<b>By SARAH B. AUBREY<br>
Indiana Correspondent</b> </p><p>

UNDERWOOD, Ind. — Some say it’s predestined; others believe all it takes is faith. But when a pair of young Ashbury College graduates married just over 50 years ago and became missionaries, what began and grew over the years has been, for some – in Indiana and all over the world – the start of a miracle.</p><p>
In 1972, upon returning with their young family after serving several years in Ecuador, Yvonne and Byron McGuire were without gainful employment to support their family and their dreams of growing a mission in Indiana. </p><p>
A local farmer had a place affectionately known as Harmony Hill nestled in the Pigeon Roost Valley, near the tiny town of Underwood.</p><p>
“When we got home, we didn’t have a lot of money at all, but he just kept telling us we had to buy it,” Yvonne recalled, of their start. “Finally, we agreed to buy it on contract and Byron felt adding cows could help with the expenses.”</p><p>
Though the couple had some experience with cattle – Yvonne was raised on a farm in North Dakota and Byron grew up near Underwood – the couple were unsure how the cows would help them realize their goal of founding a ministry center.</p><p>
Yet, time always tells: 35 years, five children and 10 grandchildren later, the McGuires have truly built a legacy that will endure.
Sadly, Byron passed away unexpectedly on Oct. 24, but while the McGuire family grieves, they are also looking toward the future. They completed a scenic 7,000 square-foot ministry center on their wooded property in 2006. Byron built a scale model of the facility that was used by builders.</p><p>
“We bought the farm with the intention to turn the overgrown woods into a ministry; the kids all worked on it for years,” Yvonne remembered of the early days of building the center and the first few pavilions on the property.</p><p>
“We all chimed in – we didn’t go on vacations or to amusement parks. We all worked on this, and we didn’t have to go anywhere for recreation,” said Maria Hall, the McGuires’ daughter, of her childhood experience working on the hilly, tree-covered land that they call home.</p><p>
“My sisters and I showed cattle to people that came to look and we even sold bulls and delivered them. I think some of those farmers must have gotten a kick out of it,” she said, laughing.</p><p>
The McGuires stared out with Polled Herefords and raised numerous breeds over the years. At the time of his death, Byron had been working with the South Devon breed for about three years, purchasing bulls from Minnesota and using the Devons in a crossbreeding program. Hall and her brothers, Josiah and Duvon, help with their father’s herd and all maintain a personal interest in cattle breeding and showing.</p><p>
Blending a farm and ministry made the McGuires unique among their neighbors, but the family, under Byron’s leadership, made it appear seamless.</p><p>
“Byron had a gift for being friendly and talking to people. Before they knew it, in an unobtrusive way, he’d begin to say something spiritual,” Yvonne said fondly of her husband’s ability to draw people into conversation.</p><p>
Though never an ordained minister, he served as a lay preacher from time to time and preferred his way of reaching out to becoming a formal pastor. </p><p>
The farm served as a kind of Christian retreat for many years, with people arriving from all over the world to stay. Still, the McGuires didn’t want to overlook fellow cattle-raising neighbors.
“My dad would often visit with people, pray with them and read the Bible with them,” said Hall. “We really influenced people we rented from.”</p><p>
Today, the New Life International Ministry the McGuires founded operates as a 501(c)(3) charity with the catchphrase: “Safe water for a thirsty world.” </p><p>
The organization trains mission teams and relief workers on safe water purification skills. Eldest son Duvon developed a water purification system that is manufactured on-site.
By 2006, more than 1,000 purifiers had been distributed to 59 Third World countries or disaster relief areas.</p><p>
“Safe water is one of our first steps towards community and economic development, that also addresses the underlying ‘soft issues’ of poverty, disease and hopelessness,” wrote Duvon, in a recent newsletter.</p><p>
With Byron gone, some might have expected Yvonne to desire a change, but her devotion to ministry work and the people she meets from all over the world is unflappable. </p><p>
“We will continue, especially now that our sons and Maria are so involved,” she said. </p><p>
“Our legacy will be the trust we’re setting up for the ownership of the farm and the ministry so that it will continue.”