TESTING FAITH, BUILDING CHARACTER; CAPE GIRARDEAU COUPLE GETS THROUGH TOUGH SITUATIONS BY LEANING ON FAITH (FACES OF FAITH)

As Cape Girardeau County collector for more than 30 years, Harold Kuehle has accrued dozens of plaques and awards of recognition.

But the one his wife, Peggy, is most proud of hangs in the center of a wall at their home. It isn't engraved in gold or signed by a famous hand. It is a simple certificate given to Harold by a group of employees at an area bank.

The award was bestowed to Harold Kuehle for being an encourager.

"When Harold came home with that, I said we'd hang this one right in the middle so that everyone can see it," Peggy said.

While in office, Harold visited the bank in Cape Girardeau almost daily to make deposits. He would visit with the tellers or share a joke or story he found on the Internet. It doesn't sound like much, but those conversations developed into friendships.

"He made their day," Peggy said. "There's so much joy in our lives that we forget something that might just take a minute to say a kind word. It's not a lot of cost."

If you counted the costs and sacrifices of life and weighed them against the blessings they had received, the Kuehles would say they have come out ahead.

Nothing prepared Harold and Peggy Kuehle for the blessings they have enjoyed since they committed all they had to God.

It wasn't just a matter of making a change, it was noticing little things or "looking at things from a different perspective," Peggy said. "It was how we began to deal with life's problems.

"We noticed more of what was important and that affected us little by little. We finally realized that everything belongs to God. I think that's when you understand the joy of sharing that," Peggy said. "God has blessed us, and it's hard to put it all into words."

Sometimes the blessings were harder to see than the troubles. Life hasn't always been easy for the couple, who will celebrate a 30th wedding anniversary Monday.

Peggy and Harold managed to pull through the hard times by leaning on their faith.

"We live our faith by the way we live our life," Harold said. Where they choose to worship is at Grace United Methodist Church. But "how you handle situations reveals who you are in Jesus Christ," said Harold, who has been confined to a wheelchair since a high school football accident left him paralyzed.

At age 40, Harold accepted Christ.

"I knew I wasn't in control anymore of what might happen," he said. "I needed a power greater."

It was during stressful family time more than 20 years ago that Harold really began to develop his faith in God. He knew that his choice to leave behind an old life and start anew as a Christian could have an impact, but "I didn't see any other choice," he said.

Sometimes you have no other choice but to keep moving ahead. At times, that was the only way the Kuehles knew how to deal with the changes and challenges confronting them.

"God's plan is for us to believe and follow," Peggy said. "Sometimes we kept on going because that was our upbringing."

Peggy has been going to Grace United Methodist Church since she was "carried there in a blanket." But having that religious foundation didn't mean that following God straightened the pathways of life. There have been plenty of bumps and curves along the way.

There was a time when Peggy thought life seemed despairing. "It was a time I couldn't pray, and things looked so hopeless," she said. Peggy told a friend about "all the things going on and that I couldn't pray. She said, That's when we'll pray for you.'"

It didn't mean that the friend would offer prayers for Peggy "but that she would voice my prayers because I could not," Peggy said.

Harold, too, knows the power of prayers.

After successfully battling cancer of the lymph system in 1996-97, Harold learned last December that his cancer had returned. He is again taking chemotherapy treatments.

Even that situation, as difficult and terrifying as it might sound, has been both a test of faith and a blessing.

"God's in control, and we have a lot of people praying for him," Peggy said.

Harold said the prayers of others have been comforting. "You can tell when people are praying," he said. "You feel a comfort and calmness and continuing peace."

Harold takes chemo treatments for 11 days, then is off the cycle for 17 days before going back again. Some days are better than others. He is often tired after treatment and has lost some of his appetite, but he attributes that to just being older, not to the chemo or cancer.

Peggy said the most amazing thing about Harold's illness has been the Christian unity they've experienced. People they knew offered prayers and asked for prayers from congregations around town and the country. "Heaven must have been saying, Who in the world is Harold Kuehle that name just keeps coming up?" she said with a laugh.

That sort of unity shows the body of Christ at work, Harold said. "I've not had anything in all my life like the goodness of Christian fellowship."

Church is where you find that fellowship, but it shouldn't be the only reason for attending worship services, the Kuehles advise.

"It's not just enough to attend church or to go on Sundays," Harold said. "You have to have more than that to go on when the crisis comes. It's easy to go to church for a few hours on Sunday, but those other six-and-a-half days when the world comes crashing in on you with life and your health and family, that's when your faith helps you through it."

Harold and Peggy know that "God's got some really good ideas," and church was one of them, Peggy said. Both husband and wife teach Sunday school classes at Grace. Peggy teaches the junior high students along with Mike Dumey. Harold teaches the high school students.

"Kids are so much more knowledgeable and sophisticated today, and their horizons are broader even at 12, 13 and 14 than they were just years ago," Peggy said.

Because they are exposed to so much more, youths today are looking for "something grounded," she said.

Peggy and Harold try to offer that in their Bible study lessons. Harold's group has been going through the letters of Paul nearly "verse by verse" while Peggy's class is studying the books of the Bible on a journey along Route 66. The class took its name for the 66 books of the Bible.

The students get a basic lesson in biblical scriptures. "We try to apply it to their everyday life," Harold said.

He often tells the youths to have a strong knowledge of the Bible, because in times of trouble "people gravitate to the Christians and those people with values and integrity."

Harold and Peggy Kuehle

* Family: Four adult sons; 9 grandchildren.

* Occupation: Retired.

The Kuehles live in Cape Girardeau but worked in Jackson together for years.

Harold was Cape Girardeau County collector for 32 years. He spent 34 years in county office before retiring.

Peggy worked for County Auditor Weldon Macke for 29 years before retiring in 1998.

* Church membership: Grace United Methodist Church.

Both Peggy and Harold teach youth Sunday school classes and are Stephen ministers at the church.

Harold is also a member of the handbell choir.

* Hobbies: During the holidays, the couple displays a Christmas village in their home that is reminiscent of downtown Jackson, where they worked for years.

Harold has a collection of vintage cameras. Peggy is an avid reader.

The couple plans to travel once Harold finishes his round of chemotherapy treatments. Williamsburg, Va., Huntsville, Ala., and Charleston, S.C., are tentative vacation spots. If time allows, they would like to see the hot air balloon races in Albuquerque, N.M.

HOW TO SHARE YOUR STORY

The intent of the Faces of Faith series is to share the stories of people from all across Southeast Missouri who have a strong religious faith, whatever their tradition or style of worship.

If you would like to share your personal story of faith, or know someone who would be willing to share their story , please write to Laura Johnston at the Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702-0699. You can also e-mail ljohnston@semissourian.com or call (573) 335-6611, ext. 126.