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Loyal family shares story of grace and God

Loyal family shares story of grace and God Loyal family shares story of grace and God

Sometimes, it’s the simple things in life that can get you noticed. Just ask the Allan and Connie Walter family, who have been getting attention from far beyond their farm in Loyal these past few weeks. Whether it’s been a letter, phone call, or even an in-person remark from friends or strangers, it has been an unusual time for the family.

“We got letters saying congratulations, people have been congratulating our older kids, all the teachers at Columbus (Catholic Schools),” said Allan. “This weekend in Marshfield, four or five people came up to us. It was kind of weird. The kids, they think that we’re celebrities now.”

The reason behind this sudden rise to fame for the Walter family was a four-page article spread that appeared in the Catholic Life magazine, a monthly publication sent out to Catholic families living across the 19 counties of the Diocese of La Crosse. On these pages, the family’s life story was shared in words and photographs, detailing their daily struggles and joys in each aspect of their lives.

“We were really honored and humbled they chose our story to run,” said Allan.

When they were first contacted by the writers at Catholic Life, Allan said the story they had in mind was very different than the one that later graced the magazine’s pages. They had been seeking families with children in Catholic schools, and with their nine children being taught at both St. Anthony’s Catholic School in Loyal and Marshfield Columbus, the Walters fit the bill perfectly.

“What ended up happening is that they called us and said we’re looking for families that have kids in the Catholic schools and Fr. Leo (the pastor at St. Anthony’s) had directed them on to us,” he said.

As they began their interview over the phone, Allan said it soon became clear that the story they were telling was going to be very different than the one the magazine was originally expecting. “They had called us to ask why we’re sending our kids to Catholic schools, then they found out that we had a bigger story,” he said. So they told their story, from the inspirational faith that was shown by Allan’s grandparents and great aunts when he was a child, to the challenges of running their family farm amidst fires and other weather-related disasters and to the everyday trials that come with raising nine children into respectable and responsible adults. Each part of their story had with it their bright moments, moments of suffering, and a connection to their faith which helped them through every time.

“We had more stories (than what was in the article),” said Allan. “One year, we were hauling haylage for Uncle Rock, 11 miles on 26th Road, the drawbar fell out of the 1066, it fell and tipped over on its side in the ditch. Paul Bugar was putting down gravel on 26th Road, 200 feet from where our wagon was in the ditch. We had thought, how are we going to do this and get it out? We called our insurance guy and he said someone with an excavator could pull it out, and there was an excavator just 200 feet down the road. How many times does that happen? It’s all in the Bible. In all the struggles, God gives you all the graces you need to get through the challenges.”

Some of those graces, Allan said, have come in the form of their friends and neighbors in the Loyal community. Whenever there was a disaster, whether it was as big as losing a barn or as personal as giving birth in a car outside St. Anthony’s Church, there has always been someone there to help out when there was a need.

“It’s so nice to be a part of a small community like Loyal,” said Allan. “When our shed blew on the road, we had 300 people show up to help. Everyone comes when you are in need.”

In turn, the Walters, too, do what they can to help their community. In the past several years, they have let the community and their brothers and sisters in faith come to their farm to raise money for various projects such as the House of Mercy in Loyal and Project Milk. In this way, Allan said the family works to do God’s will in their everyday lives.

“Everyone has crosses to carry, some harder than others,” he said. “The people God put in your life help carry that burden. We hate to take the credit (for the good things that are done), it’s God working through us, we’re just God’s tools.”

These are just some of the lessons Allan said he hopes his children, and the children of those people reading their story, will come to learn and utilize in their lives.

“I think it is important, sow that seed when they are young and keep nurturing it, prayer faith in God, all of that,” he said. “They are going to be your senators and presidents and whatnot. The decisions they will make will affect a lot of people. They say, how the family goes is how society goes. I hope that they (the people reading their story) look into their own life and see that God is at work in everyone’s life. My way of thinking on a day to day basis is that something good is in every day.”

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