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OUR TRAINING×sSusie
I was born into a hard-working, loving, and moral family. In the summer of my tenth year, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior during Vacation Bible School in a conservative Baptist Church. Two years later I followed the Lord’s command of baptism by immersion. I responded to a mission’s challenge at youth camp in my early teen years. I volunteered each summer as a counselor at church camp.During those teen years, I also worked as a clerk at a fruit/vegetable stand. During those winters, I was employed in a local bakery. After graduation from high school, I graduated from Bergen Community College with an AA degree in fine arts. I had two semesters of basic German to prepare me for life with the Stebner family. Little did I know that God would be preparing me for the Black Forest Academy of Germany.
After being married in 1974, we lived in Salisbury, Maryland for a short time. We found our church home at the Oak Ridge Baptist Church where I taught a Sunday School class of mentally handicapped adults. I also sang in the choir. I worked in a bookstore and was a teacher’s aide in the Wicomico Teen/Adult Center for the mentally handicapped.We moved to Rocky Mount, Virginia. Franklin Heights Baptist Church became our church home where I worked with the children’s choir, 5th/6th grade girls Sunday School class, substitute choir director, puppet ministry, and hand bell choir. It has been a joy and habit for our family to attend Franklin Heights church on Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesdays.
My day job was a clerk/buyer for a local outlet store. I also worked for a fire/burglar alarm company as office help. Meanwhile, I earned my BS in Early Childhood Education from Radford University.Upon graduation from Radford in 1984 until June of 1996, I was a teacher at Christian Heritage Academy. I taught a combination First/Second grade class and the remaining 10 years were spent in Kindergarten.
Although I have not earned a degree from a "Christian" institution, I feel that my training has been in experience. I have directed Vacation Bible School, taught seminars and counseled at youth camp, served for eight years in AWANA, and have continually taken Bible and practical classes to keep my Association of Christian Schools International teaching certificate current. I have participated in Walk Thru the Bible seminars, Old and New Testaments. I have attended the Basic and Advanced Institute of Basic Life Principles. I have taken extension courses from Liberty University and Columbia International University. I am currently working on my master’s degree from Philadelphia College of Bible.
We have opportunities to sit under visiting speakers for our in-service teacher training. Black Forest Academy has had the honor of hosting Elisabeth Elliott, Stuart and Jill Briscoe, Dave Pollock, and other noted Christian teachers.
Since coming to Germany in 1997, we attended the English speaking Black Forest Christian Fellowship until 2002. At that time, ready to be immersed in the German language and with our son finding an active youth group, we now attend an Evangelical Free Church located here in our town. When we work in the dorm on the weekends, we attend the Black Forest Christian Fellowship with the young men of Maugenhard dorm.