Tornado

Tonight at around 7:30 the tornado sirens sounded here in Mena. Gina and I went to the safe place in our house, the downstairs hallway. About that time our electricity went out. The storm passed without damage here at the house. We were thankful that we were spared.

After the storm passed and the stars came out, I decided to drive into town to see if anyone had electricity. When I got to downtown, I started to see storm damage and saw that the authorities were not letting people proceed to the north side of Mena.

I drove to my parents house to see if they were OK, and they were fine with no damage to their house or property. I drove on to the church but saw no damage their. I thought that the storm may not have been to bad, but by the time I returned home, the phone was ringing off the hook with reports of severe damage.

The first news reports stated that the Polk County Sheriff's Department reports one person was killed after a tornado swept through the town Thursday night.

Severe storms moving through the area shortly after eight o'clock tonight spawned the twister.

As damage assessment began, KARK was told a 25 block area that included the Polk County Courthouse and Mena City Hall took a direct hit from the tornado. There are 12 minor injuries in the city.

Governor Beebe has sent 30 National Guard members to the city for help.

The Arkansas State Police tells KARK 4 there is extensive damage to homes and businesses throughout the city of Mena.

We received a call from a friend telling us that our good friend Deanna had a lot of damage to her house, and her car was totaled. Just before the storm hit, Deanna was on the phone with Gina telling her that she was in the closet and she was scared. We have not been able to talk to her since. We don't know what we will find when we are able to get into the the area. Just a couple of blocks from her house, there were 20 or more people in the Masonic Lodge when it collapsed. There is one known fatality on the street where Deanna lives.

We have had friends staying with us this evening, because they were not able to get home. The National Guard is in town and not letting anyone into the severely damaged area. There was damage at RMCC, the community college, and at Wal-Mart. There is damage at U.S. Motors where Gina operates the Credit Union. We have not been able to find out the extent of the damage.

I need to go to sleep, but probably sleep won't come. I don't know what tomorrow will bring.

What A Friend

Joseph Scriven is not a household name. Chances are you have never heard of him. He was born on September 10, 1819, in Ireland. When he was 24 years old he had an experience that changed his life. The night before he was to be married, his fiance drowned while he watched helplessly.

He decided to move far away from the place that claimed the life of his fiance. He came to Canada where he went to work for the Lord. He eventually settled around Port Hope on the north shore of Lake Ontario. He used his time to preach the gospel and to care for the poor and the widows. The local people referred to him as the man who saws wood and carries water for sick people and widows who are unable to pay.


He gave freely of his limited possessions, and never once refused to help anyone who needed it. His faith led him to do menial tasks for poor widows and the sick. He often worked for no wages and was regarded by the people of the community as a kind man, but a bit odd.

Joseph made a humble living as a country tutor who worked for a number of families in the Rice Lake area of Ontario. Joseph met Eliza Roche while he was tutoring for some of her relatives. He asked Eliza to marry him and she agreed. Shortly after their engagement Eliza fell ill with tuberculosis. She died in 1857, a few days before the date she and Joseph had set for their wedding. Fate had dealt Joseph Scriven another broken heart.

Around this time, Joseph learned that his mother was seriously ill. He didn't have the money to visit her back home in Ireland. When he wrote to her, he sent her a poem he had written as an encouragement. He called it "Pray Without Ceasing."

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do no carry everything to God in prayer.


Are his words familiar to you? You probably have heard them before.
Some time later when he himself was ill, a friend who came to call on him chanced to see the poem scribbled on scratch paper near the bed. The friend read it and asked Joseph if he had written the words. He replied, "The Lord and I did it between us."

Joseph never intended for the poem to be published, but it made its rounds as he gave copies to friends. One of the people he gave a copy to was a friend of his by the name of George Wilson, who published the local newspaper in the town of Port Hope, Ontario. Wilson was deeply impressed and was convinced he should print it in the paper so the whole town could enjoy it.


