GREETING FROM MISSOURI - DECEMBER 2011

Whew, what a year this has been! Lots going on all year and now entering a great holiday season.

In April my mother took a fall. This started a series of events that eventually ended in our losing her. It has been a sad loss for us. As we adjust to not having those daily phone calls or taking her to appointments, lunch, church and more, we both realize what a precious part of our lives she has been these past five years in Missouri. Closing her apartment, packing up items and deciding what to sell and what to keep have kept us busy. Moving into my folks’ home here in Springfield since being unable to sell it has also been a change for us. (Note our address change below.) And the paperwork!!

In August we both headed to General Council in Phoenix, Arizona—Ken with his Pentecostal Evangel responsibilities and me with a wonderful new ministry opportunity. I have been asked to be the spokesperson and Women’s Health Care Coordinator for the new partnership between the Convoy of Hope, the Women’s Department of the Assemblies of God, and the National Breast Cancer Foundation. I am excited about this and we are in the process of seeing just what this will mean for the future. We launched a campaign at General Council announcing the kick-off of a two-year 50 state tour where we will have a Convoy event in all 50 states over the next two years with a women’s tent offering breast cancer awareness, free mammogram screenings, and much more. It’s exciting to say the least and I am pleased to know that God is using my past experience for His good. I’ve been cancer free for two years now. I will be participating in at least 12 Convoy events in 2012.

My job at the Senior Center continues to be crazy and hectic. How can those seniors keep me soooo busy?! Exercise classes, bingo, 300 lunches served each day, delivery of some of those meals to homebound clients, dominos, bridge, puzzles, painting the center, decorating the center, counseling … it just keeps going. Ain’t life grand?!

Ken doesn’t travel as much as he used to but there were still a number of trips this year. He covered the World Assemblies of God Congress in India, where he saw several friends he had met in other parts of the world. He went to the Philippines where he covered stories on two islands. At the Evangelical Press Association conference in Chicago, the Pentecostal Evangel again won several awards.

At home he continued doing AGTV interviews. A favorite was Hudson Taylor IV, direct descendent of pioneer China missionary Hudson Taylor.

Since August he has been playing basketball twice a week with a group of guys 45+ and really enjoying it. He credits this (partially) for his best physical in years. (He’s cancer free for nine years.)

We are both still involved in book publishing, both with Onward Books and other projects.

Perkitty is enjoying the new house. She has the run of two levels and has figured out new places to hide and not come out from when called!

We pray you have a wonderful holiday season and a Christ-filled Christmas. We also pray God’s richest blessing on your upcoming year. May He fill your hearts with His love.

Ken & Peggy


Though we still have blogs with personal news and photos, the best place to connect with us is on Facebook; we would love to add you. Ken’s Flickr site has photos and a few video clips are on YouTube. Ken is kenhorn1 on Twitter.

Kenhorn.blogspot.com
Peggyhorn.blogspot.com
Khorn.agblogger.org
flickr.com/photos/hornkl
youtube.com/kjwq youtube.com/tpeag

Ken’s AGTV interview program, PE Connections, is online as video on demand at agtv.ag.org. Go to “channels,” then to “Pentecostal Evangel” to view them.



Perky after a hard day of play! Getting ready for the holidays…

LETTER BOXING 2

I just wanted you to know that our first attempt at letter boxing didn't cause me to decide to quit! I have added seven stamps since I last wrote and am still having fun. I do have to admit I took Ken with me on one attempt and when we got out of the car at our destination he looked at me and asked, "Where's your journal?" I had left it at home!! The journal is what you stamp your located rubber stamp in to prove you found it! So much for that attempt although we did go ahead and find it and now all I have to do is return to the destination, go directly to the hidden location and stamp my book!

We located two in Branson on our media weekend at the Conservation Area and I have included some of those photos.

"Found it"

Stamping my book

Ken being nice and returning the box to the hidden location - there might be spiders!

Success

Also on a recent trip to Dallas we found four stamps at one location creating a treasure map directing us to the treasure chest - the final stamp. We also went to the cemetery where Greer Garson is buried and got a stamp with her profile on it. That one was interesting because of the history involved and the story shared in the clues.

Well I'll let you know my next adventure and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and wonderful holiday season.

