by Michelle (Zerrip) Styf ’99
In contemplating what Holland Christian Schools mean to us as a family, the word that comes to mind is “gift.” God has given this part of the world the gift of a school system and greater Christian community where He is the focus and where people serve in various capacities to transform the world for Him.
Our journey to being part of Holland Christian Schools really began long before Andy and I met, or our two boys, Joel ’37 and Elijah ’36, were born. We each grew up in the West Michigan area and had parents and families that sacrificed much and gave each of us the gift of Christian education. For my family in particular, I recall many conversations with my mom as she wondered about where the money would come from to be able to help us continue attending Zeeland Christian School. Those were the times where the word gift truly showed up. Our family was blessed with anonymous gifts toward our tuition account. To this day, we don’t know all the people who helped us. The Christian community in this area has such wonderful people who truly use their time, talents, and resources to bless others.
After graduating from Holland Christian High School and then Calvin College, I began my teaching career at a Christian school in California. It was a great learning experience and helped me grow in my faith, particularly in trusting God’s plan. I kept praying for an opportunity to return to the West Michigan area to teach. In my second year at the school, I had an interim principal and he knew of a job opening at Holland Christian High School, a one-year opening, that wasn’t even posted online. I could hardly believe it! I sent an application as quickly as I could and was granted an interview. I interviewed by phone at 3am due to the time difference. And God answered my prayer, bringing me back, enabling me to give back to the community that had blessed me so much. I got to work with teachers I had had at the high school, especially Julie O’Brien who deepened my love of God’s world and gave me the thought that maybe I could be a teacher too. What a gift!
I’ve been at Holland Christian ever since! I absolutely love what I do and love sharing the wonders of God’s creation and the promises of His Word with my middle school students. Each day, I get to see the passion and dedication of the teachers and staff at Holland Christian Middle School and I look forward to the time when our two boys get to learn in each of their classrooms.
Andy and I have been enormously blessed by the gift of each of our sons’ teachers at South Side and Pine Ridge. The teachers have helped our boys grow and mature, have shown them God’s love and the promises of His Word, and have challenged their minds. As parents, we have greatly appreciated how the teachers have cared for our boys, have listened to our questions and have given us great advice. Supper time around our table is full of stories!
If other parents were to ask about why to choose Holland Christian, we would readily describe the choice as a gift for your children’s future. Giving your children the gift of the Christian teachers and staff at Holland Christian and seeing daily how supported they are in their learning would be the biggest blessing a family could choose. One of our favorite experiences as parents has been the Spring Program where we have been able to listen to our boys and their friends lift praises to God. The teachers and staff work so hard to coordinate and prepare the kids from the various schools for the Spring Program. Joining in that beautiful worship, recognizing the gift it is for our boys to attend Holland Christian, brings tears to our eyes and blesses us beyond words!