Indiana—Columbus Indiana Pathfinders held a successful fundraiser last fall with the help of the church school. On Oct. 9, a semi truck rolled in from New Mexico carrying over 1,000 various sized pumpkins and gourds.

The “Pumpkin Patch” was open for three weeks. It gave the children a chance to talk about the club and share a little bit about our church and school with customers. Our Pathfinders became farmers when they learned that the pumpkins had to be rolled every day to prevent them from rotting. Yes, every single pumpkin. Thank goodness for Sabbath; the pumpkins got a rest from being moved. It was a laborious job, but over $700 was raised and the kids learned valuable lessons.

With a portion of the proceeds earned, the Pathfinders are planning a caving trip. The church school students will be able to visit Chicago in May and tour a King Tut exhibit.

The end of the sale culminated with “Pumpkin Patch Family Day.” There were games, prizes, story time, a bake sale, and hayrides, not to mention fresh popcorn and apple cider. The biggest hit, by far though, were the hayrides provided by Lloyd Ping.

In a separate fall activity, the club collected canned goods and non-perishable items. In cooperation with First Call for Help, a division of the United Way, the Pathfinders assembled generous Thanksgiving baskets and distributed the food to 20 needy families in the Columbus area. It was a pleasure to see the smiles on our children’s faces after leaving the door of a grateful recipient.

This year we have seventeen Pathfinders; six are friends from the community who do not attend the Adventist church. God has great things in store for our children, if we will but instruct them in His bidding.

Angela Benfield, Columbus Church correspondent