December 13, 2024
With every passing year, time seems to move more quickly. January 2024 may not seem like long ago, but we are now in December and looking toward another year ahead. Before we do, I want to look back at a challenging 2024 and how God has brought my family and I through everything.
As usual, I started the year in winter hibernation and barely ventured out. When March and April arrived, the busy season returned with gusto. For the first time since 2010, I helped teach Sunday school. I led the Jr. High class for five weeks, teaching about the early chapters of Genesis and how they relate to the rest of Scripture and 
daily life. One thought provoking question asked if homework was a result of sin (no). My custom curriculum wasn’t technically part of the council approved lessons, but they worked as part of creation study.
At the same time, I also visited with grade school students. Since starting in 2004, this year marked my 20th anniversary for school talks. Therefore, it is possible I may start getting children of students I first spoke with. I don’t think this has happened, but I did speak to a college class this year that had a student who had me in 2nd grade. That either means I’m getting old, or just well experienced in speaking. I think I’ll choose the latter option.
In March, my parents got to travel for spring break. Abby, my college student nurse, wasn’t doing anything while off from school and volunteered to help cover evenings. Mom and dad rarely turn down a chance to escape and we each had a week to do our own activities. Unfortunately, freedom didn’t continue.
At the end of June, my primary day caregiver had surgery that included six months of recovery. With Joy being 
off, and Abby back home for a few months, it meant three days a week without help. My parents adjusted work schedules to cover the time and I now joined them in their regular Friday excursions. One week included visiting southeast Iowa to the Lunch Box Café in Douds, IA as well as the Dutchman’s Store and other retailers. It was fun getting to experience places they often talked about, but one ten-hour long excursion was a bit much.
Without daytime help, I knew I would be home and in bed more than I usually am for summer. Therefore, I took a 12-week course on expository preaching. I have been licensed to exhort (substitute preach) for seven years, but never had any formal training. The curriculum included multiple videos by Dr. Steve Lawson, along with reading, and reviewing, three books. As the weeks went on, I was also assigned a Scripture passage to make observations on, prepare a sermon about, and then preach an approved message.
On September 1, I took the pulpit at Cornerstone Church and gave the message I had been preparing for weeks. In the congregation was my friend Tom, along with his oldest son. A week later, I received a grade of 90% on my message and 89% overall. My reviewer said it was a privilege to review the barefoot preacher and his only critique was to vary my tone of voice further. Unfortunately, not long after finishing the course, it was discovered that Dr. Lawson had not been practicing what he preached and was disqualified for ministry. I’m thankful for the instruction, but pray for the former pastor to come to repentance.
While taking class, I also kept busy with other activities. At my annual dentist visit, my doctor noticed two of my front teeth are wearing down due to stick use and have root problems. If it gets worse, they may need to be replaced by implants. Therefore, I started learning my computer’s built-in voice recognition software to reduce stick use. Taking lecture notes by dictation didn’t always go well, but it was a time to learn. I’m still mainly using my stick for everything, but am trying to use voice for more mouse commands if nothing else.
May and August also included my annual gospel outreach volunteer time. At the Iowa State Fair, part of speaking to people about Christ also included training dad and Abby how to help at the booth. Using caregivers from two different generations was unique, but I’m thankful I could still serve God in outreach.
Between the fair and preaching evaluation, my maternal grandmother passed away at the age of 94. Grandma Laverman had long been waiting to go to the Lord, but we were thankful for the many years He gave us with her. I was blessed with the opportunity to speak at her funeral and reflect on grandma’s life. Grandma spent the last few years in a care facility, and never wanted us to leave after visiting. After the grave-side service in hot Iowa sun, my parents and I got back in the van to leave, but it wouldn’t start. We got to spend some more time with grandma and add to the memories.
Joy was able to return part-time in late September. According to God’s timing, I would need her more than expected. On September 26, after a long night with stomach pain, I went to the Pella ER and spent the next few days in the hospital with an NG tube. Des Moines didn’t have room for me, which meant I stayed in Pella. The small-town hospital staff couldn’t fully provide my needs, requiring my parents to be with me all day and 
night. Thankfully, Joy also came a few hours for two days to provide relief.
I was released Sunday morning, September 29, and was home by noon. Six hours later, I was back in the ER after a long afternoon of increasing muscle spasms that made my upper body thrash about. It was one of the scariest times I have experienced, but was released a few hours later with no answers found and my body back to normal.
The next morning, I gave Abby the experience of helping me in an ambulance due to my O2 sats crashing. The next three days were spent in Pella hospital treating pneumonia. This round, Abby came a few times to give my parents rest. The combined health problems were hard on my system and it took several weeks for my energy and voice to return to normal.
On December 10, we said a fond farewell to Abby. With her schooling in Pella complete, she moved back to her home in the Phoenix area to work and take further education. We are thankful for the years God brought her to help when we needed it most. Now, we pray my other day caregivers will be able to take more hours and continue to help.
Web development continued to go well this year with gaining a few more sites. I also had the opportunity to preach several times, but missed two congregations due to my hospital stay and recovery.
I do not know what will come in 2025, but I trust in God’s plan for whatever He brings. Life gets to be a little more of a challenge with every trip around the sun and accumulation of years, but He carries us through. I pray that you will have a blessed year ahead and seek to do God’s will and follow Him through every twist and turn. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Joel Vander Molen
Weekly updates are available on my blog, The Quad Life.