The people of Port Hope enjoyed the poem but quickly forgot it. And that would have been the last anyone ever heard of it except for the fact that somebody in Port Hope sent a parcel to New York City and wrapped it in the very newspaper that had Joseph’s poem in it. When the parcel arrived in New York , the recipient unwrapped it and saved the newspaper because she wanted to read it. She smoothed it out and began to read, and Joseph’s poem caught her attention. She read the poem several times and it moved her so much that she came to the conclusion that everybody in town should read it. She took it to a local New York newspaper, showed it to them and asked if they would be interested in printing it. They looked at it, and deciding that the readers would enjoy the piece, printed it under the title “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”. A copy of the newspaper made its way to composer Charles Converse who composed music to go with Joseph Scriven’s words.


Ira D. Sankey discovered the hymn in 1875, just in time to include it in his well-known collection, Sankey's Gospel Hymns Number One. Later Sankey wrote, "The last hymn which went into the book became one of the first in favor."

“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” is a song that reminds us, as the Bible puts it in Proverbs 18:24 , A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. No matter what we have to face in life, no matter how hard things get, we have a God who is always there for us. What a friend we have in Jesus!

L Is For Lillie And Laura

It's time again For ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun. This week the letter is "L". L is for Lillie and Laura. They are my beautiful nieces who are visiting this week from Illinois. I don't get to see them very often, but they are very special to me. Since I don't get to see them often, they grow up so much between visits.


LILLIE IN 2007


LAURA IN 2007

Laura had her 11th birthday just before her trip to Arkansas, so we celebrated her birthday here at Grandma's house Sunday night.


LAURA AT HER BIRTHDAY PARTY

Sunday afternoon Gina and I were able to spend some time with the girls. They took Skye on a walk down by the creek that runs behind our house. It was a beautiful day even though it was a bit chilly. The girls had a great time, but I think that Skye had the most fun. Lillie picked some wildflowers to bring to Gina.


LILLIE WITH HER WILDFLOWERS

After the walk, the girls watched the movie Tinkerbell. The had a good time. Getting to spend some time with Lillie and Laura makes me wish there weren't so many miles between us.


LAURA'S LONG HAIR


LILLIE'S BIG SMILE

I hope it won't be so long between visits next time.
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I am very involved in my local Relay For Life. You can view my Relay For Life Blog here.

My Friend And I

This is my entry in a neat meme called I Heart Faces. Click on this button to check it out


The theme this week is my friend and I. This photo is of my granddaughter with her cousin and her friend. They were playing at potluck after church. Autumn loves to go to church and see her friends.






This photo is my good friend John Harvey and I. He lives in San Pedro, Belize. I love to visit Belize, and the good friends that I have made there are one of the reasons why. John has one of the biggest smiles you will ever see.

Health Fair

Saturday was the First Annual Mena Regional Health System Health Fair. The Fair was a resounding success. Before the Fair officially opened at 8:00 A.M. there were lots of people already there. Many people took advantage of the hospital's community service health screening.


THE BLOOD PRESSURE STATION

At no charge people were able to have their blood sugar and total cholesterol tested. The lab also provided TSA, thyroid screening, PSA, prostate cancer screening, and Lipid Profiles for a small fee. Also available for free were pulmonary function testing and carotid echo testing. The carotid test was very interesting. I was able to actually see the blood flowing through my artery as well as hear it.


LEARNING ABOUT THE ARKANSAS SAVES PROGRAM

While we were at the Fair, Gina and I learned of a new program that we have here in Mena. It is called Arkansas SAVES (Stroke Assistance Through Virtual Emergency Support). As part of the program, first responders in Mena have been trained to perform a stroke assessment so that they can alert emergency room doctors before they arrive. If a CT scan indicates a stroke, the attending physician will call a special hotline that activates the Arkansas SAVES Telestroke System. The call goes to a nurse staffing the UAMS Call Center who then links – via the video connection – the on-call neurologist with the patient’s attending physician.

The neurologist will have immediate access to lab results, the CT brain image and a real-time, high-definition video/audio connection with the attending physician and patient. Together they can determine the appropriate treatment, such as whether to administer the TPA agent and the correct dosage.

This gives stroke victims here in Mena access to the best medical professionals in the state through teleconferencing. This is an important step forward for our community, because stroke victims have a 3 hour window in which effective treatment can be given. The SAVES program can significantly reduce disability or death resulting from stroke by providing access to specialized care when it is most urgent.


