Susan Schrag and Kelly Demo

Recorded April 22, 2021 Archived April 19, 2021 49:45 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id: ddv000684

Description

One Small Step partners Susan Schrag (52), who left the Episcopal Church, and Reverend Kelly Demo (53), an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church, talk about how their shared connection to the Episcopal Church offers them a unique perspective from which to discuss their lives and spiritual beliefs.

Subject Log / Time Code

Susan (S) and Kelly (K) realize their mutual connection to the Episcopal Church after reading each other's bios.
K asks S to talk about her move to a non-denominational church.
S talks about why she left the Episcopal Church.
S asks K why she became a priest in the Episcopal Church.
S and K talk about why they wanted to do a One Small Step interview.
S relates a story about a lunch with her mother, an Episcopal Deacon, when S told her mother she was getting baptized again.
S and K talk about how they each read and use scripture.
S talks about her past anger at the Episcopal Church and how hearing about some of K's initiatives makes her feel better about the church.
S talks about the businesses she and her husband have run over the years.
S and K talk about COVID-19 and how it has impacted their lives, and their experiences in their respective churches.

Participants

  • Susan Schrag
  • Kelly Demo

Partnership Type

Outreach

Initiatives


Transcript

StoryCorps uses Google Cloud Speech-to-Text and Natural Language API to provide machine-generated transcripts. Transcripts have not been checked for accuracy and may contain errors. Learn more about our FAQs through our Help Center or do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions.

00:02 I am Susan schrag. I'm 52 years old. Today is April 22nd. 2021. I am right outside of Wichita, Kansas. I am with my one small step partner Kelly.

00:20 I am Reverend Kelly demo. I am 53 years old. Today is April 22nd 2021. I'm in. Lenexa, Kansas right now. I'm at my office, which is Overland Park, Kansas, and I am here with my one small, step partner, Susan.

00:44 Okay, in an effort to be fully transparent, I read my reminder e-mail that came two days ago and it said I had a different partner. So I just read your profile since we got on here. I'm going to read it once a month ago. So and mother to two teenage children, her Ministry, focus is social justice and young people. She worked for several years and international aid, but now is back working. The church that she loves. She's a lifelong Kansan and Democrats. So she remembers the time of moderate Republicans. She understands and appreciates the philosophy understands that philosophy. But she's frustrated with where the current Republican party is.

01:45 She's eager to hear from Republican to understand better, why they believe what they do.

01:54 And I have for Susan, I am a mom and a wife. I am a Christian. I live in Kansas my whole life. My kids are grown. They are 25. And I to my son is married is a 5 month old baby with some cute little emojis and still healthy and strong lives close. And I see her every week. We volunteered together for a nonprofit Ministry that serves kids and families. In crisis, spend time every week with son and wife. I'm happiest when I'm with my kids and I have a heart for mentoring other women. When I read this this morning, to my teenage son. I was I was like how I'm getting to do this thing. I'm really excited and I read your bio. He was like, man, that's your bio.

02:53 Yeah, well, I was messed up once before and

03:00 I was not at home and I didn't have access to a computer and it wasn't going to work. And so my my first partner that I was matched up with she's in Hutchinson and she's Muslim. And so she was working. To my two days ago.

03:23 Reminder e-mail said I was matched up with again. Which is that what? That's really cool. Like, I got mashed again. That's awesome. And then I got Hunter and I thought she took her. Okay, so, okay, so you maybe don't know but my mom is an Episcopal deacon.

03:48 Carmen Anderson.

03:54 Common Anderson.

03:57 Well, I should know we're down in Wichita, but that's not a name that I remember, but I'm also Andrew last name. Header O'Connor. Oh, that's hilarious.

04:15 Yeah, I totally, I know Andrew, I've preached at that church many, many times.

04:27 Africa.

04:29 My husband has been calling me repeatedly since we started recording. Yes. He's at the phone place, and he needs to know the account number. Is that okay? If I send him the account number right quick?

