Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Josh Wege Homecoming

WFRV Channel 5 from Green Bay covered Josh's homecoming on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009. Be patient through the ad that comes first!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Live Stream Test

The 2009 WLA Christmas Concert "Love's Pure Light" will be live streamed Monday, Dec. 21 at 7 PM and Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 1 PM. Just click on the video frame below to watch or click the bottom right corner to expand to full screen. Please leave comments so we know how to improve this stream in the future.
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WLA Christmas Concert 2009
Love’s Pure Light

Band: A Christmas Proclamation (Douglas Court)

I – Darkness Covers the Earth

Mass/Cong: Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah (arr. Rene Clausen)
TC: The Creation (Willy Richter
VC: Lost in the Night (arr. Kyle Haugen)
FC: Keep Your Lamps (Andre Thomas)

II – The Glory of the Lord Rises Upon You

Mass: O Holy Night (Adam, arr. Ruth Heller)
TC: Gloria I (John Rutter)
VC: Light of the World (Joseph Martins & J. Paul Williams)
FC: Lux Venit/Gloria (Michael W. Smith)
Mass: Hallelujah (George F. Handel)
Offering/Handbells: How Great Our Joy (arr. Linda Lamb)

III – Arise, Shine, Your Light Has Come

TC: Lux Aurumque (Eric Whitacre)
Mass/Cong: Night of Silence/Silent Night (Dan Kantor, arr. John Ferguson)
Mass: This Little Light of Mine (Dale Witte)
Combined Choirs/Mass/Cong: Arise, Your Light Has Come (David Danner)
Closing: Compline - Prayer at the Close of Day II (Dale Witte)
(Prayers, Lord’s Prayer, Song of Simeon)

TC = Traveling Choir, VC = Viking Choir, FC = Freshman Choir, Mass = Student Body Choir

Monday, December 14, 2009

AK Christmas Parties 2009

I just got back from St. Agnes Hospital's Love Lights Tree Lighting Ceremony where the Academy Kids sang for their fifth Christmas party of the 2009 season. I have been very blessed by having a very good student teacher, Mr. Steven Springborn, who not only has rehearsed AK for their Christmas parties but who also helped AK select all the music for the parties and directed them for each one!



The Academy Kids have performed this season for:

The Telephone Pioneers
Bethlehem, Oshkosh
Good Shepherd Advent Concert (cancelled because of a blizzard)
Grace, Oshkosh's Grace Circle and Grace Forever Young
St. Francis Home Ladies Auxilary
St. Agnes Love Lights Tree Lighting Ceremony
Bank of Oakfield
FDL Cty. Dept. of Community Programs

Tomorrow AK sings at the Bank of Oakfield, 103 S. Main St., Oakfield, WI 53065 at 9:00 AM for a Tuesday morning coffee club. Click the locator on the map below for driving directions:


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Saturday, December 12, 2009

Josh Wege Awarded Purple Heart

The Wege family traveled to Camp LeJeune, Jacksonville, North Carolina, December 10 to witness the presentation of the purple heart to our son, Marine Lance Corporal Joshua Wege.

The Purple Heart ceremony was done after dark fell, but was very touching even in the dark. The darkness actually contributed to a feeling of privacy, though we were surrounded by hundreds of people. Josh was called forward in front of the assembly and the orders giving him the award were read. We heard remarks about his bravery and the example he set during his rehabilitation serving to inspire the troops. Most impressive, however, were the individual reactions of Josh's platoon members when they realized he was standing among them.

We arrived in an open area near the armory about ten minutes before MP Company arrived. Josh stayed near a sidewalk because the ground was very uneven and he didn't want to take a fall. As platoon members broke ranks and sought out family members, several came upon Josh quietly standing and watching his unit come home. Their joy in the reunion with Josh was awesome to behold. Captains, sergeants, enlisted men, and even a colonel stopped to speak with him and us. The family was able to hear first hand the respect in which Josh is held by his peers.

Thursday night we went out for a steak at Texas Roadhouse with Corporal Carlos Arce, his brother John, and John's wife Jen. Great food, great time! On Friday we relaxed in the house the Marines gave us to use. Then the visitors stopped by. Sgt. Killingsworth, the man who ripped open the damaged door of Josh's vehicle so he could be treated, was among them. We heard more details about the blast in which Josh was injured. The Marines spoke of Josh's quiet and calm after his injuries. They spoke of his joking with them as they were working to stop the bleeding with multiple tourniquets. These returned warriors spent a lot of time with their wounded brother. The respect shared among them and their concern for his well-being made us humbly proud. These men are truly impressive Americans.

Our concern over these past two and a half months has been centered on Josh. That week God granted us the privilege of meeting the men who are part of his military family. It was His will to bring them all home again. Welcome home, Marines.

The Weges returned to Wisconsin and the boys to Washington DC on December 14. Joe and Josh are expected to fly into Whitman Field, Oshkosh, by the Veterans Airlift services on Friday afternoon, December 18, for a Christmas holiday stay. A December 29th reception is planned:

WELCOME HOME LANCE CORPORAL JOSHUA WEGE

The Wege family and students of WLA would cordially like to invite the public to welcome home Marine Lance Corporal Joshua Wege on December 29, 2009, at Winnebago Lutheran Academy, 475 E. Merrill Avenue, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. (Please enter the gymnasium through Door #1 found at the northeast corner of the campus.) The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a short presentation by the Traveling Choir and select students of WLA. After the presentation, LCpl. Wege would appreciate the opportunity to meet and thank those in attendance. This party is open to the public from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. After 8:30, the Wege family requests that the remainder of the evening be private for their family and friends.

Thank you so much for all you have done. Merry Christmas everyone! God bless you.



Explanation of the photos of the purple heart ceremony--Josh standing in front of his own platoon on his own feet, just as he wished. :)

Photo #1: Josh stands in front of his unit as the commander--facing the unit-- prepares to present Josh with the purple heart while the certificate of the award is read aloud.

Photo #2: Josh had already been presented with the heart--see his chest--and is about to receive the certificate.

Photo #3: Here is a private moment for the unit as the commander and Josh greet them after 2 1/2 long months of separation. Welcome back, buddy! (We later learned how much Josh was missed by them.)

Monday, December 7, 2009

Josh Wege Walking at Walter Reed over Thanksgiving

The Wege family was able to visit Josh for about a week over Thanksgiving, and while they were there Jaime, his sister, shot four quick video clips of Josh walking the halls of Walter Reed Medical Hospital, getting his prosthetics adjusted.