By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer
As a child, Christina Matkina had no knowledge of Jesus or the Bible. She was 15 when she became a Christian.
'All it took was a single sermon,' Miss Matkina said. 'That happened in 1995, and it changed my life.'
In Russia on a mission trip, Russell Chupik of Rogers stopped to share the message of Christ at Miss Matkina's high school.
'He said, 'There is someone who will always talk to you, someone who will always listen and care,'' Miss Matkina said. 'I liked the idea of that. I was lonely growing up. My mother raised me and my sister by herself, so she was always working. She didn't have time to nurture the spiritual life.'
Her friends, also, were of no comfort.
'They could always tell me of their problems, and I would listen,' Miss Matkina said. 'But when I had a problem, nobody cared. Nobody wanted to listen.'
So she approached Chupik and asked him to tell her who 'that guy was.'
'He said, 'That's Jesus Christ. Invite him into your heart, and he will be there and he will be your savior because that's what the Bible promises,'' Miss Matkina said. 'I did.'
Since then, Miss Matkina said her life has been filled with an overwhelming sense of the Lord's presence. It has encouraged her to become a full-time missionary.
And on April 3, Miss Matkina had the opportunity to reunite with Chupik.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Club gets groovy with vintage style
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer
Vintage wear is not out of style.
That was the theme of the Newcomers Club's April 1 style show at the Wildflower Country Club.
'The thing about vintage is that it's fun,' said Maxine Willingham, a Salado area buyer and personal shopper of women's apparel. 'And we love to see how it transpires to the new fashions of today.'
Jeannie Parker, one of the event's six models, agreed.
'Vintage is timeless,' Ms. Parker said. 'And very lovely.'
The show had the feel of a trip in a time machine. The models sported 18 fashions that were popular in the '60s and '70s. Ms. Willingham said the outfit selection showed how styles changed from 'hippie to disco.'
Telegram Staff Writer
Vintage wear is not out of style.
That was the theme of the Newcomers Club's April 1 style show at the Wildflower Country Club.
'The thing about vintage is that it's fun,' said Maxine Willingham, a Salado area buyer and personal shopper of women's apparel. 'And we love to see how it transpires to the new fashions of today.'
Jeannie Parker, one of the event's six models, agreed.
'Vintage is timeless,' Ms. Parker said. 'And very lovely.'
The show had the feel of a trip in a time machine. The models sported 18 fashions that were popular in the '60s and '70s. Ms. Willingham said the outfit selection showed how styles changed from 'hippie to disco.'
Therapy turns grief into works of art
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer
Art therapy is what happens after talk therapy fails.
'Words are often insufficient,' said Sandy Ellis of Temple, social worker and grief counselor. 'So you can't always just talk about it.'
So to help her clients, she relies on art.
'Creating a vision, it helps to express what's going on inside,' she said.
It's a useful therapy for adults and children.
'It helps older people broach subjects they're uncomfortable with,' Ms. Ellis said. 'And for the children, the art helps them show what they don't understand.'
Art therapy can take dozens of forms: collages, drawings, paintings, sculptures, journaling and 3-D structures.
The options, Ms. Ellis said, are endless.
Telegram Staff Writer
Art therapy is what happens after talk therapy fails.
'Words are often insufficient,' said Sandy Ellis of Temple, social worker and grief counselor. 'So you can't always just talk about it.'
So to help her clients, she relies on art.
'Creating a vision, it helps to express what's going on inside,' she said.
It's a useful therapy for adults and children.
'It helps older people broach subjects they're uncomfortable with,' Ms. Ellis said. 'And for the children, the art helps them show what they don't understand.'
Art therapy can take dozens of forms: collages, drawings, paintings, sculptures, journaling and 3-D structures.
The options, Ms. Ellis said, are endless.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Jewish congregation forms in Harker Heights
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer
She needed a spiritual home.
'If you're Jewish, you don't have that many options as to where to worship,' said Caren Cohen of Harker Heights.
That's because the nearest synagogues are about an hour away. There's one in Waco, one in Austin and another on the Fort Hood military base.
'That pretty much well limits it for the rest of us,' Mrs. Cohen said. So she and her husband, Larry, spearheaded the effort to form a Jewish congregation for the local community. Based in Harker Heights, it's called Simcha Sinai, which in English means 'Joy where the Torah was received.'
So far it's got about 30 members.
'And we get more each week as word gets out,' Mr. Cohen said. They meet for worship and a homemade Sabbath meal at 7 p.m. the second and fourth Fridays of the month at various members' homes. To obtain specific locations, people should contact the Cohens at 254-231-4930 or lcohen@hot.rr.com.
