Dear Friends,
​
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
May the peace, joy, and love of Christ's birth fill your heart and home this Christmas season. Wishing you a blessed and Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with God's grace.

An Abundance of Gratitude and Shared Blessings
Words cannot truly express the depth of our thanks. Ray and I want to extend our deepest, most sincere gratitude to each one of you for your faithful and unwavering support throughout this past year. Because of your incredible generosity and prayer-ful partnership, the ministries here in Costa Rica are doing well!

Here is a glimpse of the impact your love has made:
The children’s home is growing and has now begun construction on its third house! To date we have had the privilege of ministering to over 160 children. The clinic is expanding its capacity and will be welcoming a full-time doctor starting in January. We are overjoyed to be building two new churches and a parsonage in the country's northeastern sector, wonderfully supported by dedicated mission teams from churches in the States. Enrollment at both the Methodist school and seminary is up, a fantastic sign of growing faith and education!

Looking Ahead to 2026
As we look forward to the coming year and all the exciting new work it will bring, we also want to share a practical challenge. Our personal vehicles, which are essential for the daily ministry, are getting quite old. Ray drives a 2006 Tundra, and Lidia has a 2007 Sequoia. We truly love our Toyotas—they are workhorses that stand up to the ruggedness of the Costa Rican roads, and parts are easy to find. However, we have now reached the point where the yearly maintenance and repair costs are exceeding the cars' value. We are prayerfully moving forward to begin a Car Replacement Fund. The wonderful folks at the Methodist Church in Uvalde are assisting us by receiving and setting aside financial gifts for this specific purpose. Gifts for that purpose can be designated “Zirkel Car Fund.”

Family News and Continued Prayer Requests
Our family is doing well. Sarah is just days away from graduating with both of her master’s degrees! (MDIV & MBA) Please continue to pray with us for God to open the right door for her future career, as she is actively seeking employment. Emma begins her final semester in her master’s program in January and will start working part-time in a hospital Emergency Room in College Station. We are so proud of her dedication!

Ray’s recent health issues have persisted, and he has undergone a variety of medical exams at Houston Methodist. (A few more to go!) While he is feeling somewhat better, the mystery of the "good days and bad days" continues. We ask each of you to please keep praying for a clear diagnosis and complete healing as we place this fully in God’s hands.

As the year ends, we want to thank you for your incredible generosity and investment in our lives and ministry. We are grateful for each one and look forward to seeing many of you in the States over the holidays or in Costa Rica during 2026.

Praying your Christmas season is richly filled with the peace, love, and profound joy found only in the presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

With Deepest Love and Gratitude,
Ray and Lidia

2026...Where Is God Calling Us and What Will He Have Us Doing?
THE WESLEY COVENANT PRAYER

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

On Sunday, we spoke this prayer out loud, all together, during worship at Kerrville First United Methodist Church.

As we begin a new year, Pastor David invites us to reflect on this covenant prayer and guides us to consider what the Jesus-way of life looks like, and what is required of us as we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and love our neighbor as ourselves.

It is a practical description of what Jesus was talking about when he said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23)

The Wesley Covenant Prayer describes missional life devoted to following Jesus and serving as Christ's representative in the world He loves and is working to redeem. It reminds us that being a Christian is more a way of life than a system of beliefs.

The Covenant Prayer describes the Jesus way of self-giving and self-emptying love. This way of living and loving is possible only in a community centered in the life and mission of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. This prayer reminds us who we are and whose we are.

Let us begin 2026 as Christ’s representatives in the world sharing His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness with everyone God places on our path

Thank You Mercy Chefs!

We’re so thankful for our friends at Mercy Chefs, who are providing both perishable and non-perishable food for our community just in time for Thanksgiving!

Next week during Mustard Seed, we’ll be sharing all the food that Mercy Chefs has generously donated to us.

This year, through Light on a Hill, we’ve seen incredible impact — 402 volunteers have served over 3,000 hours, helping distribute 68,328 meals to our community.
“It is incredible to see what God has done in such a short time at the Beacon of Hope location at Light on the Hill. Thank you again for your partnership and all you are doing.”

-Sharalynn Lucero 
​​

Flood Relief Effort Information
kerrtogether.com

​Resources. Services. Support.
KerrKind.org (New Website!)

