We were aged 16 when Scott and I first met. We
have literally been going steady ever since. God
blessed us and protected us through our youth
and into marriage so that, by the time we married at 19, we both became born again in the first
year of our marriage. We have grown up together through marriage and in following Christ. We
have always seen Him as the Head of our family.
Jesus is the third strand in the Kroeger cord.
convinced of the Reformed understanding, we
found ourselves blessed to go to Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania to study for a
Bachelor of Pre-ministerial Studies & Philosophy.
At least Scott studied and I had a baby boy to
keep me busy. Here too, we had a Bible study
in our home for the young married couples at
college. We have all become lifelong friends and
even followed our dearest friends to a ministry in
Australia in later years.
Ecclesiastes 4:12
I would like at this time to say that hospitality has
become a cornerstone of our lives and ministry.
Early in my life I had learned that hospitality was
necessary for unbelievers to be introduced to the
lifestyle of following Christ.
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend
themselves. A cord of three
strands is not quickly broken.
When we were 24, we had a son, when we
weren’t supposed to be able to fall pregnant.
Scott had spent time in the US Army, and had
started studying for a University degree.
We had been able to be a part of a Bible Study
held in our home during our time in Paris. Our
teacher had studied with Dr. Francis Schaeffer at
L’Abri in Switzerland for a few years and eventually we were able to spend a 30 day leave there
as well.
This was our introduction to Christian Apologetics. “How do you know what you know?” was
the question needing to be answered. It wasn’t
just enough to be a believer in Jesus Christ having died for me, paying the penalty for my sins,
and purchasing a place for me in Eternity. Scott
and I learned how to have more than just experiential proof of our salvation in “arguing” the
Gospel with unbelievers.
Schaeffer’s teaching and books had created a
burning desire to know more and to be a teacher
of the Gospel for Scott. He had been raised in
the Presbyterian Church and we were both
I recently read “The Secret Thoughts of an
Unlikely Convert” by Rosaria Butterfield. God
pulled this young woman out of her homosexual
lifestyle through the hospitality and love and
generosity of people at the same college we had
attended in Beaver Falls. In her book, she shows
how important this type of ministry is to unbelievers.
It has long been our desire to have an open
home and we even instilled this into our children.
Our son especially was very good at inviting people to come to our home for a meal “unplanned”
and sharing whatever the family was eating at
the time. My husband continues this practice to
this day (and as long as I have a dishwasher I am
happy to accommodate).
Two books helped define our family ministry in
this manner.
“Open Heart, Open Home” by Karen Burton
Mains and “High Call, High Privilege” by Gail
MacDonald.
By 36, we had the BA and a Masters of Divinity
from Covenant Seminary in St. Louis. Scott has
been ordained and we were no r֗76