Telegram Staff Writer
She needed a spiritual home.
'If you're Jewish, you don't have that many options as to where to worship,' said Caren Cohen of Harker Heights.
That's because the nearest synagogues are about an hour away. There's one in Waco, one in Austin and another on the Fort Hood military base.
'That pretty much well limits it for the rest of us,' Mrs. Cohen said. So she and her husband, Larry, spearheaded the effort to form a Jewish congregation for the local community. Based in Harker Heights, it's called Simcha Sinai, which in English means 'Joy where the Torah was received.'
So far it's got about 30 members.
'And we get more each week as word gets out,' Mr. Cohen said. They meet for worship and a homemade Sabbath meal at 7 p.m. the second and fourth Fridays of the month at various members' homes. To obtain specific locations, people should contact the Cohens at 254-231-4930 or lcohen@hot.rr.com.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Woman finds half-brother on MySpace
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer
It took more than two decades for the siblings to meet.
Thanks to MySpace, 32-year-old Malinda 'Mindy' Mungia of Temple was able to locate her half-brother, 27-year-old Daniel Tamez.
The ironic part is the they live within 15 miles of each other. Daniel's home is in Academy.
'It's funny how we were so close and didn't know it,' Mindy said. 'It's been so long that I've been looking for him, and I can't believe that he was around the corner.'
She found her brother via MySpace on March 12 with the help of her stepdaughter, Cecilia Mungia of Temple.
Telegram Staff Writer
It took more than two decades for the siblings to meet.
Thanks to MySpace, 32-year-old Malinda 'Mindy' Mungia of Temple was able to locate her half-brother, 27-year-old Daniel Tamez.
The ironic part is the they live within 15 miles of each other. Daniel's home is in Academy.
'It's funny how we were so close and didn't know it,' Mindy said. 'It's been so long that I've been looking for him, and I can't believe that he was around the corner.'
She found her brother via MySpace on March 12 with the help of her stepdaughter, Cecilia Mungia of Temple.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Boy's illness no match for the love of friends
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer
Daniel Farnham is here.
That's become a common half-time rally cry at Central Texas Christian School basketball games.
'The announcer says those words, and everybody stands up and cheers,' said Coach Nuni Venegas. 'Daniel comes out to wave. It's wonderful.'
But it was no score or trick on the court that earned Daniel the honor. It was a far harder battle against pain.
Two years ago, the high school junior was diagnosed with lupus - an autoimmune disease that weakens the body's defense system against viruses, bacteria and germs.
Telegram Staff Writer
Daniel Farnham is here.
That's become a common half-time rally cry at Central Texas Christian School basketball games.
'The announcer says those words, and everybody stands up and cheers,' said Coach Nuni Venegas. 'Daniel comes out to wave. It's wonderful.'
But it was no score or trick on the court that earned Daniel the honor. It was a far harder battle against pain.
Two years ago, the high school junior was diagnosed with lupus - an autoimmune disease that weakens the body's defense system against viruses, bacteria and germs.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Shelter offers a path to a new life
By TOMIE LUNSFORD
Telegram Staff Writer
She watched it happen to other people.
'First my mom and then my friend. I said it would never happen. I'd never be one of them.'
But she was wrong.
'Easier said than done. It could happen to me and did. I was abused.'
Those words are from Kate, a battered woman seeking refuge in the non-profit Families in Crisis Temple shelter for victims of domestic abuse. Like all of the FIC clients, her safety is at stake, so to keep her identity secret, the Telegram is withholding her real name.
The Temple shelter was a godsend for Kate.
'Coming here meant me getting my independence back,' she said. 'And my self-esteem. I lost it for a while, but I got it back.'
'Yes, she did,' said Barbara Stephens, manager of the FIC Temple shelter. 'I was with her every step of the way. She's worked very hard.'
Telegram Staff Writer
She watched it happen to other people.
'First my mom and then my friend. I said it would never happen. I'd never be one of them.'
But she was wrong.
'Easier said than done. It could happen to me and did. I was abused.'
Those words are from Kate, a battered woman seeking refuge in the non-profit Families in Crisis Temple shelter for victims of domestic abuse. Like all of the FIC clients, her safety is at stake, so to keep her identity secret, the Telegram is withholding her real name.
The Temple shelter was a godsend for Kate.
'Coming here meant me getting my independence back,' she said. 'And my self-esteem. I lost it for a while, but I got it back.'
'Yes, she did,' said Barbara Stephens, manager of the FIC Temple shelter. 'I was with her every step of the way. She's worked very hard.'
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