04:45 Okay. So yeah, my mom's name is Carmen. She was ordained when I was in college, so ago.

04:57 So she's not exactly on full-time.

05:03 So, so not so. Did you grow up in His companion?

05:07 I did.

05:09 I grew up at Saint Mark's in Wichita, Wichita.

05:17 What other congregation?

05:21 Some of it, no Nazi Birds need to I'm not remembering, but I remember that they can be Good Shepherd. Right? Right. So I was I got married at Good Shepherd.

05:37 Gosh, that's a while ago, 30 years ago and

05:43 My husband grew up Mennonite. And so, we had our priests, and my husband's Uncle who was a Mennonite, Pastor Co-op. Our wedding. Awesome. That's awesome. So, then, are you done still Episcopalian? I am not. I go to a non-denominational church here in Wichita. Okay. Okay, pretty much have gone to our whole married life. Okay, Central Community Church. Actually, they're not non-denominational. That's where we started out, cuz that's where my husband's parents were, and I don't know. It's just easier to go there.

06:29 What is that? I can't think what denomination it is, but it seems like

06:42 Oh shoot. I don't have to buy Google. I'm to find out what denomination, no worries. But now we go to NewSpring, which is not okay. I know you're dealing with your husband. I'll let you, I'm sorry.

07:00 Because it's after I text him the account number. He call me again.

07:05 I'm just telling him I can't answer his calls.

07:13 I did. Yeah, I did try to call you and do, you know, wandered away for a bit in college is one does. But this was always wear my heart was. So yeah, definitely got ordained in 97. And so, yeah, so is always say if it's Italian and yeah, yeah, we were, we were the youngest priest. We actually, my husband is also a priest and I'm director here at the church. He's a director and I meant. Oh, yeah, very curious about the move from

08:04 Well, I from Lake Episcopal to non-denominational and like, then because I know this whole project is about politics and things like that. Like, is that did that? Is that why the move happened or no? You know, I feel a little bit bad. Although I kind of feel good where I'm at, but I kind of feel bad being in a platform this to talk about politics cuz I really don't pay very good attention to politics. Like I am conservative, if you ask me questions, like when I left it, the participant pack that's in here that had questions like their person that was influential in shaping and political beliefs. Is there a moment or experience that shaped your political beliefs? Like to know? I'm just really.

09:03 Well, I mean I line up with conservative politics, but I just don't pay much attention to it. Like I think I know what I believe and

09:15 What, you know, when I look at politicians, I think most of them are crazy. And whether they said most of them.

09:29 Okay, that's that's probably too General have it too much of a generalization by thing must have been like

09:38 I don't want to be too ugly. So I went to see a nice word. But I think that most of them are not out there for people's best interest goes to like when you when you say you line up with conservative values. Like what what do you see that? I line up more with?

10:05 Like physically, yeah, probably I mean we're business owner. So yeah we so in that case. I feel like a politically I would line up more with let let business centers. Do what they need to do and don't have never met. Tell me what to do. Right. I line up more with strict biblical moral.

10:40 I'm so going back to your first question. Okay, so I grew up a basketball. I went to Mennonite College, which was very liberal.

10:50 But the general conference Mennonite church. I went to Bethel College, in Newton, Kansas quite a ways toward being more liberal at the time.

11:06 I didn't really take a stand like I was just good with whatever and I'm not really one who goes out there and takes the stand even now, but more secure. Now that I know what, I think that when I was in college, I was just I just went along with

11:23 Whatever, right? My husband and I started going to Central Community Church where his parents were.

11:34 It wasn't really, we never really made a decision. It was just more comfortable. Probably for both of us in.

11:44 Church, that wasn't so structured. Bayern, didn't know when to stand up and went to sit down.

