Monday, April 16, 2007

Wright News

04/16/2007

Wright News by Jennie K. Hanson April 16, 2007

Welcome Spring!  The weather has been much warmer and I even was able to dry my clothes on the lines outside.  Boy, they sure smell good, especially the sheets, when they are dried outside.

Missy Lind has informed me that the Kids Plus/After School Program has been granted a 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant for the 2007-2008 school year.  This grant will help strengthen and build on our current after school program.

The Cromwell-Wright Seniors will be having Baccalaureate this year on May 13th during the regular church service at Bethany Lutheran Church in Cromwell at 10:30 AM.  All seniors are encouraged to attend this special service and blessing.  There are 21 Seniors this year.

There are 9 - 6th Graders participating in the Region 7 Pacesetter Tournament that will be held in Virginia, Mn on April 28th.  The girls participating are Karissa Sworski, Mandy Egge, Lenore Collman, Christina Stenson, Kayle Johnson, Emily Warpula, Brittany Johnson, Alex Shelton, and Ann Collman.  The coaches are Kylee Smith, Kelcie Smith, and John Grones.

Congratulations and a big Thank You goes out to the 2nd graders for holding their annual Food Shelf Food Drive.  They collected over 700 pounds of food for our local food shelf.

Several of our elementary students submitted stories to the annual Reading Rainbow Young Authors and Illustrators contest held in March.  There was one young author that walked away with the Grand Championship Prize and that was our own 3rd Grader, Jenna Koenig, daughter of Pete and Kathy Koenig.  She wrote and illustrated a story called “ My Allowance Lives Under the Dryer”.  She was chosen Grand Champion out of 4,838 total entries.  She will now go to Channel 8 and do some recording and be interviewed about her winning story.  Also, receiving awards were Ethan Lind, Chelsea Swatek, and Erika Kosloski. Their teacher is Christie Eliason.

Jessica (Stenson) and Luke Hendrickson of Hibbing are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Iris Suzanne.  Iris has two very proud brothers, Owen 4 and Cooper 2.  Grandparents are Dave and Becky Stenson of Wright and Great Grandmother, Carol Stenson Campion of Brainerd, Mn. Welcome little one!

The members of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church of Cromwell-Wright after Mass on April 15th, honored their members who are 90 Plus.  Those honored were Elizabeth Drang, Ailie Costello, and Arnold and Marcella Dahl.  Also honored was Jasper Beseman who turned 85 on Easter Sunday.  There was a “Pot Luck” Dinner with Birthday Cake and there was a great turn-out for this special event.

Our sympathy goes out to the family of Albert Joseph Krakora, 83 of Floodwood who died on April 5, 2007 at his home.  George was an Army veteran with special training as a rifleman.  Albert is survived by his sister, Ruth Madson of Floodwood and many nieces, nephews and cousins.  His memorial service was held on April 11, 2007 at the Northland Funeral Home in Cloquet, Mn. Don’t forget that Grandparents’ Day is coming up at school on April 26th starting at 1:30 PM.

Other up-coming Events are:

Mother Daughter Tea at Bethlehem on May 12th at 1:30, Prom on April 21st, Bethany’s Annual Rummage Sale on April 27th and 28th, Shirley and Duane Johnson’s 50th on April 21st, Sno-Gophers 24th Annual BINGO on April 20 at 7th PM, Senior Dance at the Pavilion on April 26th 1 – 4 PM, and Kindergarten round-up on May 2nd.

Do you realize that this year’s high school seniors never attended school at Wright?  They are the first class to graduate from the Cromwell - Wright school that started in Cromwell in Kindergarten.  Where did all those years go?  It’s been 13 full school years since the new school was built and opened to K-12 students.

Just about everything has been moved to the lower levels at the Area Clothing Depot now.  Those who helped with the move really worked their hearts out to get this done in a reasonable time.  I’m sure you will enjoy shopping there more now that you don’t have to navigate all those steps. Stop in on Tuesdays or Saturdays from 10 AM – 3 Pm and have a look around. Donations are welcome, too.

Trivia:  Did you know that on May 11, 2008 Minnesota will be 150 years old.  There will be a statewide celebration called the Sesquicentennial.  Do you think you can learn to spell “sesquicentennial”?  That’s my word for the week.  Last week I learned to spell “Baccalaureate”.

So, in keeping with Minnesota’s 150th Birthday, more MN trivia.  Did you know that the Coast Guard closed Split rock Lighthouse on January 1, 1969? There are 19 stars on the Minnesota flag.  L’Etoile du Nord is our state motto.  It is French for “Star of the North”.  Thomas Jefferson sent Lieutenant Zebulon Pike to explore the Minnesota Territory in 1805.  Lake Vermilion has more shoreline than any other lake in Minnesota.  (1,200 miles).  And one more.  Male teachers made $16.25 a month in 1862 while female teachers only made $12.00.

