I have a little personal story to share about what happened to me last evening, with a special request - at the end:
For several days now, I have been been going through the progessive stages of a head cold that is "going around" - but with some extra features - like stuff coming from ones eyes, too. Quite the insidious virus and takes longer to get over. Some have been down from anywhere from a week to two weeks to get through it. I usually can resist these things - I take immune boosters and besides - I work in a hospital, which means longer term exposure to things, with resulting higher resistances, and the good habits of constantly washing hands (Universal Health Precautions!) Anyway, I got this thing, possibly from my wife who is several days ahead of me in the process -- and she has it a whole lot worse than I hope to ever be, with that green gunk coming up from her respiratory system. So...we've been suffering through the Thanksgiving holiday together. But yesterday (Sunday) I suffered an intense physical attack -- all evening long -- with symptoms that were "something else!"
During the afternoon I had been studying a certain curriculum and related scriptures on the theme of Healing Prayer - some very powerful and excellent teaching material which includes deliverance ministry - originating from Francis and Judith McNutt. It was loaned to me by one of my volunteer chaplains who is in the middle of this course a group at her church is going through here in Goshen (St. Mark's United Methodist.)
You may have heard of the NcNutts. They are Episcopalians themselves, but interdenominational in scope - whom my father often talked about and had connections. "Christian Healing Ministries" based in Jacksonville Florida is the name of their organization and their team includes several with doctoral degrees in their various professions of medicine, psychiatry, nursing, pastoral care, etc. They have developed this excellent team-taught course which I was carefully examining and reflecting on whether I could adapt it somehow into training I provide here at the hospital. This curriculum has three levels, with 13 sessions each, including DVDs that go along with the workbook and group process instruction -- quite solid, powerful teaching, in my view, and I really enjoyed spending some time with it this weekend while being home -- a good thing to do to get one's mind off of being sick!
Anyway, at the point late in the afternoon yesterday when I had just finished reading through their workbook for Level 2 (as I said, they have three levels), I made a decision -- and I guess I had to bear some personal consequences right away - which in retrospect only confirms to me that the decision was right! Allow me to "unpack" it more for you:
I was reflecting on these themes of healing prayer, and its implications for hospital and congregational ministry in our community, and made a strong inner decision - that this sort of training and content should be at the heart of what we are all about regarding training and the future of the chaplaincy program here at our hospital. I had a very strong inner certainty, an intuitive feeling about this being very challenging but the "right way" to go in the future, to enable our chaplain ministry team to become even more effective. I also decided that I would get in touch with the McNutts very soon to explore with them how to best incorporate some of this into the training with volunteer chaplains in a hospital setting - or find out if they had ever utilized this training in a community-based non-sectarian context like ours.
It was time to go to church (our congregation meets at 5 PM on Sundays) so I didn't call or write just then. (But I thought that likely my cold was far enough along - out of the contagious stage - that I could safely go to worship.) Besides, I could use the prayer and other good things that come from gathering. However, almost immediately after some of these these thoughts and decisions were going through my brain, some unusually strong physical symptoms set in that didn't quite fit with the "norm" for me when having a head cold (and which I was already in progress for a few days.)
(A little background: For me, it is usually it is about two days BEFORE a head cold sets in that I get one of those sinus "eyeball" headaches as a little signal that all is not right. And so I've successfully staved off many a cold by taking some special immune boosters, etc, when that comes along, that I get from our hospital's cancer center doctors. But this last time I got one anyway.)
Here now, three days into this cold I was suddenly getting a VERY intense sinus headache on both sides of my temples and behind my eyeballs like a vise being clamped down on my head -- intensity like I never had before. There was no way I could go to worship. I could not concentrate on anything, couldn't read or type (as I found when trying to distract myself by doing those things.) I took another dose of Alkaseltzer Cold Plus to make me sleepy, which it usually does - my personal first choice to deal with head cold symptoms, once I've got it. NO change after waiting a while. Then I decided, on top of all that, to take double strength sinus headache pills which were designed to counteract this, specifically. They had worked well a couple of weeks ago, within about 15 minutes. I waited a half hour for it to kick in, but it didn't - then another half hour. NO change. Then I took a shot of Nyquil (the combo of all this should knocked me right into sound sleep - early!) NO change after an hour.
Carole Anne then tried laying me down with a bag of frozen veggies on my head, wrapped in a hand towel. NO difference. So we tried the hot stuff: we microwaved a cloth bag full of herbs. No relief from this eyeball headache whatsoever, only getting worse. So after some prayer, trying to cover all the bases to address any demonic activity that might be behind all this, I was still was feeling very vulnerable and "oppressed" indeed.
I then, finally, in spite of everything I'd done already over the last couple of hours, and waiting awhile from fear of an "OD" - I took one of my wife's left over Vicodin (a powerful pain-reliever which I am very sensitive too, so I hardly ever do that, or need to, for that matter.) With that Carole Anne expected me to go to sleep soundly, and assured me of that, as it deals specifically with generalized pain and usually would "knock me out."
After another whole hour there was no change whatsever, only this "vice grip" on my head getting even MORE intense - unbelievable! I did not feel frantic, just in misery, sort of slowly writhing on the bed. But I was very aware that Carole Anne was getting fearful. She wanted to take me to the emergency room, thinking I might have manifestations of a brain tumor or something that was physically invading my head.
