Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!                                                                JANUARY 2014

Most of you are aware that for the last six months, Joel (age 21) has been in 4 different hospitals in the Twin Cities because of a diving accident June 19, when he broke his C-5 vertebra, bruised his spinal cord and drowned.  After being revived by Daniel (age 21), he was flown by helicopter to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, and has had many complications impeding his recovery.   That is why we are not mailing newsletters or writing personal messages this year!   You can keep up with Joel’s progress and prayer requests on caringbridge.org (Joel Stadem) or ask to be our friends (Pete ‘n’ Kari Stadem) on Facebook.   We are very grateful for the love, prayers, visits and practical support we’ve received from so many friends and relatives; please consider this a thank you, because we haven’t written any of those either!   We trust that the Lord will bring complete healing in His good time. 

Pete & Kari have spent most of their time supporting Joel and trying to juggle the rest of the family’s schedules.  In May, Pete smashed his leg at home plate in a church softball game (he scored the run and the team won!), so he was still limping on crutches with a plate and screws in his leg when Joel got hurt.  Kari spent most of the first seven weeks in the Cities, staying with her sister at night, but since September we’ve taken turns.  Gorans Bros. (our employer) has been fantastic in their willingness to cover for Pete in the barns, and we were able to use Kari’s parents’ cars to help with transportation needs.

Our church, Svea Lutheran, has been through many trials this year.  Besides Pete’s & Joel’s accidents and several funerals, our pastor had to resign in the summer because of health issues.  Two interim pastors also developed pneumonia while serving us.  And another family had two or three major health issues at once.  However, God has been faithful to enable the congregation to do what needs to be done, and Kari is leading the music for worship once again.

Before the accidents, we had a busy year with the church dinner theater (Pete & Kari directed and wrote music for “Frankenpastor”; Sarah, Andrew and Philip had comic roles; Joel and Daniel emcee’ed the intermission); Lent and Holy Week (with the whole family together) and traveling (through a blizzard near the end of April) to the MACHE homeschoolers conference in Rochester.

Now for the rest of the family:

MICHELLE (age 25) is engaged!  After a year teaching music in Mexico, she came home in July (and what a blessing it has been to have her here to help) to pursue unity with us regarding her future with Saúl Cuevas from Puebla, Mexico.  On December 30, God miraculously brought about that unity and we couldn´t be happier about their upcoming  June wedding date.   We have all learned a lot about the Lord´s grace despite our unworthiness in this whole process.   Michelle has been working as a math interventionist at Roosevelt Elementary School in Willmar, and as a Personal Care Assistant (PCA) for a local woman, and doing temporary and odd jobs through Employment Plus.  After her marriage, she and Saúl, who works as an accountant for a college in Puebla, will likely live in Mexico for the foreseeable future.

DANIEL (age 21) moved to an apartment in Mankato with two other guys (Joel was supposed to be the third) in August and began pursuing a degree in business management.  He enjoyed his fall classes and his job in the kitchen at Grizzly’s Restaurant.   He and the friends who were at the pool when Joel drowned spent many hours on the road this summer, visiting Joel every week. 

SARAH (age 17) completed 19 credits at Ridgewater College through PSEO this fall, plus band and choir at Willmar High School, and working as a PCA for the same woman as Michelle does.  She played first base on the varsity fast-pitch softball team last spring, and on four softball teams this summer.  She will graduate from our home school in May and probably finish her two-year degree at Ridgewater over the next year.  The females of the family traveled to Chicago so photographer cousin Aanna could take Sarah’s graduation pictures.

ANDREW (age 15) thoroughly enjoyed participating in the high school musical, “Chess,” this fall.  He went to Chicago on a mission trip with the First Covenant Church in Willmar in July, played on two slow-pitch softball teams and worked many hours on the farm this summer. 

PHILIP (age 12) pitched and played third base on a summer baseball team with his cousin Joey.  Besides the parents, he has enjoyed the most time in the hospital visiting Joel.  Homeschooling has allowed Andrew and Philip to be more involved with supporting Joel since summer ended and others have had busier schedules.