Household Hint: When cooking your family’s favorite dishes, consider making a double batch while you have the ingredients out.  Freeze one-half and serve later when you’re rushed or just don’t feel like cooking! Bible Verse:  A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise council. Proverbs 1: 5

That’s all the news for this week from Lake Muddydrivewaysandyards and Hello to all the kids who were confirmed at Bethlehem and Bethany on Sunday, April 15, 2007.  They are Ross Arnold, Dayna Elmer, Michael Hedin, Emily Hendrickson, Lisa Peterson, Haley Shelton, Hannah Shelton, Derek Suhonen, Jordan Suhonen, and Alex Super.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

TO SOUTH AFRICA AND BACK

04/15/2007

The following is a letter I received from Nicole Suhonen of Wright who recently went to South Africa on a mission trip with Campus Crusade for Christ.

TO SOUTH AFRICA AND BACK by Nicole Suhonen March 2007

How does a person even begin to explain a 10-day trip to South Africa that will forever be a part of them?  It almost feels like a dream that I was even there.  It was such an incredible time of my life and I’m so grateful that God provided a way for me to go.  I experienced some very difficult things and some of the most incredible things of my life thus far.

There are so many stories that I could share with you; I learned a ton. It’s so funny how God brought me to a third world country, where people have nothing, and showed me how big He is and how small I am, yet how much He loves me and how much He loves people.  He showed me how He is the great provider of all that we need.  I just want to share a bit with you of what I experienced.  If you want to hear more about my trip, please feel free to ask!

A highlight of the trip for me was in the afternoons when we ran Vacation Bible School for the kids.  We taught them a story from the Bible, sang many songs with them, had a couple of group activities, and then just had free time where they went crazy playing with the beach balls, balloons, jump ropes, and bubbles that we brought with us!  They were so precious and full of energy!  We learned some fun African songs, played Frisbee and football with them, had our hair braided, and played hand games with them.  They didn’t really care what we were doing. They just wanted to be near us.  It reminded me of God.  All that He wants is to be near us.  He longs for us to want to be near Him, to hold His hand, to sit in His lap, to sing with Him.

One of our main focuses was to serve the people in Qwa Qwa, the poorest region of South Africa.  This was our small way of showing them Christ’s love.  It probably seemed quite strange to them that us crazy white people would come all the way from the US just to wash their dishes, sweep their floor, help them with laundry, and just try to learn about them and their culture.  Another tangible way for us to show them the love of Christ was to plant a garden for them.  The unemployment rate is at a staggering 85%! There are hardly any jobs.  Since 1 in 4 people have AIDS kids are not getting the education that they need. The kids have to quit school at an early age either because they are sick or a family member is and they need to take care of them.  This later on in life leads to unemployment, which leads to no income, which leads to no food, which leads to starvation.

Most of us can’t even begin to fathom what this is like.  I realized how I take everything for granted.  I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food in my pantry, and some extra spending money; I could go on and on.  I live in luxury compared to these people.  Yet I continually want more.  I try to find my contentment in things.  Life is not about what I do or do not have.  It’s more about who I do or do not have.  Relationships are what matter.  This is the most impacting thing that God showed me through the Basotho people.  These people have nothing.  Yet they are so full of joy.  Genuine joy.  No faking it or trying to cover things up with a smile. They are truly joyful.  They focus on people instead of things.  What matters to them is their family, friends, and people of their community.

I believe that the most important relationship that anyone can have is one with Jesus Christ.  He came to Earth so that each one of us, through Him alone, can spend eternity in Heaven with the one true God who loves us unconditionally.  This is what we want the people of Qwa Qwa (and everyone around the world for that matter) to know.  God loves them and has a plan for their life.  All that He asks is that we admit that we cannot get to Heaven on our own efforts, that we need Jesus to save us.  If we ask, He will come into our lives, and cleanse us from all our sins, all our unrighteousness, all the junk in our lives.  What an amazing gift!  We’re so lucky!  I can really see the urgency for this Good News to be shared with people all over the World, but especially in Africa where people are dying from AIDS and starvation at an unbelievable rate.  Material things do not matter because we cannot bring them with us when we die.  Things of the Earth will only wither and fade away.  The only thing that we can bring with us is people.  I think the Basotho people are on the right path in how they cherish relationships.  I just pray that God will make Himself known to them, and that they will trust Him with their lives, and accept Him as their Lord and Savior.  My prayer is that when I get to Heaven, I will see the people that we met because they saw a glimpse of Jesus in us and put their trust in Him alone.

Again, if you’d like to hear more about this experience, please do not hesitate to ask!  You can also check out the website for the organization we were working with at www.thriveafrica.org.  They are doing some incredible things in the city to build the children and young adults up to be leaders, and to teach them about abstinence and AIDS awareness.  They are playing an integral role in changing the direction of Africa!  They could use our support as they are currently in deficit right now.  If you feel lead, please consider partnering with them!

Thank you again for partnering with me and allowing me this opportunity that will forever be a part of me!  I’m so grateful for your prayers and support!