White woman spends two decades with Indians

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

Not everybody in the 1960s wanted to go to California and wear flowers in their hair. Some people wanted to go live on an Indian reservation.
Sylvia Marrs did, and she got paid to do it.
Just out of college in 1963, her first job was a first-grade teaching post for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Arizona. She lived in dormitory housing on the Nazlini Indian Reservation.
A job fair at the University of North Texas in Denton had informed her of the employment opportunities there.
'I needed a job,' Mrs. Marrs said. 'I wanted to spend at least one year on my own before I got married.'
She was very much in love at that time, she said, but her desire to taste independence remained steadfast. When her suitor, Bill Marrs, proposed marriage, she declined.
'I wanted to wait one year,' Mrs. Marrs said.
When the 12th month came and went, Mr. Marrs mailed his intended a second letter of proposal.
'I said yes,' Mrs. Marrs said. 'On the condition that he come live on the reservation.'

Minister has message for singles: God doesn't forget lonely people

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

Christmas isn't warm hugs and giggles for everyone.
For those who spend the Yuletide alone, it's a lonely, much-dreaded month. News of suicide isn't uncommon to hear in the midst of the mirth.
'It's unfortunate,' said Jason Goings, assistant pastor of college and missions at First Baptist Church in Belton. 'Because when Christmas started, it wasn't like that. Christmas wasn't like the way we think it should be.'
Goings was addressing the church's singles group on Dec. 8 at Temple's Hilton Garden Inn. Two age groups, the single seniors and the single young professionals, had paired together for a holiday party.
His message was simple: 'Christmas is about the gift God gave to each one of us, His son Jesus Christ - whose presence is inside us all.'
But today's society, Goings said, has lost sight of that gift. Loneliness, he said, trumps the holiday spirit, busting it into nothing. He discussed the tragedy of December suicides to illustrate his point.
'Yes, Satan's done a marvelous thing in pulling the wool over our eyes,' Goings said. 'Somehow, the world has come to think that if there's not family, lots of plans, and lots of excitement, then there's not Christmas.'
That's a pure misconception, he said, not at all how the first Christmas happened.
'The first Christmas was when the world got the greatest gift of all,' Goings said. 'Think about how it happened.'
There was no fanfare, parade or prom.
'An angel came down and told the shepherds,' Goings said. 'And who were the shepherds? A bunch of guys who were single who hadn't shaved in four or five months.'

Church sends gifts to orphans

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

More than 250 Christmas gifts left Temple last week, headed for orphans in Donetsk, Ukraine.
The project has turned into an annual mission for Belton Church of Christ. It's the third year for volunteers to brighten the holidays for little ones left alone in the world.
Steve Taliaferro is the man responsible for launching the program. He lived in Ukraine December 2002 through May 2006.
'I worked in the local orphanage as a missionary for World Wide Youth Camps,' Taliaferro said. 'My job was to help transition the older children from orphanages to mainstream society.'
Once they reach age 16, Ukraine children are no longer eligible for orphanage services.
'They need help starting their lives,' Taliaferro said. 'That was my job.'
The missionary, upon his return, became an involved member at Belton Church of Christ. He said he wanted to continue his service to the Ukraine orphans.
New touches to this year's holiday giveaway are the prayer bears.
'Each present will include a little prayer bear,' said Laura Huff, church secretary

Pastime keeps seniors fit, happy

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

She wants to be at the bowling alley when it's her time to die.
'If it happens that way, that would be great,' said 90-year-old Hazel Machalek of Temple. A smile was on her face.
Her wish isn't out of the realm of possibility. She visits Action World Bowl Center fairly often. Miss Machalek routinely plays for the Tuesday and Friday bowling leagues, the Silver Strikers and the PrimeTimers.
The Law of Averages may very well align itself with Ms. Machalek's request. Her bowling average - 128 - after all, is very much in her favor.
She's not alone in wanting to die with bowling ball in arm and body in ready stance. There's several silver-haired bowlers at the Temple bowling alley who say they think the same way.

Sermon inspires craftsman to create image

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

His portrait of Jesus was born of a sermon.
For six weeks, the Rev. Thomas Allen of Grace Presbyterian Church spoke about prayer, its importance and its many forms. And for six weeks, Lowell 'Kirk' Kirkley of Temple listened.
Once the sermon series ended, the owner of K&D Crafts went home to his workroom.
'I had an image in mind,' Kirkley said, pointing to a drawing of a praying Jesus by German artist Volker Arnold. 'I wanted to capture it in wood.'
His first step was to transpose the glossy picture to red oak plywood. Then for six hours, Kirkley said he sat on a stool, hunched over a scroll saw - a cutting tool that uses a serrated blade as thin as a nail file.
An image of Christ at prayer was what remained after the sawdust was wiped from the surface.
Kirkley held a replica of his original Jesus portrait toward the setting sun. As light shined through the sawed-away places, a silhouette of Jesus appeared.
The original hangs at Grace Presbyterian Church, on a bed of black felt, framed in maple.

Needle works art into hobby

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

A needle may be pulling thread, but the term is not always 'sew.'
'It's stitch, not sew,' said several members of the Heart of Texas Needlework Guild.
None of the seamsters would comment about their craft until that was understood.
'Stitching is what we do,' said Betty Bunker of Temple.
To sew is to link pieces of material together with needle and thread, she said, whereas to stitch is to adorn and decorate.
Embroidery is an example of stitch work.
'Some of us sew, too,' Mrs. Bunker said. 'But stitching is what we're about.'

Cathedrals spark students' creativity

By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer

'It is wise to learn; it is God-like to create.' - John Saxe, 19th century U.S. poet
If it's God-like to create, then the halls of St. Mary's School are divine.
The cathedrals that decorate them are the proof, for they were borne from the imaginations of its students.