Want to meet the person who may be your next pastor or Christian day school teacher? This series profiles the men and women who are in their final year of preparation for the public teaching or preaching ministry at our Immanuel Lutheran College and Seminary in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Age: 22
Program: Education
Year in School: Senior
Where were you born?
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Where did you grow up?
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Married? Unmarried? Tell us about your family.
I was married to Noah Ohlmann back in August. We spent a few months living in Eau Claire and then moved down to Valentine, Nebraska when Noah took a call to serve as a teacher at their school.
What hobbies, sports or extracurriculars interest you?
I enjoy a lot of activities revolving around art. I’ve done quite a few hand-lettering/calligraphy projects, which include making and hand-lettering all the signs for my own wedding. I’ve also recently gotten into cooking new recipes and dabbling in bread baking. I love a walk in nature on a sunny day. I’ve always had a love for volleyball.
Tell us one thing about yourself that most people don’t know.
I like to make my own candles out of thrifted trinkets, beeswax, and essential oils!
Which academic subjects especially interest you?
I’ve always enjoyed English and math throughout all the years of my schooling. In college, I particularly enjoyed learning about child psychology.
How did you first come to consider the public teaching or preaching ministry as a career?
I became an aunt quite young, and I’ve always loved being able to teach my nieces new things or do fun projects with them as they’ve grown over the years. I think that first created an idea in my head that I could maybe be a teacher in the future. In high school I became convinced that I should use my life, gifts, and talents to serve Christ’s Kingdom. God kept this close in my heart, and I came to realize that there was no better way to serve Him with the gifts He had given me than to share His love with children.
What have you appreciated most about your time at ILC?
I’ve definitely appreciated the constant Christian fellowship found at ILC. I’m grateful for the absence or minimization of many worldly values, as well as the blessing of being surrounded by Christian peers who share my morals.
What qualities do you think will most be needed by the future leaders of the church?
There are so many traits one could list to describe what leaders in the Church should have, but humility and love have always stood out to me as vitally important. I think you can look to God’s Word to answer this most accurately. When considering this for myself, I’m always drawn to the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 and Paul’s list of attributes for a church leader in 1 Timothy. Specifically, humility seems to me to be the foundation of a servant attitude. Anyone who is a leader in the Church or school is a servant of Christ, serving His kingdom to the best of their abilities. I believe that it is important to serve in humility, aware that we are also sinners saved by the grace of our Savior.