Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior
Info for you and your sweet GEMS...
Get to know your GEMS leaders!
Angela Keiser - 1st Grade
Her favorite candy is Hershey's Kisses!
3 Fun Facts about Angela:
1. Angela loves to color her hair. She will never have the same color hair for more than 3 months!
2. She loves to shop. Her favorite stores to shop in are antique stores and thrift stores.
3. She likes to own unique pets. She currently owns a bearded dragon, two rats and a dog.
Angels is a great counselor for GEMS. She loves to interact with the girls. Angela prefers to to add a fun aspect to class. She will often have a craft or coloring page for the girls!
Thanks for serving on the GEMS team, Angela!
Laura Spronk - 2nd Grade
Laura's favorite candy is Peanut M&M's and Snickers.
3 things to know about Laura:
1. She loves to read when she gets the chance.
2. Laura loves anything to do with the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox. She grew up in Massachusetts, and going to Fenway Park with her family is one of her favorite memories.
3. Laura loves to travel and explore new places.
Laura brings a sweet, heartfelt tenderness to GEMS. Her heart for others shines in all she does! The girls in her class can always look forward to a fun object lesson or craft.
Thanks for blessing the girls, Laura!
Stacey Docter - 3rd Grade
Favorite Candy ~ Twizzlers
3 things Stacey Loves:
1. She loves skulls and pirates.
2. She is a second degree black belt.
3. She has a Black Lab/Great Dane named Wilson. She loves him like crazy!
Stacey brings her unique fun to all she does! She brings a desire to teach the girls that it is okay to be YOU. BeYOUtiful is one of the lessons that Stacey taught last year. Great lesson to be proud of who God made you.
Thank you for serving, Stacey!
Heather Fackler - 4th Grade
Heather loves Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!
3 things to know about Heather:
1. Heather loves to read books. She currently teaches 8th grade literature, so she reads a lot of middle school books. Parents, Heather may be a good resource if you wonder about certain books for your girls :)
2. Heather loves organizing! She has an obsession with planners...but, the "old school" kind, not digital.
3. Heather's favorite place to vacation is the beach.
Heather is a great leader for the GEMS girls. Always thinking of fun ways to reach them in the lessons. The girls in her class always get to enjoy a good mix of fun and learning.
Thanks for being a part of the G.E.M.S team, Heather!
Amanda Hofstra - 5th/6th Grade
Amanda's birthday is August 24.
Her favorite candy is Red Vines and Snickers.
3 fun things to know about Amanda:
1. She loves the beach.
2. She loves camping...at a place with a beach.
3. She loves reading. Especially when she's camping or sitting on a beach.
Amanda is a great asset to GEMS. She has a passion for walking alongside our young girls. She wants them to feel special and she seeks out an individual relationship with them. Amanda loves to talk with the girls and get to know them on a personal level. This is so important for our girls at this time in their life. SO thankful for someone like Amanda to walk alongside them.
Thanks for serving, Amanda!
Jill Beute - 7th Grade
Birthday - Cinco De Mayo, which also leads to Jill's first fun fact:
1. Jill LOVES Mexican food. From authentic to Taco Bell and everything in between.
2. Jill loves playing and watching sports. It's the tomboy in her!
3. Jill enjoys boating and being by the water.
Jill is so much fun to have involved in GEMS. She brings an energy and silliness that the girls love. It's fun to watch her interact with the girls cause she gets involved with whatever they are doing. She has a competitive streak in her! She's a great team leader.
Thanks for serving the 7th Graders, Jill.
Sarah Geelhoed - 8th Grade
Favorite candy...all of them...but probably Reese's and Good and Plenty.
3 Fun facts:
1. Sarah loves singing super loud in the car. If she doesn't know the lyrics to a song, she will make them up.
2. She loves to read.
3. Sarah would always eat dessert first if she could.
Sarah brings a passionate heart to GEMS. She loves relationships. She loves to see growth in others. This is a great combination for 8th graders! She wants to help the girls see that God is always pursuing them, cause His love for us is so strong!
