THOMAS COUNTY — A man was hospitalized Friday after his tractor overturned in rural Thomas County at approximately 1:30 p.m. Friday.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported the tractor was traveling on County Road E hauling a hay bale in the front scoop. The bale came loose and was run over by the tractor, which rolled once and came to rest in a ditch.

The driver, Larene Elzey, 65, Oakley, was transported to Logan County Hospital for treatment of a suspected serious injury.

By LISA HERMAN
The Norton Telegram

NORTON — In the spring of 2018, several youth and adult sponsors from the Norton Christian Church returned from a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. Highly interested in sharing details of the impactful mission trip with the community, the Norton Telegram’s writer, Lisa Herman, thought it may be the perfect opportunity to reach out to the youth who had participated in the mission to invite one of them to become involved with the writing process through a mentorship. The inception of the mentorship program had come just one year earlier as part of the Telegram’s efforts to help spotlight the talented writing capabilities of local students and allow their work to be published and submitted for use with possible scholarship opportunities or other awards and recognitions. 

It wasn’t long after being approached that Jace Smothers, a senior at Norton Community High School at that time, jumped at the chance to accept the opportunity to share details of his experiences and memories made while serving our Lord and Savior. After being accepted into the mentorship program, Smothers and Herman sprung into action, meeting in early April to discuss the vision Smothers had for the writing project. Jace was certain he wanted to delve deeper into sharing the process involved in getting the church’s mission trip planned, wanted to focus on sharing with the readers what each day’s work consisted of, and was excited to share details about his own experiences and reasons for being compelled to participate in the overall mission. After sharing his thoughts with Herman, there was no doubt the mission trip had positively impacted Jace’s life. He was incredibly excited to begin the writing process, and eagerly began formulating his thoughts paragraph at a time. 

After completing the interview and writing processes to construct a thought-provoking, well-formatted feature article, Jace’s outstanding work was published on the front page of the Friday, May 11, 2018, edition of the Norton Telegram. The article was incredibly well-received by the community, and feedback from the readers indicated a true sense of pride in knowing how deeply involved and committed local youth are in their efforts to volunteer and spread God’s word. 

A week after the publication of Jace’s feature article, he graduated from Norton Community High School following a successful high school career during which he had been involved in instrumental and vocal music, had been a member of the Jay Singers, and had been deeply devoted in his involvement with church and youth group. The son of Terry and Sharon Smothers, of Norton, Jace went on to further his education at Ozark Christian College that fall, majoring in Student Ministries and becoming heavily involved with the national youth ministry organization, Christ in Youth, and Young Life ministries. 

“My first year of college was a dream,” Jace shared this past May 11, 2019 in a post to his Facebook friends. “God met me in a new way and many doors opened up.” Earlier this spring, he had taken to Facebook to announce how excited he was for the Young Life team to take students to Detroit Lakes, Minn. this summer to attend camp and introduce them to Jesus. “We don’t just teach kids about Jesus, we do our best to show kids who Jesus was and is,” he wrote. “As leaders we are all encouraged to invest into students’ lives as well as keep each other accountable to become more like Jesus.” 

For those who knew and loved Jace, following him along his fervent journey was an incredible joy. “Jace had a heart and a passion for youth, and he was on fire for the Lord,” Nate Hagen, Pastor of the Norton Christian Church, stated. “He was so excited about being a Christian and serving the Lord in any way he could.”

This summer, Jace was serving on staff with Christ in Youth, and was eager to begin his sophomore year at Ozark Christian College in the fall.

On Friday, June 28, tragedy struck as the Christ in Youth summer event team’s van traveled eastbound along Interstate 24 near Eddyville, Ky. As traffic slowed due to construction ahead, witnesses reported and Kentucky State Police officials later confirmed, an inattentive driver’s semi-truck collided with the church van, causing a chain-reaction collision which left over 20 people with injuries. According to reports, one person was airlifted to Deaconess Midtown Hospital in Evansville, Ind. and eight people were transported via EMS by ground to other local hospitals. Passengers in the church van included Jace Smothers and another Ozark student, Brandon Musselman, as well as Christ in Youth interns Katie Danhour, Andie Montgomery, and Tyler Conway. Musselman and Conway were treated for their injuries, and were released from the regional hospital that same evening. Danhour and Montgomery remained hospitalized the following morning, but were reported to be in stable condition. As a result of injuries he sustained in the collision, Jace passed away. He was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Lyon County Coroner.

