Karie was the child of an unwed teen left on the doorsteps of the Whitehall First Methodist Church. Matilda Peabody, the church cleaning lady, found her one Monday morning when she arrived to clean after Sunday Services. Matilda immediately called for Pastor Tom.
Pastor Tom rarely visited the church on Mondays as this was the day, he reserved for visiting the sick and infirmed.
However, Pastor Tom quickly responded to Matilda's urgent call only to find a new born infant left in a grocery basket. On closer inspection, Pastor Tom found a cryptic note simply saying, please take care of my baby and may God bless you.
Pastor Tom's first instinct was to get the baby fed and instructed Matilda to contact Betty Grayson a local wet nurse. "And tell her to hurry," he said.
Betty Grayson had nine children and had breasts that were perpetually full of mother's milk.
When Betty arrived, the baby suckled feverishly as Pastor Tom was right, she needed fed.
Pastor Tom asked Betty to determine if the baby was boy or girl. Betty checked and responded, she is a girl and we will call her Karie.
Pastor Tom was a bachelor and was not in a position to care for the child and asked Betty if she could take care of her until a suitable home could be found. With nine children, the last thing Betty needed was another child to care for, but being the only wet nurse in the area, she was the logical choice. At least until the child was weaned off mother's milk and able to eat regular food.
It was the 1890s and the First Methodist Church was located in a rural area of the Kansas prairie. The congregation came from scattered farms and ranches of mostly hard working, but poor folk.
Once Karie was weaned off Mother's milk, Betty delivered Karie to Pastor Tom's small home. Since a suitable home had not been found, Pastor Tom had no choice but to take in the little girl. His life was about to change dramatically. But with lots of prayer and hard work, Pastor Tom began life as a surrogate father to little Karie.
He bathed her, fed and clothed her. All the things a mother would normally do. Karie was an excellent baby and rarely cried. She was always with him as he performed his Pastoral duties.
As she grew, there was never a need for modesty as Pastor Tom continued to bathe her until she was big enough to do that for herself.
Her religious training began as soon as she could talk and carry on a conversation.