird Society and I am Secretary/Treasurer. We would be glad to supply anyone with a box if they have a good spot to put one. It is not the fact that the box and pole are gone, they can be replaced for about $15, it is the fact that the bluebirds were trying to raise their first brood of the season, and someone has destroyed that. Thanks for reading this, and if you want to know more about bluebirds please give us a call at 574-858-9050 or write the Indiana Bluebird Society at P.O. Box 356, Leesburg, IN, 46538.
We can also be reached by e-mail at bluebird@ncsbroadband.com or visit our Web site at indianabluebirdsociety.org
Ann Auer Leesburg, via e-mail
Volunteers Needed
Editor Times-Union: The Warsaw Community Development Corporation and the Downtown Days Committee is looking for volunteers for this year's Downtown Days Festival. We need assistance manning the kiddie area, parade lineup and in many other areas of the festival.
If you are interested in volunteering for this event please contact the WCDC office at 574-267-6419 or stop by at 107 E. Market St.