THE RELAY FOR LIFE BOOTH

We were at the Fair to help man the Relay For Life Booth. Our table was next to the registration table right at the entrance. We talked to lots of people as they came by the booth. The timing was great, because the Relay is less than two weeks away.


GINA DONATING BLOOD

While we were manning the booth, Gina met Jeremiah from the United Blood Services. They had a donation bus set up at the Fair. Gina hadn't donated blood in a long time, because in the past she had to stay off of her medications for a certain amount of time before she could donate. She was able to donate after going through a lengthy, 20 minute, interview. She was almost not able to donate because she had spent a day in Jamaica last Christmas. If she had visited Kingston, Jamaica they would not been able to accept her blood.



While I was talking to Jeremiah of United Blood Services, I was pleased to hear that Mena is one of his favorite places to come. He said that he was always able to get the blood that he needs when he comes to Mena. The people are happy to help others. He told me that if he has a scheduled event cancel, he will often come to Mena unannounced and set up in the Wal-Mart parking lot and still get the blood he needs without any advertising. Hearing that made me proud of my community.



This was the first Health Fair that has been put on in Mena, but plans are already underway for a bigger and better Health Fair next year.

What A Long, Strange Week It's Been

The Beatles sang about the eight day week, but during this last week we seem to have crammed in even more days than that. Last Sunday Gina and Mom were driving home from Louisiana where they had attended a scrapfest.


GINA, CYNDA, ANGELA AND MOM AT SCRAPFEST

While they were driving home, I went around town taking pictures of the flowering trees. This time of year is so beautiful here in western Arkansas. Here are some of the photos from from that photo excursion.


JANSSEN PARK IN DOWNTOWN MENA


REDBUDS AND DOGWOODS


DOGWOODS

Monday night, Gina, Mom and I made candy fruit kabobs to sell as a fundraiser for Relay For Life. Gina got the idea for them from her sister Berta. You make them by taking gummy fruit and threading them onto a kabob stick, the wrap them in cellophane and tie them with a ribbon. They are very colorful and attractive. Gina sold so many Monday, that we made them again on Tuesday. Gina had friends come over and help, so they had an assembly line set up. They made 84 kabobs that night. We have already raised over 200.00 for Relay For Life selling the candy fruit kabobs.



Tuesday night I subbed for the Pastor, who was away attending a pastor's meeting, at our Bible Marking class at church. Those in the class are marking their Bibles with different topics. It makes it very easy to study a topic. We start out a topic with a beginning text that we write on the back inside cover of the Bible. You then go to that text and underline or highlight it and then write the next text in the margin. You then go to that text and repeat the process. When you are done with the topic, you can easily study it at any time without any notes other than your Bible. It is a really neat idea, and I am excited about the class.

Gina has been very busy at the Credit Union after taking a few days off. It is always busiest at the end of the month, and the last of March was also the end of the quarter. It has also been a busy week at Richie's Discount Auto Glass. That is a good thing, because all to many weeks lately haven't been that busy. I was so busy Wednesday that I didn't realize that it was April Fool's Day until the end of the day. It seems like there just aren't as many April Fools pranks as there used to be.


I did come across one that made me laugh. It was posted on the Mena Forum that President Obama had told GM and Chrysler that if they received bailout money they would not be allowed to participate in NASCAR. You cannot believe the howls of protest that erupted on the forum. President Obama is very unpopular in this area, and NASCAR is extremely popular. The original information came from the magazine Car and Driver. Car and Driver later pulled the fake story and apologized for "going too far" while noting the magazine " has a proud tradition of irreverent editorial and we amplify that each year with our April Fool's Day joke."


Thursday night was Relay For Life Team Captains Meeting followed by the Relay For Life Committee Meeting. We are just two weeks away from the Relay here in Polk County and things are getting very hectic. There is so much to get organized before the big event.


