Normally, I spend July in Vietnam, working with the school and congregation which came about from the efforts of missionary Tom Tune. As you might guess, my annual trip was postponed for the second summer in a row due to the pandemic. Lord willing, I will return to Can Tho next summer! This cancellation left me with time on my hands which normally is maxed out with planning and traveling and hopefully, planting the seed. Four weeks ago, I was getting pretty antsy so I called my brothers, Dave and Scott, to see if they would put up with a short visit from me. I got the thumbs up from both so sixteen days ago, I made the 625 mile drive to Wichita and split time between their homes which are roughly two miles apart. Both run summer camps and Sally and Karen, their lovely wives, work so I had some time to myself. Time to yourself away visiting is better than time to yourself when are at home or at least I perceive it to be!
When I first talked to Dave, he suggested the two of us take a road trip to Campbell, Nebraska, the small town where he started his teaching/coaching career as well as married life with Sally. Then, we would continue on to our home town of York, Nebraska. There were landmarks along the way to Campbell. We passed near the geographical center of the US which is right outside the small town of Lebanon, Kansas. We got gas in Red Cloud, Nebraska, home of famed Midwestern novelist Willa Cather. My favorite tourist attraction, though, was in the tiny (population 469) village of Cawker City, Kansas. There, on main street, sits the world's largest ball of twine. Apparently, it receives a great number of visitors even though Dave and I were the only two present during our five minute stop. It is immense! We took the prerequisite pictures before heading back north to the Cornhusker State which was the day's final destination. (I should note here that there are several other giant twine balls which make some claims to be world's this or that!)
Like everything, there is a backstory. The Cawker City ball was started in 1953 by Frank Stoeber who had heard about a similar endeavor in Minnesota which was several years old. In 1961, Mr. Stoeber deeded his creation to the small community and it has resided there to this day. But it is a growing organism. Each year, the town holds a twine a thon, a typical rural picnic/celebration with the caveat that the celebrants add twine to the attraction. Also, folks passing through can stop at a local business and a nice lady named Lottie Herod will gift you some twine to add yourself! Your twine is added to the running weight total which was 19,873 pounds in 2013. Wish I had known- Dave and I could have added our two cents, I mean lengths, to the accumulation!
You know, that initial piece of twine that started this stringed colossus will never be seen again; it's buried deep within that huge sphere. Who knows if Mr. Stoeber had any idea what his obsession would become. Most things start small. As humans, we were microscopic at conception. The world's great novels began with the author as a child learning the alphabet. I always like Jesus' analogy of the mustard seed, which He calls the smallest, becoming a big tree where birds could nest. Come to think of it, birds love gathering twine for their nests! In Matthew 13, which is full of short parables, Jesus states the the 'kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed...' There are commonalities that to me, at least, the twine possesses that the kingdom should also possess. The people freely share it with others, especially strangers, and acknowledge its value. It's out in the open and not hidden away from view. It's available to anyone who takes the time and has the interest. And, it's constantly growing, if not everyday then at least on a regular basis. My guess is that the good folks of Cawker City see their ball of twine as a blessing, both financially and insuring their home is more than just a dot on the map of Kansas. My prayer is that as believers, we comprehend the blessing of the kingdom of God in our lives. It seems the Savior constantly made teaching points from what He witnessed going down the road. I think He would have had a ball in Cawker City.
Applicable quote of the day:
Baling twine.. able to turn any equestrian , rancher or farmer into Macgyver.
True Western Living
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
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