What were you doing at 18 years old? For Mt. Pleasant native, Kamryn Hart, she is planning on giving back to the world by serving in a unique and important way. Graduating from Mt. Pleasant Community High School in 2023, Kamryn traded small town Iowa for big Texas. Taking classes in Austin, she soon realized that her calling in life might be on the soil of another land. After attending First Baptist church in Mt. Pleasant and getting involved with ministry in Austin, she decided that she wanted to travel to foreign land and spread the gospel.

While many local churches and organizations offer this opportunity, she knew the first part of 2024 would be the best time for her to adventure. That’s where the World Race comes in. World Race, a mission centered non-profit organization based out of Georgia, provides the chance to many people to take on a missionary journey. Heading to the South American countries of Ecuador and Colombia, Kamryn will embark on a “Gap Semester” trip, which allows her to leave halfway through January and return by May

This trip is far from a vacation. Kamryn will be going through intense conditions to bring support to the natives. She will be working with women who were formerly trafficked and teaching kid’s vocational skills, such as reading and writing. She will also help children who were disabled, and try her hand in street evangelism, which is a large part of the trip.

Kamryn had already “gotten her feet wet” by joining a local church trip to Mexico this past summer. A week long missions trip with Wellspring Evangelical Free Church in Mt. Pleasant helped her to understand her “flame” for the mission field. Talking with Kamryn, it is clear that this will not be her last trip to a foreign land with an evangelistic heart.

Balancing college, work, and future plans, it would take the perfect storm for her to have this opportunity. It just so happened that all the dominoes fell in the right place at the right time. Kamryn Hart, the girl from small town Iowa, will be making a crater-size impact in Ecuador and Colombia this year, and she is confident that God will guide her on this mission.

Keep up with Kamryn…

https://kamrynhart.theworldrace.org/?fbclid=IwAR0nzQbg_anljJJD9HD83im9zGkLj52uMxKztX8GnS1mB-ba4uSrqDimvYM

More about the World Race…

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The Residents of Keokuk, Iowa are currently experiencing offensive odors in the air, which has prompted concern among local authorities and community members alike.

Reports to City Hall of the offensive odors on December 9, 2023, and December 29, 2023, from residents in various areas of the community have raised concerns about its potential impact on air quality and public health. The City of Keokuk is working diligently with local employers to solve this odor problem.

The City of Keokuk understands the concerns and inconveniences this situation may cause for residents and assures the community that every effort is being made to address the issue as swiftly as possible.

At the present time, representatives from both industries have assured the City of Keokuk they will be correcting all problems associated with the odors. Both Industries have received nuisance letters from the City of Keokuk.

One of industries has said they will not be using the product that has caused the smell anymore. However, they will need to ship the remaining product; this will be done by truck and when the product is being transferred to the trucks, there will most likely be an odor for a short time. The representative has said that this odor will not be as strong as it was previously. The City of Keokuk has requested that they let us know the date and time this will happen so that we can let our citizens know. They have agreed to let us know the schedule.

The other industry has reached out to schedule an appointment with City Officials to discuss the problem.

The City of Keokuk appreciates the cooperation and patience of residents during this time and assures the community that ongoing steps will continue to ensure the well-being of everyone in Keokuk. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused as we move forward.

For further information, please contact:

Kathie Mahoney

Mayor, City of Keokuk

501 Main St

Keokuk, Iowa 52632

319-524-2050, ext. 2212

Mark your calendars for June 25-27^th as the Iowa 4-H Youth Conference 2024 will take place at Iowa State University. The theme this year is “Explore the Jungle of Opportunities” in what should be an unforgettable journey. Registration opens on April 1^st through 4HOnline. Stay tuned for more details, updates, and the chance to be part of this youth opportunity.

The following link provides more information: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/iowa4hyouthconference

The Festival of Lights 2023 saw 6,880 vehicles through December 31^st, which is 701 vehicles more than 2022. Prior to COVID, 5,000 vehicles was the highest amount of traffic in a single year, with 9,000 vehicles in 2020 due to the virus.

The volunteers counted license plates and noticed vehicles from 33 different states and 70 counties. 5.6% of vehicles came from Illinois, while 2.1% bore a Missouri license plate. Some people chose a more unconventional form of transportation through the lights. 72 horse drawn wagon rides were offered to the public, with those tickets being sold out very quick.

220 sponsors made 2023 Festival of Lights possible with 160 displays. November 19^th and 20^th saw the “walk thru” nights bring in 1,400 paid admissions, which doubled from the previous year.

While we may have gotten lucky with relatively good weather in December, it seems that white Christmas might be arriving a couple of weeks late. NWS out of Quad Cities is reporting signals for a strong wintry system in our area for next week. While reports are preliminary, they are suggesting this storm will hit next Monday afternoon and persist through Tuesday night. There are uncertainties on snowfall totals, but it appears that this system could bring strong winds, which could lead to blowing snow. Stay tuned to KILJ in the coming week to stay informed on this potential storm.

The Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center was home to great joy and excitement on New Year’s Day, with Braxton Johnson being welcomed into the world. He is the hospital’s first baby born in the new year. Born at 4:08pm on Monday, January 1^st, Braxton is the son of Tressa and Korbin Johnson of Mount Pleasant. He weighed 8 lbs. 15.8 oz. and was 22” long and was delivered by Dr. Anne Grieves. Congratulations to Tressa and Korbin!