Letter Boxing

Last weekend I started letter boxing with my best friends. We were excited, we read up on it, we googled it, we read the clues and we headed out. One of my friends said her friend had been doing this for years and had never had a letter box not be there!

So our first clue directed us to a cemetery in Northeast Texas. My first hint at a problem should have been the sign over the road which read Zion emetery but no we headed toward our first clue - the parking lot and parked near the flag pole. We then headed toward the largest "Bull." This ended up being one of the family plots and the largest headstone. After trekking all over the "emetery," respectfully, we ended at our destination only to find that there had been vandals and our hunted box had been stolen and the prize inside destroyed and scattered around the area. This box had included shells and was "sea worthy." If you check into letter boxing you will see that many of the boxes have themes.

Disappointed we headed back home and wondered if we would letter box again. That evening we headed to a local college to discover the alumni hidden box. Upon discovering the secret location we found it empty. We actually cheated and talked to the librarian about the box being gone (you're suppose to remain spy like and not let anyone know you are letter boxing or discover the box location). He indicated that they didn't want everyone coming in and out of the library disrupting the shelves, etc. and also that the box which had been magnetized to the shelf had looked like a bomb! Disappointment once again. And to top it all off we had to run back to our car in pouring down rain, laughing all the way, drenched like rats! Now two down and not sure if we would continue we checked to see if there were more hidden boxes nearby!

We headed to the train depot where there was to be the first of a chain of boxes which would end in our having three stamps,(the result of finding your box) the engine, a car and caboose. Upon getting out of our vehicle we could smell heavy natural gas fumes. We quickly tried to discover the box but were overwhelmed with the fumes. We got back in the car and called 911 discovering that the eternal flame at the first train depot in Texas had been snuffed out by the evenings rain!

But, we are not quitters, we would not be stopped. The next morning we headed to Eisenhower's homestead and found our first box complete with self carved stamp inside a hole in a tree and left champions!!

Now, check out letter boxing online and see how exciting this can be. There are actually 13 hidden letter boxes in Springfield alone!! Happy hunting for those of you who are game. And those of you who I will be visiting get out your tennies cause we will be trekking your area soon!

My Mother with the Lord

Virginia Lea Paul, 86, of Springfield, MO passed away surrounded by her loving family on Saturday, May 14, 2011 in the Maranatha Lodge. She was born in Clebit, OK on September 11, 1924 to Howard and Rose Ella (Leigh) Samples.

Virginia was a member of Calvary Temple in Concord, CA for 54 years before moving to Springfield, MO. She sold tickets for Greyhound Bus Lines for approximately 30 years.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband of 64 years, Alfred Paul.

Surviving Virginia is her daughter and husband, Peggy and Kenneth Horn, son and wife, Don and Rita Paul, granddaughter and husband, Heidi and Mike Westfall, great-grandson Andrew Westfall, nieces, nephews, and a host of friends.

A visitation was held Thursday, May 19, 2011, in the Klingner-Cope Family Funeral Home at Rivermonte, 4500 S. Lone Pine, Springfield, MO. A celebration of life was held Friday, May 20, 2011 at 2:00 P.M. in the Maranatha Chapel, 233 E. Norton, Springfield, MO, with the interment following in Rivermonte Memorial Gardens.

The family wants to thank each of you who sent prayers and wishes our way. Also to each of you who took the time to attend the viewing or funeral we want you to know how very much it was appreciated.

Family members coming from out of state were Don & Rita Paul of Ashland, OR; Cal & Fern Baty of Springfield, OR; Melba Callender of Scottsdale, AZ; Glenda Huff of Gig Harbor, WA; and Joyce Headings of Salem, OR.

Snow Day!!

OK, who's the wise guy that put all that snow in front of my driveway today while I was at work?! I got home to a 2' high pile of snow along my entry to my driveway because the snow plow had cleared the street! And it had turned to ice by the time I got home! I got stuck and couldn't go in or out with my car across the full street and my bumper in the pile!

Finally a neighbor felt sorry for me and pushed me out. I got a pitchfork and broke up the ice, shoveled snow out of the way and pulled into the garage. I may or may not make it to work in the morning!! My feet are frost bitten and my fingers are frozen!! I am whining since Ken is in India!! He's having temps in the 80's!! Love you Ken.