Debbie Pontynen (Godt), Friend

We all need friends who will walk with us through good times and bad. I met Debbie (Case) in 1983 when I was in grad school and later working as a campus chaplain. She invited me to my first small group and we ended up sharing life together. Deb mentored me in developing as a godly professional woman. That time of friendship, going deep with Jesus, and developing a positive sense of who I am in Christ, helped to prepare me for a tragedy that was ahead.

It was the evening of May 11 of 1987, Deb and I had just finished serving cookies to the students in Lamson Hall. I had waited until now to tell her what had happened that afternoon. My then husband had taken me to the lake and told me that he didn’t want to be married anymore. He didn’t want to have anything to do with God or anything that reminded him of God. Amidst my tearful retelling of the story, Debbie said, “Esther, you are resilient. You will get through this.” God had equipped Debbie to help me during each stage of grief, to understand that what I was feeling was normal and legitimate. When I felt like a cast aside dirty dish rag, she helped me see my infinite value.

God has used this unwanted part of my journey to help me minister with greater empathy and wisdom.