Faith in Daily Life – Videll Pfeifer
Is it easy, or is it difficult for a person to live their vocation? For some, it may involve hard work and soul-searching to find what one’s true vocation is. But this month, we are looking at the life and vocations of Peace member Videll Pfeifer, who says that God has put wonderful things right in front of her that has led her to live her life in meaningful ways. Read on to learn more about this gifted and loving woman.
Videll was born in Hazen, North Dakota, and was raised in Zap. Her father was a cowboy and a singer; her mother was the accompanist at the Lutheran church where Videll’s grandfather was the pastor. Eventually, the family moved to Bismarck, where her parents opened a grocery store. “The store was my second home, my grandparents’ house was my third home, and the American Lutheran Church one block away was my playground.” Music was always a big part of her family life at home, school and church. After high school, she attended college, where she met her husband, John. They married and had two children. The family moved to Minneapolis for John’s job with Target Corporation and eventually moved many times because of it: to St. Louis, Dallas, Des Moines, and then back to the Twin Cities in 1978. They became charter members at Peace Lutheran and had two more children (they now have nine grandchildren). Videll went back to school to finish her nursing degree and worked at Long Lake Nursing Home for several years. She then took a position at the University of Minnesota Hospital in the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, where she worked for 26 years. It is hard to imagine how many lives were touched by Videll’s work and compassion during those 26 years!
After so many moves around the country for John’s work, Videll was thrilled to stay in one place. This has allowed her to use another of her many gifts: her lovely singing voice. Videll has sung in the Wayzata Women’s Chorus for 34 years, and she also sings in the Adult Choir at Peace. We at Peace have also been blessed by the times when she has been a soloist or a cantor at our worship services.
Videll’s friend and nursing peer, Bethany Husby, began raising funds to build a primary school in Kisongo, Tanzania, after an adventure vacation and a chance encounter with a young man who needed money to send his brother to school. “Bethany’s Pre and Primary School” opened in 2018. Videll went to Kisongo herself in 2019, and she fell in love with the place, the people, and the mission. In 2021 she returned for a month with her sister, who started an NGO that sponsors children. Other friends met up with them to visit the school and are now sponsoring children. “Something I had never envisioned and am forever grateful for has been my visits to Tanzania,” Videll reports. “The love, the friendships, and the understanding of beautiful Tanzania – these are things that I cherish.” If you want to know more about this school or about sponsoring a child, you can check out this website hearttocaretanzania.org
“With all the years that have gone by, I still wonder at the ‘why’ of things,” Videll admits. “And I know that God is still trying to teach me patience! I will always have faith and trust in His Word and watch for what He has planned for me next!” She adds that
she is thankful for her family, friends, and church. Videll, we thank you for
all you do. We, too, look forward to seeing what you’ll be up to next!