11:52 And when I was 30 30-ish, yeah. 30, my kids were 2 and 5 and we had lunch with the pastor at Central Community Church, one of the pastors, our Sunday school teacher and I just really was in a place where I was ready to figure this thing out. Like I grew up in the church. I agreed with everything. I believed everything that was pot but I didn't really have a personal relationship with Jesus. So

12:31 When I made that decision, like, I really want to have that relationship with Jesus. It, I think that

12:39 Made me more like okay, this is where I want to be. I'm an observer of the Episcopal Church. Obviously, my mom still goes there. I'm frustrated with you to church at being as liberal as they are, you know, like they're stand on abortion. I wrote a paper in high school about, you know, abortion and and the Episcopal Church is pretty liberal.

13:04 You know, I just thought that's not how I feel anymore. I feel like God says, don't kill and we are not you.

13:13 But that's really the only thing I that I can point to inside the statistical belief system where I would disagree. But I I prefer a more or less structured worship environment.

13:38 That answer your question. Sure. Sure.

13:43 Okay, cool.

13:48 How did you end up ordained in the Episcopal Church?

13:58 Was going to KU and majoring in theater and

14:05 Realize that that's not what I wanted to do, but I didn't know what I wanted to do and threw the funny set of circumstances. I went and lived in West Africa and it took me getting out of my comfort zone to be in a place where it was. So unfamiliar that like God was the only thing those familiar to me so that I could really listen and hear that call.

14:40 That. And so I finish up my ear there. It was actually while I was there though was when in Sierra Leone was when the coup happened towards the end of my hair, the whole, you know, Blood Diamond, all of that stuff. And so I got it back. You ate it, which is kind of crazy, but came back and finished up at KU and then before going to Seminary, that was when I met my husband who was thinking of going into a monastery until we met and then changed his mind and we went there together then so I can turn in Austin cuz he was going or like I'm going to know I would I was already on that path and in the head started the process with the diocese.

15:31 So early on was looking at that seminarian and stuff. So yeah.

15:41 Saudi, what made you want to do this interview?

15:49 I want to be part of the solution, may not look it on in our world. And I, I, I spend a lot of time with this road in my buyout, this ministry, that serves kids and families in crisis.

16:13 Typically African-American although, you know, it doesn't, it doesn't really matter. But typically African-American one of the families that I've spent a lot of time with his Mexican, you know, some of them are white so that you know, that's not a demographic that we only serve. But I have learned so much. I'm entered, a young mom. That was African-American. And spending time with her. I just became so much more aware of the the difficulty between black and white.

16:51 And it's just one of my

16:55 Kohl's, one of my things that

16:58 Hold on my heart. Like I just want to be part of the solution and obviously you're not black but with somebody that's half my age and black and gay and Muslim and everything. I'm not.

17:20 So. That's why I mean, I just want to be part of the conversation, and I think it's so silly for people who disagree to act like they can't speak to one another. It doesn't make any sense. And I think it's a big part of how we got to hear is well speak to each other and they just, you know, whisper with their neighbor that they agree with. And, and then we all pick our side and said their point. Yeah.

17:51 Yeah, so, why'd you do it?

17:57 I think, parsley for that same reason. But also I think I it is very easy for me working in the Episcopal Church to be in a liberal bubble and I, and people will often not engage in. These kind of conversations with me like

18:20 They'll just sort of, well, you know, you're a pastor and so, you know more about the Bible than me. So I'm not going to talk to you about it. And, you know, that kind of thing and won't engage in conversations around these kinds of issues. And I, and I get frustrated. And, and I want to hear, I want to hear. I mean, like I said, in my bio. I want to hear what informs. I mean, especially as a, as a person of faith and especially, especially coming out of the Episcopal Church, been to make that change, like, I

18:56 Like, my guess is our major differences between you and me and our beliefs. I'm guessing come around our understanding of scripture.

19:08 And how you read scripture and how I read scripture, but I may be totally wrong about that.

19:15 I will admit that. I don't know. But yeah, I'm headed to do this question. Cuz honestly, I appreciate having this conversation, even though I walked into a blind. I didn't know I was, so I can. But in our family like,

19:32 It's not really cool to question. And so for me to ask my mom and questions would be difficult, really wouldn't allow me to ask a question. But I just am not sure I would get a full answer, interesting person, and their own culture indeed. And and it just like we just, you know, growing up. I thought cuz the way my parents, spoke people like me, who I am now, holy rollers bike.

