Adventures! Bats! Movies! More!

June Seabaugh, former teacher and onetime columnist for the Southeast Missourian, is also a missionary who took her travel hiatus brought on by COVID-19 to write a book about her experiences.

In "Adventures of a Missionary Grandma," Seabaugh describes the journey God took her on, which took her to unfamiliar lands where she didn't speak the language or practice the religion, but she still saw miracles and learned more than she'd ever expected to.

She told me about children she ministered to, telling stories about Jesus that she had grown up with, and everyone she knew had grown up with, so it was a blessing, she said. "Jesus? They'd never heard of him, so he was brand new to them," she said. "In China, Jesus isn't in textbooks, so he's not in history for them."

Seabaugh said her background as an English teacher helped immensely, as her students overseas could read from the Bible and learn English and learn about Christianity.

She came home in December 2019 after 14 years abroad, because of COVID-19. Most missionaries were pulled home around that time, she said: "Doors are shut."

Author and missionary June Seabaugh poses with her broken arm in an improvised sling during her missionary work in this undated photo.Submitted by June Seabaugh

But this book, she said, not only tells her story but the larger story of important work missionaries are doing all over the world, from all over the world.

She has friends who are still working overseas, she said, but the money is drying up. She's hoping sales from this book can help support their mission.

Seabaugh said living in other countries, under other forms of government, has made her deeply grateful to live in America, where freedoms such as the ability to practice religion or speak freely are taken for granted.

She keeps globes in her parlor, next to mementoes of places she's lived and ministered to.

"The world is changing fast, and we need to be aware of who is changing, and why," she said.

That global perspective is so important, she said, and will only continue to become more and more important.

"I think our young people need to understand how blessed they are, and to be thankful," she said.

"Adventures of a Missionary Grandma" is available in print or as an ebook on Amazon.com.

River Campus display

Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus Art Gallery is displaying work from students in the Department of Art and Design in the 2020 Graduating Seniors Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Exhibition Nov. 6-20.

An opening reception will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 6, as part of Cape Girardeau's First Friday with the Arts activities.

Works presented will include digital art, graphic design, painting and sculpture, representing the broad expanse of Southeast's art and design programs and the creativity of its students.

The River Campus Art Gallery is on the first floor of the Seminary Building, room 106. The Dobbins Center Hallway Gallery is on the first floor of the Dobbins Center.

All gallery exhibitions, events and talks are free and open to the public. Face coverings will be required, and social distancing guidelines will be in place.

River Campus Art Gallery hours are 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 7 p.m. on First Fridays.

Family Day

The Rosemary Berkel and Harry L. Crisp II Museum at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus will celebrate Family Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 7 with "Folktales, Crafts, and Music."

This event is free and open to the public. Face coverings will be required, and social distancing guidelines will be in place.

More info: (573) 651-2260 or museum@semo.edu

Film in Perryville

Perry County Heritage Tourism recently announced a short film, "Germans in the Ozarks," was filmed in Perry County Oct. 23 and 24.

The tourism organization teamed up with Ozark Vitality, a not-for-profit group focused on rural communities in the eastern Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas, to help spread the word about German heritage in the area.

Flintlock Syndicate Productions, a broadcasting and media production company from Springfield, Missouri, spent a few days in Perry County capturing the history and heritage from some of its life-long residents to create a short film documenting the German influences still found here today, said Perry County Heritage Tourism director Trish Erzfeld. "Germans in the Ozarks," episode 8 will become a part of the "My Ozarks" documentary film series, a collection of short, intimate portraits of real people, places, and experiences in the Ozarks.

"Perry County has so much to offer and this short film focusing on our German heritage is designed to help generate economic opportunities locally and promote authentic experiences to visitors," Erzfeld said. "When this film is released, we want people to know that this unique German experience lies within the Ozarks."

Bat Week

The National Park Service is celebrating Bat Week this week. In a perfect lead-in to Halloween on Saturday, plenty of activities and such are at www.nps.gov/subjects/bats/bativities.htm.

Notre Dame's fall play

Notre Dame Regional High School will perform "Clue," a classic whodunit based on the classic Hasbro board game and Paramount film, Nov. 12 through 14 at King Hall, 265 Notre Dame Drive in Cape Girardeau. Butler Wadsworth leads Mrs. Peacock, Mr. Green, Colonel Mustard and other guests attempt to find the killer as the body count builds. Following in the footsteps of the film, the project bills itself as a "comedy whodunit."

Reserved, in-person seating is available at 7 p.m. each night, and a livestream is available each night as well.

More info: www.notredamehighschool.org/fallplay/

Finally, a personal note

Tomorrow is my last day with the Southeast Missourian. I'll be staying local but leaving journalism. Thank you all for reading and submitting, and I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I have.