Their Stories David Haag (NWC ’81, WLS ’85)
Winnebago Lutheran Academy Like father, like son? My dad was a pastor and so people often said to me, “Oh, you must have always wanted to follow in your father’s footsteps.” And I remember thinking, “No, that was never really my attitude at all.” I just remember from very young that as I learned the stories of the Bible and especially about Jesus, it all seemed so real to me. The Bible always interested and fascinated me. My father, who taught me God’s Word from birth, was obviously involved in that, but more as my father than as a pastoral role model. Another positive influence: Steve Hintz, who emergency taught at Lakeside, my high school, during my junior year, seemed to me to be a “cool” guy and therefore made it seem cool to be a pastor. I don’t think Pastor Hintz, who is now in heaven, ever knew that he had that positive influence on me. Alternate career thought: I briefly thought about architectural drafting, but not very seriously.
Nate Kieselhorst (DMLC ’89) Luther Preparatory School
He always knew: I am the son of a Lutheran high school /grade school teacher. I was one of those “strange” kids who never wondered what I was going to be when I grew older. Already at the age of five, I had picked my life’s work, to follow in the footsteps of my dad. In grade school and high school, I thought it would be great to be on the “other side of the fence.” College conviction: My years at DMLC, amongst faculty and friends, only reinforced my conviction to be a teacher. Paying it forward: It’s a humbling privilege now to be able to share the gospel message with my students and to watch them grow as Christians, encouraging them to also think of being servants in the public ministry.
Dave Wenzel
(NWC ’82, WLS ’86) Fox Valley LHS
Anything but that: My grandpa, four uncles, and a brother were all pastors. Because of that, there were times when I thought I’d like to do anything but be a pastor. Yet it was hard to ignore the joy I saw in their ministries. The two people who had the greatest impact on me were my dad and mom. My home pastor, Pastor David Worgull, gave me great encouragement, as did Mr. Gerhard Kaniess and Pastor Ronald Gorske at FVL. All three showed great empathy for a young man who wasn’t confident of his own abilities and gifts. Lessons learned at NWC: Due to my own immaturity, I didn’t always appreciate the academic side of college, but I had dedicated professors who gently—and at times, not so gently—encouraged me to establish better priorities. That was exactly what I needed. It was obvious that those professors never viewed their vocations as a job, but as a service to their Savior. Alternate career thought: Aviation—but I didn’t have 20/20 vision.
He wasn’t sure: Honestly, I really didn’t know that I wanted to be a teacher until I was almost finished with my freshman year. During spring break, all freshmen were required to stay on campus and teach grade school kids a few lessons. Even though I was an English major, I ended up teaching math to 3rd graders. I had a little boy come up and tell me that my math class was even more fun than his P.E. class. After that I was hooked! If not MLC: I was very interested in sports journalism and something with sports broadcasting.
Greg Diersen (MLC ’96) Great Plains LHS
First career thoughts: I was going to be a scientist but hadn’t chosen a field. I attended another college for my first year. However, I realized that I didn’t want to be inside a lab and have no interaction with people for the majority of my career. Drawn to DMLC: I gravitated toward teaching, then to DMLC since there was a high school teaching curriculum. I thought maybe I could teach different sciences instead of being a scientist in one field. The LORD had a plan for me and I have taught all the different high school science courses at GPLHS for 16 years. Best subject of all: I also had a new appreciation during my years at DMLC/MLC for the Bible being taught and learned as the Truth—from Creation to Salvation.