The Rhinelander Daily News - Online news and information for the Rhinelander, Wisconsin region

Did you get a chance to go to the Wabeno High School Gymnasium and see all the wonderful crafters? Well, if you didn’t you missed out on a good thing. Why can’t we have more of that around here? I loved it. As I walked into the cafeteria I suddenly remembered I hadn’t brought any cash with me. I told Penny McLaughlin “Never fear Brad is here.” She replied, “He‘ll run and get your money.” Brad is like Superman for me, he is always coming to the rescue. What a nice kid! When I walked on into the gym I started off to the right and spied a young girl with a red suitcase and painted on the side was a snowman and the words “I’ll be home for Christmas.” “Wow!” I said “where did you get that?” She pointed to my left. That’s when I spied this whole array of painted things boards, screens, old luggage. Right up my alley. Next to that booth were mittens for young and old people with gift cards and bags to match. So many designs I had to have Breanne McLaughlin, her mom Penny and Brad help me pick out two pair for my granddaughters. Decisions, decisions. Absolutely wonderful craft fair. I bought an old suitcase that had a house painted on the side and written are the words “the story begins at home.” That will go under my Christmas tree and maybe I will keep my Santa Story in it. Edie Huettl was there with her rugs that are the greatest ever made. I still use the ones I bought from her fifteen years ago.

There were Christmas trees and all kinds of decorating and gift items. It was a great place to start your Christmas shopping

Did you hear the Christian Thrift store in Wabeno after two years running has been able to purchase their own building? Is that incredible or what? The vision of Dennis and Wendy Mannering along with the Christian Churches and many volunteers and their prayers have made this project work. If you wanted to see the power of prayer at work, all you had to do was walk into the Christian Thrift Store in the Artists’ Way building this past Saturday, Nov 1 and see the many people milling about or standing in line to purchase donated items. You saw lines of people outside the store waiting for it to open. Then, inside you saw lines of people waiting to check their purchases out at the register. That is the kind of business we all would want to have. People standing outside the door, excitedly waiting, for you to open so they could go in and buy your merchandise.

That IS the power of prayer.

Well, you can believe this or not, it is the truth, and it shows all of us what can be accomplished in this community if we believe. If we persevere, have patience, have passion and if we pray. All of it the volunteers, the merchandise, the building, the perseverance, the patience and the passion all of it came with prayer. The continuing efforts of those volunteers and this community of people who are want to see it thrive, this is where we have many other communities beat. We are a community of people who love this town and who, even when they leave it, come back to it, to continue to love it and work to spark the embers that remain. It is funny to me that our Phoenix is so named and that Wabeno is the home of that Phoenix because in mythology the Phoenix rose from the ashes. And although we are not in ashes, we have those glowing embers. This store and our parks are the embers that will create a new and more wonderful Wabeno. They are the things that will rekindle the spirit of Wabeno to have it rise again. Feel the glow and watch it grow. Well gotta go for now.

Don’t you just love this place? I do!

Any news or interest write to Betts Bodoh, P.O. Box 222, Wabeno, WI 54566, e-mail lobolu@centurytel.net or call (715) 473-3808.

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