Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Karen Marvel



 By Julie Overholt


Hi ladies! Cabin fever yet?! ;) While you have some extra time inside these days, I hope you enjoy reading another interview from a fellow sister in Christ at SGC! I enjoyed sharing a warm drink with Karen last week as I listened to her answers, and even felt like a journalist with my pen quickly jotting notes as she spoke. It’s the little things… :)

Karen Marvel and her husband Bill have been attending Sugar Grove for the past 7-8 years. They made the decision to begin looking for a new church after attending a very small church that wasn’t experiencing much growth and had very little children’s ministry opportunities, which is one of Karen's passions. Their daughter Tammy and her family were already attending Sugar Grove, and Bill and Karen found a new church home alongside of them. 

Karen recently resigned after serving on the WoW (Women of Worth) leadership team for the past 3 years. (Karen, we thank you for all you have done to help provide fellowship and community for the ladies at SGC!) She has also been serving at the check-in kiosks for children’s ministry on Sunday morning and has been supportive of her husband Bill as he has served as an elder. Karen is currently co-leading the Monday night women’s Bible Study, and is also working with Pastor Matt as the Pre-K director for the children’s ministry department.

Karen grew up in Elkhart and attended the same church as Bill when they were kids. Bill had several years where he walked away from God and church, and it was during this time of absence that Karen became good friends with his sister, who eventually introduced Karen to Bill when she was 15 years old – a sophomore at the time, and Bill a senior. Karen recalled the first time she saw Bill in church and commented to his sister that there was a new, cute guy attending that day. It took a minute for Bill’s sister to locate the person Karen was referring to before she said, “That’s my brother!” :) Bill was pretty shy and Karen remembers that at first he interrupted telephone conversations between Karen and his sister as a way to talk to Karen.  They became high school sweethearts, marrying right out of high school, and on February 16th will be celebrating 40 years of marriage! “My husband is simply amazing, he really is," Karen told me with a contended sigh. “We have learned it is so important to really make time for each other, which keeps our marriage strong. We also really balance each other out very well.” Karen says she has been asked if she regrets marrying young, and her response has always been, “When you find the best, why keep looking?!”

When I asked Karen about her children and grandchildren, she smiled and said she often wonders how to answer that question. Something you may not know about Karen is that she and her husband Bill have spent many years involved in foster care and still claim quite a few as their own! They have two biological daughters, Tammy - who attends SGC with her husband Aaron and their five children, and Missy – she and her husband have two children. They also have one adopted daughter, Candy, who is married and has three children. Their grandchildren range in age from 1 month old to 18 years of age. Bill and Karen have also fostered 24 children, including being the full-time house parents at the Baptist Children’s Home for five years. There were ten children at the home and they ended up taking five of them into their own home to finish raising them. Karen told me with tears in her eyes, “Tammy and Missy were 17 and 15 years old when we went to work at the children’s home. They were ALWAYS so supportive – calling them siblings to this day – and so loving. We are so blessed to have them as our daughters.” There are eight of those they fostered that they are still in contact with and call “their own.” “It has been such a blessing to be a part of so many kids’ lives over the years. The majority of our foster kids accepted Christ, some went on to attend college, and one is getting ready to go with her family on the mission field! Our two daughters were only 17 months apart, and I remember thinking that the baby and toddler stages would never end. But, they really do go so fast…my encouragement for young mothers is to hang in there! It will end.”

Karen has also been in the teaching profession for 32 years. She has taught from preschool  through first grade, including 10 years as a Pre-K director. She is currently in her fourth year as the preschool teacher at Clinton Christian School.  “My passion is definitely teaching. I have always said even if I wouldn’t get paid to teach, I would still do it. I love it that much.” Karen said she is grateful still for the friend that first voiced to her the gift for children’s ministry that she saw in Karen, a defining moment in Karen's life. “Bill’s parents moved to the Arizona climate for health reasons during our seventh year of marriage. We moved down there as well, living there for seven years. I became good friends with the pastor’s wife and worked as a teachers aide in her classroom. She was the one who saw the gift in me and encouraged me to pursue it.” Children bring the most laughter into Karen’s life as well. “People have told me I need to write a book someday with all the stories I’ve accumulated!” 

Karen was raised in a Christian home, both of her parents being first-generation Christians. “A godly heritage began all because a neighbor invited my parents and their four little children to church!” She herself accepted Christ into her life at 5 years of age while attending the neighborhood Child Evangelism 5- Day Club. Later, at age 15, she confirmed her commitment to God while at a church youth conference. “I realized at that time that not only had He died for my sins, but I understood the importance of, and wanted Him to be the Lord of my life.” 

When I asked Karen if she has any verses that are particularly meaningful to her, she mentioned that she has always struggled with anxiety. “I tend to take on the world’s problems. I care so much for people, and it was a good reminder for me while going through the discipleship class at church to hear that we do have a part, but God also does His part, and others need to do their part as well. I’m not responsible for their part.  I remember my sister (a mentor of mine) telling me once, 'I’m so glad my God is bigger than you.' It was so good for me to hear. God continues to work on that area in my life and I’m thankful for these verses that remind me to trust His direction and that He will never leave me!” 

Isaiah 43:5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.
Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.
Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

In her free time Karen enjoys reading and spending time with her grandchildren. “Getting to be a mother and grandmother is what I love most about being a woman. Seeing them walking in Truth and growing is so rewarding!” Karen also enjoys celebrations! “I love all of the holidays, birthdays included, and probably go overboard to celebrate! My own mother enjoyed doing the same. I also celebrate back-to-school, and have always written a note and sent a gift anytime my grandchildren go off to camp as well. There’s always a reason to celebrate.” 

Three words that describe me: Compassionate, merciful to a fault, and anxious.
Outgoing or shy? Naturally shy, but God has put me into positions that have encouraged me to open up.
Coffee or tea? Tea
Tomboy or princess? Somewhere in the middle
Oceanside or mountainside? Oceanside. I LOVE the water. I’ve always said I should have been a mermaid!
Perfect meal/favorite food? For special occasions Bill and I love going to Eddy’s Steakhouse in Granger.
Worst food ever? Fish. (bad aftertaste for me!)
Morning person or night owl? Definitely night owl. Bill is the morning person, so when the grandkids spend the night I stay up late with them and sleep in while Bill gets up and makes them breakfast. 
I’d love to travel to: The Bahamas – or somewhere tropical. (I actually don’t like to travel – it’s really out of my comfort zone!)
Listen, read, or watch to learn? Watch. I’m a very visual learner.
A favorite Bible character? David. A man after God’s own heart. His life is a good reminder that even bad choices can lead to repentance and a restored relationship. God looks at the heart.
3 Things that bring peace to your life and/or help you relax? Reading, my toes in the warm sand at the beach, and being by water.

Thank you so much, Karen, for your service at SGC and for sharing your heart with us!

Ladies, love is in the air this month! Above all, may you become more aware and relish the deep, deep, immeasurable love the Father has towards YOU - as it moves you to become more like Jesus.