Lee Pfahler's story

May 18, 2006—a date that will forever be engraved in my memory because it is the day when my daughter, Leah Grace, was stillborn. So how does that tragedy connect to the question, “Why am I at AMBS?” Because I believe it is an example of God using a terrible episode in a person’s life to plant a seed from which sprouts new opportunities and growth. Let me explain.

I had entered AMBS right out of college 20 years ago. At the age of 23,
I realized I was not ready to pursue the MDiv degree, but I still wanted to study at seminary. Within my first year, the first Gulf War started, which led me to become more interested in peace studies (the idea of studying “peace” was quite foreign to me because my background was not Mennonite), so I pursued the MA in Peace Studies which greatly expanded my understanding of the biblical peace message.

Since graduating from AMBS, I worked almost exclusively for church-related organizations in both paid and voluntary service positions. Over the years, something was telling me (was it God?) that I would someday return to AMBS to pursue an MDiv. But I refused to believe it! I thought I had done all I could at seminary the first time, so why return. Well, after five years working in my most recent job, I began to realize that if I had any choice, I would not be at the job for many more years because it was losing its appeal and challenge.

Then the opportunity arose for me to quit that job because my wife and I were expecting our second child. My wife was in a job which would not allow her to take many months off, and we really wanted one of us to stay home with the baby for an extended period of time. So I decided to leave my job after seven years.

Then tragedy struck. Our expectant baby was diagnosed with a terminal genetic disorder and she died only seven months into the pregnancy. Our world was turned upside-down. This was beyond belief! Fortunately, the congregation we attend showered us with incredible love and support, more than either my wife or I have ever experienced before.

Even though our daughter, Leah Grace, had died, I still decided to leave my job as planned. As the months wore on, I began to feel a seed sprouting and telling me that I needed to return to AMBS and explore the love and care that my wife and I received from our congregation. So I took the plunge at middle-age. And 15 years after graduating from AMBS I re-entered this seminary to pursue an MDiv with a concentration in pastoral care and counseling in order to more fully explore the congregation’s role as an ecology of care (one of the new terms I have learned). In my third year in the program, I have felt confirmation and affirmation from this community of God’s people who help to cultivate the seeds within us.

Lee Pfahler and Karen, his wife, grew up in Goshen, Ind., and continue to live their with their two children.