I said "No, first I need to call Delora or Ben." (By then, however it was 10:15 PM.)
However, at the very moment that I made the decision to call (but to call Delora Reinhardt first, since I figured it would make less distubance, in her family mileau) I immediately (within seconds) got a new, very nauseus feeling, and had to go to the bathroom to wretch a while. (Vicodin will do that to a person after about an hour, if one has an empty stomach, but I had eaten a little something, because of that issue.) However, nothing would come up - it's the first time that has ever happened in my life. I absolutely hate that feeling and can't even remember the last time I had to throw up -- it's probably been at least several years. So now I couldn't even call, but was convinced of what was wrong. I needed help--and fast.
I motioned for Carole Anne to call Delora. She took the phone and explained to Delora all that had happened, how this all got started, what I had taken, etc. (Delora is a professional nurse - in fact, a hospital supervisory nurse.) I kept my head down on my arms at the kitchen table. I was in abject misery. I felt very vulnerable - couldn't even pray effectively for myself.
Delora prayed with me over the phone - she addressed the spirit realm in case that was involved - and afterward talked with me for just a bit. I started feeling my energy come back - even while still on the phone the pain starting to receed - and within ten or 15 minutes after hanging up started feeling very sleepy. By the time I hit the bed my intense pain was almost gone. I slept through from 11 PM until about 4 am when I got up once to go to the bathroom - and realized how good I felt - that my pain was gone completely. I then went back to sleep right away and slept soundly again from then until 8:30 am.
Today, I'm still on the waning side of this head cold virus going around - but nothing resembling last night, thank God! I'm back at my office today, with a low hoarse voice, not having to blowing my nose very much and not coughing much anymore, either. I felt a GREAT deal better today, and can finally get some things done.
But I learned something profound last night. I'm vulnerable in ways I didn't realize before. Dad is gone. It could be why. His presence and constant prayers for us likely provided a protective shield that I realize now I probably only "took for granted."
My wife and I have both gotten behind on several things due to this sickness going around. I've been thinking about my aunt Miriam's who did all of Dad's typing and learned alongside of him about most of his "cases", facilitating most of the documentation side of his ministry. She is quite weak now, can't even walk upstairs, and has been suffering heart problems with arythmia, which does not go back into normal pattern, and which started as my dad was actively dying. Aunt Miriam couldn't even make it to our family's Thanksgiving gathering. She may have to face ablation therapy.
When I had my own episode like this, it reminded me just how vulnerable our family really is during this phase now that Dad is gone. Barb Tapley talked with Miriam and Mary Ellen, my two aunts, about just that and said she would come over to pray with Miriam once she comes back from Nepal. But I think our whole family could stand to be put on the prayer list of everyone who understands these dynamics, and Miriam specifically, for her healing and protection. Her problems may be totally physical, like most of Dad's were. There is the genetic factor to consider. But the timing of their manifestation really makes me wonder.
It was the timing of these manifestations last evening for me that made the problem obvious.
And I thank Delora (who got a copy of this) for her own healing prayers for me last evening, and for invoking the power and healing of Doctor Jesus in my life and being. What a remarkable relief I received - and I praise God now for this experience!
Clair
My interesting exchange today with "Brother Freddie" from Italy...
On 14/11/06, Freddie <fratefederico@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi there,
I feel so touched, there's always a big intensity in the words of a man who's trying to say his most inner life...thank you so much for your words.
God bless you,
Pace e Bene
=============
On 11/14/06, Clair Hochstetler <clair.hochstetler@gmail.com> responded to Freddie:
Tell me more about yourself. How have I met you, or do you know only my father, and not me, yet? - Clair
================
14/11/06
Hi Clair
We've never met, I simply read your blog and I found it really touching, I did like it!
I'm an Italian Franciscan friar (Friar Minor) living near Rome and studying Theology. As far as I've understood your dad should have been a great person.
I think I appreciated what you've written because I talk, or better listen, to many youths and most of them appear to have been deeply influenced by their relationship with their dads. I'm also doing a course as Emotional psychotherapist and I've seen many cases of young and less-young people who carry with them unresolved problems that have their roots in their relationships with the parents.
I'm not a dad, but I do think it's one of the most challenging, difficult but most rewarding "job".
Take care and God Bless you,
Pace e Bene
Br. Freddie
Fr. Federico Gandolfi
conv. San Bonaventura
Via San Francesco, 3
00044 - Frascati (RM)
Tel. +39 06 940 18 093
Fax. +39 06 942 98 103
===================
(On 11/14/06 at 10:45 AM)
Br. Freddie:
I feel honored that you read of all this at my website. I did not expect someone from Italy to stumble onto this, but that's great! I have only been to Italy twice in my life, back in my twenties, and I'm 53 now, but look forward to visiting again.
Yes, this project has helped me very much - in dealing with my grief and finding a way to move forward after losing both of my parents in six months time.
I have been here as a counselor and chaplain at a community hospital (here in northern Indiana -- only about 25 miles from Notre Dame University, which I'm sure you also know about) for about nine years. I am currently also, as part of my work, coordinating a weekly bereavement/grief group, which was starting just as my father died, so that is both a good thing and a challenge, indeed!
Blessings on you brother,
Clair Hochstetler
Hi there,
I feel so touched, there's always a big intensity in the words of a man who's trying to say his most inner life...thank you so much for your words.
