*Kai’s pride and joy is her grandson, Titan Leeper. Here, they are attending the first grade graduation ceremony at Red Lick Elementary School.*

*A close-knit group, who has stayed in touch for years, Kai is very thankful for her childhood friends.*

Every year on Ash Wednesday, Kai and her friends who are members of Amicae (friends of Zeta Phi Beta, Sorority, Inc.), serve food and provide resources for the homeless at the Texarkana Public Library.

Dr. Kai Horn is a firm believer that miracles happen in mysterious ways. She stays busy working in three different roles as well as taking care of her 8-year-old grandson, Titan Boaz. Kai is Pastor at Hopewell Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church in the Liberty-Eylau community of Texarkana, Texas, Chaplain at CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System, and Online Instructor of Religion at Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee. Her church’s goal is “Loving People, Teaching Jesus, Serving Humanity,” and Kai lives that out to the best of her ability every single day.

Kai is a member of the Gamma Kappa Zeta grad chapter of Zeta Phi Beta, Sorority, Inc; Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc; and the Texarkana Branch of the NAACP. Hopewell CME Church, where Kai pastors, has a full service food pantry, and they annually support Shop With A Cop.

Kai grew up in the South Dallas area where her father was a pastor, and her mother was a musician. She went to Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in downtown Dallas before starting on her college journey. She graduated from Paul Quinn College in Dallas, with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and History. Next, she graduated with her master’s degree from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana. Then, she earned her doctoral degree from Phillips School of Theology at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

“March 21st was a game changer,” Kai says in remembrance of her daughter. Earlier this year, 23-year-old Abigail Leeper was one of three people tragically killed. On that day, Kai was helping drive a friend who needed to get their car serviced. She just so happened to look down at her phone, and she had a call from a Georgia number that she didn’t recognize. The call was from a detective asking if she knew Abigail Leeper. Kai told him, “Oh I do; that’s my daughter.” Then the detective said, “I’m sorry to inform you, she passed.” From then on, Kai admitted, “The petty things in life no longer mattered. Ultimately with God you’re going to be alright, but it’s going to take some work. It’s going to take some being easy on yourself.”

When she first got the call, she honestly thought it was a joke. Kai said, “Abbi is a jokester so my first reaction was like you guys are lying, stop playing.” Abigail has left behind that witty, joyful legacy through her son, Titan. Kai gushed about how Abigail and Titan are both such bright lights in her life and the lives of those around them.

Kai’s entire family is musically inclined. Everyone sings and most of them play at least one instrument. When at Wilmer-Hutchins High School, Kai was very involved in theater and One Act Play where she won UIL Best Actress. She’s a very experienced performer who has been involved in lots of professional theater productions. Kai also played flute and oboe for a long while. Her daughter, Abigail, was a rapper and played violin. Kai wasn’t so sure at first but she admits that she was such a good rapper and a great musician. “The way she would put words together and the imagery ... you could see exactly what she was talking about,” described Kai. Titan takes lessons at Keyz 4 Kidz, and he has a gorgeous voice for his age. “It’s like living with her every day in a very wonderfully blessed way ... her spirit, her love, and her joy,” Kai reflected. She now is taking formal violin lessons every week to honor her daughter. Currently, Kai and Titan live in the parsonage provided by her church, and they live a simple life. “I garden, I can, and I go to work,” she said with a laugh.

*Dr. Miriam Burnett (right) was Kai’s cohort adviser when she received her Doctorate of Ministry in May 2018.*

Kai realizes that she’s been given the opportunity to shape young minds and also be with people at their lowest points. “The miracle of when a student says ‘ah-ha.’ The miracle of preaching the words that somehow give people hope. The miracle that they can accept it even if that means their loved one passes. Or the miracle of seeing someone that you never thought in a million years would ever get out, God touches them, and they walk out of that hospital. It’s the most blessed feeling,” Kai says with a smile.

Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Kai acknowledges, “We are created to be in community, and we’re in this time of forced isolation.” Being the ICU Chaplain and an essential worker has given Kai a different perspective on this year. They’re required to suit up in protective gear before visiting with patients at the hospital. “It’s all for their safety and mine,” Kai said. She handles critical care, progressive care, and surgery where she still has the privilege to be there for those who are being forced into isolation. She is an agent of God’s grace when she has to call each patient’s family. “When I call, I say let me share with you that this is a courtesy call before I tell you who I am or what I do. I can say, ‘I was in the room with your husband and/or wife today’ or ‘I wanted you to know that someone was in the room,’” Kai mentions. There’s comfort knowing that someone was there. “Our sickest of sick people is who God allows me to serve every day,” Kai says solemnly.

*Last year, Kai received the Religious Achievement Award during the NAACP Banquet.*

Kai also sees the positive side of this pandemic. The elders of her church “have come into this technological age as champs,” she mentioned. They all have smartphones and are learning how to use Zoom and watch services online in order to stay safe at home.

Like many of us, Kai is excited for the new year. She is working on starting a nonprofit: Social Equity, Ethics, and Diversity or the SEED Program. Her thesis is about looking at the garden the way the world should be. Her garden has grown tremendously this year. She planted pinto beans in the front, blackeyed peas on the side, and Kentucky wonder beans with a trellis for them to vine. Then there were tomatoes planted right in the middle of it all. Kai’s beans grew like crazy and started connecting. She went out there one day, and said to herself, “This is my thesis. This is exactly what I’m saying.” She saw that not only had the beans produced and grown together, but they had sheltered the tomatoes and allowed them to grow safely. This year Kai has learned that miracles manifest themselves in many ways, even in her garden.

Kai lives by the verse Psalm 37:5. It says, “Commit your ways to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do this.” She admits that if she would’ve been told last year at this time that her only child wouldn’t be here, she had been angered. She believes that the end of Psalm 37:5 really means, “God will be with us, a very present help in whatever situation you’re in.”

One of the physicians at St. Michael, who works with Kai, was looking to get involved in the Big Brother program and adopt a little brother. He said, “You know what, I was going to adopt a little brother anyway. Why don’t you just let me take your grandson?” He and his family pick Titan up weekly, they listen to him, and spend time with him for hours. Now Titan has decided he wants to be a physician.

Kai has been amazed by the amount of people who have befriended her this year that she never would have known. Even now, there will be someone who finds an old video of Abigail singing or being silly, and they’ll send it to Kai. It encourages Kai, reminds her of community, and helps her find the glimpses of God in dark places. “It’s those little miracles,” she smiles.

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