Today’s authors are Prince of Peace members Julene Hannesh, Enna Wold and Sofie Sethi.
Julene Hannesh:
This Sunday, May 18th, we are celebrating our graduating Seniors as they leave high school and childhood behind and embark on their next adventures. This year is bittersweet for me as I have been with this class since they were entering high school, through their confirmations in the Fall of 9th grade, and now get to see them off into the world. Sofie and Enna, in particular, have been the most faithful youth group attenders (often showing up 1:1 or 2:1) and have survived many crazy adventures with me over the years. While I am so sad I won’t see them every week anymore, I am more excited for all the plans God has in store for them. They make the world a better place, and I am so grateful to have been their youth director these past four years. Sofie and Enna, thank you for continuing to show up; I hope you continue to do so for the people and causes that matter to you. And of course, whenever you are home, I hope you come back to see us at Prince of Peace.
Enna Wold:
Growing up at Prince of Peace is one of the best gifts I have been given. Growing up in a tight-knit community like this church has shown me that God is always there in the little moments. I am so grateful for everyone who has been alongside me in my faith journey, which started here in Sunday school and follows me today through my last days of High School. Prince of Peace has become my second home; for that, I thank God and all of you.
This Fall, I am attending the University of North Dakota (Grand Forks) to study psychology and enroll in the UND ROTC program. During my studies, I will be serving in the Army Reserves at a Troop Medical Clinic in Fargo, ND.
Sofie Sethi:
Prince of Peace has always been a welcoming community with good ways for youth to participate. One memory that stands out was me playing as an angel in the Christmas play. It was fun being able to have a way to participate in church and to spend time with other youth. Even if I had a little bit of stage fright it was so worth it to be wearing angel wings. As a kid, angel wings seemed like the coolest thing ever!
Eventually, when it was time for me to start confirmation the pandemic caused everything to go into quarantine. Being in confirmation during the pandemic was challenging. Trying to navigate being on zoom for long periods of time even with breaks was straining. And eventually towards the end of confirmation when it was safe enough for us to start meeting in person as long as we social distanced ourselves was still tough. But I was happy that I stuck with it because in the end I got confirmed and my family was there to support me.
I have been so lucky to have Julene as my youth director. She helped make a lot of the youth trips happen through various fundraisers and lots of planning. And she always made sure to make our youth trips fun and impactful. Some of my most memorable moments in church was going on youth trips and doing service projects as a way to represent our churches values. And through those trips I felt like they made an impact on my journey of growth and sense of independence. Likewise, I also made some friends that I am still friends with today. Another memorable experience for me is having my grandparents Kathy and Scott Tunseth at Prince of Peace. Seeing both of them serve the community in different ways has made me feel proud of them and has made me feel like I can go to church and also make an important impact.
Prayer:
God of Community, thank you for providing us the opportunities to get together and grow in one another’s company. We give thanks for the time we have had together. Please bless all those graduating as they seek new adventures and help them to know that no matter where they go that you will always be with them. In Jesus’ name we pray.