Our Speakers

 Written by Karli Roth
On February 17th, Young Patriots Club was excited to have Retired Lieutenant Colonel Jim Freese as a guest speaker. He is retired from 31 years serving in the Air National Guard, and he talked to us about his experiences, motives, and sacrificial life. He started out in his line of work with a position as a mechanic, a knowledgeable expert in the engine, controls, and other parts of airplanes. From there he became an Officer Deputy Commander and was stationed at an old air force base in Iraq as second in command. He talked to us about one of his incidents at that Iraqi base, and he confirmed that it was a rewarding experience. Since he retired from the Air National Guard, he has not stopped living a sacrificial life and assisting others. He volunteers not only at his church, but also at organizations dedicated to helping veterans. He helps soldiers preparing for military requirements and aids them in working with their employers. He also encourages and aids students pursuing a path in the air force.

While talking to us, Retired Lieutenant Colonel Freese explained some of the things we often take for granted that veterans have to give up as they courageously serve their country. Family events are often missed for the sake of protecting America, and veterans don't always get to be home for holidays, or other special times. Besides that, our soldiers put their lives on the line, facing terrifying trials or homesickness. But, because of three main things, Retired Lieutenant Colonel Freese believes it is worth it. He told us he is willing to make all these sacrifices because he is part of an organization that is bigger than himself, he is getting a chance to serve others, and he is having opportunities he wouldn't otherwise have. In addition to telling us some about how veterans give of themselves, Retired Lieutenant Colonel Freese also narrated to us a few stories from his life, one of which was at the air force base in Iraq. Before he came to the base, he was aware that it often had rocket attacks. One day, he was at the location when a large boom sounded, immobilizing him for a few seconds. While others ran to safety, he brought himself together and hurried a different direction- towards a building where information about attacks was charted. There he performed his military duties. The attack thankfully ended with no serious damage and no hurt people. He concluded that the next time he responded without freezing. Young Patriots Club enjoyed hearing about Retired Lieutenant Colonel Jim Freese's life and his sacrificial living.

Written by Alayna Driesen

Denise Kincaid, a West Des Moines firefighter, has braved saving people from housefires, car crashes, and many other catastrophic events. Her department responds to around fifteen fires every month. They range from the smallest stove fires to the largest house fires. As a fire fighter, Denise wears protective gear that has three layers. The inner layer protects her from moisture, the middle layer is made to keep her warm, and the outer layer is to protect her from any source of heat. Denise’s current position as a firefighter is a fire inspector. There are various fire fighter positions with different wages, but the average firefighter gets paid around $50,000 per year. Before Denise became a firefighter she was a teacher. She was very athletic and enjoyed helping people. Every Saturday Denise gives up her time to help kids with disabilities learn gymnastics. Denise is such an inspiring, hard-working woman! We were so glad to have her as our speaker at Young Patriots Club.

Written by Karli Roth

On January 13th, Young Patriots Club had two wonderful guest speakers- people dedicated to helping the broken. We were honored to have Mr. Vest and Ms. Markee join us to tell about what they do to share God's great love.

 Ms. Kellie Markee is the founder of Dorothy’s House, a place for girls who need care, support, and love. Before she started the house, she went through many other jobs- advertising, starting a website business, flipping houses, and more! But through this all, she saw the problems that kids were facing and felt that she should be doing something to help. So, as she continued flipping houses she became a foster parent, but she was stirred to do something even greater to help the broken people in this world. Dorothy’s House came into being after she bought a run-down house, repaired it, and dedicated it to helping girls going through tough times. Ms. Markey now gives a place for girls to overcome the difficulties of life. She shows them love and helps to mend their shattered hearts. Ms. Markee enjoys her work and said, "One of the greatest things you can be given is a mission."

 Mr. Rocky Vest is a man with a heart for people in the grip of modern day slavery. Before he began his organization, Break the Cycle 200, he was broken because of the hurt of enslaved people, and he longed to help. One day, a friend dared him to ride a bike two hundred miles. At first Mr. Vest was skeptical, but he found himself climbing onto his bike anyway. As he endured the pain of the ride, people started asking him why he was doing it. The Holy Spirit then inspired Mr. Vest to found an organization of people who ride their bikes to raise funds and awareness of modern day slavery. He started Break the Cycle 200, his response to the gospel and the love of Jesus. Mr. Vest credits God for his work because without Him it would not be.

 Young Patriots Club enjoyed learning from both of our speakers. All of us can do work in our own lives by loving the people around us and caring for others.

 Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God- this is your true and proper worship.”

Written by Lila Norby 

On September 23, 2019, Mrs. Fern Sump visited us at Young Patriots Club. She shared that one night she couldn’t fall asleep and an idea came to her about designing patriotic pillowcases for veterans. Mrs. Sump shared a story about one time when she gave some pillowcases to some students to hand out to veterans at a cemetery in Washington DC , on Memorial Day. She also told us that she received a thank you letter from a veteran sharing with her that he had never spent a Memorial Day at a Veterans Cemetery before but her gift made it the most memorable Memorial Day he had ever had. Mrs. Sump has a very strong faith in Jesus, and she reminded us, “that Jesus is always with you.”.

Mrs. Fern Sump is woman of many talents and kind words! Mrs. Sump has a great talent of giving to others. She even told us that when she shares her talents, it blesses her more than others! One of Fern’s biggest talents is sewing and she’s great at it! In fact, it has become Fern’s mission to sew patriotic silk pillowcases for veterans! She has sewn over 500 pillowcases. Last year, Mrs. Sump help us design and sew patriotic pillowcases to hand out to veterans at our Young Patriots Club events. Fern Sump is a kind woman with a heart for Jesus and giving to others. We are blessed to have Mrs. Sump associated with are club.

Written by Karli Roth 

"On September 16, 2019, we were happy to have Commissioner Baynes, Commissioner of Iowa Safety visit us! Some of the many interesting things he told us about were drug trackers, who track with specially trained dogs, bomb robots with special attachments to find and take care of bombs, and police jobs and positions. Before he was a commissioner, he was a prosecutor. One day, he got a phone call from a number he didn't recognize. When he picked it up, he found that Governor Reynolds was speaking. She called him about being the state commissioner, and after some thought and discussion, he accepted. Commissioner Baynes said that the governor made him feel like they were just talking across a table to one another. He credits God for the position, himself having no idea of how the Governor got his name and phone number. As the commissioner, his main mission is to help people. Commissioner Baynes' dad also served in the police force.

 Commissioner Baynes told us about some police positions. People who work with bomb robots have heavy suits called bomb suits that can weigh 120 pounds! Commissioner Baynes also told us about a special lab that can help to find fingerprints, tire prints, and more. In the lab, they have machines to detect how nervous a person is, which helps them tell lies from truth. Police also have airplanes, for search and rescue, and to chase criminals down. The planes have heat sensors to locate where people are. Commissioner Baynes met the vice president of the United States of America while protecting him on a trip. Commissioner Baynes was asked what advice he had for kids in the YPC group. He said to be thankful for our education, we'll use it the rest of our lives. Learning about Jesus, and learning in school, will benefit us greatly. We had a lot of fun having Commissioner Baynes visit, and really enjoyed talking to him!"