Educators impact generations. They get up early and stay up late. They love well. They see potential buried under challenging attitudes and circumstances. They believe in children when they don’t believe in themselves. Educators sacrifice their time, money and resources to engage their students, make learning fun and open up young minds to learning. They endure and work through complaints and high demands because their calling from Jesus is more valuable than criticism, questioning and cultural expectations. They hope for what they cannot yet see because they know that they know the capability of their students.
Rebekah Austin is one such educator, a bundle of energy, always smiling, joyful and spunky. People love her. She’s sought out at the soccer field and after the church service. Her students feel her love and miss her when they advance past her courses. She listens to kids and asks them questions. She wants to see them understand new concepts and enjoy special projects. She’s preparing them for making huge contributions to our world, teaching out of the box thinking, team building, volunteerism and doing hard things.
As we have had missionaries visit Grace Klein Community over the years, she’s invited her co-workers and students to learn from these friends from far off lands. Oak Mountain Elementary has opened wide their doors to us. They have collected books for a library in Africa and canned food for hungry kids in America. She teaches social justice through the basic character trait of sharing.
During our annual camping week, you will find her family building sand castles with other community friends, riding bikes, swimming and canoeing. She will be helping cut up veggies for kabobs or teaching little kids how to puncture the juice boxes with their straws. She’s laughing and sharing about another blur of a year, where kids played sports, they spent time with extended family and they learned this or that about themselves and about Jesus.
For all our community nights, for years, she and her family have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to serve. She’s coordinated the kid events, volunteers, made instructional signs and hunted down donations of chalk, face paint and craft supplies. Rebekah contributes order and joy in her serving. Whether it has been months since they have been around or yesterday, her love always feels the same. She is welcoming, genuine, interested.
Our Give and Take Room is fueled by their family donations, as well as our monthly food ministry. They are secret givers, doing what they can do to contribute to the needs around them. Rebekah and her family never look for accolades. They are humble, always feeling like they have not done enough and eager to contribute more, as time and resources allow.
Rebekah’s life demonstrates to all of us how the quality of our investment in community is greater than our quantity. When they can throw apples into food boxes, at monthly food delivery, she’s there giggling. When they can clean out a bag of outgrown clothing and share, they do it. When she can help host a community gathering, she’s all in and doesn’t leave until everything is cleaned and put back together better than we found it. She values people and when she’s present, she’s fully present. Grace Klein Community is better because of Rebekah’s quality of contribution to the body of Christ.
What quality contribution are we making to our community? How are we serving that is intentional, a use of our gifts and abilities, and as worship to the One who is faithful?? Let us seek quality over quantity more and more.
“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” – Hebrews 13:16
Educators impact generations. They get up early and stay up late. They love well. They see potential buried under challenging attitudes and circumstances. They believe in children when they don’t believe in themselves. Educators sacrifice their time, money and resources to engage their students, make learning fun and open up young minds to learning. They endure and work through complaints and high demands because their calling from Jesus is more valuable than criticism, questioning and cultural expectations. They hope for what they cannot yet see because they know that they know the capability of their students.
Rebekah Austin is one such educator, a bundle of energy, always smiling, joyful and spunky. People love her. She’s sought out at the soccer field and after the church service. Her students feel her love and miss her when they advance past her courses. She listens to kids and asks them questions. She wants to see them understand new concepts and enjoy special projects. She’s preparing them for making huge contributions to our world, teaching out of the box thinking, team building, volunteerism and doing hard things.
As we have had missionaries visit Grace Klein Community over the years, she’s invited her co-workers and students to learn from these friends from far off lands. Oak Mountain Elementary has opened wide their doors to us. They have collected books for a library in Africa and canned food for hungry kids in America. She teaches social justice through the basic character trait of sharing.
During our annual camping week, you will find her family building sand castles with other community friends, riding bikes, swimming and canoeing. She will be helping cut up veggies for kabobs or teaching little kids how to puncture the juice boxes with their straws. She’s laughing and sharing about another blur of a year, where kids played sports, they spent time with extended family and they learned this or that about themselves and about Jesus.
For all our community nights, for years, she and her family have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to serve. She’s coordinated the kid events, volunteers, made instructional signs and hunted down donations of chalk, face paint and craft supplies. Rebekah contributes order and joy in her serving. Whether it has been months since they have been around or yesterday, her love always feels the same. She is welcoming, genuine, interested.
Our Give and Take Room is fueled by their family donations, as well as our monthly food ministry. They are secret givers, doing what they can do to contribute to the needs around them. Rebekah and her family never look for accolades. They are humble, always feeling like they have not done enough and eager to contribute more, as time and resources allow.
Rebekah’s life demonstrates to all of us how the quality of our investment in community is greater than our quantity. When they can throw apples into food boxes, at monthly food delivery, she’s there giggling. When they can clean out a bag of outgrown clothing and share, they do it. When she can help host a community gathering, she’s all in and doesn’t leave until everything is cleaned and put back together better than we found it. She values people and when she’s present, she’s fully present. Grace Klein Community is better because of Rebekah’s quality of contribution to the body of Christ.
What quality contribution are we making to our community? How are we serving that is intentional, a use of our gifts and abilities, and as worship to the One who is faithful?? Let us seek quality over quantity more and more.
“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” – Hebrews 13:16
Rebekah Austin is one such educator, a bundle of energy, always smiling, joyful and spunky. People love her. She’s sought out at the soccer field and after the church service. Her students feel her love and miss her when they advance past her courses. She listens to kids and asks them questions. She wants to see them understand new concepts and enjoy special projects. She’s preparing them for making huge contributions to our world, teaching out of the box thinking, team building, volunteerism and doing hard things.
For all our community nights, for years, she and her family have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to serve. She’s coordinated the kid events, volunteers, made instructional signs and hunted down donations of chalk, face paint and craft supplies. Rebekah contributes order and joy in her serving. Whether it has been months since they have been around or yesterday, her love always feels the same. She is welcoming, genuine, interested.