Kari Stembel

She likes to remind people, "We weren't meant to do this life alone!"

Interview by Diana Gipson

It's quite likely you have met Kari Stembel, if not on a Sunday morning, then sometime when you have been in the SGC building on a weekday, or called the church and were answered by a friendly voice.  Kari is our Administrative Assistant at SGC and, besides knowing the answer to almost any question you might need to ask about how things work at SGC, she is a friend to all and has had some fascinating, life-changing adventures!

Born to Jim and Chris Stembel on October 7, 1982, Kari grew up with one younger brother (Jonathan, now married to Jessica) and a younger sister, Stephanie.  Kari attended Northridge High School ("Go Raiders!" she says) and then spent a year at Indiana Wesleyan before transferring to IUSB, where she earned a degree in Business.

College is an adventure in itself, but after graduating Kari spent a year preparing for the biggest adventure of her life up to that point--The World Race, which is through the organization Adventures in Missions, based out of Georgia.  Participants go to 11 countries in 11 months, partnering with different churches and organizations that know the needs of the people in each area, to minister to those people.  Kari traveled to Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, China, South Africa, Swaziland, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Among the many intense spiritual truths Kari learned on her trip were the power and importance of prayer, God's provision of strength and meeting all kinds of needs, and how vital it is to die to oneself and rely solely on Christ.  She saw for herself that many of the things we Americans think we need don't have anything to do with true joy.  "While on the World Race, I saw how much of the world truly lives in poverty and has very little to live off of, yet a lot of the people we worked with and ran into were the most grateful and joyful people I had met!"

Kari found it difficult to come back to the United States, knowing she had so much to come home to while a large portion of the world has so little.  She admits it didn't take long to adjust back to the American way of thinking but, "When I do remember what I've seen and how much I do have, I am humbled and once again grateful for who God is and how He has blessed me."

What does gratitude mean to Kari?  "Gratitude to me means acknowledging the very blessings God has given me and thanking Him for them.  I have so much to be thankful for, including God giving His only Son for me."  Kari sees gratitude as a process the Lord is continually teaching her.  Certain circumstances or people she encounters remind her to be grateful and she sees that her perspective on life changes when she chooses gratitude.

Kari has a passion for seeing young girls grow in the Lord, so she is a small group leader for some of the girls in the SGC youth group.  She also enjoys mentoring others outside the church on her own time, encouraging them in their walk with the Lord and walking through tough times together with them.  She says, "We weren't meant to do this life alone, and I get excited when I can encourage others and remind them they're not alone!"

Some of Kari's favorite things to do include running, meeting new people, spending time with friends, writing encouragement notes to people, connecting with people on Facebook and traveling.

The Lord uses Kari's compassionate heart in so many capacities.  We are blessed to have her on the SGC staff! :)