October 25, 2026

There is something magical about serving in Pratt that is hard to put into words. We love it. As we walk in the park, almost everyone smiles and says hello. We went to a highschool football game for Senior night. The facilities are wonderful and the field is a beautiful, with artificial turf and it is brightly lit. Imagine a small crowd filling the bleachers, enjoying each others company with a large pep band filling one entire section. They are smiling, laughing and enjoying the night. Our Seminary students are involved in multiple events including choir, band, sports and academics. The band and cheerleaders are trying to get everyone into the spirit of the game, but actually, I think they just enjoy being together. The parents of the apposing team are on the opposite seating across the field. They are from a small town, no cheerleaders or band and the team is probably half the size of Pratt’s team. The announcer at the beginning of the game emphasized sportsmanship and we heard no remarks about the refs or anyone else that was negative.

The team name “Greenbacks” came about because at one point, behind the old High School, there was a large pond which was so full of frogs that it made quite a symphony. The name Greenbacks stuck and has become quiet a tradition, even being mentioned nationally. We went home that night having been around new friends and gratitude to be around some of God’s wonderful children.

We loved seeing so many of our seminary students involved that night. We love them. Over half of our students were in the band, one was a cheerleader, one was team manager and five of them also run cross country. We watched them as well and it was fun to cheer them on.

We are enjoying doing a little service here in the community. We go every Tuesday evening for a couple of hours to the community bread kitchen and help serve meals to anyone who needs them. We admire the director & other volunteers who prepare the meal every Tuesday. They know the patrons that come to eat. They also prepare & donate meals for the Youth Group who meet after school.

It has been interesting being here and watching the weather at times. One night we were at the Kitchen and realized that it was raining really hard. We went out to look at the sky. We thought it looked really cool with the big white billowy clouds & the dark black clouds in front. They were moving in opposite directions. Our friend Donna said that It wasn’t cool because that is when you might have the huge hailstones or a tornado forms.These storms usually go around Pratt. And there has not been a tornado here since 2007 in Greensburg 30 miles away. We have met a couple of individuals who were there when that happened. It is still kind of hard for them to not get a little nervous.

We enjoyed going to clean up the B-29 Memorial with the missionaries. The Organization, “Making an Impact” was inviting anyone but especially youth and their families to come & help. It was fun.

Preparing Seminary lessons each day has been good. We love studying and learning more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is pushing us out of our comfort zone being prepared to teach lessons four early mornings each week but we have been blessed in our teaching. We appreciate seeing these tender mercies and are impressed with our students who are coming at 6am to start class.

While in Africa, I had the opportunity to teach a number of students. I had one opening for one more student. I prayed to be guided. Not long after I received a call from one of the missionaries. He asked if I had any room for a piano student, I replied excitedly that I did. He shared about Frida, She was a recent convert, had been an orphan but was now going to school. I immediately loved her. She learned so quickly, was positive and embraced whatever I gave her. She was ambitious. Her lessons were on Saturday early morning. I admired that. She was intelligent and I was glad that she was getting her education. Soon after returning home from our mission, she messaged us letting us know she was going on a mission. I was so happy for her!

We just received this message from her tonight. It was humbling, touching and motivates me to try a little harder, to be patient and to love. “Good afternoon Sister Steiner, This is Sister Chrizostom ( Frida ) hope you are doing great. I have been in my mission for six months now in ZIMBABWE!! But all in all I learnt patient, in six months without baptism. Yeah!!!!! Yesterday got my first baptism after waiting for so long for six months in mission without being baptise anyone. My first baptism a person dissappear on the day of his baptism, my second he came drunk on his baptism date, a lot of surprises in my mission journey.But all in all I learnt to be patient and again people have their agencies to choose to be baptised or not But yesterday I baptise a family!!!! So happy !!! And this family they are so powerful and faithful, they always walk to come to chapel , the chapel is far to the place they stay. It's 2hours from where they stay to the chapel and they always walk every suday to come to church and they never miss any sunday. I learnt a law of sacrifice from them and learnt to be faithful from this family. And be patient is the lesson that I learnt from the past six months without baptize anyone and upside and down that happened all the time. I just wanted to share how happy I'm now But hope you are doing great. Please greet Elder Steiner for me, missed you all.” Have a great day. Frida

We got to visit the Wichita Temple Open House. It was so good! We met with one of the ward members there and went through the Temple with him. He was one of the first Pratt members in the Branch that started years ago, with only about nine members in their group. It is exciting to have this temple for these members here, we are only one hour away. The Temple Dedication is this Sunday, Nov. 1st. We are going to be able to attend the temple once a month. :)