God bless you,
Pace e Bene
=============
On 11/14/06, Clair Hochstetler <clair.hochstetler@gmail.com> responded to Freddie:
Tell me more about yourself. How have I met you, or do you know only my father, and not me, yet? - Clair
================
14/11/06
Hi Clair
We've never met, I simply read your blog and I found it really touching, I did like it!
I'm an Italian Franciscan friar (Friar Minor) living near Rome and studying Theology. As far as I've understood your dad should have been a great person.
I think I appreciated what you've written because I talk, or better listen, to many youths and most of them appear to have been deeply influenced by their relationship with their dads. I'm also doing a course as Emotional psychotherapist and I've seen many cases of young and less-young people who carry with them unresolved problems that have their roots in their relationships with the parents.
I'm not a dad, but I do think it's one of the most challenging, difficult but most rewarding "job".
Take care and God Bless you,
Pace e Bene
Br. Freddie
Fr. Federico Gandolfi
conv. San Bonaventura
Via San Francesco, 3
00044 - Frascati (RM)
Tel. +39 06 940 18 093
Fax. +39 06 942 98 103
===================
(On 11/14/06 at 10:45 AM)
Br. Freddie:
I feel honored that you read of all this at my website. I did not expect someone from Italy to stumble onto this, but that's great! I have only been to Italy twice in my life, back in my twenties, and I'm 53 now, but look forward to visiting again.
Yes, this project has helped me very much - in dealing with my grief and finding a way to move forward after losing both of my parents in six months time.
I have been here as a counselor and chaplain at a community hospital (here in northern Indiana -- only about 25 miles from Notre Dame University, which I'm sure you also know about) for about nine years. I am currently also, as part of my work, coordinating a weekly bereavement/grief group, which was starting just as my father died, so that is both a good thing and a challenge, indeed!
Blessings on you brother,
Clair Hochstetler
Harold Bauman reflecting on the many paradoxes in Dean's life...
Here are some poignant remarks shared during my father's memorial service (on 11-5-06 at the Yellow Creek Mennonite Church) by long-time friend, Harold Bauman, along with further information, at the end, about how to obtain the book he alluded to in those remarks. -Clair
------------
How does one explain Dean Hochstetler -- a man of many paradoxes?
1. Provincial community and world citizen. He was raised in a Mennonite home in a community with large Amish population in which he saw the occult and its consequences. However, he traveled to 40 plus countries at the invitation of church leaders and missionaries to teach in regard to deliverance ministry and to do it.
2. Limited formal education yet well-educated. His formal education ended at high school graduation. He had three siblings who did college and graduate work. Dean read theology, therapists’ writings and writing by psychiatrists and deliverance ministers. Dean was self-educated with a library of more than a 1000 books which will go to a deliverance minister. Dean commented to me on more than one occasion that he thought if he had a degree after his name he would have been listened to more.
3. He was a pioneer in deliverance ministry in his own denomination who received more invitations from seminaries and pastors’ groups from other denominations than from his own. His determination to do what he saw God calling him to do and the people he was equipping and setting free in the face of criticism kept him at his work. Those were hard days. More than once he raised the question with me whether we should stay within the Mennonite framework. Regardless, he had a vision to train people to do deliverance work who would carry on after he was no long able to do it. Eight days before his death he invited the first class to his home and, reading of Elijah giving his mantle to Elisha, he transferred his ministry to Delora Reinhardt, a very effective leader of a deliverance ministry team in this congregation. That evening in a more family focused group he transferred his mantle to Ben and Angela Snyder, also of this congregation. A number of other persons have been trained and are doing deliverance ministry work. How thankful I am that he had the vision to train others and acted upon it. He carried a deep concern that our seminaries train pastors to understand spiritual warfare, to know and discern the occult and the schemes of Satan, and when gifted and trained to do deliverance ministry.
I believe that God worked through Dean in a way that Paul wrote to the Corinthians, as paraphrased by Peterson, “Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? To all of his critics Dean could have said, “I like the way God is using me to set men and women free better than the way you are not doing it.”
4. For the record, let me add a fourth paradox: the public ministry and the private ministry. In public ministry his large stature and strong voice could easily convey that he was dogmatic and unsympathetic. In his private deliverance ministry he was gentle and empathetic, moving only as fast as the person was ready to move. Truly, his bark was much worse than his bite!
I thank God for Dean’s and Edna’s lives and ministries that have directly and indirectly blessed thousands of people. I am very grateful that in the consultation on “Hard Cases” at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries in April 2004 that Dean’s ministry was validated. The book growing out of that consultation contains much of Dean’s guidance for doing deliverance ministry and the diagnostic instrument he developed: Even the Demons Submit - Continuing Jesus' Ministry of Deliverance is dedicated to Dean.
Harold Bauman 11-05-06
-------------
Here is how to obtain this new book:
Even the Demons Submit: Continuing Jesus' Ministry of Deliverance is available from the publisher, Institute of Mennonite Studies, Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, 3003 Benham Ave, Elkhart, IN 46517; e-mail: ims@ambs.edu or phone 574-296-6239. The price per copy is $15.95. Note: A 20% discount is available from the IMS office for quantities of five or more to the same address. Shipping and handling for books purchased from IMS is $3 for the first copy (to a US address), and $1 for each additional copy. Mennonite Cooperative Bookstore on the AMBS campus also has individual copies for sale.
Click here for detailed information about this book, including endorsements.
