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JuneMeet the Thiessen Family
Let’s start with introductions! Who is in your family, how many kids do you have?
We are the Thiessen family, Scott, Louisa & Emmett, and baby number two is due in August!
What do you do for work?
Scott is a chicken hatchery manager, Louisa is on maternity leave but did admin work.
The Bible says that there is a season for everything in life (Ecclesiastes 3). What are some of the seasons you have gone through that have brought you closer as a family, both with each other, and in your relationship with Jesus?
Working in full time ministry – When we met and got married we were both working in full-time ministry. It was a very time consuming job which forced us to learn how to establish priorities as a couple and taught us to put God and family first above ministry requirements. This season brought us closer to Jesus because we had to depend on him for strength, wisdom, and protection while out in the streets of the inner-city.
Moving from NYC – It was a change of pace. We were given new opportunities that were different from what we were used to. Louisa had to depend on Scott for everything since it was a foreign place and was unable to work because she didn’t have a permanent residency visa. We had to trust God to provide the proper paper work and finances because when we moved we had nothing. In the months leading up to the move we had applied for Louisa’s residency and didn’t hear back but we had to move anyway because Scott’s work visa in the US had expired. We decided to go for it and trust that God would take care of the rest. Once we crossed the border we knew God was with us because Louisa made it into the country without any issues and they were able to give her a visitor record while she waited for her permanent residency to go through.
Having a child – Having a baby wasn’t the easiest road for us. We hit some bumps that brought us closer together as couple. We also had to depend on God to give strength during some very difficult times. Now that we have Emmett we get to figure out how to be parents. We learned how to work together, how to die to ourselves daily because Emmett needs us.
Shortly after we moved from NY Louisa was diagnosed with PTSD. It was a tough road to navigate. Louisa was at a very low point and needed lots of support. There were many days of feeling overwhelmed and confused, and at times it looked like things wouldn’t get better, but God would remind us at just the right time that He was still there and in control. PTSD doesn’t just go away, and we have learned how to live with it and methods to navigate through tough days.
Through all of that, how has your family been able to remain Authentically Engaged with the work of Jesus in the church?
We have both been involved in kids ministry. Now that we have Emmett, Louisa tries to remain engaged by intentionally seeking out opportunities to speak into others lives.
Being a part of the church, your family has found a place to belong. Why is this important to you and your family?
When we first moved from New York, one of the first things we set out to do was find a church family where we could grow and put roots down. We believe there is incredible value in not just finding an ‘entertaining’ pastor (not that PD isn’t entertaining!), but a ‘real’ pastor and congregation that does life together. We intentionally choose to be around people that will challenge us to grow and that we can learn from.
We believe that the church is meant to function like a healthy family. How has the health of your family been strengthened through fulfilling the calling of God on your guys’ lives?
As new parents, we believe that one of the strongest callings that God has for us at this point is to be a Godly example for Emmett to follow. Getting involved in the church has allowed us to get to know and learn from families that have either been through the stage that we’re at, or are going through it currently. We appreciate the example of many parents with young families that are involving their kids at church.