My personal item, my Lutheran Hymnal, is the item that means the most to me. I was born and raised in a household of Lutherans from the Missouri Synod denomination. My mother’s side of the family has gone to Lutheran churches since the oldest ancestors were still residing in Germany in the 18th Century. The ideas of the Lutheran church came with my ancestors to the United States and stayed here, as some of which were the founding fathers of the State of Maryland. Lutheranism would be unheard of if immigrants did not bring their ideas with them. The largest concentration of the Missouri Synod denomination of Lutheranism is located in the Midwest, particularly in and around the Great Lakes. I was born outside of Detroit, Michigan and there were numerous Lutheran churches in the area. I was given this hymnal when we moved to the church that we would call home for four years. I used it during my time at my local church from 2012-2016. Every Sunday morning at 11:00 A.M., we would gather in God’s house, we would pray in God’s house, we would sing in God’s house. His house was our house. A community of people created a positive spirit for all. I am blessed to have this hymnal. This book gave me some of the happiest and most positive moments in my life. I shared values with strangers that I had never met and eventually became close friends with them. Unfortunately, those friendships were broken because I moved south to Virginia in 2016. I am still thankful for having the chance to live that time and I would do it again if I had a choice. 

– MG

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