From time to time, I will be sharing the stories of current Crossroads volunteers, people who have already answered the call. Join me today as we show our appreciation to Erik and Laura Walthinsen and get to know them.
This young couple made their first visit just 3 years ago on Palm Sunday. It didn't take long for them to call Crossroads home, placing membership a few months later. While it was quickly evident this was to be their church family, it wasn't so clear they would become a family when they met each other. For several years they attended church events together, pictures even exist to prove it. They both remembered the events but they didn't remember each other. After returning from Biola, Laura started attending the same church Erik was at, their paths crossed again AND they noticed each other this time! They married in 2009 and their son Aidan came along in 2015.
They both grew up attending church and have a long history of volunteering so it's no surprise they jumped in quickly here. Erik has mostly served as a sound technician, IT (that's computer stuff), VBS tech and a whole host of other handy and technical jobs. Currently he is a vital member of the sound team, working on updating and maintaining our entire tech infrastructure including phones. We have kept him busy and yet he always maintains a smile, even when some of the staff wants to revert back to pen and paper.
Laura has been a vocalist as part of the Sunday morning musical worship team, VBS volunteer and now serves during the week alongside Hannah Keo helping her with a variety of support for the Children's Ministry. They used to be a monthly volunteer picking up the donuts for Guest Experiences but have now found other ways to serve - I can't imagine giving up donuts!!
We are in the midst of a HUGE infrastructure update project, keeping Erik extremely busy and the staff wants to thank both Erik and Laura for giving so much additional time during this project. Sometimes it feels like we should be feeding Erik dinner here and then we might have to reintroduce them to each other again later.
They are indeed unique people. They are the ONLY "Erik, Laura and Aidan Walthinsen" on the planet and it's likely that Aidan is the only Walthinsen in history with that first name. One of them was president of their college archery team and one of them created GStreamer (Linux based media framework) now used by Comcast X1 and other really cool people/places/devices. I'm going to let you guess which one did what.
When Laura has some time to relax, you will likely find her knitting and dreaming of expanding her Etsy shop. Erik enjoys reading and his outdoor hobbies of biking and camping. They would love to move out of the city and build a house someday but the good news is they plan to stay close enough to stay at Crossroads.
Join me in thanking them for serving so diligently and willingly and please pray for this family as they continue to serve.