Libby Grotenhuis

Sra. Grotenhuis graduated from Cornerstone University in 2015 and has taught NPC since the beginning of her career! She also graduated from NPC in 2011. Not only does she love teaching high school Spanish at NPC, she also enjoys coaching the varsity volleyball team. Sra. Grotenhuis lives with her husband and two cats and welcomed her first baby in November 2021. In her free time, Sra. Grotenhuis is a professional photographer.

The Love Mandate: “Love the Lord your God…Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matt. 22:37-38.
In the Spanish classroom, we love our Lord intentionally by trusting Him with our prayer requests and praises, learning more about Him and His word, and by worshipping Him in the language we are learning. We begin each hour with “peticiones y alabanzas” (prayer requests and praises) and present them to the Lord through either students led or teacher led prayer in Spanish. We also learn about our Father through His Word. Each class will spend time throughout the year learning Bible verses in Spanish. This process allows us to view the Word in a new and unique way as we analyze the grammar and vocabulary used. Lastly, worshipping in a new language is a beautiful and eye-opening experience which the Spanish 4 students specifically have the opportunity to experience. As part of a Project-Based Learning activity, the Spanish 4 students will organize and plan a chapel service entirely in Spanish. They will select worship songs, write prayers, and request testimonies to be given by the Spanish 3 students. My hope is that through this authentic experience in their target language, they may experience worship in a new and powerful way. We also learn to love our neighbor ourselves by first learning who our neighbor is. We focus specifically on our neighbor being those who speak Spanish throughout the world, both near and far.
The Mission Mandate: “Go and make disciples…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matt. 28:18-20
By learning more about those in the Spanish-speaking community, we are better able to minister to them and share the love of Jesus. Specifically, the Spanish students are able to learn about prominent religions in Latin America in order to understand the similarities and differences with regard to Christianity. Spanish students also have the opportunity to make disciples in a very real way if they choose to attend our trip to Guatemala during J-term where they will minister in an orphanage and in other capacities.

The Image Mandate: “Let us make man in our image….be fruitful…fill the earth…subdue it…rule over every living creature.” Gen. 1:26, 28.

We learn that every people group is important to our Lord and Savior. We are all made in His image and all are capable of doing His work in this world. While we are all made in His image, we also have unique and distinct characteristics which fill the world with beauty and diversity. In Spanish class we learn to value the cultural differences found in the Spanish-speaking world and experience the beauty they possess.