“Without question, this is one of the saddest moments in our history,” the Christ in Youth ministry organization wrote on their website. “While serving as a CIY summer Event Staff member, Jace made a profound impact on everyone he came in contact with. While we cling to the promises of Jesus that we proclaim at our events, this is still a very bitter day. Jace exemplified every good quality of a Kingdom worker and he will be missed by many.”

Word of Jace’s passing has shaken and devastated the Norton community and all those who had the privilege of knowing him, leaving many attempting to make sense out of what is senseless. 

The President of Ozark Christian College, Matt Proctor, released a statement on the college’s website on Friday evening. “It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to inform you that one of our students, Jace Smothers, was killed Friday in an accident near Paducah, Kentucky,” he wrote. “Many of you had the privilege of knowing Jace – as a student, classmate, Strong Hall brother, or friend – and you will remember his big smile, loud laugh, and huge heart for Jesus and teenagers. We are grateful to have known Jace, but we grieve deeply his absence.”

“Please pray for Jace’s parents,” Proctor added, “and the entire family. Of course, there are many others grieving: Jace’s home church in Norton, Kansas, Jace’s roommate Sam Keifer and his dorm brothers in Strong, his CIY teammates, and the young people he served at Young Life. Please pray for the other CIY interns in the accident – Brandon, Katie, Andie, and Tyler – as their minds and hearts will need healing along with their bodies in the weeks ahead. And do not forget to lift up the truck driver on this tragic evening. Psalm 34:18 promises that “the Lord is near to the brokenhearted,” so ask God to make his presence known to all these folks as they walk through the valley of the shadow of death.”

Jace’s life was celebrated and remembered as funeral services were held Wednesday, July 3, at 10:30 a.m. at the Norton Christian Church, 208 North Kansas Avenue. Burial will be held at the Norton Cemetery. The Smothers family has established the Jace Smothers Memorial Scholarship Fund, which will be utilized to offer scholarships to local students whose future plans include attending Ozark Christian College. Memorial contributions may be mailed to Enfield Funeral Home, 215 West Main Street, Norton, Kan. 67654. Condolences to the family may be left at www.enfieldfh.com. Jace’s obituary may be found HERE.  

While reflecting back on his faith-filled journey to share God’s word, Jace wrote in his Telegram feature article, “I pray that many more students and adults alike will find a way to serve those in need. I encourage the readers to start a new trend in which they take the time to help others out this week. God is on the move; let us do the same.”

To honor Jace as one of the brightest, most considerate, and faith-filled young men the staff of the Telegram has had the privilege to feature as a student guest writer, and with the blessing of Jace’s parents, the Telegram would like to take this time to republish Jace’s work in an effort to further the reach of his words and help bring others closer to our Lord and Savior so they might strive to continue to grow stronger in their own personal walk with Christ. The Telegram staff prayerfully asks that our readers please keep Jace’s family, friends, and loved ones in their thoughts and prayers as they face such an immeasurable loss. To honor Jace, a bright young light whose life was diminished much too soon, we at the Telegram would like to encourage all who read Jace’s story to commit this week to finding a way to serve those in need. If you already belong to a church, please continue to stay as deeply involved and committed as you can. If you have not attended church services in some time, or perhaps haven’t yet found a home church for yourself or your family, in Jace’s honor we would like to encourage you to attend services this Sunday so you might discover in yourself a passion for the Lord much in the same way Jace did. 

The following feature article is the work of Jace Smothers – a true testament of his fervent faith – and we republish it today as a tribute to the passion he had for being a Christian and serving the Lord all the days of his life.   

Mission trip provides incredible learning experience

By JACE SMOTHERS
Student Guest Writer

This past spring break, Norton Christian Church (NCC) flew students to the Dominican Republic. Not on a trip, but on a mission. Their mission was one of great importance as well as potential. On this trip they would see, hear, and, well, if you were in the boys dorm, even smell things that would change their perspective. The destination was Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, and students were about to step into a whole new world.