It can also be purchased here from the co-publisher: Herald Press, 616 Walnut Avenue, Scottdale, PA 15683 or phone: 1-800-245-78940.
When you stand before Jesus of Nazareth, your resume is going to include scores and hundreds of names of people whose lives were changed by the...
Dear Lawrence,
I usually simply delete email that gets caught in my "spam" folder, where I found this very classy letter from you "after the fact" of his death. Something told me to scan that folder first this morning, before deleting the 240 messages collected in there over time. So glad I did check out that list - it was the only one I saved, but what a keeper! (And I imagine my father knew about your wonderful sentiments and intentions long before I did.)
I continue to add things to the website I set up at http://deanhochstetler.blogspot.com and this, along with several other messages that came in over the weekend, will be posted there now, as well.
Clair
==============
On 10/23/06, Lawrence E. Burkholder of Ontario, wrote:
Dear Dean,
Clair invited us to send you any final messages and so here is my word to you. I want to say first that you have been a tremendous influence and help over the last ten years as I have struggled with the ministry of deliverance and its theological setting. You have unstintingly sent me many, many papers and meterials, some of which I directly reference in my writing and others which simply primed my pump. In our personal meetings, you treated me collegially even though you are the one with the far greater hands-on experience. I
am sorry that you won't be here for the launch of my book (whenever that is!) but a part of you is certainly in it.
I don't know, Dean, how much you actually know about me. I suffered kidney failure in 1987 after a long deterioration. There were 26 months of self-dialysis and then in November, 1989, a kidney transplant was performed which has been functioning ever since. As I read Clair's story of how you have transferred leadership responsibilities and have a deep sense of complete fulfillment of your life's mission, I found myself thinking how great God's grace for me would be to be taken in similar fashion. What a blessing of Almighty
God to reach the end and know that you have won the race! Not bad for a farm [equipment] welder.
Dean, they say we can't take anything with us when we leave this world. This isn't true. We take with us our inheritance built up over the years of faithful service to God. When you stand before Jesus of Nazareth, your resume is going to include scores and hundreds of names of people whose lives were changed by the touch of Jesus' hand through you. Praise be to God!
I'll be seeing you one of these days.
Lawrence E. Burkholder
I usually simply delete email that gets caught in my "spam" folder, where I found this very classy letter from you "after the fact" of his death. Something told me to scan that folder first this morning, before deleting the 240 messages collected in there over time. So glad I did check out that list - it was the only one I saved, but what a keeper! (And I imagine my father knew about your wonderful sentiments and intentions long before I did.)
I continue to add things to the website I set up at http://deanhochstetler.blogspot.com and this, along with several other messages that came in over the weekend, will be posted there now, as well.
Clair
==============
On 10/23/06, Lawrence E. Burkholder
Dear Dean,
Clair invited us to send you any final messages and so here is my word to you. I want to say first that you have been a tremendous influence and help over the last ten years as I have struggled with the ministry of deliverance and its theological setting. You have unstintingly sent me many, many papers and meterials, some of which I directly reference in my writing and others which simply primed my pump. In our personal meetings, you treated me collegially even though you are the one with the far greater hands-on experience. I
am sorry that you won't be here for the launch of my book (whenever that is!) but a part of you is certainly in it.
I don't know, Dean, how much you actually know about me. I suffered kidney failure in 1987 after a long deterioration. There were 26 months of self-dialysis and then in November, 1989, a kidney transplant was performed which has been functioning ever since. As I read Clair's story of how you have transferred leadership responsibilities and have a deep sense of complete fulfillment of your life's mission, I found myself thinking how great God's grace for me would be to be taken in similar fashion. What a blessing of Almighty
God to reach the end and know that you have won the race! Not bad for a farm [equipment] welder.
Dean, they say we can't take anything with us when we leave this world. This isn't true. We take with us our inheritance built up over the years of faithful service to God. When you stand before Jesus of Nazareth, your resume is going to include scores and hundreds of names of people whose lives were changed by the touch of Jesus' hand through you. Praise be to God!
I'll be seeing you one of these days.
Lawrence E. Burkholder
We have appreciated so much Dean's ministry among us. He has helped open our eyes to spiritual warfare which is a "given" among Italian believers.
Dear Clair,
We just received word of your father's home-going and would like to share a few of our memories of him with you and your family. We were missionaries in Italy for 15 years with VMBM ('82-'97). We encountered much occult activity there and on one of our furloughs came to a week-end seminar in Indiana that included teaching and a deliverance session. The hospitality of your parents was wonderful, and the input we received was helpful.
We invited Dean to come to Sicily to help us and provide teaching for the believers there. We had an excellent time of ministry and teaching with our little congregation. There are two experiences I will never forget. After one of our sessions, one of the ladies came to Dean, she said she had experienced disturbances during the meeting, and asked for help.
We as a pastor couple, along with some family members met with Dean after the meeting, forming a circle of prayer around her, and we translated between Italian and English. At one point Dean began to command the spirits to leave in German. The lady began to fire back in an unknown language. For several minutes, this fiery conversation went back and forth between the two of them, him in German and her in another tongue. We sat there looking from one to the other, not understanding either one of them, but praying for both. And then Ina (lady) fell to the floor, prostrate, weeping uncontrollably. Something had been broken and she was free.