20:16 They just did they just read everything in the Bible and didn't never questioned it. And like, didn't want really thinking like they just were doing what they've been taught or told so my family didn't really.

20:33 We didn't go around saying this out loud, but

20:37 We didn't really have a lot of respect for you now. So, when I first again, when I added to it that I didn't have my own relationship with Jesus and then they came, but it was a little bit tense. Like, why are you being baptized again? We already did that. So it was, you know, to their credit. They didn't say that, but it's, there was just, I just felt this tension with them and my mom, and I had lunch one day. I'm buy her lunch, and I don't know if I was picking a fight. I might have been,

21:22 So I'm butter lunch and I don't know what that was how I invited or what the point was, but I think I just wanted to tell her, you know what I have learned and what how I felt and having this new relationship with Jesus. That was my own and not theirs and

21:43 Fortunately, I think that right before it God gave me a much, better way to speak to her. And so I should have with my Bible and she shut up with the book of common prayer with you spell tense. But but what God gave me right before I was don't go head-to-head with your mom. Just tell her what's changed and tell her what's different and really and that's what I did and it was easy and it was not tense and it was not complexion. Just so, you know, this is what's changed in my life. And I read this in the Bible. I never seen that before. And I'm just so excited. I was I'm super excited about my new relationship with Christ.

22:42 And and I was part of it was I was frustrated that I don't know if they didn't tell me or if I just didn't get it in my mind. They didn't tell me growing up with you not having my own relationship with you. I went to church, we did all the ceremonies. That's a part of two. Probably why I switch to a different church was the whole ceremonial part of the Episcopal Church in my mind was something. I I I didn't want to be just that. And so in a less structured worship environment. I felt better. Like I wasn't just saying things to be saying them.

23:25 I don't remember at all. Why I started down this road. Why am I seeing the things I'm saying?

23:32 Social conversation does. Yeah, but maybe about being baptized again? I don't know how I got two here. And so

23:45 What the what is your understanding? How of scripture? How do you

23:53 How do you handle scripture?

23:56 Well, I read it every day, which I never understood to do previously. And now I know better what's in there. My my one friend I Had A discipleship partner right when I first made this decision and I felt like I was so far behind like I didn't know and she recommended that I start with a kids Bible story book and that was great. Cuz well was I sassy child probably?

24:32 I didn't go to Sunday school very much when I was a kid, I think I was bored or I was too hyperactive or I don't know, but my parents, let me sit in church with them. So I might have missed them all on my own choices, but I didn't know the stories in the Bible. So,

24:50 That I learned a lot. I've learned a lot of what's in there and being in a more.

24:59 Conservative more.

25:02 Bible based Church.

25:07 I I see it more literally. I'm not sure. I'm a hundred percent, like literal is some people are

25:21 I said to my mom once I'm thinking about.

25:28 The Bible being the Ender word of God. And my mom was like so that might be a difference.

25:42 It's prior to me making my own decision to have relationship with Jesus. I could not stay interested. Like I tried I tried to do Bible studies. I was almost like a light switch came on that day when I said, okay, I'm having my very own relationship with Jesus. It it changed everything for me and it changed how I felt and it changed my ability to be interested in the Bible. And so then when I started to read it, I was fascinated that

26:16 Things would make sense for where I was in life that day.

26:21 And how did God know that I was going to read that? So I feel like the Bible speaks to me more than it did. And even as I'm saying this, I'm thinking, well, is that you or is that the church difference? Probably me but I get it. I mean, I felt for a long time. I don't think thankfully, but I was mad for a long time. Like why don't you tell me what mean? Why did I go to church all those years? And you didn't tell me this. So I don't know if they didn't tell me or if I didn't listen Anderson it. When I was 30 years old.

