Today is National Day of Prayer, and people around the country are gathering in their respective houses of worship and praying for our country’s leaders. But today I want to challenge us all to pray for our country’s future leaders, our children. Pray for the children who sneak popsicles before supper or stuff clothes under their beds. Pray for those who can’t bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers or those who can never go to the circus. Pray for the children who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions, who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money or don’t like to be kissed in front of the car at school. Pray for those who have no safe blanket to drag behind them, who can’t find any bread to eat, those who don’t have rooms to clean up or whose pictures aren’t on anybody’s dresser.Pray for the children who spend all their allowance before Tuesday, who like ghost stories, who never rinse out the tub and never get visits from the tooth fairy. And pray for those whose nightmares come in the daytime, who will eat anything, who have never seen a dentist, who aren’t spoiled by anyone and who constantly cry themselves to sleep. Pray for our children. In Steen news:The big story for this week is the rain. Over the weekend several inches slowly fell, saturating the ground even more. We can be thankful that we did not get it all at once but received it slowly over several days. Farmers in the area frantically fought all last week to get in the fields and get as much corn planted as they could before the big fou- day rain. Progress has been slow in getting the crops in, but hopefully this week will bring us nice warm temps that will dry out the land. This past Wednesday, April 26, Laura May Bosch, a former Steen resident, hosted a luncheon in Brandon, in honor of her birthday. Those attending were Melba Boeve and JoAnn Paulsen from Steen; Henrietta Boeve and Gertrude Hup from Hills; Darlene Bosch, Anna Elbers and Betty Boeve from Luverne. They had a great time!In other news, former Steen resident Alice Behr passed away last Tuesday morning at the Tuff home. Funeral services were Friday at the American Reformed Church. Our sympathies go the Behr and Van Batavia families.In School News:Several Steen students participated at the Sturgis, S.D., track meet over the weekend. The trip out there was long, but the weather held out and all preformed well.We want to wish Rachelle McGowan a happy birthday as she turned 15 on Wednesday. Happy Birthday, Rachelle!A reminder to all that this coming Tuesday, April 9, is Teacher Appreciation Day. Let’s remind our teachers that they are doing a great job by sending them cards, flowers, goodies, etc. They have a profound impact on our kids’ lives; let’s honor them on their day!In Hospital News:Tim Baker of rural Hills was admitted to the Sioux Valley Hospital early last week for a growing infection on his foot. He hopes to be released sometime this week if things continue to heal properly.John Tilstra of rural Hills was admitted to the Sioux Valley Luverne Hospital on Sunday morning due to an infection in his leg. In Church News:On Wednesday the Church Growth Committee met at the Dengler home where they discussed and finalized musical groups for the upcoming summer concert in the park here in Steen. The date for that concert is June 25th. Next Wednesday the Girls League will hold their mother-daughter banquet, honoring mothers for all the hard work and dedication they put into raising their families. This past Sunday the Jr. RCYF led the evening service. The theme for the evening was "Tearing down the Walls." They did a great job!In closing, don’t forget to pray this week, and remember, we have not because we ask not.If you have anything that you would like to have placed in the Steen News, contact Brian Dengler @ 855-2232 or by e-mail @ knowgrowshow@hotmail.com