MY SHOP

Friday morning when I arrived at work I noticed some unusual things. The door looked like it had been messed with. but it was locked so I didn't think much about it. When I opened the shop it smelled strongly of gasoline. Where could that be coming from I wondered. The lights wouldn't come one, and as I checked things all of the electricity was off. Before I called Rich Mountain Electric, I checked the breakers on the outside of the building. Every one of them was in the off position. Once I had turned them back on and could see in the shop I found the source of the gasoline smell. There was a huge lake of gas coming from Daddy's 1968 Chevrolet pickup. As I investigated I saw that the hood was up and the carburetor was missing. I knew there had been a break in and now the breakers being turned off made sense.



I think that the main objective of the thieves was that carburetor. Daddy's pickup had a hot rod 350 Chevrolet engine with a brand new Edelbrock 600 carb on it. The thieves had to be customers who had seen the truck and the engine. The pickup was all the way to the back of the garage that holds 12 cars. They took a few other items, and had some set out. The must have been startled and left quickly because they left their tools behind.

I was left with the realization that there is no place that you are safe from this kind of thing happening. Fortunately this is a rare occurrence here instead of the norm.

Also on Friday was the big fundraiser for Gina's Relay For Life Team, USEM Federal Credit Union. They served over 250 beef brisket dinners and raised over $1200.00 for Relay For Life. Gina is worn out, but things aren't going to slow down for her anytime soon. Saturday is the Heath Fair at the local hospital and we will be helping with the Relay For Life booth. What a long, strange week it's been.

K Is For Kaiser

It's time again For ABC Wednesday. If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday, you are missing out on a lot of fun. This week the letter is "K". K is for Kaiser.


I know that one of the most burning questions being asked today is whatever happened to Kaiser automobiles. Since I am privy to just such information, I thought I would do my civic duty and give you this privileged information.

The Kaiser automobile was the product of the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation. The company was the result of a partnership between automobile executive Joseph W. Frazer and Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser of Kaiser Industries. The company rose from the ashes of the Graham-Paige Motor Company.


DADDY'S 1938 SHARK NOSED GRAHAM

In August 1944, Joseph Frazer, former president of Willys-Overland, assumed control of Graham-Paige, and announced that the company would resume automobile manufacture after the war with a completely new car. The new car was to be called "Frazer" rather than "Graham". Frazer quickly had Graham humming with activity. While looking for financial backing, Frazer met Henry J. Kaiser who also had plans for a postwar automobile. The two agreed to work together and in August 1945 formed the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation to build a new Kaiser car. Two Kaisers were to be built for every Frazer, which was to remain a Graham-Paige product. Joe Frazer became president of both companies and Henry Kaiser chairman of Kaiser-Frazer.


Graham-Paige was unable to finance its share of expenses, so the company quit the car business, and transferred all of their automotive assets to Kaiser-Frazer. Kaiser automobiles were manufactured from 1946 to 1955, when declining sales forced the closing of Kaiser's domestic automobile operations. At that time production was moved to Argentina and Brazil, where the company turned out a series of sedans, trucks and Jeeps until the 1960's.


AD FOR KAISER IN ARGENTINA

In 1953 Kaiser bought the Willys-Overland company, the producer of Jeep utility vehicles, and merged the Kaiser and Willys operations. By 1956 the company had stopped building Kaiser automobiles and was only building Jeep utility vehicles. The company changed its name to Kaiser-Jeep in 1963.


By 1969, Kaiser Industries decided to leave the automobile business, which was sold to American Motors in 1970. Included in the sale was the General Products Division, which Kaiser had purchased from Studebaker in 1964. AMC renamed the division AM General, which remains an independent company and government and military contractor. AM General sold the rights to the Hummer name to General Motors in 1999 but continues to build the vehicles for GM.


American Motors Corporation manufactured Jeep vehicles until AMC was purchased by Chrysler in 1987. Chrysler wanted the Jeep vehicle line because of the rising popularity of utility vehicles. In 1998 Chrysler Motors, and Diamler-Benz merged to form Diamler Chrysler Corporation. The Jeep brand was one of the reasons that Diamler was interested in Chrysler.

What happened to Kaiser? If you are driving a Jeep or a Hummer, in reality you are driving a Kaiser. Even though the Kaiser name is no longer used on vehicles, the legacy of Henry J. Kaiser lives on.