Naylor, Neelyville community rally to help teacher and family

Naylor teacher Teresa Sopko’s passions are God, family, students and community. She relies on faith in God to see her through life.

When doors to Sopko’s first career choice “to be a missionary” didn’t open immediately, she accepted a job teaching kindergarten at Pilgrims Rest Church in Fairdealing.

Recalling God’s promise “I will give you the desire of your heart,” Sopko attended the College of Ozarks. While she thought God was leading her to spend “a couple of years being a missionary teacher,” God had other plans. Sopko met “the man of my life,” Michael.

Sopko’s faith sustains her in every phase of life.

“God always has worked in Michael and my life,” she said, explaining there have been “three big occurrences He has helped in our life.”

In June 2004, Sopko felt God revealed they were to adopt a daughter from China and build a house.

“We were already old parents,” she said.

Older sons Craig and Jason already had their own families. Younger son John was still at home, which was a two-bedroom mobile home.

She didn’t think Michael would be in favor of adoption, but stepped forward in faith knowing with God everything is possible. She soon realized God had prepare Michael’s heart and they built a new home.

Little barriers kept blocking the path to the adoption. Sopko cited the example of their notary’s commission date expiring on paperwork.

“In May 2005, my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In June, dad had a heart attack, and in July, my husband was diagnosed with cancer,” Sopko said. She prayed, “God, I understand you have a purpose.”

Along with caring for family, she was taking night classes at Thayer and teaching between 38-43 fifth graders. Feeling she needed to take a sabbatical, she asked Naylor school officials who replied “we will work with you.”

“They gave me an aide, Wendy Pickrell, and Carolyn Gulley helped. I would not have survived, but Wendy came in as an aide and pretty well took over the class,” Sopko said.

Pickrell, who was working on her education degree, describes the time as “one of the best teaching experiences” she has had.

In October 2005, Sopko’s mother died. In November, Michael went to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis to have two surgeries for bladder and prostate cancer.

At the end of February, the adoption agency asked, “Do you want her? We were moved,” Sopko said. “God teaches you so much.”

They wanted her, but they thought Michael’s cancer would stop the adoption. The agency still approved.

The couple questioned how they would pay the $8,000 for the trip and if doctors allowed Michael to go, should they chance flying with his medication.

“God opened the door,” she said. Family and friends provided the money. April 4, the couple went to St. Louis and Michael was cancer free. April 16, they flew with bottles of medicine and airport officials did not throw out any of his medicine.

When they were introduced to their daughter, Sarah, the translator explained, Sarah said, “not the mother,” before going straight into Michael’s arms and “she laid in his arms for three days,” Sopko said.

Today, Sarah is a “full of life” freshmen at Naylor High School,

While Sopko relies on the scriptures and knows God “is in control and I can trust him,” her trust had the doctors’ concerned during Michael’s second health crises in March 2015.

Doctors found he had a bladder stone and Factor V Leiden thrombophilia, which is a blood clotting disorder. Factor V Leiden is an increased tendency to form abnormal blood clots that can block blood vessels. The disease had occluded the blood flowing into his heart, Sopko said.

“They kept sending chaplains to me and I kept thinking if God took him, we would be OK,” she said. “The doctor didn’t think I was taking it seriously enough so he came to me and said, ‘He has a 2 percent chance of surviving the surgery.’ “

Sopko said, “he did die on the table but they got his heart started back” and were able to insert two filters.

While Michael was in the intensive care unit, Sopko explained God gave her the “peace that passes all understanding. The doctors said ‘you don’t get it, he’s still not out of the woods.’”

The Sopkos knew “God is with us” and she and Michael used the opportunity to help others in the ICU. They prayed with a family whose two sons were involved in an accident on the way to school. The oldest died and the other supposedly was brain dead. Sopko said the younger son is alive today.

“Trust, look around you, people are hurting,” she said. “Talk to them, they are looking at what God is doing and trust him. Once you make connections, they become family.”

Oct. 30, 2018, Michael, who is 63, and older sons, Craig and Jason, were hired as independent contractors to do exterior work at Pack’s Do-It Center in Poplar Bluff. Michael fell off the scaffold head first. He wanted to get up, but according to Sopko, “God placed Maryrose Stricker, who was a trauma nurse, there. If she had not kept him still, it would have been worse. She was really a true blessing.”

He suffered a C1 Jefferson facture, which usually happens when someone is diving and almost always kills them, she said. Michael was flown to Mercy Hospital where they put a halo on him. He spent three and half weeks in the hospital and rehabilitation before coming home early Thanksgiving Day.

The Naylor school and Fairdealing communities came together for the family, like they do for everyone in need. JW Woodworks helped move a hospital bed and prepare the house, as well as grated the driveway, so Michael’s trip home would be smoother.

Naylor school faculty and students had a hat day and a chili supper to raise money for the family to travel to the hospital and to assist while they are not working.

On the playing field, Naylor and Neelyville schools are usually rivals, but March 12 they are coming together to have a supper together to help Naylor science teacher Misty Duncan, who has throat cancer. Duncan's husband, Brooks, teachers at Neelyville.

Sopko said accepting help is a “hard thing for us, we are givers,” but when the schools and communities see a need, they rally together with prayer and financial help.

“I feel so undeserving of all the kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity,” she said.

Calling Ripley County people “a blessing,” who “care for others and God first in their journey.”

“Look around and see who you can help,” she said. “Be a reflection in his hands.”

While at times life has not been easy, “God has seen us through,” Sopko said.

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