Lustre News
The MB Church program is the evening of Sunday, Dec. 18. The EMB church Christmas program is 6 p.m. on Dec. 22.
The MB Ladies Christmas party on Monday, Dec. 5, had a kitchen gadget theme and was great fun with a cooking contest, salad supper, music by Mindy Olfert. Candace Erickson of “between Vida and Circle” was speaker. She grew up at Lustre and knew the account of the Savior from the Christmas story. She knew that she was loved. But her college days were broken by self-doubt and a shame born of anorexia and a sense of failure. Changing colleges did not help as she took her heavy burdens with her. Leaving her second college, she fought great depression. Her mom encouraged her to attend Oral Roberts University. There, she had “lies replaced with truth, life saturated by the Bible in school life and food that normalized my eating disorder.” She spoke of “surrendering my life to God” and how it brought “purpose of life. I learned who I am, where I need to be, and that there was a place for me,” she said. Candace has been married almost 20 years to Brady Erickson and they have two teenagers. Candace writes blogs for First Love Ministries and speaks at women’s conferences organized by her friend, Joella (who had lived at Circle), in Florida. She also writes a faith column in the Circle newspaper.
A large crowd enjoyed the Lustre Grade School’s and Lustre Christian High School’s Christmas program Thursday, Dec 8. John Dubose was supervising teacher was the emcee. The fifth and sixth graders were stage hands and the beautiful set was built by Bernie Swartzengruber.
The kindergarten through fourth graders put on a dramatic concert called The Polar Express, which was adapted by and directed by Ashleigh Byers and assisted by Kimberly Klatt. The cast included Drew Reddig as Billy, Eli Lacock as Hobo, Sam Byers as the Conductor, Harmonee Uchtman as Mary, and Curt Teichroew as Joseph. The Train Friends were Aubrey Klatt, Jake Neufeld, Bryanna Allen, Hannah Pancratz and Nancy Schiller. The Dancing Penguins were Mckenna Bell, Piper Neufeld, Amelia Olfert, Evie Olfert, Marlee Reddig and Audrey Zerbe. The Nativity Scene included Joshua Matthyser, Gavin Pancratz, Alex Peterson, Ian Unrau, Mica Zerbe and Kade Livermoore. The audience had been given “tickets” to use for hot chocolate afterwards, served by the 5-8 grade girls and teachers in the cafeteria.
The offertory music Behold Our God was arranged by Dan Marosco, who directed both high school and grade school bands. He said, “We have the greatest reason as Christians, to sing and to do music,” as he thanked the board for the opportunity to lead the bands. The fourtheighth grade band, with 19 students, played When the Saints Go Marching In.
The LCHS band included Hannah Brown, Mason Hilkemann, Emeka Aniobi, Courtney Teichroew, Grace Brown, Abby Olfert, Diek Olfert and Andy Curl. They played Spirit Lake Overture, All is Well and Christmas Suite (Pa Rumpa, O Tidings of Great Joy, What Child is This?, Hark the Herald Angels Sing).
Dubose introduced the LGS staff to the community. They are Leihy Early (5-6), Jeanne Matthyser (7-8th), Prince Agbisit (3-4th), Kathleen Damboise (1st-2nd) and Torri Bell, who is the cook for both the Dorm students and the LGS/LCHS noon cook. Bus drivers are Ashley Byers, Mallory Watts and Don Traeholt. Cleaning staff are Martin and Karen Fast.
The LCHS Choir, directed by Debbie Catell, sang six selections: Frosty the Snow Man, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Carol of the Bells, A Calypso Noel, Go Tell it on the Mountain and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. She ended their program by asking LCHS alumni sing Auld Lang Syne with them.
Classroom doors were decorated and the parents and audience was encouraged to vote on the best. The teacher with the best decorations received $100 from the supervising teacher to use as they desired.
