Written by Hillary Klipp Lopez
When my husband, Miguel, and I moved here with our two children from out of state not knowing anyone, Holland Christian welcomed us in. They helped us get our children into preschool and daycare, and helped me as a new Holland Christian teacher navigate getting to know hundreds of students, dozens of other teachers, and several new school buildings. After being given so much, when the opportunity arose to give back by helping start the Holland Christian Spanish Immersion program, we were on board. Starting a new program isn’t easy, but it has been an amazing process to walk through with our HC community.
We have felt welcomed into the HC community both personally and professionally. As I mentioned above, we have had the opportunity to participate in the Spanish Immersion program—as not only a teacher, but also students and parents. As the Head Groundskeeper at Holland Christian, Miguel has had the opportunity to use his talents to make each campus beautiful and functional.
Through our experiences at Holland Christian, we have seen our children grow in their faith, ask questions, and develop self-confidence. Just the other day our daughter, Anaiah, was retelling anecdotes that her teacher had told her about how God answered her prayers. Our son, Isaac, often asks questions about faith, God, heaven, and the Bible, and we see the ways in which his teachers pour into him which gives him confidence to ask these questions.
I would choose the word “community” to best describe HC, because we have developed a wonderful community here. We have people who love us, who want to develop and grow us, and who will walk alongside us when we are going through difficult times.
It is a big sacrifice to enroll your child in a Christian school; I don’t think anyone would dispute that! But the investment you are making in your child’s formation is priceless. Parenting is hard, and having people who love Jesus walk with you can make all the difference.