After she regained her strength and calmed down, we asked her what in the world she was saying. She said "I didn't know what the exact words meant, but I knew I was pleading for mercy." She became a new and changed person who had a ministry in the new congregation. Then months later Ina's deaf ear opened on the very day that Virginia Mennonite Conference had her name on their prayer calendar.
Another funny situation happened when a young adult girl came for counseling. She was upset because her mother, a very controlling person, wanted all of her paycheck and asked what she should do. Through translation, Dean said "Why don't you move out and get your own apartment." Floyd translated this, and the girl almost flipped out. She could never do that! Culturally, that would've been like saying, "Go get an apartment on the moon!" We have laughed about that, because we missionaries know what it means to have cross cultural experiences of this kind.
We have appreciated so much Dean's ministry among us. He has helped open our eyes to spiritual warfare which is a "given" among Italian believers. I have also had to deal with bondage in my own family as well. Dean's confidence and trust in an Almighty and Powerful God has been an inspiration to us.
Floyd and Janet Blosser
Harrisonburg, VA
FJBlosser@adelphia.net
We just received word of your father's home-going and would like to share a few of our memories of him with you and your family. We were missionaries in Italy for 15 years with VMBM ('82-'97). We encountered much occult activity there and on one of our furloughs came to a week-end seminar in Indiana that included teaching and a deliverance session. The hospitality of your parents was wonderful, and the input we received was helpful.
We invited Dean to come to Sicily to help us and provide teaching for the believers there. We had an excellent time of ministry and teaching with our little congregation. There are two experiences I will never forget. After one of our sessions, one of the ladies came to Dean, she said she had experienced disturbances during the meeting, and asked for help.
We as a pastor couple, along with some family members met with Dean after the meeting, forming a circle of prayer around her, and we translated between Italian and English. At one point Dean began to command the spirits to leave in German. The lady began to fire back in an unknown language. For several minutes, this fiery conversation went back and forth between the two of them, him in German and her in another tongue. We sat there looking from one to the other, not understanding either one of them, but praying for both. And then Ina (lady) fell to the floor, prostrate, weeping uncontrollably. Something had been broken and she was free.
After she regained her strength and calmed down, we asked her what in the world she was saying. She said "I didn't know what the exact words meant, but I knew I was pleading for mercy." She became a new and changed person who had a ministry in the new congregation. Then months later Ina's deaf ear opened on the very day that Virginia Mennonite Conference had her name on their prayer calendar.
Another funny situation happened when a young adult girl came for counseling. She was upset because her mother, a very controlling person, wanted all of her paycheck and asked what she should do. Through translation, Dean said "Why don't you move out and get your own apartment." Floyd translated this, and the girl almost flipped out. She could never do that! Culturally, that would've been like saying, "Go get an apartment on the moon!" We have laughed about that, because we missionaries know what it means to have cross cultural experiences of this kind.
We have appreciated so much Dean's ministry among us. He has helped open our eyes to spiritual warfare which is a "given" among Italian believers. I have also had to deal with bondage in my own family as well. Dean's confidence and trust in an Almighty and Powerful God has been an inspiration to us.
Floyd and Janet Blosser
Harrisonburg, VA
FJBlosser@adelphia.net
From Dr. Wesley Duewel, OMS International President Emeritus: "It was my joy to know Dean as my brother, fellow prayer-partner, humble fellow soldier
Wesley Duewel said (in the comments section)...
Thank God that Dean Hochstetler is now rejoicing in heaven. God used Brother Dean to the rejoicing of His children while here on earth, and to the consternation of the demons from hell. It was my joy to know Dean as my brother, fellow prayer-partner, and humble fellow soldier in the army of the Lord. May God raise up other prayer-warriors to take his place.
All for Jesus,
Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
President Emeritus
OMS International
Reflecting on what this project means to me -- dealing with the process of "letting go"
One of the reasons I set up this website was to help me prepare to "let go" of my father, Dean Hochstetler, as he neared his death in late October. I was experiencing what those of us who work professionally with bereavement issues would call a case of "anticipatory" grief. There was no way around it, and it had become somewhat familiar territory recently -- I had lost my mother when she died from cancer only six months prior.
Yet, the father-son relationship is unique. As most sons losing their father might feel during such a time as this, I found myself in a state of reflection and life review, assessing how my father - either directly or indirectly - significantly impacted my self-identity, values, theology, patterns of conflict management, choices regarding vocational pursuits, and many other aspects of my life. I could trace some very significant twists and turns in my own unfolding story, as well as in his. He was a force to be reckoned with, all my life, and it was not always very easy for me or my three brothers, either, for that matter. But there was a lot that I appreciated, as well. My father, who (in the words of one retired seminary professor) was "the dean of the Mennonite exorcists and maybe the only one" led a life filled with paradox in many ways, and thus, so was mine.
All this took me back in my mind to a very deep level of self-examination, counseling, and critical analysis during my hospital residency in Clinical Pastoral Education in Kalamazoo, Michigan 1995-96. This was a time of major crisis - when my first marriage of 14 years was falling apart. But this also laid the foundations for a very fruitful turning point in my life. By this point ten years later, I had also come to perceive a certain circular dimension to this journey I was on. I had long recognized, and appreciated, some common themes which characterized my relationship with Dad and approach to life. I had firsthand experience observing the trajectory of his own evolution, how his personality mellowed out, the hard edges rubbed off - some now called him the "gentle giant." All this was fertile ground for reflection - especially as I deliberately carved out some space, and slowed down my pace of life in order to spend some time ruminating on the meaning of it all.
