Here’s the August issue of the Oilr! Enjoy 
15 Days, 16 States: A Cross-Country Journey of Connection and Discovery
15 days
Texas Oklahoma Kansas Colorado Wyoming Utah Wyoming (again) Nebraska Iowa Illinois Indiana Ohio West Virginia (briefly!) Pennsylvania Maryland DC (not a state, but still including it!) Virginia Tennessee Arkansas
TexasMission definitely accomplished!
God is so faithful in connecting the dots… putting the puzzle together.
God is so faithful in connecting the dots… putting the puzzle together.It’s taken 3 full days to get my bearings and feel the rhythm my body needs.
I’m still processing everything I was part of, learned, experienced, shared with others, watched, and heard.
The introvert in me needs this time to marinate in it all before sharing. I’m almost there.
Oh the pillows! The beaver pillow greeted me at the hotel in DC, and I knew I would sleep well. (Side note, it was a very nice hotel and was cheaper per night than that 2 star dive that jacked up their prices after the wreck west of Rawlins Wyo. There should be a law against that!)
. There should be a law against that!)The piggy pillow is on our bed at home. Home is where my heart is…. with my honey (Charlie), and my animals.
Building Bridges in DC: New Partnerships for America’s Agricultural Future
One of my amazing new collaborative friends and synergy partners made in DC as we work together to Make America Healthy Again! 
. Sara, you are a Rockstar!
Sara Keough is with Liz James in Washington D.C.
𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝘄𝗯𝗼𝘆 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝘄𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹!) 𝗗𝗮𝘆! 
I had the honor of standing alongside Howard Vlieger, Liz James, and Alexis Baden-Mayer in Washington, D.C., proudly representing our incredible farming and ranching communities — the backbone of a healthy America!
A huge thank you to all the cowboys, cowgirls, ranchers, and farmers out there raising animals with care and purpose.
Your work nourishes our bodies, our soils, and our future.
𝙈𝙀𝘼𝙏 𝙄𝙎 𝙈𝙀𝘿𝙄𝘾𝙄𝙉𝙀!
Fighting for Access to Directed Donor Blood: Why SB125 Matters
“Special Blood” = Life
Thank you Texas State @SenatorBobHall, for authoring SB125 in Texas’ 89th Legislative session.
Meili and her sister have a rare blood disorder which requires monthly blood transfusions for them to be healthy. Early in their lives, their hematologist told their parents that the children would have a much better chance of thriving if they received directed donor blood. Their parents reached out to their community, and found kind committed donors who rotationally give blood to the girls. They have had the same set of donors for over 10 years. In 2023, the blood bank quietly began denying doctor’s written orders for directed donor blood, not just for these girls, but for every directed donor order written. In the summer of 2023, both girls got really sick from receiving blood from the anonymous blood pool (a fact that was not even acknowledged by the blood bank representatives during the bill hearings). The girl’s parents were finally able to find a different transfusion center that is serviced by a different blood bank who were willing to work with them, but they live with the fear of knowing that their access to “special blood” could be turned off at any time.
Directed donor blood generally tends to be fresher than anonymous donor blood. As blood ages in a bag, there is an increased risk of transfusion related injury, including death, blood clots, multi-organ dysfunction, increased hospital stay time, and decreased oxygen carrying capacity. Additionally, not all blood is equal in terms of quality. For example, the blood of a healthy 20-year-old athlete would be superior to a 50-year-old blood donor who eats a Standard American Diet and is on the typical average of 2-4 medications.
Flooded Rooms and Faithful Hearts: A Night in Ohio
I was ready to buy a consonant Monday after my day on the road.
after my day on the road. Iowa Illinois Indiana OhioBeautiful territory! Lots of rolling hills, cornfields, and as the sun was starting to set, sooooo many deer!
cornfields, and as the sun was starting to set, sooooo many deer!Zoom in on the church sign. I had to go back and take a pic of the name of the church. In all fairness, that was the name of the town I was driving thru, but still so funny.
. In all fairness, that was the name of the town I was driving thru, but still so funny
.I was pretty beat when I pulled into my hotel for the night in Ohio. The poor clerk at the check in desk was the only employee on duty. She checked me in, and I went to my room and started getting ready for bed….. really looking forward to hitting the pillow….. pulled all my nighttime stuff out of the suitcase, and then changed into my pj’s in the bathroom. I came out of the bathroom barefoot and step onto the carpet in the bedroom part, only to find it soaking wet. . So, had to put my clothes back on, repack my suitcase and go back to the front desk to ask for a non-flooded room. Bless the clerk’s heart. The hotel was full, and the only empty room was one that hadn’t yet been cleaned from a late checkout guest. So, she went down to clean the room ( now it’s about 10:30pm). She is checking people in and then running back to clean and prep the room I am getting moved into. This goes on for about 30 minutes, and so I go down to the room and see if she needs help…. she is doing a very thorough job… I can just see she is stretched thin.
. So, had to put my clothes back on, repack my suitcase and go back to the front desk to ask for a non-flooded room. Bless the clerk’s heart. The hotel was full, and the only empty room was one that hadn’t yet been cleaned from a late checkout guest. So, she went down to clean the room ( now it’s about 10:30pm). She is checking people in and then running back to clean and prep the room I am getting moved into. This goes on for about 30 minutes, and so I go down to the room and see if she needs help…. she is doing a very thorough job… I can just see she is stretched thin.We start talking while I help her put sheets and pillowcases on my bed. I could tell she didn’t feel great (thinking she had a cold), which got us talking. This sweet gal tells me she has been diagnosed with MS for about 10 years, and we start talking about the medical side of it all, and how she found out she had MS to begin with. She tells me this story about visiting her mom in prison, being raised by her grandparents, the diagnosis of MS after she had massive nerves misfiring causing her to stumble repeatedly, and how her neighbors had called CPS because they assumed she was drunk.
My heart just melted as she was telling me her story while we worked on my hotel room together. It wasn’t a story to garner pity… we were just talking like friends, and dang I admire her grit and work ethic.
I did leave her a little Jesus (and a tip) before I left this morning. She told me she knows Jesus (that made me happy!).
If you have an extra moment in your prayer time, please give a quick word over Sami from Ohio.
~ liz