27:00 Interesting. Let me just ask you the same question. How do you see scripture? How do you read it? Scripture is my number one thing that I love to teach on to my youth. I created a program for the diocese where we read. It sits happens over for the Martin Luther King weekend, helping me Cora and we do a marathon reading of the whole Bible and then we have like classes and stuff like that. And we talked about it. I teach that.

27:37 Everything in the Bible is true, but not everything is factual and the end. So that's how my and that it is. It's the story of humanity growing up and and and you know, as a metaphor for our own growing up in our relationship with God, that we start off as children who need rules like, you know, don't touch the stove. It's hot and an eye for an eye, the kind of set some boundaries on things, but then we grow up and we have a deeper relationship with God and more and higher expectations as we do as adults, like letting our enemies and caring for the poor and those kinds of things.

28:28 It hurts my heart to hear that not. Well, it in the Episcopal Church taught scripture while because that is like one of my passions for young people to understand that to, to have a love of

28:50 Scripture in the way that I do that. It's a love letter from God that ended, that isn't accessible and, and beautiful, and poetic and you know, and it has profound truths in it. So but I don't read it, literally, so that, you know, and I think in that way, that's why I was speculating that some of our political differences stem from our understanding of scripture.

29:23 That's just it. It's just a guess. So that's for instance.

29:31 I don't know, you mentioned abortion, the Episcopal Church. I'm not sure what your understanding of the Episcopal Church's stance is on on abortion. We do believe that it's a sin out, right? But that it needs to be safe and legal, because otherwise, young women would also be dying along with their babies. That's basically, the Episcopal Church's stance on that. I know that we the Episcopal church has branded as being very, very liberal.

30:04 It's in my mind. It's it's rooted in you know, the teachings of Jesus and an In-N-Out in everything that we do and believe and the Justice work that we do in a quality work that we do and the taking on the, the powers of the world and taking on the, the violence of the world and, you know, any guns than that, you know, all of those kinds of things that are branded as liberal. I think.

30:39 Two to my mindset stems out of the teachings of the person of Jesus Christ.

30:47 So that is so refreshing and encouraging mouth because my brains going six directions, but

31:04 I have believed.

31:07 Forever. Now that the church I grew up in is how they'd Episcopal churches.

31:13 They don't teach the Bible, like you read it as in the service. Yeah, this reading and that reading in this one, are there three. I've been in for a while, but we'll just do one for the New Testament, one from the gospel bright. And then, okay, you have your scripture for the week. I mean, I don't think anybody said that but just wasn't a part of our church culture, right? Way to do the Bible study to read the Bible outside of whatever was just done in the Sunday service. So

31:53 I just thought that's how the whole church is. I mean for you to say that you teach on scripture and you have a Bible burn over a weekend know, I've never heard these things. I mean, you know, you only know what you know, and I was mad at them.

32:23 And then my my understanding of the Episcopal Church's beliefs is from the the research paper. I wrote when I was in high school, 35 years old and at that time is okay. But but that's what I took away from it as it, you know, seventeen-year-old, I guess not. That's all. I know. I just thought I knew that was that I can move on but it is a good conversation. We got that. We got

33:13 So, as

33:20 What, what is the business that you own? If I might ask?

33:27 Yeah, we my husband is a Serial entrepreneur. So we have

33:38 Over the years. I owned a number of businesses by parent. My husband's parents.

33:47 We're successful and probably most successful with Amway in the 1970s. Wow.

33:59 A lot of money within one. So we have, we were Emily Distributors early on. We've been in lots of network marketing companies. My husband has had an advertising company. That one was pretty consistent for like 20 years. That one stayed and network marketing has really been pretty consistent in our lives over the years. My husband is Father owned a car dealership, just a small one. Like they don't really have a lot. They just fine cars for people. We hardly remember them all. We've had a hunting and fishing television show.

34:46 We built websites.

34:50 Early on when websites were new like for me to bill right now, but years ago we did and shoot.