At the same time, some of my friends who expressed care and concern for what was going on certainly knew me, but had no experience of my father, no family "context." I wanted to enable some of them to better comprehend how this experience was affecting me and the rest of my family.
In addition, I was acutely aware of the major impact my father had on so many other people in our community, around the nation, and the world - and I knew these widely scattered friends would also want to know what was going on with him. My mother Edna had died so she could not tell them or send out email anymore. One brother was very busy with his family issues in North Carolina and my other brother was extremely preoccupied as Dad's primary care giver (alongside my father's sister, a retired RN) and was basically providing assisted living in Dad's own home. Another brother had died in 1997.
So...I felt very challenged to somehow "get it all together." For pete's sake, I'm a well-trained hospital chaplain -- I should know how to do this! Part of what I specialize in is helping others deal with all this sort of agenda: Intuitively, I knew it was in my best interests to make the most of this important time, to face my resistances in "the process" of letting go, to go deep and deal with any "unresolved issues," and share the things that really matter - so there would be no regrets later. In short, I knew I had to get on with what I encourage others to do at such a time as this, as hard as it may be.
However, and this is a significant point, it's one thing to do this professionally - and quite another to do this personally. I remembered the psychic and spiritual energy expended going through this process when my mother was dying - the results that were actually quite rewarding. But my relationship with my father was very complex and different than the one I had with mother, there was a lot more "agenda" and I wondered if I had it in me...
I had finally started with some postponed interviews with Dad using my DVD camcorder, something I knew I "should do" for the sake of posterity, my grandchildren, etc. But he was somewhat resistant doing very much of that because he had grown very "tired" by this time. Dad referred me to some things he'd already written, or tapes that had been made - plenty of material to be researched later on, he said. However, I knew he always loved telling stories, and in fact, after we started in, it sort of energized him for the rest of the day. We were both relaxed and at ease. I'll never regret doing that, as I did pull out some great stories, but realized in the process that what was even more important was to deal with my own - and how his story impacted mine.
So, after exercising sufficient courage and carving out the aformentioned space and time, I composed my thoughts, and wrote -- surprised and shocked at times by the amount of tears streaming down my face. I spent some time one-on-one with my Dad again on Tuesday evening (October 24) and invited his responses. Though he was already growing weak and laying down already, tired out from a "long day," he was still alert and listening well. Dad expressed that he was completely ready to "let go" and felt very much at ease about things, and about us. He had dealt completely with all his "unfinished business" - turned over the reins in every aspect, but I was still barely getting to where I needed to be. I think he knew this process was important for me - to deal with what was happening, as a whole generation was phasing out, and the next one just now really coming into its own.
I needed to express how much I appreciated what he had given me - both a nest, such as it was, and wings to soar. He had, by the life he modeled, given me courage to explore some uncharted waters, just as he did in his own way. I was able to tell him, once again, that I truly loved him and appreciated his spiritual strength as I described the impact he had on my own life (even in the midst of very strong memories about all the very good, the bad, and the ugly which we both knew about and had gotten beyond.) It was a powerful moment -- and I was finally completely free to "release" him. What a gift that was - almost a week before he actually left us! Dad even said it was OK to share in this venue the piece I'd written. And that, my friends, is what started this blog - powered by a moment of GRACE.
The power of that exercise I undertook, helped me encourage others to vicariously experience a little bit of the same - to submit written messages we could relay to my father while he could still appreciate them. And enjoy them he did during the week before his death - along with some phone calls that flowed from long-time friends as a result. It blessed the family so much, as well, to read these messages that he received. You will find some of them in the October archive, as well - the ones for which I had permission to share publicly in this venue.
My father, Dean Hochstetler, was not a proud man, or an egotist. He was actually the opposite. When he discovered resistances, he did not imagine himself as the healer, he patiently kept pointing people to "Christ As Victor." While he was indeed a force to be reckoned with, he taught me, and many others, so much about empowering others. My hope is this blog will honor that legacy of transformation, healing, and hope for a full-filled life. Life rooted in honest self-assessment, redirected to appropriate the power of the One whose own life, death and resurrection can and does deliver us from all sorts of evil -- and sets us on a journey towards peace and wholeness.
Creating and managing this project has been extremely fulfilling and therapeutic - a way for me to privately grieve in anticipation of his death, and to publicly mourn and celebrate his life - both before and after his "graduation." Now, after his death on October 30, 2006, and the memorial service yesterday (Nov. 5) it is my hope this site will continue to function as a good place for family members, friends, and acquaintances around the world to post their own perspectives on my father's unique (some say "extraordinary") life - to document special memories, stories about how he made a difference in their lives.
As blogs like this go, if you want to read chronologically, start at the bottom and work up! (Other than his photo and obituary, the latest submissions are posted first.) Keep checking back, because a video copy of his memorial service (an extraordinary experience in itself - hardly possible to convey in words just yet) will be converted to digital format and made accessible here by mid-November. As time and opportunity allow, I hope to include some of my father's own autobiographical writings.
This might eventually become a book -- readers and contributors here could have an influence in how that takes shape! So, please don't be afraid to share your own thoughts, if you knew him as your family member, your neighbor, your welder, your friend, your teacher, or your spiritual counselor - in whatever capacity. No statement is too small to include. No respondent too "ordinary." No need to be flowery - just heartfelt.
