My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long—though I know not how to relate them all.

I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone. Psalm 71:15-16, NIV

This week we're excited to welcome Andrew Kramer for his Summer in Ministry Internship here at the Littleton Church!  He has hit the ground running, already getting involved with Vacation Bible School, Bible studies, and meetings.  But before we get swept up in a whirlwind of activity, Pastor Logan and I took some time to sit down with Andrew so we could all hear a little more about his own story.  I hope this written recap of our conversation together can not only give a little insight into the journey God has Andrew on, but also help us as a church to be intentional contributors to that journey in the weeks ahead.

Pastor Logan & Pastor Godfrey:  Hey Andrew, thanks for taking time with us today.  For starters, tell us a little about you and your family.  Have you always lived here in Colorado?  

Andrew Kramer:  I actually grew up in Seattle.  My dad Herb worked as a biomedical technician at University of Washington and my mom Karen is a dental hygienist.  I've also got a younger brother Zander who is going to be a junior at STEM in Highlands Ranch.  Wait...is he a junior?  Oh...he's about to be a senior!

PL&PG:  So when did you actually move out to Colorado?

AK:  It was when I was going into 8th grade that we moved out this way.  It was the year that COVID eventually hit.  I remember that first year at Mile High Academy was rough.  New school, small class, and then everything went remote.

PL&PG:  Those were some strange times for sure.  Ok, how about interests and hobbies?  What kinds of things do you like to do in your free time?

AK:  I got indoctrinated into football early, so that's something I've been interested in for a while.  I was in the 2nd Grade in Seattle when the Seahawks won the Super Bowl against Denver.  They made a big deal of it out there, and that was the first football game I ever watched on TV.  Been into it ever since.  I also like reading a lot.  And now that summer is here, I can actually read books I've been wanting to get to, not just the books my professors are requiring.

PL&PG:  Alrighty, let's transition a bit.  Tell us about your spiritual journey.  What’s your story?  How did God become real to you personally?

AK:  Ah, yes.  Well, I grew up in the Adventist Church, grew up going to Sabbath School, church, Vacation Bible School, all that stuff.  After being homeschooled a few years, I started attending an Adventist school and realized early on that I was socially inept.  Unfortunately, the way people treated me at that young age was anything but great.  By the time I started actually thinking about and considering the WHY behind things, I had a hard time reconciling the idea that God was good but His people seemed to treat others so horribly.  I came to the conclusion that if the people who say they love God are this horrible to me, I want nothing to do with this God.

It was a rough time.  And I still longed for connection and acceptance from somewhere.  Unfortunately, I filled that void in other ways that weren't so healthy. Then the move to Colorado happened, and it got even worse.  I remember finally turning to God in prayer and said:  "God, if You’re real, send me people to help me get out of this."

I didn’t see an answer to prayer right away.  It wasn't until my sophomore year of academy that I felt connected to people who really cared -- upperclassmen who were also spiritual leaders.  One of them was Will, and he had a huge impact on me.  One day, he invited me to attend a youth program he helped lead, and I decided to go.  At the end of that program, Will prayed for me, and I felt God’s presence in a way that I never had before.  It was like God stepped in and said that everything was fixed now.

The next school year, I was a junior year and was able get involved with spiritual leadership roles at school and also at Newday.  Through those kinds of things and with the support of those kinds of people, I kept growing in my walk with God and was eventually baptized later that summer.

PL&PG:  Wow, that's incredible!  It's awesome to see how God works through other people around us to bring about that kind of healing in our lives.  So how about your ministry journey?  How did you come to the point of wanting to study theology and train for pastoral ministry?  Were there certain people or experiences that influenced you in that direction?

AK:  I’m not here by my choice but by divine choice.  I was prayed into it.

PL&PG:  Ok, you've got our attention.  What do you mean by that?

AK:  In my Junior year of high school, I started thinking about colleges, careers, next steps, etc.  Do I go into my dad’s profession?  Or maybe become a pilot.  Something with airplanes was interesting to me.  But ministry was always in the back of my mind.  I've got several pastors are in my family history, so the idea was in the back of my head and never left my mind…and eventually I found out why.  Apparently, another friend of mine Gwen and Pastor Molly at Newday were praying for me since my Junior year of high school, and I didn’t even know it.  At first they were praying over me about my personal struggles and spiritual growth.  And then those prayers turned into prayers that God would prepare me for ministry.  And here I am!  In answer to those prayers, I started to realize that know other career option would make me truly happy.  There are other professions I would enjoy and could have gotten into, but the more I thought about it I realized that was what would truly satisfy my heart.  When it's all said and done, when I'm on my deathbed, the things I would want are people around me.  That’s the treasure I care about -- how many people did I affect?  Who did I impact for eternity?  And for me, I don’t see any other route to a reality like that except ministry.

PL&PG:  Awesome, thanks for sharing that Andrew.  Ok, last question:  How can our church pray for you and be a support to you throughout the summer? 

AK:  Just exist.  Just be.  It’s an integration thing.  I know I’ve been out of the loop for a while — being away for a year at college, yes. But also the fact that I spent my last year at Campion, I haven't been around for some time.  So I guess what I'm looking for is reintegrating with people I’ve seen but haven't gotten close to.  You can pray for opportunity to reconnect with people personally and meaningfully.

Big thanks to Andrew for his willingness to share openly and invest his summer partnering with us in ministry here at Littleton.  We're looking forward to the ways God will grow us all and fulfill His good plans throughout the summer.