Meine Klein Welt

California Dreamin’

by

We’ve been in California for almost two weeks which means that our time here is almost over. 🙁

On June 20, my brother Derrick married his sweetheart Desire’e. It was a fantastic day, and we’re so glad that we got to be here for it!

framedsibs

We made a quick trip to Santa Barbara last week to visit with friends. I got to show Matt Westmont for the first time, but it wasn’t very impressive because the whole place is under construction. I’ll just have to take him back up there next time. 🙂 I’m super thankful that we had some time to spend with my friends up there. I love them a lot!

sb

The rest of our California time is being spent in Idyllwild with my family. It’s so good to be home and visit for awhile. The only hard part of living in Vienna is missing my family. I’m so thankful for this time with them.

fam

Thanks for all of your prayers as we travel. We’re off to Florida on Monday. Klein family – here we come!

International Justice Mission

by

One of the cool things I’ve been able to do this semester is meet with a group of teachers and high school students who are interested in combating injustice. This group came about after one of the teachers discussed the purpose and mission of International Justice Mission (IJM) during high school chapel. We have been meeting every other week and going through a study put together by IJM specifically for high school students. There have been some great discussions, but what I am the most excited about is that we have a group of students who want to take action. You can pray for our group in the coming months and into the next year as we look at what is being done in Vienna to help the oppressed. We are going to be meeting with a few people who are working in the city with prostitutes, refugees, and others. As the students hear about the work being done, they are going to develop an action plan for getting involved. I’m excited to see what the Lord is going to do through them!

Accepting God’s Mercy

by

Matt and I are reading a Lenten devotional by Henri Nouwen called Show Me the Way. I’m two days behind (of course) so I just read the devotional for Saturday. It’s about returning to God. He uses the story of the prodigal son as reference. I like what Nouwen had to say because he talks about the fact that the son returned for entirely selfish reasons, a fact that has always kind of bothered me. But then he talks about how God views us. I absolutely love the picture he gives of God’s response to us when we return – selfishly or not.

But Jesus came to open my ears to another voice that says, “I am your God, I have molded you with my own hands, and I love what I have made. I love you with a love that has no limits. Do not run away from me. Come back to me – not once, not twice, but always again. You are my child. How can you ever doubt that I will embrace you again, hold you against my breast, kiss you and let my hands run through your hair? I am your God – the God of mercy and compassion, the God of pardon and love, the God of tenderness and care. Please do not say that I have given up on you, that I cannot stand you any more, that there is no way back. It is not true. I so much want you to be with me. I so much want you to be close to me. I know all your thoughts. I hear all your words. I see all of your actions. And I love you because you are beautiful, made in my own image, an expression of my most intimate love. Do not judge yourself. Do not condemn yourself. Do not reject yourself. Let my love touch the deepest, most hidden corners of your heart and reveal to you your own beauty, a beauty that you have lost sight of, but that will become visible to you again in the light of my mercy. Come, come, let me wipe your tears, and let my mouth come close to your ear and say to you, ‘I love you, I love you, I love you.'”
~ Henry Nouwen, Show Me the Way, pg. 76-77

Then he offers this simple prayer that I am praying right now:

O Lord, my Lord,
help me to listen to your voice
and to decide for your mercy.

Amen!

Answered Prayer

by

Praise God! We have a new elementary principal for next year. This has been a huge area of prayer for all of us as we have been “borrowing” the secondary principal this year. We are all so excited and so thankful for John Janett and his desire to serve here with us. Thank you so much to all of you who have been praying with us. God is good!

Another Amazing Conference

by

This is turning out to be a multiple post day!

I just had another amazing conference. I spoke with a mom who is a Christian, but her husband is not. Her son became a Christian when he was in first grade. She spoke with me about how much this school means to her and her son because her son is not allowed to attend church with her, but that Jesus has allowed him to be in this school. She shared with me about how excited her son is to have Chapel here each week because that is church for him.

She asked that we pray for her family, for her husband’s salvation, for God’s continued grace to allow her son to attend our school, and for her son to continue to love God with all his heart. I can’t wait to pray for them!