And, in Sioux Falls:  During their first year of marriage, DAVID moved to a different position at Novartis, developing testing procedures; CALLIE graduated from Augustana College, works at a coffee shop and teaches harp and horse riding.   They continue to live in married housing at Augie as Callie takes a few credits to finish a philosophy minor.  Grad school for Callie looks likely this fall, necessitating a move. 

Learning to live “one day at a time” is a process for us; we waste many hours in anxiety and fear.  But God is faithful to give us what we need to face each new challenge.  As our prayers continue to receive “No” or “Not yet” answers, we are forced to examine Who we really believe in – a Santa-type god whose job is to make us all happy, or the One who suffered?    “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  Thank You, Jesus, that You came to be Immanuel, “God with us.”

What Really Matters

Pete says:

Three weeks ago, I brought Sarah, Andrew and Philip to visit Joel, their first time since the accident.  When we finished praying for Joel, Philip was wiping tears from his eyes.   His quality of tenderness doesn't always show, but he regularly seeks Kari and me out at night for a hug, kiss and an “I love you.”  

On Tuesday Philip and I stayed overnight with Kari and then went to HCMC in the morning to be with Joel until 2:30 pm, when we prayed with Joel and departed so we could get to Prinsburg field in time for Philip to warm up for his baseball game.  Despite the losing effort, a big highlight occurred when Philip connected well with a 1-1 pitch, sending it over the fence in left center field.   He crossed the plate, exchanged high fives with his coach and teammates and then deliberately came towards us.  I thought he wanted congratulations for his first home run, but as I fist-pumped with him, I could see he had another mission.  As I listened, Philip uttered what had been on his mind as he felt the sweet feel of ball hitting sweet spot, and as he took the home run trot, and through the high fives and off the field and over to his Dad, “That was for Joel.”

A Lost Letter

Yesterday I proctored a test for John K. When he was done, I had to scan it in, email it to the professor, and then put it in the mail. It was almost supper time when I had it ready, and I asked Andrew, who was going down to the mailbox with Philip to get the mail, to put the envelope in the mailbox for me. He took it and they left. When the food was ready, Andrew & Philip weren't back in yet. We went ahead without them because Sarah & Andrew had to go to confirmation, so we figured Andrew would have to postpone his supper until after class.

When the car had to leave, Andrew still wasn't back, so Pete left with Sarah and picked him up on the driveway. Philip came in and took off all his snow stuff, then sat down to eat. "Andrew lost the letter," he nonchalantly informed me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It fell out of his pocket."

"Did you find it?"

"No."

"Is that why you were so late - you were looking for it?"

"Yep."

"Where did he lose it?" I finally got out of Philip that when they arrived at the mailbox, Andrew dug in his pocket - sort of like a hoodie pocket, stretching all the way across his jacket front - and the letter wasn't there. So it could be anywhere between the mailbox and the house - almost a quarter mile.

By this time, Pete had returned and we quizzed Philip some more on what had happened. Pete said, "It's snowing - if we don't find it now, it will get buried." Pete & Philip got their snowsuits on, picked up flashlights and went out to look, praying all the while.

I felt terrible. It was my responsibility to get the letter in the mail. My thoughts ran frantically over my options, John's options, what the professor would say or do. "At least it was scanned in and sent to her, so she does have it," was my only hope.

To my great relief, when the guys came in, they had an envelope! "Thank You, Lord!" I exclaimed. It had blown out of the pocket into the yard, and become stuck on the trampoline. It struck me later that I should be thankful that Andrew had remembered he had the letter - if he hadn't, it could have been lost and no one would have known until the professor emailed me to find out where it was. Then we would have been searching Andrew's coat pockets for days.

As I was cleaning the kitchen, waiting for Pete & Philip to come back, and praying that they would find the letter, it occurred to me that this was a great example of Christlike service - here were Pete & Philip, searching in the cold dark night for something that wasn't their responsibility and that they hadn't lost. They were helping me and helping Andrew with no thought of recompense.

Thanks, guys!