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HAY LIFT 2011
Iowa farmers share their bountiful hay crop
with ranchers in drought-stricken Texas
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As of October 13, 2011
10 TRUCKLOADS OF HAY HAVE BEEN DISTRUBTED THROUGH
San Gabriel Lutheran Mission, Alvarado, Texas
Bethel Lutheran Church, Avoca, Texas
Trinity Lutheran Church, Miles, Texas
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Clifton (Norse), Texas |
News Items
Willie Nelson's Farm Aid Program funds truckload to Miles: September 21, 2011
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Donations welcome to help offset the cost of transportation
Send to St. John Lutheran Church, 307 Church Street, Luana, IA, 52156
OR NT-NL Synod, P.O. Box 560587, Dallas, Texas, 75356-0587
Marked for "Hay Lift"
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Gallery of Pictures and Information
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Hay Arrives in Miles
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Pastor Diane Eggemeyer (Trinity, Miles) joins in the hard work and happy moment when a truck load of hay arrived to help the desperate ranchers in her area.
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Hay Arrives in Alvarado
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The first photo is of a man who was in an accident and is no longer able to do his former work and now raises a small herd of cattle to help support his family. He said that this hay is a great blessing to him and his family. He said that he is very grateful to the Lutheran Church for its help.
The second photo is of cracks in the ground in the fields around San Gabriel Lutheran Mission. One lady shared with me they raise chickens and are having problems with the chicks falling in the cracks and dying.
The driver of the truck had a powerful story. He is a contractor who didn’t have any work to do last week, and his daddy always taught him not to sit around like a bump on a log but make yourself useful. So he transported your precious hay to us! He said he heard people at places he stopped indicate that they had heard about the story of the Iowa hay being taken to Texas. The good news has wings under it.
(from Stephanie Varnum, NT-NL Vice President)
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Hay Lift Began with the Generosity of Iowa Lutherans
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Hay is gathered from farmers in the Northeastern Iowa Synod, ELCA. |
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Farmers in towns like Garnavillo and Luana, Iowa, know when they have been blessed, and they know how to be a blessing. Their hay crop was plentiful this year, while the crop in towns like Avoca and Miles in west Texas failed due to the intense heat. What the heat did not destroy this year, the wildfires did. Texas ranchers have been praying for rain and grain. (from the NT-NL News Release - read more)
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Besides Drought, There are Wildfires in Texas
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Over 1000 homes have been destroyed by wildfires in Texas. Acreage equivalent to the size of Connecticut (3.6 million) has been lost. The drought has created an extreme fire hazard over 95% of the state.
One of the homes destroyed by the "Bastrop Fire" was the historic ancestral home of Dr. Annette Citzler, Professor of Economics at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin.
The Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the ELCA is receiving donations from those who wish to help those affected by the wildfires in that area. If you want to learn more, and/or see the litany that has been written about the need for help, and/or make a donation, click here.
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A Thank you Note received 9-22-11
I and my family are recipients of bales of hay sent to Texas that arrived here yesterday 9.21.2011. I wish to express our graditude to yourself, driver John Pate and Wisconsin farmer, Roger Schindler. We are extemely grateful to you all for what you have acomplished for us and what you continue to do. If you can forward our thanks to John Pate and Roger Schindler, we would appreciate that. We do not have their computer or physical addresses.
AND I am not forgetting our own Pastor Diane Eggemeyer. We have been friends with Diane for 30 years. She has been a major blessing to many people when she decided to become a pastor. That is her niche and she fills it so well. We are proud of her. This is typical Diane, to see a problem and attack it with vigor.
As you are aware, Texas has had a handful this year as a result of fire and drought. This has been a new experience for many of us here. It is heartwarming to see man at his best: stepping up to the plate to help others. I hope we all learn from your example and readily help others with the same energy that you all showed in coming to our aid!
Leon Thane, Calvary Lutheran Church, San Angelo, Texas
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