Yalc & Rettoq

A delightful short story book designed to help children understand a simple, often forgotten truth...' Things are not always what they appear to be'. The last picture of the book is meant to make this point. Our initial perceptions of situations are often too close and we miss the 'Big Picture'. Sometimes we don’t know why trials and difficult circumstances affect us in a positive manner. Sometimes God brings people into our lives to help us grow closer to Him. Yalc had no idea Rettoq would raise him to such prominence. We don’t always know the Master Plan for our lives, but when we look back, we see how the circumstances affected us and how we became who we are because of God’s infinite love for us  Frederick L. 'Bart' Barthold III grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana with his grandparents, his mother, two sisters, and a younger brother. His mother and Grandmother were the greatest influence in his life. Much of his time was spent camping and fishing along the St. Joseph River or just exploring the countryside. In many ways he was like Tom Sawyer. He always searched for 'that something' that would make him feel confident and complete. At the age of thirteen he gave his heart to Jesus at a revival and began to look for God’s truth through His Word. He graduated from North Side High School with success in track & field and swimming & diving in June 1969. He attended college at the IU/Purdue extension in Ft. Wayne for two semesters before he decided to join the Navy in August 1970. He served 22 years of naval service that began as a search & rescue swimmer and concluded as the Command Master Chief and Master EOD Tech of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Mobile Unit Two / Special Operations Group of the U.S. Navy at Little Creek, Virginia. Serving in the military followed by over 16 years as a Department of Defense Contractor, observing and working with people from all over the world in different walks of life and professions, one thing became clear...we are all searching for 'that something'. He came to realize 'that something' is a relationship with God. In his travels, Master Chief Barthold always sensed God was leading him, but often did not understand the direction, trials, relationships, failures, and successes he experienced until God gave him a simple little story. A simple short story that impacts perceptions for the rest of our lives. God has a purpose for each person, whoever and wherever they are. That purpose is to know God and His infinite love! The Word of God is the center of all life, is the truth, is the direction, is the purpose, is love, and is for every person. I wanted to impart this truth of God’s love to as many children (regardless of age) as possible.