September, Start of School and of Ministry

Good Morning friends, family, and internet wanderers!

Wow where did September go? This past month has been a whirlwind of school, ministry and new possibilities. The beginning started with a lot of anxiety and fear, but God has been at work in my life and my ministries, showing both His provision for my life and his grace. Truly I can do nothing apart from Him

Thankfullness

Thank you all for your prayers. This past month School has been characterized by a lot of anxiety, specifically around readings and assignments. In my undergrad I often felt intimidated by my peers and both their ability to process the information and also to use it later. My main anxieties this month have been about how much work will I have to put in, and will I actually gain anything out of the process, since as far as I can tell I only remember about 10% of my undergrad. But with that being said, school is progressing well, not only am I getting along well with my peers but I am contributing on the same level. In the middle of this month when my first small assignment was due, I received some good advice from my pastor/supervisor. He told me to write about how the information was useful, or not, to my life and work as a pastor, this idea has been crucial in both my ability to write and do so in a timely manner. I have had a few assignments so far and only received grades for 2 of them, but both of those have been A's. So thank you for your prayers.

Youth started up this month, and in the days leading up to it, it seemed like all my plans were just being swept away. I never have trouble sleeping, but the night before the kickoff I did not get much sleep as I tried to think my way through all the variables and possibilities of this new group and new leaders. Last year we had a core attendance of 4 students and our kickoff a few weeks ago had 9 students, with potential for 6 more. These numbers are not particularly high or anything, but for our little church they are fantastic and quiet unexpected. Thank you for your continuing prayers for our youth group and my leadership of these students and leaders.

Prayer Requests

About a week ago I got this years cold, and it is still sticking with me. I know it is a little thing, but it would be good for both myself and all those I interact with if I were able to recover quickly.

Our youth program is always in my mind, and so I ask you to continue to pray for me and for our youth team. As our youth group grows, I am able to spend less face time with each individual student and need to rely on and equip our leaders to do more and more. Please pray that the Lord will show me how to equip our leaders and how to take a step back and watch as they work.

Finally there are a lot of different events happening in October and early November that will keep me busier than I am used to. I have been asked to mentor and baptize a student from my past church, and will be taking some time at the end of the month to baptize him. In early November I have been invited to be the best man at one of my best friends wedding, in British Columbia. So I am taking a few days to fly out and attend a wedding, but I still have school to get done in that time. Additionally I have 2 conferences to attend, on top of my regular responsibilities and assingments. All of which I am looking forward to, but I ask for prayer that I will manage my time well and not forget important details or leave others feeling left out.


Thank you so much for your partnership in prayer. I truly feel blessed to be able to do the work I am, and that is in large part due to your influences.

God Bless
- Stefan Klassen