1-What is your ‘go to’ bible verse to get you through the day?
I have clung to different verses during different seasons, but my life verse is Psalm 86:11-13 (NIV).
“Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.” Many years ago these verses captured my heart because they remind me how much God loves me, and they express how I want to live my life with God—to give Him my whole heart, to come before Him with reverence and awe, to praise and glorify Him, to rely on His faithfulness in all circumstances, and to have a teachable spirit.
2-Briefly tell us about a recent fun activity you and or your family participated in.
Earlier this month, I visited some dear friends who retired to Hilton Head. While there, we drove up to the Charleston area and visited a tea plantation on Wadmalaw Island. I love to drink tea, so it was fun to tour the factory to see how tea is grown, harvested, and produced. We took an informative trolley ride through the beautiful acres of tea fields, visited the greenhouse full of tiny tea plants, sampled their varieties of hot and iced teas at the tea bar, and visited the gift shop filled with tea products and local goods. I learned a lot about tea and came home with four tins of tea and a tea mug inscribed with the word “happy” to remind me of my time there.
3-Do you have a favorite recipe or take-out meal recommendation you would like to share?
During the hot summer months, I like to make a rotisserie chicken salad that has 5 c. bite-size shredded rotisserie chicken, 2 c. baby spinach leaves, 2 c. green grape halves, 1 c. snow peas, 2 c. sliced celery, 1 jar (6 oz.) marinated and drained artichoke hearts, ½ cucumber sliced, 3 sliced green onions, and 8 oz. cooked corkscrew pasta. Toss the ingredients with a flavored vinaigrette dressing and garnish with orange slices. You can adjust the proportions and substitute ingredients as desired. Pair the salad with a chilled fruit soup and crusty bread for a delicious summer meal.
4- At the start of the 2021 school year, Grace Church will be offering a new Children’s Ministry program, led by Grace’s very own member, Erin van Santen (Father Frans’s wife). While Erin is busy preparing, please share how a mentor, youth leader, or Sunday school teacher had an impact on you and why?
My mom’s friend Judie was a mentor to me during my junior high and early high school years. Judie was one of the directors of my church’s very large Awana Club program, and when I was in junior high she invited me to serve as a student leader in the club for the younger girls—developing relationships with them, helping them memorize the bible verses in their handbooks, and cheering them on during game time. Judie was also director of a Christian summer camp in Wisconsin, and after my freshman year of high school she invited me to be part of their counselor-in-training program and then to serve as a junior counselor for a cabin of younger girls. One of the girls in my cabin was completely unchurched, and at the end of the week the two of us took a walk under the stars to talk about God and His plan of salvation. That night she prayed with me to receive Christ as her savior, and I was amazed and touched that I got to be part of that special moment in her life. Judie’s trust in me showed me that I did not need to wait until I was grown up to serve God and others.
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