FOUND!

On Tuesday afternoon, May 3, 2022, Sherry Noppe, a resident of Katy, Texas, took her black Labrador, Max, for a walk in her Parkland Village subdivision.  She was last seen on a home security camera near Fry Road and Highland Knolls, walking down the sidewalk wearing shorts, a short-sleeved top, and white tennis shoes, with Max taking the lead.  Sherry’s neighborhood backs up to George Bush Park which is also a favorite place to walk her dog.  Since Noppe had recently been diagnosed with dementia, at age 63, her family was quite concerned when hours had passed and she had not returned home.  Phone calls were made, Harris County Constable Ted Heap’s office was notified, Texas EquuSearch and other authorities were contacted, and friends were told.  Amy Majewski and Mary Beth Cameron, longtime friends, quickly set up a Facebook group “Find Sherry,” which expanded to over 9,000 followers.  Prayers were offered day and night. 

People were asked to check their home and business security cameras for clues of where Sherry and Max might be.  A check-in command center was set up in the Walgreen’s parking lot and people began to show up to get assignments of where to begin looking for Sherry and Max.  Family, friends, officers, people from the community, medical personnel, and people from other cities came to assist.  Flyers, with pictures, were printed and put up in the area.  One business shut down for the day so all of their employees could be part of the rescue team.  A specialist came in and volunteered to set up a grid search.  Helicopters, drones, cars, dogs, and ATVs were used to search the neighborhood area and the 2,700-acre George Bush Park.  People took shifts all hours of the day and night, even searching in the heat of the day and the hard rain.  Late Thursday afternoon, dogs picked up Sherry’s scent, but then seemed to lose it. 

 

Early Friday morning, around 3:00, about 20 people were walking in a dense area of George Bush Park when they heard a dog barking.  They turned off the ATVs to listen.  The search party followed the sound of the barks and eventually found Sherry and Max about 50 to 100 yards off the trail, deep in the woods.  Four of the people in the rescue group were friends of the Noppe children from childhood days.  Even though Max no longer had on a collar or leash, he stayed with Sherry.  Her two daughters and son said Max is a hero for leading the searchers to their mother.  Justin told the reporters, “Max was our brother’s dog.  He passed away two years ago.  He’s the last thing that we really have of him.  To get them both back is a silver lining.”

 

Sherry was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital Katy to be evaluated while Max was being checked out by a veterinarian and given a much-needed bath.

 

Things observed:

* Time is precious.

* Sometimes you need to put down doing what is good to do what is most needed at the moment.

* Working together builds a team.

* Organization and communication are assets.

* Helping involves time and effort.

* Sometimes you must get sweaty or rain soaked to be a link in the plan.

* It’s good to listen and communicate carefully.

* Different areas of expertise are helpful for big events.

* No amount of help is too little.

* Community happens when we are willing to work for a common cause.

* There is much rejoicing when a goal is achieved, even when you don’t know the people personally.

* Miracles still happen.

 

May we each be willing to do our part to be a link in the chain that makes a difference.

 

 

There is a time for everything,

     and a season for every activity under the heavens:

     a time to weep and a time to laugh,

  a time to mourn and a time to dance,

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4

 

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

Romans 12:15

With a Little Help

 

In 1910, at a county fair in Canada, a farmer won a contest for plowing the straightest row.  His prize was a lifetime supply of seed.  Back in those days, Saskatchewan was offering free land to incoming immigrants.  Each weekend the farmer would take his horse and buggy to town and pick up around 20 bags of seed.  He would then go to the train station and give seed to the new families that were arriving to help them start their farming.

Todd Black recently posted a video of young boys, around 8 and 9 years of age, playing in a kids pitch baseball game.  The batter had two swings for strikes.  Between the second and third pitch, the pitcher threw the ball to second base, in order to keep a runner from stealing base.  While that was happening, the catcher took off his glove and helped the boy at the plate reposition his hands on the bat to get a better grip.  On the next pitch, the batter hit the ball and was safe at first!

 

Grady Ferranti, from La Porte, Texas, is 13 years old and loves to play baseball!  His ball team is scheduled to go to two tournaments this summer in College Station and Dallas.  But Grady had a dilemma.  He reported, “My dad got laid off from his job, so it wasn’t very easy.  We were struggling.  And it was harder for me to stay in sports.  It was a struggle.  It made me feel kind of sad but I still had a little bit of faith.”  That’s when Grady’s dad, John, came up with an idea.  They would make tamales to sell.  On Saturday they made several dozen and Grady went to the intersection of Underwood Road and Spencer Highway to sell the tamales and water.  Wearing his baseball uniform and carrying a sign, he got to work.  Someone posted a picture and note on Facebook which drew even more customers.  All the tamales were sold so Grady replenished his water supply and went back to sell more water.  His teacher also came by to contribute.  Besides buying food or water, many people offered extra money and words of encouragement.  “You are doing a really good job.  You are going places.”  With the help of his dad and the community, Grady was able to earn enough money to cover both tournaments and some additional baseball gear.

 

Sometimes all it takes to be successful is a little help along the way.  May we be willing givers and grateful recipients.

 

Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.

Romans 15:2

 

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

Chacacter and Compassion

 

Every runner has one goal in mind and that is to come in first place.  Months of training build muscle, endurance, and stamina.  On the day of the competition, those efforts and results are put to the test.  Madeline Adams attends Boston College and recently competed in the ACC Women’s Cross Country Championship.  She had trained and prepared for the race and was ready to compete.  With much excitement and determination, the athletes started the race.  Madeline was running well for the entire race, but a few yards from the finish line, her body began to give out on her.  Runners began passing her as she collapsed on the track.  Madeline tried to get up and fell again.  As Evie Tate, from Clemson, approached Madeline, she reached down to help her stand up.  Even with help, her body was dead weight.  That’s when Rachel Pease, from Louisville approached the two runners, stopped to help lift Madeline up, and the three crossed the finish line arm in arm for support.  Instead of ignoring the situation, in order to have a better time, Evie and Rachel helped a fellow runner complete the race.  “The great part that comes out of this is there are two amazing girls that helped me, who are completely selfless and just amazing people with amazing character,” stated Madeline.

After a Chicago Cubs baseball game, Ryan Hamilton was on the rooftop near Wrigley Field and witnessed an interaction with a young lady and a blind man.  He took a few pictures and then posted them on Facebook with the comment: “Wanted to give a shout-out to this girl.  No idea who she is, but we are in Wrigleyville on the rooftop of Old Crow Smokehouse.  There was a blind Cubs fan trying to hail a cab for several minutes until the lady came up and asked him if he needed help hailing a cab.  She stood there with him until one pulled up.  Share freely in hopes that her kindness spreads.”  It was soon noted that the lady was Casey Spelman, a speech and language pathologist at The Indiana School for the Deaf in Indianapolis.  She was in town to visit a friend.  As Casey was walking down the crowded sidewalk by Wrigley Field, she noticed a blind man with a white walking cane having difficulty catching a cab.  Casey asked the man if she could assist him.  While waiting for a ride, the man introduced himself as Yusef Dale, an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago.  Talk soon turned to baseball and the game.  Within a few minutes, Casey was able to flag down a cab for Yusef.  Her willingness to give a few minutes of her time was a blessing to Mr. Dale.

 

When opportunities arise, may we, too, be quick to share kindness and compassion.  And since we might not know who is watching, may the choices we make, our actions and reactions, be ones that can encourage and inspire others to share kindness as well.

 

 

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Luke 11:28

 

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

 

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James 1:22