FINAL // The 80 Year Romance

Think about knowing someone for 10 years, now multiply that by 8! This is the story of Chuck and Katie Cline, they are my wife's grandparents. Chuck and Katie met back in the first grade in Craig, Colorado. It wasn't until the summer of their fifteenth year that they had their first date. This was in the era of the big band music and one of those bands came through their hometown. Chuck asked Katie to go, she said yes and they even shared their first kiss together. 

Throughout high school, they were both busy with different activities. Katie was on yearbook staff, she was prom queen and even valedictorian of her class. Chuck was quite the sportsman. He lettered in every sport he played and was even recruited to play for LSU. After graduation, Katie went on to Colorado State College and Chuck went to the Colorado School of Mines. They didn't see each other for a few years. It wasn't until a summer baseball game that the serious romance began. 

Chuck joined the Air Force and he was commanding officer at the time. Another officer really wanted to make sure Chuck knew what he was getting into. He told him that it was never a good idea to rush into marriage, that it was something to be taken very seriously. When he asked Chuck how long he had known the girl, Chuck said, "since the first grade, sir." And that was the end of that, the officer gave his approval. 

Chuck and Katie's life was spent constantly moving across the country as he worked in upper level management for Mobil Oil. They have four girls and currently reside in Provo, UT and yes, they are still madly in love. 

Cause Assignment: SOAP International

The Story of a Lost Boy of Sudan

As a very young boy, Dut Bior was forced from his mother country of Sudan by the ravages of war. Fearing for his life, he, with some 12,000 other young men, left family behind and set out on a 600-mile journey to Ethiopia. This group would later become know to the world as ‘The Lost Boys of Sudan.” They traveled say after say with little food or water, in constant danger of being attacked by wild animals and with no adult guidance.

This epic journey claimed the lives of 9,000 boys, which left only 3,000 that reached safety, and Dut was one of those lucky few. He spent years in refugee camps where hardship was a constant. In reflection of his experiences in the camps, Dut will often say what frustrated him the most was not the lack of food or clothing but the lack of educational substance. He sought out and took advantage of every educational opportunity he could within the camp, but those resources were often very limited.

Thanks to the assistance of the United Nations, Dut came to the United States where he now resides in Salt Lake City, Utah and has been actively pursuing a degree in Computer Science. With the blessing of having finally begun receiving the education he always desired, he has decided to give back to those that are still living in third world conditions. This idea led him to establish the Student Orphan Aid Program.

(http://soapinternational.org/)