For those who have never tried posting on a "blog" before, there are three easy ways for you to add something here:
1) you may click immediately under the line below this - on the "(#) Comments" hyperlink - with your mouse and start composing in the box on the page that comes up. I will then be alerted and transfer your piece to the main blog -
or...
2) you can click on any "comments" link below anyone else's posting, if you want to leave a comment regarding that person's specific remarks - it will remain in the comments section -
or...
3) you can send your thoughts directly to my email address at: Clair.Hochstetler@gmail.com
Clair Hochstetler
Yet, the father-son relationship is unique. As most sons losing their father might feel during such a time as this, I found myself in a state of reflection and life review, assessing how my father - either directly or indirectly - significantly impacted my self-identity, values, theology, patterns of conflict management, choices regarding vocational pursuits, and many other aspects of my life. I could trace some very significant twists and turns in my own unfolding story, as well as in his. He was a force to be reckoned with, all my life, and it was not always very easy for me or my three brothers, either, for that matter. But there was a lot that I appreciated, as well. My father, who (in the words of one retired seminary professor) was "the dean of the Mennonite exorcists and maybe the only one" led a life filled with paradox in many ways, and thus, so was mine.
All this took me back in my mind to a very deep level of self-examination, counseling, and critical analysis during my hospital residency in Clinical Pastoral Education in Kalamazoo, Michigan 1995-96. This was a time of major crisis - when my first marriage of 14 years was falling apart. But this also laid the foundations for a very fruitful turning point in my life. By this point ten years later, I had also come to perceive a certain circular dimension to this journey I was on. I had long recognized, and appreciated, some common themes which characterized my relationship with Dad and approach to life. I had firsthand experience observing the trajectory of his own evolution, how his personality mellowed out, the hard edges rubbed off - some now called him the "gentle giant." All this was fertile ground for reflection - especially as I deliberately carved out some space, and slowed down my pace of life in order to spend some time ruminating on the meaning of it all.
At the same time, some of my friends who expressed care and concern for what was going on certainly knew me, but had no experience of my father, no family "context." I wanted to enable some of them to better comprehend how this experience was affecting me and the rest of my family.
In addition, I was acutely aware of the major impact my father had on so many other people in our community, around the nation, and the world - and I knew these widely scattered friends would also want to know what was going on with him. My mother Edna had died so she could not tell them or send out email anymore. One brother was very busy with his family issues in North Carolina and my other brother was extremely preoccupied as Dad's primary care giver (alongside my father's sister, a retired RN) and was basically providing assisted living in Dad's own home. Another brother had died in 1997.
So...I felt very challenged to somehow "get it all together." For pete's sake, I'm a well-trained hospital chaplain -- I should know how to do this! Part of what I specialize in is helping others deal with all this sort of agenda: Intuitively, I knew it was in my best interests to make the most of this important time, to face my resistances in "the process" of letting go, to go deep and deal with any "unresolved issues," and share the things that really matter - so there would be no regrets later. In short, I knew I had to get on with what I encourage others to do at such a time as this, as hard as it may be.
However, and this is a significant point, it's one thing to do this professionally - and quite another to do this personally. I remembered the psychic and spiritual energy expended going through this process when my mother was dying - the results that were actually quite rewarding. But my relationship with my father was very complex and different than the one I had with mother, there was a lot more "agenda" and I wondered if I had it in me...
I had finally started with some postponed interviews with Dad using my DVD camcorder, something I knew I "should do" for the sake of posterity, my grandchildren, etc. But he was somewhat resistant doing very much of that because he had grown very "tired" by this time. Dad referred me to some things he'd already written, or tapes that had been made - plenty of material to be researched later on, he said. However, I knew he always loved telling stories, and in fact, after we started in, it sort of energized him for the rest of the day. We were both relaxed and at ease. I'll never regret doing that, as I did pull out some great stories, but realized in the process that what was even more important was to deal with my own - and how his story impacted mine.
So, after exercising sufficient courage and carving out the aformentioned space and time, I composed my thoughts, and wrote -- surprised and shocked at times by the amount of tears streaming down my face. I spent some time one-on-one with my Dad again on Tuesday evening (October 24) and invited his responses. Though he was already growing weak and laying down already, tired out from a "long day," he was still alert and listening well. Dad expressed that he was completely ready to "let go" and felt very much at ease about things, and about us. He had dealt completely with all his "unfinished business" - turned over the reins in every aspect, but I was still barely getting to where I needed to be. I think he knew this process was important for me - to deal with what was happening, as a whole generation was phasing out, and the next one just now really coming into its own.
I needed to express how much I appreciated what he had given me - both a nest, such as it was, and wings to soar. He had, by the life he modeled, given me courage to explore some uncharted waters, just as he did in his own way. I was able to tell him, once again, that I truly loved him and appreciated his spiritual strength as I described the impact he had on my own life (even in the midst of very strong memories about all the very good, the bad, and the ugly which we both knew about and had gotten beyond.) It was a powerful moment -- and I was finally completely free to "release" him. What a gift that was - almost a week before he actually left us! Dad even said it was OK to share in this venue the piece I'd written. And that, my friends, is what started this blog - powered by a moment of GRACE.