35:02 Going to my medalist, never like 16 businesses on the left lamp and the TV show and network marketing. I have been the most solid things that we've done both the advertising company and the TV show don't ever get into TV. Okay. No problem. We have the advertising company to bail out the TV show because the TV was like, a big black hole. You just feed your money to it. My husband had a great time with it. I didn't have a great time with it. Because when anytime my husband has started a company, I'm the automatic unpaid employee. Yeah. I ran the camera, I learn to edit video, whatever. That was me, so I work,

36:02 And he had a fun time. Being the house right now, but we've both of those, all of our income. Now, comes from network marketing, got it off and on 30 years and you got kids. You got two grown kids, right? And grandbaby with his parents, okay?

36:40 That part has been super cool. I mean, people are so over-the-top with their grandbabies and he's great. But I don't feel like I'm that typical grandma. Like I would like to show you his picture probably, cuz he is cute, but it's been super sweet spending time with my grandkids and my, my daughter-in-law say, I appreciate having their mom around, which island has been doing Mission. She's a missionary. She was with youth with a mission or four and a half years based in Kona Hawaii, and I just last week moved her to, Georgia.

37:27 Hillary call me this week and there was a call coming in from Atlanta. I thought I better answer that because I didn't expect it to be the storycorps guy, but she's about to knock out of Atlanta, Georgia.

37:47 And she is working with the ministry. There are called take the city, which coordinates all different churches to do Outreach into their local community.

37:58 And then they're working on having a Ministry School, which is what my daughter's been doing for the last four and a half years and Kona is what they call discipleship training school. And so I didn't the curriculum for this ministry school. They're starting in Georgia. Did you all stay safe and covid-19 of us have been sick.

38:32 Ordinary really. I mean, my husband works from the office. That's right behind my house. So that didn't that didn't have to change and he can do. Most everything remote has your church been open. Know. We also learn video editing. That's why I laughed and he said don't do TV to YouTube. We have been we should do, you know, right away last March and we're first doing Church from our living room, which was ridiculous. Cuz you know, it's like a cat in the background and let you know, all the stuff. Finally, we have done started to do it online. And now we do, we have people who come in the parking lot who can tune in on the radio and we're inside, we do a prepared one for online that sort of nicer videos and things like that, but then we also will die.

39:32 Ice cream. And we have about eighty percent of our adult population in the church has been vaccinated. So, we work, we have a panel of, like, doctors, some things in the community. And so he's, that's how we've been making decisions this whole time as far as small groups in youth group, and, you know, all of those things. So, anyway, we've decided that we can have very small and poor people Masten spread out in the sanctuary, then we live stream. So,

40:04 Why?

40:09 The mask and the response to covid is also politically persuaded, and our non-denominational church. We've been back in person since August and people can wear masks if they want to, but

40:29 Not everyone does.

40:32 I guess that bastard because I feel like that would be a question. I would ask of you like as a conservative that. Push back seems to come so much more from the conservative Viewpoint and I'm fascinated by that. Like yeah.

40:55 Nearing an answer like from friends with things who don't want to wear masks, and, and personal Liberties, and all of that kind of stuff. Oh, yeah.

41:13 And I don't really understand. I'm my mom's church has been the same way. I think they are in person. Now, I forget now, there they are in person, but none of them goes every week. I think that might be like tonight so they don't have a full ride.

41:33 Sanctuary. I mean I'm confused but I don't know why if you believe more conservatively.

41:42 You don't want to wear masks and you're doing stuff in person and if you're more liberal.

41:49 You're wearing a mask and social distancing more. I don't I don't really understand that either. I can't I don't have I'm not the one to give you an explanation that we've been doing life. Mostly normal. Oh, really? Yeah. So, I don't know. I don't understand it. I mean in observing the African American population where you know, we're doing Ministry and serving these people. The African-American people were more.

42:25 More scared by the media. I felt like, you know what, the early information came out saying, if you're African-American, you're getting sick, more and more often and thicker and buying more, but that hasn't been my observation, you know, of the people that I know.

