Kristianna D-W, a well-known church community member, goes by Kristi at school. At nine years old, her drive to “be kind and help others” is evident at our 10:30 a.m. worship service. She is often found helping the ushers welcome folks and pass out bulletins. Kristi will even step in to pass the plate, and last summer, she took on some light acolyting duties. Music class and recess are two of her favorite activities in school, and she has gymnastics as an extracurricular pastime.
Covid was a hard time for community connections, and Kristi remembers telling her Grandma Pam that she wished they could go to church again. When they did, Kristi was happy to see her godparents, Tom and Judy Vanlerberghe, in the front pew (Tom was last month’s First’s Look). She jumped back into Sunday School and serving God at First Lutheran with enthusiasm and some of the best hugs!
When Kristi and Pastor met after school one day to discuss this piece, Pastor thanked Kristi for coming to church outside of regular hours. She responded, “I wish we could go to church every day!” When asked about this answer, she said, “Because I want to know a lot of things about God.” Kristi is very articulate. She can easily explain the ways she sees God “bless us every day.” Her answers came not just efficiently but with joy.
It has been a blessing to watch Kristi grow and blossom at church. What a great testimony to those who worship at church to see a young person with such a vibrant faith. One final word of wisdom that Kristi ended with is, “Not everybody is perfect, but everyone is perfect the way they are.” She has clearly taken some powerful lessons to heart. What a privilege we have to worship with this dear heart of a kid!
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