Dear Church Family,

​We are grateful that our Mustard Seed Food Pantry can help our neighbors throughout the year with food assistance, but especially during the most recent government shutdown. Thousands of families in Kerr County are affected by the suspension of SNAP benefits.

During the month of November, we will be collecting non-perishable food donations in the lobby area at Kerrville First United Methodist Church. Shopping baskets will be available for you to drop off your donations throughout the week and on Sunday mornings.

Some food items that are needed are canned chicken, canned chili, canned stew, macaroni and cheese boxes, canned spaghetti sauce, beans and rice.

If you want to give a monetary donation, please make your check out to KFUMC and put Mustard Seed in the memo or you can give electronically through the KFUMC website. Just go to GIVE, then click on Give Online and scroll on down to Mustard Seed Ministries.

Thank you for your generosity!

Beth Palmer

​Trunk or Treat was spooktacular! Between the cool trunks, creative costumes, and plenty of candy, our community came together for a night full of laughter, love, and a little spooky fun!

Thank you to all who helped make Trunk or Treat so super sweet!

Saturday was a day filled with fun at our Harvest Festival!

We loved spending time with our community this past weekend—playing games, dancing to DJ David, enjoying hayrides, getting our faces painted, sharing food, and so much more. What a wonderful way to celebrate the new season and spread the Lord’s love throughout our community.

A huge thank-you to everyone who helped make this event possible. What a truly blessed day of faith, fellowship, and friends!

River Trail Cleanup - UGRA.org
​UGRA is sponsoring a post-flood river trail and park cleanup on Nov 15 from 8 AM to 12 PM.

The KFUMC ERT is putting together a team to work on this project and we would love to have you participate. If you decide to join us, please register for the event, select Group A which covers Tranquility Island, and let Ray or David know. Thanks!

Each group has a limited number of slots so please register as soon as possible.

Ray: [email protected]
David: [email protected]

Don't Miss Out on Harvest Festival This Saturday!

Come join us on Saturday, November 1 from 10am-2pm for the
Harvest Fest at Light on the Hill!

Live music, food, fun and games, hayrides, petting zoo, face painting, and connections to local resources.
This is a free event for our entire community!

What a Great Outpouring of Support!
What a great outpouring of support for our community at the San Antonio Food Bank's Kerr County MEGA Food Pantry at Light on the Hill!

Hundreds of unpaid servant showed up to share 37,000 pounds of food with our community on Monday!

It’s Almost Time for Trunk or Treat!
Join us October 29th from 5:30–6:30pm at KFUMC for family fun, costumes, and plenty of spooky treats!

Want to join in on the fun? Decorate your trunk! Arrive early to snag a parking spot—and maybe even win a prize for Best Trunk!
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We Need Your Help With MEGA!
Whether that means volunteering your time or bringing in plastic bags to help us bag up food for others, we could use your helping hand!

Please bring any bags to Light on the Hill or the Kerrville First United Methodist Church office by Sunday.

If you’re interested in volunteering, please reach out to Beth Palmer.

Thankful for ERT Unpaid Servants!
What a blessing to our flood survivors!

Grateful for Mustard Seed Ministry!
Unpaid servants bless our neighbors!

No Matter What Our Day Brings, God is Always With Us!

I am praying for you this morning...

Where will your steps lead you today?
We think we know...our day is planned out...
However, things change sometimes.

Visitors you weren't expecting...an unexpected call...Jesus calls someone home...your child gets into a situation at school...unexpected flood waters change the landscape, and our lives...you get that job interview...the dryer breaks...you get a contract on your house...you receive good new from your Doctor...a friend needs you, now.

And we thought we knew where our steps were heading today.
In an instant, our plan had changed... but it wasn't our plan anyways...

It is His.

And, though our steps may falter...pause...or stop, for a moment, we can be assured that God's steps for us never change. He's always walking with us...or sometimes carrying us...but never, ever leaving us to find our own way.

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." — Isaiah 41:10
​
Jane Davis

​UMCOR Disaster Case Management Training at KFUMC!

We are grateful for UMCOR DCM Trainer Mellie Thomas for traveling to Kerrville to train local disaster case managers this week. What a blessing to receive excellent training to equip local DCM's to serve our community.

