This first year back in Minnesota, we have been treated to the coldest winter in seven years—the exact number of years that we were away from Minnesota! As we write this letter, our kids are enjoying a snow day. Yesterday’s blizzard and today’s extreme wind chills have caused us to have winter storms on our mind.

     We have been experiencing some storms that aren’t just the winter kind. In our last letter we mentioned that we had to replace the engine in our car. Since then the transmission of our van was going out so we replaced the van. And then just last week JD was in an accident that totaled our car. We praise God that JD and the others involved weren’t hurt! Needless to say, there’s a car-themed storm for us lately.

     Ministry can even seem like a storm sometimes too. Historically this area has not had much of an FCA presence, so there has been a lot of initial ground breaking work that sometimes just takes a lot of time and energy without the joy of seeing immediate results.

     The Lord spoke to Job from the storm (Job 38:1). Isn’t that interesting? He also has power over the storm (Ps. 107:29). When we are walking with God, we can have confidence that God is working for the good of those who love him — even when it is stormy. (Rom. 8:28)

     A few weeks ago JD went with some of the FCA Minnesota staff to visit Wally and Mary Hilgenberg in their home. Wally played 12 seasons with Vikings during their glory days of the late 1960’s through the 70’s. In 2006 he was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The FCA staff spent some time praying for them as well as reminiscing about how God has used Wally’s testimony at various FCA events to impact many lives through the years. 

     When Wally played in the NFL he was a fierce outside linebacker known as one of the toughest guys in the game. Now he is in a wheelchair and his arms are barely functional. It was a humbling experience to sit next to him with his shaking legs and realize how much joy he and Mary have as they recounted how good God has been to them. 

     Both Mary and Wally said they have no bitterness toward God because of Wally’s illness.  In fact, they get so many calls from players, coaches and the media because of Wally’s illness that they view it as an opportunity to tell even more people about Christ.

     Visiting with the Hilgenbergs and seeing how they are handling this storm encouraged us in the midst of our own storms (which suddenly seemed less significant).

     We appreciate your prayers, encouragement and support. It means more to us than you will ever know. We encourage you to read the other articles in this letter to see what God is doing through our work with the U of M Baseball team and our plans to grow the high school FCA ministry in Rochester.    

Overcoming the Storms,

JD and Anne