My name is Melissa Meinzinger and I am the new Kindergarten teacher. I am 29 years old and for most of my life, I have lived in Michigan, near Detroit. I grew up at Dearborn Chapel in Dearborn Heights. I attended Emmaus Bible College, where I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biblical Studies. I have worked with kids over the years in a lot of different capacities; babysitting, counseling at camp, and teaching Sunday School, but I did not originally intend to teach. However, this past year, I had the opportunity to work at an education program for children with Cerebral Palsy. It was an amazing experience that showed me that I really did want to teach children. The Lord had been prompting me about serving Him here at Immanuel Mission, so after praying and seeking some wise counsel, I asked to be commended by the chapel to teach Kindergarten. I am excited about the opportunities to serve here. I currently have 10 students in my class, and we have been in school for four weeks. I have had the opportunity to meet the parents of a few of my kids.
Teaching here has been a learning experience for me. In some ways, my kids are like many other kids I have worked with. They have the same need for attention, the same desires to have friends and have fun, and the same wiggles when they lose focus or want to go play. But many of my kids have little experience with the Lord, so I have had to start from scratch teaching them about Him. I answer questions like “who is God?”, “where is God?” and my personal favorite, “does God love superheroes too?” (I really had a student ask this!). They also have had little to no discipline, so I really have to work with them at obeying the teacher and classroom behavior. It has been a challenge, but the Lord has been giving me strength along the way. Barely a day goes by that I don’t feel Him helping me along during the times that I feel out of answers or unsure of how to handle a situation.
There is also a ladies craft group, so I can get to know the ladies in the community. I am praying that the Lord gives me the chance to reach the people He puts in my life here and that I would be able to clearly share the gospel with them. I hope that I will be able to serve Him well out here. Though I have only been here a short time, I have already felt the prayers of those at home and would sincerely appreciate your prayers too. I would appreciate prayer for strength and wisdom as I am a bit overwhelmed by all there is to get done and adjust to. Also finding/making time to do all the planning is a struggle for me. I would greatly appreciate prayer about these things. Thank you for your support in prayer!
In His Name,
Melissa Meinzinger