Thanks for blessing our 8th Grade girls, Sarah!
Stacy Huizinga - Counselor Aide
Stacy's birthday is March 18.
Stacy's favorite candy is yellow Laffy Taffy.
Some fun things to know about Stacy:
1. She loves to play games and is VERY competitive and scream a lot.
2. She loves being outdoors, especially camping.
3. Stacy also LOVES ice cold fountain Diet Coke and coffee! she needs her coffee on the way to work. Every morning.
Stacy has a servant heart. She is always looking for ways to help in setting up or cleaning up. Such a great attitude. Stacy always has a kind word for someone and a SMILE on her face!
Jennie VandenBerg - Craft Counselor
Jennie's birthday is August 30.
Her favorite candy is Junior Mints or Chewy Sprees.
3 fun things to know about Jennie:
1. Jennie loves all sports and is super competitive...even more competitive than Stacy Huizinga.
2. She is an extrovert. She will never choose to stay home when offered something to do.
3. She loves camping and being at the beach during the summer.
Jennie brings a great leadership to the GEMS group. She is always well organized and patiently helpful with the girls. It is great to watch her lead the girls at craft time. The girls always look at her with awe as she shows them how to put the craft together.
Thanks for using your talents to serve in GEMS, Jennie!
Emily Henion - Counselor Aide
Emily's birthday is February 5.
She loves skittles and milky ways.
3 things to know about Emily:
1. She broke her arm when she was 3.
2. She taught swimming lessons when she was in middle school and high school. She still does sometimes.
3. She likes going to the dentist and getting her teeth cleaned. Which is perfect because she works in a dental office.
What a great person to have on the team! Emily is helpful, willing to jump in and always dependable. If you ask Emily to do something you know it will get done. She helps things run smoothly!
Thanks for your willing heart, Emily!
Jenni Timmer - Head Counselor
The girls in GEMS come from a variety of different schools and backgrounds. Jenni loves watching them form special bonds with each other as they learn to be more like Jesus in their everyday lives. Jenni also loves seeing the relationships grow between the counselors and the girls each year.
Jenni has been a passionate head counselor. Always coming up with new ideas. One of her favorite things is to plan a party. Jenni has organized a lot of events while being the head counselor and is very good at all the fun details that go with it! She is talented.
Jenni says she loves being part of a group that is invested in the future women of our church.
Some things to know about Jenni:
Jenni's birthday is August 23.
She loves all things crafting and decorating...Hobby Lobby is her happy place. She loves to read, but has only completely finished about 10% of the books she picks up because she gets too excited to move to the next book!
Jenni grew up in Muskegon. She loves thunderstorms and would go to Lake Michigan with her mom and watch them come across the water.
Email: jenni.timmer@gmail.com
Phone: 616-581-0675
Jennifer Sterk
Being a part of GEMS is such a great opportunity to walk alongside counselors and the girls they lead. The fun and laughter that comes from a room full of women and girls is contagious!
But, along with that, some of the most heartfelt moments can be found in prayer time or a story a counselor shares. The ages of the girls range from 1st - 8th grade. There is so much growth in those years. The coolest thing is watching the girls mature in their walk with Christ through ups and downs. They help each other, they learn to love others better and are taught what it means to be a daughter of our Father in Heaven.
Such a blessing!
Jen was born October 6.
Her favorite candy is Mike and Ike's and also yellow Laffy Taffy. (Watch out Stacy Huizinga.)
Jen has a problem. She is addicted to Disney. A longtime dream of going to Disney with her family brought back how much she enjoys the magic. When you wish upon a star...
Miss Jen loves big hair.
Miss Jen loves kids. All kids. They make her crazy and she loves it.
She loves adults too, but they don't have as many fun questions.
Email: Jsterk1010@att.net
Phone: 616-261-0805