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Guest Circuits |
TestimonyBy Kathy SteinkampRead Jeremiah 29:11-13I started my life with the Lord at 16. I didn't have a particularly easy or Christian upbringing, but I know God has always been with me. I can't count the number of times He has rescued me from myself and rebuilt my life. Perhaps these trials opened my heart and helped me have a deep and profound love for young people. As I have matured, the truth of Jeremiah 29:11-13 and the part it has played in my life has become evident to me: "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 a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." I have spent nearly all my adult life working with children of various ages. I loved being with the kids long before I recognized that work as a calling. I have developed courses for children through a community college, led and sponsored youth groups, taught Sunday school, directed Christian summer camp, directed a Christian school, and taught every grade from kindergarten through 12th grade. I cherished the years my own children were growing up and was blessed with the opportunity to teach them at home for 4 years. I now teach high school government and world cultures. I spend countless hours each week with my students. I miss them in the summer, and a smile comes to my face when I walk in the building each day. I pray for them, and I pray that God will show me what each one needs for the day and for life. Then I try to listen closely for the answers and to obey. Students today face a lot more trials than I did, and some of them make the wrong choices. Still, I am reminded that God loved me enough to seek me out and forgive me. He was willing to sacrifice Himself for me, and He loves them just as much. I find that after all these years, I am still humbled by all the ways the Lord has worked to shape my life and bless me. There is no reason that He should invest so much in me. There is nothing He can't do without me. I have nothing that He hasn't given me. I guess that's why His invitation means so much. I get to see the King on his throne, and if He decides to entrust me with a small portion of His plan, that is truly an honor. God tells us in 1 Corinthians 12 that we have been entrusted with spiritual gifts, and we are to use those gifts to bless the lives of others. 1 Peter 4 instructs us to live our lives for the Lord. Verse 10 tells us to use our gifts "to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace." God has given me the gift of teaching and the blessing of loving children and seeing them through His eyes. I believe that He directs the time and the place where those gifts will be used. He has opened the door for me to see and be part of His work in Thailand this summer. I can't wait to see what He has in store. |
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