Family and Friends,
Happy Reformation Day! Happy Halloween too! It has been a while since our first blog post. We have since
gotten settled in mostly, school has started, life has happened, and it is now almost November. Here are all of the important things that you may have missed to this
point. Most of this we have hardly even had the time to reflect on fully to be
honest.
The Lord blessed us immensely when we got here. Once we moved
in and settled at 836 Glenwood Ave, we had so many loose ends to tie up.
Elizabeth and I had schools chosen, but Sara and William had nothing really in
the works for them. Elizabeth had a pending application at Rhema Christian
School which is about 20 minutes away. Her enrollment was ultimately dependent
upon a few details. Sara and I both knew that it would be good for her to have
some sort of a routine and something to do herself. That would also mean having
a school plan for William, but he was two months too young for Rhema. Well, it
turned out that Rhema was looking for a part time preschool teacher. That’s
exactly what Sara had done before we moved out to camp. After she finished her
application she received a response pretty quickly, and she had an interview
the day before class started. She got the job, and has been able to take
William with her most days. Elizabeth is doing half day kindergarten, and Sara
has a routine that keeps her busy and plugged in up here during the day. This was
an answer to so many prayers. It was such a huge blessing.
I seem to have found a good class routine. I’m taking four classes, which seems like a light load, but Greek is
one of those classes. Trinity teaches an entire year’s worth of Greek in one
semester, so it is highly recommended not to take more than four classes when
one of them is Greek. I will be able to make up the fifth class in the January
intensive time period (a.k.a. – Jan Term), so things will all work out just
fine. All of the professors and other students have been amazing too! Even when
I was in graduate school I never enjoyed school and the challenges it presented
like I have enjoyed seminary so far. I will never be able to scratch the
surface of half of the information I would like to learn but these three years
are far from the end of the learning process. This is just the beginning.
As far as extracurricular activities are concerned, if one
can truly find time for extracurriculars in seminary, I’ve stayed as busy as I
can. This past weekend I traveled with about 20 other seminarians to
Gettysburg, PA where we participated in the annual Luther Bowl, a flag football
tournament held at the Lutheran Seminary there. The weather was incredible, the
family came and had a blast, and to top it all off Trinity won the championship
for the second year in a row. It continues a streak that started in high school
for me. Since sophomore year, every football team I have been a part of has had
an opportunity to play for a championship, winning two of three state
championships and now a flag football championship. I know, it’s kinda cheeky,
but it is always fun to push yourself and see just what you can accomplish.
Hopefully we can keep the run going next year.
We have had a blast exploring the vast amounts of public
land that is within a short drive of home on weekends as well. The kids love “going
to the woods”, and Sara loves getting a little time of peace and quiet to
herself when she can. The time I’ve spent exploring has also been very good for
my spirit as well. It is surprising just how much this place has begun to grow
on us all, although we do look forward to Thanksgiving when we will return home
to be with family and friends.
As you can tell, we seem to have found a pretty good rhythm
and routine up here. Our neighbors have been incredible. The kids play almost
daily with a few of the neighborhood kids. They ride bikes and scooters in the cul-de-sac
behind the house, laughing and filling the street with the sounds of playful
banter. We have gotten to know several of our neighbors. A few are retired (includeing
a former Ambridge High English teacher, and a former 40-year employee of the
Borough), a couple have school aged and younger children, and a couple are just
reclusive enough to keep us from getting to know them. All of them seem to
enjoy living here, and that has been a true blessing. It has really helped set
the tone for us and realize that this really is a pretty good place to be for a
season. It isn’t glamorous or extravagant. Far from it. Ambridge is still a
pretty rough town suffering the effects of a collapsed steel industry even
today, but the residents here are resilient. It is a great example for us.
I hope this brief update has helped you feel a little better
caught up on our life up here. We would love your prayers that we might finish
this semester strong and that we might get some good quality time with family
and friends over the holiday. We will be home for one week around Thanksgiving
and about 10 days around Christmas and the New Year. We hope to see you all then.
God bless you!
Grace and peace,
Will
Will
William.klauber@tsm.edu
William waiting on a parade in Ambridge.
William and Elizabeth at the Fire Station Open House.
