"For I know the plans I have for you. . . "

One of the exercises I have always enjoyed is looking back at different parts of my life trying to see God’s hand at work. For certain times in my life, it is easy for me to guess at God’s plans. I can see how people in my life influenced me to pursue teaching, how participating in a variety of activities gave me felicity in serving in many different areas over the years or how some of the tragedies of students or loved ones have pointed me to Jesus at crucial times. For other times in my life, I still struggle to imagine what God had in mind. My 4 years at Manitowoc Lutheran High School (1987-1991) are no exception. While I was living those years and in the years to follow, high school was confusing, stressful and much of it a mystery. Then, as time passed, many of those moments and experiences became clear. While I didn’t appreciate it at the time, I became more and more aware of the positive way that my teachers at MLHS directed and guided me. How, without always being too obvious, they pushed me in the direction of Jesus. Despite the many ups and downs that we all experience, our confidence is in our God and Lord.  

It hit me as a young father that I wanted nothing for my children more than to be assured they would hold on to their new faith throughout their life so that I could see them for eternity in heaven. Nothing was more important! What started as a decision to be teachers had become a much larger blessing! Our children have had the opportunity to hear God’s promises and encouragements daily as well as having great Christian role models guiding and instructing them throughout their educational years. They have always been closely tied to our Lutheran school system. What a tremendous blessing to have had this throughout their young lives!  In June, I will get to experience walking one of my daughters down the aisle for a second time. My favorite, and also my least favorite, part of that day is giving the Father of the Bride speech. It’s my favorite because I get the chance to express to my daughter and new son-in-law how much I appreciate the strong Christian young people they have become and encourage them to stay on that path. Writing that speech also has allowed me the chance to reflect on the large number of people that have played a positive role in both of their lives up to this point.

Looking back, it humbles me to see how blessed my wife Kelly (nee Krueger, ’91) and I have been to be directly involved with Christian education as our vocation.  This reminds me of the great responsibility I have with the students and athletes that I get to work with daily. MLHS is this very same blessing to each of our students and their families. We as parents, teachers, alumni, all have this great responsibility to raise up the next generation to know and love their Savior. Thank you for this opportunity. What I have come to see in my few years back at MLHS is how seriously each of our faculty/staff members take this responsibility.

I, along with our students, am surrounded by strong Christians each day that care for us like their own children. Please continue to pray for us and for our students as we strive to stay connected to our Lord and Savior. Then, we can all have the joy and blessing of seeing each other and our children enjoy eternity together in heaven! All of these thoughts and reflections bring one thing to mind, God’s promise to us in Jeremiah 29:11, a promise that we get to hear so often around this time of the year at graduations and confirmations. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  

School Wide Arbor Day

On Wednesday, May 5th all MLHS students, faculty and staff pitched in for Arbor Day! What is Arbor Day you may ask? Arbor Day was founded with the idea of planting and maintaining trees. Over the years Arbor Day has evolved into a day where we as Christians celebrate this wonderful blessing the earth is to us, and how God provides to us through his magnificent creation.

This year, Arbor Day at MLHS started with chapel and a school wide photo.  After this time our students broke out into their teams and headed to their designated clean-up areas for the morning. The freshman worked around campus, moving rocks, removing tree limbs, and making the campus look beautiful. The Juniors worked at various houses around town, many were at teachers houses, go team Goat-ramp, helping to get some bigger outdoor projects accomplished. A big thank

Lastly the entire sophomore and senior classes were at the South Lakefront Wayside Park beach, just north of warm water beach,  helping the city to revitalize this area. The students cleaned the entire beach, clearing it of garbage, debris, dead fish, logs, driftwood, etc. This day is such a great opportunity for us to thank God for the blessing of this earth, and to serve the community we live in.

Lakeshore Special Needs Prom Hosted at MLHS!

On Saturday, May 7th, MLHS students part of Shining Through Christ teamed up with Lakeshore Special Needs Prom to host an unforgettable night at the high school! Students arrived early on Saturday morning to decorate for the "Disney" theme and returned in the evening to dance with dozens of special needs friends in our community. Disney princesses, a photo booth, and a special grand march were just a few of the highlights from the day. We thank God for blessing us with a beautiful day and for allowing us to make many new friends!

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