“2nd Gens” at Holsby!
For quite a few years now, one of my favorite things to write about for Holsby is the “2nd Gens“! Two years ago, we had 12, last year we had none, and now this year we have five. I’d like to introduce them along with a wee bit of info about their parents who were here those long years ago.
We’ll use the sofa picture to identify each student:
Back row left: Annika Petersson, who hails from British Columbia in Canada, has quite a Holsby heritage behind her. Her mother, Ellen Petersson was here 1981-82, leading the way for the family. Ellen currently teaches kindergarten. Later during the 80’s, Annika’s Aunt Anna and Uncle John-Eric were also students. Two years ago, her sister Linnea attended Holsby. Annika has relatives in Sweden, and she visited with them right before school started.
Back row right: Kevin Dick is also from B.C. in Canada. His mom, Gwen Kroeker Dick, also a kindergarten teacher, was here 1979-80. Kevin, however, is not the only Dick to follow in Gwen’s footsteps. Sister Katie was here a few years back as well.
Middle row: Right in the middle we find Katrina Bartell from Alberta, Canada. Her mom is Jan Reimer Bartell from the years 1975-76. Jan is an accountant in a family business and a stay-at-home mom.
Bottom row left: We only found out at the last minute that Rose Hathaway was also a 2nd Gen. Her home is in the state of Minnesota in the USA. Janet Johnson Hathaway is her mom and she attended the spring term of 1980. Janet is another stay-at-home mom.
Bottom row right: Last but not least is Laura Thams from Denmark. Laura’s mom, Lise Rykjaer Thams, also attended only the spring course – in 1981. Lise, who says her life was really turned around here at Holsby, is a psychologist. Lise was the first of her family to come to Holsby. She was followed by her sister, Christina, and her brother, Jakob.
School has been in session now for a few weeks. It did not take long for the students to begin bonding together. I asked each one of these 2nd Gens what these early weeks have meant to them:
Annika: I am blessed to be here and to have this opportunity.
Kevin: I love the community and how quickly it has all come together.
Katrina: These weeks have given me a fresh start and new understanding of God.
Rose: The fellowship with the students has been great and it’s been so easy to connect with one another.
Laura: I’ve been feeling so blessed. It has been everything I have been praying for. I had not expected it to be this good so early on. I feel really safe here.
Thanks for your prayers for all of our young people as they go through this year. Their hearts are open and our Lord loves to pour in HIS truth and life and love!
Så roligt att se dig Donna och Wally på bild här. Är ni i Holsby nu? Hur länge stannar ni på skolan? Jag flyttade från Stockholm 1989 och bor nu i Södra Råda utanför Gullspång. Gullspång ligger mitt emellen Kristinehamn och Mariestad. Jag arbetar som psykiatrisjuksköterska i Karlstad på natten har 8,5 mil dit så därför blev det natt. Jag fick inget annat jobb när min arbetsplats i Kristinehamn dit jag har 4 mil la ner(var väl för gammal har nu 2 år 4 mån kvar till pension) så då sa jag till Herren att om han inte ger mig något annat jobb så får han hjälpa mig med att köra hem 8,5 mil när jag jobbat hela natten. Jag trivs bra och än så länge har jag inte kört av vägen. Jag blir lite nostalgisk när jag ser dessa bilder från Holsby Brunn det var ju en tid som betydde väldigt mycket och det har ju hänt väldigt mycket sen dess. Ha det bra och Gud välsigne er.