NCC Ministries youth leader, Kellie Kramer says, “I am always looking for ways to expose my students to different cultural experiences.” Every year, students go to another country to serve. For the past two years, students have gone to Acuna, Mexico to build a total of three homes. This year, NCC members introduced Kramer to GO Ministries, a ministry that is based in the Dominican Republic and partners with local ministers to Renew, Restore, and Redeem the community. Kramer stated, “While we were there, my students and I got to experience the true Dominican culture, as we were completely immersed in their everyday activities, food, and experiences.” She ended her statement by saying, “It was an incredible learning experience, God is doing BIG things in the Dominican Republic through GO Ministries, we are thankful that we got to be a small part of it.” Before the trip to the Dominican Republic was planned, NCC’s youth group thought they would be going back to Mexico over spring break. When the announcement was presented, many of us were excited, and all of us had some sort of nerve in us.

As we flew over the coast of the Dominican Republic, my team began to get excited. Finally, the built up joy and curiosity was being released. The airport was small, but packed with people from all over. From the airport, we went to the “dorm” we would be staying in for the next seven days. They were honestly nice, nothing like home, but nice. Saturday night we had orientation with GO Ministries, and met our cooks, Cuchi and Luma. Don’t tell my mother I said this but…they are literally culinary legends.

Sunday morning we woke up and went to church. As we walked in, the people were worshipping. Of course, it was in Spanish so we only understood some of it, but it was so powerful. The last song was, “What a Beautiful Name It Is.” As soon as we heard the first few words we knew, and immediately my mind started running with thoughts of how although we have a language barrier, God breaks it. How the Dominicans worship is full of surrender. They give every ounce of their spirit to the words that they sing. They take time to be thankful of the good God is doing in their lives, and rebuke the devil in their own eyes. When they pray it is full of brokenness with their hearts beating fervently. That’s something we should all want…total surrender.

Later that day, NCC Youth Group worked at a local vacation bible school. Around 30 to 40 kids attended, ages ranging from two through 13. Each student was assigned to a team, such as worship team, story team, and crafts team. After they finished teaching, NCC Ministries played with the kids, which included soccer, bubbles, and hula hoops. The kids’ faces lit up with pure and utter joy. Just getting to spend time with them caused the students and the kids alike to bond.

The next day, the youth began working on a project at the local church they had attended on Sunday. Students dug trenches to lay a pipe for the soon-to-be bathroom. The day was very exhausting in the tropical sun. It had begun to weigh heavily on the students. But, it was God’s strength that kept them going. On Tuesday, NCC Ministries traveled to a place called “The Hole.” “The Hole” is a trash dump designated by the city. “The Hole” is at the center of Santiago. It has a river that runs through the city to “The Hole”. The river is now contaminated, and cannot be used by the public. The dump was redesignated by the government, and civilians now live in the pit that was left behind. The river flows through the community of “The Hole” filled with trash.

When NCC students arrived, kids instantly latched onto them. Each student had a kid on their shoulders as they paraded around the community. As they ventured through the community, they saw poverty and brokenness. The mission trip was beginning to weigh heavily on the students’ hearts; seeing the poverty and lack of everyday materials. One thing that the students began to see, however, was the hope that these people are surviving off of. These people lack money, clothes, sometimes even food. But, these people will never lack the smile on their kids’ faces as they play with a kite made of fishing line and a plastic bag. They will never give up, because they know that the future holds promise for them.

Coming home from this amazing adventure had taken a toll on the students. But it was toll worth every stain, tear, and especially the laughs. The lives of these students had been forever changed, and will be a mission they will never forget, thank you. I pray that many more students and adults alike will find a way to serve those in need. I encourage the readers to start a new trend in which they take the time to help others out this week.

God is on the move in the Dominican Republic. But let us not forget the work He is still doing here and now. Dear readers, I invite you to attend any church this Sunday. Join me at Norton Christian Church at 10:30 A.M. God is on the move; let us do the same.

— Republished with permission