​KFUMC ERT Continues to Serve!
Thank you to our awesome unpaid servants!

​Harvest Festival at LOTH!
Mark your calendars for Harvest Festival at Light on the Hill on November 1st! We can't wait to see you there!
​

Join us October 29th from 5:30–6:30 p.m. at KFUMC for family fun, costumes, and plenty of spooky treats!

Want to join in on the fun? Decorate your trunk! Arrive early to snag a parking spot—and maybe even win a prize for Best Trunk!

THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO SERVE!
Thank you to those who serve others! You are each an inspiration to everyone who is blessed by you and a testimony to the goodness of God.

Many of you are serving in so many beautiful ways. Some of you help with food relief initiatives at LOTH and KFUMC. Others are part of our ERT efforts. Some of you share the love of Christ through children’s or youth ministries. Many bring the joy of music to those in care facilities. Some offer comfort to those in the hospital through your visits. Others serve through our flower ministry or bereavement ministry. Many of you help guide those in our transitional housing program.

You also show up in outreach ministries like Back-to-School, Prison Angel Tree, or our Costa Rica Mission work. Some of you are raising children or grandchildren. Some are caring for a loved one. Many of you walk alongside others in difficult times. And many of you extend care in everyday ways—helping friends and neighbors whenever there is a need.

We were created to worship God by loving Him and loving our neighbors. I am so blessed to be a witness to all of the MANY ways that each of you share the love of Christ with so many! Together, your acts of love and service shine God’s light in countless places.

Thank you for your faithful example that encourages all of us.
You are a blessing!
​
Beth Palmer

Lucky Draw! Blood Drive at KFUMC | Sunday, October 5 | 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM

There are so many people, churches and organizations continuing to work so hard to help our community on the journey to recovery after the devastating flood. I am so inspired by all of the resilient folks that make Kerr County such a wonderful place to live and work. ​

David, Lori and I were blessed to attend UMCOR disaster case management training last week. We learned so much and are now better equipped to help our community as we move forward in the long-term recovery.

More people in our community will receive this same great training when UMCOR brings it to Kerrville in a few weeks.

We are so grateful to be able to share and equip others with this knowledge. Even if you are not a trained case manager, the core principals of "Do no harm," and "Show compassion," are the ways we show love for our neighbors every day. 

Our Emergency Response Team under the leadership of Ray Dunton, has been making an impact in our community. Thank you to all of those amazing unpaid servants!

If you want to get involved see Ray's call for help below...

 Team,

We're going to need one more day of work to finish the Center Point house.

I'm going to try Saturday 27 September to see if we can get some people who work during the week.

Please let me know if you're available to work on the 27th. Please respond directly to me, either by text or email listed below. You can either work all or part of the day as your schedule allows.

Thank you!

Ray Dunton
KFUMC ERT
[email protected]
(210) 781-9886

Found on the Guadalupe's efforts to reunite flood victims with their treasured objects. FOUND PROJECT

We are currently looking for volunteer support on Saturday, 9/27 from 10:30am-3:30pm in Ingram, TX. Volunteers will be committing to hard and dirty work that day so please keep that in mind when recruiting volunteers. We are looking for 5-10 volunteers to support us. Some notes below outline what your volunteers can expect for the day. Please let me know if you have any questions. We appreciate it!

lunch will be provided 
 
you will be cleaning hard goods & laundry found on the Guadalupe River. 
 
Please wear clothing that can handle:
    •    Car wash and power washing
    •    Being outside in the sun
    •    Handling items covered in dirt and mud
    •    Trips to the laundromat
 
Bring any personal items you may need such as hats, sunscreen, or water bottles. We highly suggest changes of shoes including water boots. We have gloves and aprons available, but if you’d prefer your own gloves or aprons, please bring them. Masks – we do not provide masks, so bring your own if you’d like to wear one.
 
The job is hard work. The bins are heavy, and the more people that show up, the easier the load .
 
Thank you for your consideration in helping!

Contact Angela Kennedy to volunteer or get more information 
Angela Kennedy 
Executive Director
Heart of the Hills Heritage Center 
[email protected] 
(830) 955-5034

Thank you, God, for giving us everything we need each and every day.
Amen.