We are Menno and Margaret Knelsen, and we're from La Crete, way up in northern Alberta. We have been a homeschooling family since 2001, and registered with WISDOM since 2008. It has been a challenging journey for us, but also incredibly rewarding. When we first started out, our two oldest girls came out of public school after completing grades three and one. We appreciated the school where they were attending at the time, and clearly communicated that our reason for pulling them out was to bring them home. We had discussed the possibility for a couple of years before, and the time felt right.
At the beginning of this journey we had four children, and were expecting our fifth. During this season, Menno was away from home a lot due to his work, which left a bigger load for me, Margaret. God is ever faithful and provided all we needed and more! Although it was a huge learning experience for all of us, it was well worth it!
Our family grew as more children were added. Our eighth and youngest child was born in 2010, completing our family. Right now we have the two youngest daughters still living at home. The second youngest stays busy with a part time job, teaching piano, and working in RCM. The youngest is still doing school full-time, and has a regular babysitting job, as well as occasionally pet sitting and helping with other odd jobs. She also plays piano and enjoys going to youth events and hanging out with friends. The rest have taken flight and are finding their place in life. We are blessed with 13 grandchildren, with over half of them already being homeschooled by our two oldest daughters! Our oldest son is a licensed automotive technician, and is married with three beautiful little girls. We have three young adults living on their own. Our 25 year old son is a licensed electrician, our 22 year old daughter works at the local seniors home as well as being an extremely gifted artist, and our 20 year old son is our IT guy. He works in that field and is always taking courses to stay current.
We have seen God do amazing things in our family and are continually amazed at how He works through us, no matter how unqualified or inadequate we feel! We feel grateful to have the support of the WISDOM team. Over the years I've had amazing conversations with my facilitators, and found all the help I needed from the office staff. We consider it an honor to serve on the PAC where we represent families to WISDOM, and WISDOM to the families.
Menno & Margaret Knelsen - North
780-926-6556
knelsen107@gmail.com