42:44 So I don't know where that came from, you know, was was it will statistically through. Yeah, but I don't know why I mean the people that I know aren't you sicker than anybody else. And I think because of the poverty rates and you know, General other contributing factors Health factors, I mean, it is statistically the true executive director for the ministry that I volunteer with one of the things she observed early on was the people in the mid weren't sick.

43:29 You know, quotations, you know, what? What does that mean? But they're their immune systems are pretty strong because they

43:41 Haven't had that great of.

43:43 Sanitary conditions, their whole life and then some of a few people that were sick, but

43:53 Not, not dying sick and we serve a really low income population.

44:03 So I've I've wondered always but I, I mean, I like how does anecdotal, you know, the people that I know?

44:13 So, I don't know. I'm, I'm intrigued by it, too. And I don't, because we have done life, fairly normal. To hear. Anyone say that you've done my fairly normal. There has been zero normal for me and end. My. That is been an upheaval. My kids have been online school, you know, my daughter away at college. She had to come home and finish out the rest of her year at home and everything online, and my son was online. He only recently in the past few weeks have gone back. He kind of did some hybrid for a little while. We we've had are very, very small bubble.

45:00 But we have not lost anyone in the parish. Like I said, everyone has a 80% has gotten vaccinated, but it is been nothing like normal.

45:19 At all, I don't I don't have a good explanation for it. Either a seven-year-old goddaughter that we met through faith Elders, Ministry that I volunteer with, we met her, she started staying with us off and on when she was 6 months and her mom was fifteen and not good family support. So when Mom was over while needed to get school, work, done, whatever. We would keep the baby and mom made a series of poor choices and

45:58 Childhood into State custody. She's adopted by her great-grandparents. So we spell the great grandparents. So typically weekends, she spends with us that hurt their family is Catholic their Mexican. They they had her baptized where the official godparents. So now we have an official title in her life, but she spends a lot of time with that sell, when her school clothes, she spent a lot of time here. So, you know, we did deal with that a little, but then her school went back in the fall in person about the whole Wichita Catholic, Diocese went back in person in the fall.

46:40 And they wear masks all the kids wear masks to school, but

46:46 I don't know. It's just such a dick. I don't understand why there's such a different.

46:50 Take on it. And it is it is it doesn't to me either it. I don't understand it at all. Yeah.

47:01 It doesn't and it doesn't make sense to me being as we have done life, barely normal. I mean our executive director of Faith Builders. She and her husband got covid, but they were not super sick. They, you know, did the preventive kind of stuff as soon as they got sick, their doctor prescribed, an antibiotic, and an inhaler. And I don't know what all, but I just assumed it was cuz of that they didn't get super sick. So I don't, I don't have anybody in my world. That that died from it. I know, somebody that knows somebody.

47:39 And it was, it's not a Newton as the two places. I live in between, which time Newton, we go to the grocery store. Some people are wearing them. Some people are there in the county, everybody still wearing them? Oh goodness. You know what we provided food boxes to Kansas City with Deca the child placing it for Decca. Somehow is the affiliation of deca with some, some place in Kansas City must have been their their families because Kansas City Lockdown, so much harder than Wichita. Did we gave away like 3,000 pounds of ground beef in big boxes. And most of them went to Kansas City. From Deca that would come and meet us in Emporia and we were so bad.

48:39 City of has been a lot more strict. Yeah. Yeah.

48:44 Yeah.

48:47 All right. Well, I don't know if I can say the answer and I'm sure where you and I are not going to solve The World's problems for cook. It is fascinating to me that we were paired together though. I disabled. No doubt. I don't know, but I'm grateful for the conversation to continue. The conversation. What is? Well, as I find your antenna mean, because we have this connection. I'm sure the weekend my boyfriend, Facebook, and I'm sure are we breaking the rules, Hillary?

49:34 Okay. Yeah, that'll be great. Yeah, I've enjoyed it. Thanks for being on here. Thank you.