August: Birthdays, School, and Youth Min

Good Morning friends, family, and internet wanderers!

I apologize for my late posting this month. For a month that was supposed to be relaxed (in comparison to the rest of the year) it went by in a flash. Personally it has been a busy month getting settled into my new living situation and getting used to having roommates around. If I am being honest I was more than a little hesitant to enter into my new living situation, but after 6 weeks or so I must say all my fears were unfounded. I have been pleasantly surprised both at my roommates and myself in our combined maturity and willingness to work to keep the house the way the other desires.

Also in august I got to say goodbye to 27 and hello to 28 as I have completed another full rotation around the Sun. I celebrated by inviting friends to a murder mystery masquerade which another friend was kind enough to host for me. But for those of you who know me well know there is one tradition which I hold most dear for my birthday and that is the 'new pie' tradition. For those who may not know, my parents like to make a special meal on their children's birthdays, usually whatever is requested (within reason). My only request for these meals is to have a new pie, or one I have never tried before. Initially my mom thought this was too difficult, but every year she pulls out a new one, usually more obscure than the last. I have had tamarind, pasta, spinach and bacon in pies, but I think this years was my favourite so far: beet pie. I am not sure if it was the fact that beets are one of my childhood favourites, or just the particular way it was made, but this is definitely one of my favourite pies of all time.

Ministry wise August was very full of finalizing plans and getting ready for school. I am please to announce that CMU has given me advanced credit for two of my undergrad courses and so before classes even start I have 6/60 credits completed. Also at the encouragement of my lead pastor, I have begun and finished about half of the reading in one of my courses, so as to accommodate for the potentially chaotic ministry schedule.

Thankfulness:

Last month I asked you to pray for another youth leader for the fall, and this month I can say that God has indeed answered those prayers. I have a vision for this youth ministry and I believe that God has inspired it in me, but it requires more than I alone can do, so I am incredibly blessed to have the leaders I need. In fact not only do I have the leaders I need, but I received an e-mail a week ago from a church we partner with, that they want to send us leaders as well because they believe in what we are doing for our combined youth.

I also asked for continued prayer for finances as the position I am in is based on fundraising from people like you. This month I have received a number of additional donations, including two more recurring ones. After a conversation with the church treasurer I am please to announce that I am covered until the end of January, potentially February (the last donation has not been factored in yet). I am so blessed and encouraged by the prayers and financial support of everyone, words cannot express my love and gratitude.

Prayer Requests:

School has started a few days ago, and while I feel prepared I also feel a bit overwhelmed at the sheer volume of work that needs to be done for each class. One of my classes is online and for the first week, the recommended reading was over 200 pages of a history text, much of which is names and dates, which I cannot possibly recall after a single reading, if I am even able to get through that much in a week. Please pray that God will bless me in my studies, that I will learn what needs to be learned and that I will develop efficient study habits.

The youth year is about to start and with the new leaders I am able to do more than I originally planned for. We also have a solid chance of growing our youth group significantly as about 6-8 students have shown up over the summer and will be invited to participate. Please pray for myself and my leaders that we will use our time well in preparing and connecting with the students, that God will show up in the lives of the students, and that our church and community would be a place of fun and fellowship for all involved.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and to pray. I could not do what I do without you doing what you have been doing!

God Bless
- Stefan Klassen