15: Stayers & Goers (The Thorpes' Story)

**Dave Brisbin** (0:17)
Dave, are you staying or going?
Staying. Staying, where are you staying?

**Rebecca Thorpe** (0:21)
Right here.

**Dave Brisbin** (0:22)
Right here, Manhattan, Kansas, yeah.
Most of us come to Manhattan, Kansas with the intention of getting educated or being stationed at Fort Riley and then moving on. But some of us are stayers. That was us. We get to have a big impact in the world by investing in the goers. So whether you're a stayer or a goer, make the most of your time in Manhattan, Kansas and be a blessing to the rest of the world.

**Steve Thorpe** (0:44)
That's right. If that's you, if you're a stayer or a goer, which everybody is, this episode of The Chopping Block is for you.

**Dave Brisbin** (1:05)
All right, we're in the heart of the United States, Manhattan, Kansas.

**Steve Thorpe** (1:11)
Indeed.

**Dave Brisbin** (1:11)
Middle of the tall grass prairie. And guess what? We get to be a blessing to the entire world from right here in Manhattan, Kansas.
So we love this town. This town is an awesome place, and we truly can impact the world, especially because of the presence of Kansas State University, students from all over Kansas, all over the country, all over the world, over a hundred different countries represented at K-State. Students come here, they learn, they invest in their degrees, they get equipped, they get educated, they make relationships, they grow as people, and they go home, and they make a deep impact. And we have an opportunity to bless those students, invest in those students, leave them better than we found them, love them. Some of them help them move along in their spiritual journey.
We also have Fort Riley right next door, and that's awesome. Home of the big red one. That's right. Soldiers and their families, they come here typically three years, you know, and then they move on, and they take what they've learned, and they take it with them, and they bless the next place they're in. So we get to be a part of that, and that's one of the things we love about our church, Tallgrass Church, and it's a big time on our heart.
That's right. So welcome to this episode of The Chopping Block, where we're going to highlight and feature one such family who was here for a short amount of time, a year and a half, and they've since then moved on to the next station in their life. And so we're going to get to know the Thorpe family. So welcome to this episode of The Chopping Block. And at some point, we're going to cut in some welcome to the Thorpe family. Sorry, that's awkward.

**Rebecca Thorpe** (2:50)
That's right. We'll get to it.

**Dave Brisbin** (2:52)
My wife and I, Marist and I, have lived in Manhattan since 99 So we're here five years as students, two years with the Navigators, then 12 years on staff at New Hope Church, and then the last year plus at Tallgrass Church. And over all of those years, numbers of people that we've gotten to meet, we've said hello to, and then we've turned around and said goodbye to, just time and time and time again in Manhattan, Kansas.

**Rebecca Thorpe** (3:17)
This is kind of hard.

**Dave Brisbin** (3:19)
It's really hard.

**Rebecca Thorpe** (3:20)
It is.

**Dave Brisbin** (3:21)
Relationally wary. Lots of goodbyes.
It comes with lots of sadness, lots of relational weariness.

**Steve Thorpe** (3:27)
And yet we've got a lot of relationships.

**Dave Brisbin** (3:29)
A lot of relationships, all around the country, all around the world.

**Steve Thorpe** (3:32)
That's right. And some of them remain.

**Dave Brisbin** (3:34)
And some of them remain, yeah. So as we've been talking at Tallgrass Church about technology and how sometimes it erodes intimacy and relationships, but sometimes it can really be a benefit and a blessing.
One of the songs that I listen to a lot when I'm coming or going, leaving Manhattan or coming to Manhattan, is a little song called Rivers and Roads by The Head and the Heart.
You know that one? Yeah, you'll have to go give it a listen, especially if you've been in Manhattanite for any number of years, and you've experienced the transience of this town and all of the goodbyes that happen. So give that song a listen. Think about those relationships. Each and every one of those relationships is important. And we love to leave people a little bit better than we found them, and for us to be enriched by their presence as well.

**Rebecca Thorpe** (4:22)
That's right.

**Dave Brisbin** (4:23)
So we did want to highlight one family. They were here for a year and a half.