The power of that exercise I undertook, helped me encourage others to vicariously experience a little bit of the same - to submit written messages we could relay to my father while he could still appreciate them. And enjoy them he did during the week before his death - along with some phone calls that flowed from long-time friends as a result. It blessed the family so much, as well, to read these messages that he received. You will find some of them in the October archive, as well - the ones for which I had permission to share publicly in this venue.
My father, Dean Hochstetler, was not a proud man, or an egotist. He was actually the opposite. When he discovered resistances, he did not imagine himself as the healer, he patiently kept pointing people to "Christ As Victor." While he was indeed a force to be reckoned with, he taught me, and many others, so much about empowering others. My hope is this blog will honor that legacy of transformation, healing, and hope for a full-filled life. Life rooted in honest self-assessment, redirected to appropriate the power of the One whose own life, death and resurrection can and does deliver us from all sorts of evil -- and sets us on a journey towards peace and wholeness.
Creating and managing this project has been extremely fulfilling and therapeutic - a way for me to privately grieve in anticipation of his death, and to publicly mourn and celebrate his life - both before and after his "graduation." Now, after his death on October 30, 2006, and the memorial service yesterday (Nov. 5) it is my hope this site will continue to function as a good place for family members, friends, and acquaintances around the world to post their own perspectives on my father's unique (some say "extraordinary") life - to document special memories, stories about how he made a difference in their lives.
As blogs like this go, if you want to read chronologically, start at the bottom and work up! (Other than his photo and obituary, the latest submissions are posted first.) Keep checking back, because a video copy of his memorial service (an extraordinary experience in itself - hardly possible to convey in words just yet) will be converted to digital format and made accessible here by mid-November. As time and opportunity allow, I hope to include some of my father's own autobiographical writings.
This might eventually become a book -- readers and contributors here could have an influence in how that takes shape! So, please don't be afraid to share your own thoughts, if you knew him as your family member, your neighbor, your welder, your friend, your teacher, or your spiritual counselor - in whatever capacity. No statement is too small to include. No respondent too "ordinary." No need to be flowery - just heartfelt.
For those who have never tried posting on a "blog" before, there are three easy ways for you to add something here:
1) you may click immediately under the line below this - on the "(#) Comments" hyperlink - with your mouse and start composing in the box on the page that comes up. I will then be alerted and transfer your piece to the main blog -
or...
2) you can click on any "comments" link below anyone else's posting, if you want to leave a comment regarding that person's specific remarks - it will remain in the comments section -
or...
3) you can send your thoughts directly to my email address at: Clair.Hochstetler@gmail.com
Clair Hochstetler
Dean Hochstetler's Memorial Service Obituary - as edited and read by Pastor Katie Cunningham, Yellow Creek Mennonite Church
Dean L. Hochstetler was born on October 6, 1928 in Marshall County, Indiana to William and Mary (Maust) Hochstetler. He was the second son born to William and Mary with two sisters and a younger brother to follow him. Dean's family attended North Main Street Mennonite Church where he was baptized on March 14, 1943 at age 14 along with his sister Mary Ellen. Dean graduated from Bremen High School in 1947, then served in La Plata Puerto Rico before his marriage to Edna M. Swartzentruber on December 7, 1952 in Sarasota, Florida. Together they had four sons: Clair, Donald, Verle and Lee.
Dean was owner/operator, of Equipment Service, a welding and farm machinery repair business between Nappanee and Bremen. Later, his son Verle partnered with him in the business. Dean enjoyed flying as a private pilot, enjoyed classical music, and widely read in a variety of disciplines. He was trilingual and enjoyed interactions with people from many cultures, traveling in some forty countries during his life, most of them alongside his wife, Edna. Enjoying her faithful support in the spiritual ministry, they often hosted friends and guests from across the country and around the world in their home in Nappanee, Indiana.
Dean became a skilled counselor, pioneering a Christian spiritual deliverance ministry spanning over forty years. On May 25, 1986, Dean was officially ordained by the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference, the first person to be credentialed for this particular specialized ministry in the history of the Mennonite church. Dean and Edna became members of Yellow Creek Mennonite Church on July 19, 1992, where they have been active for 15 years.
For the past ten years, Dean focused on teaching and leadership development to assure the continuation of the spiritual deliverance ministry for the generations to follow. A celebration of Dean's leadership in this ministry was held one year ago, at Yellow Creek Mennonite Church. Two weeks ago, Dean passed the "mantle of Elijah" on to Delora Reinhardt and Ben and Angela Snyder, as the new leaders of the spiritual deliverance ministry.
At 4:00 am on October 30, 2006, Dean died of natural causes in his home in Nappanee.
He donated his body to the Anatomical Education Center of Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Dean was preceded in death by Edna, his wife of 53 years, who died on April 25, 2006, his brother, Eugene, his son, Donald, and both of his parents.
Surviving are his three sons, Clair (Carole Anne) of Goshen, Verle, of rural Bremen, and Lee (Susan) of North Carolina, and eight grandchildren: Megan, Jordan, Landon, Shawn, Austin, Laura, David and Sarah Hochstetler.
Dean is also survived by three siblings: Mary Ellen Kaufman and Miriam Hochstetler of rural Nappanee, and Alan Hochstetler of Williamsburg, VA.
Memorial gifts may be designated in Dean's memory to the Mission Commission of Yellow Creek Mennonite Church, to be utilized to support the training expenses of persons involved in spiritual deliverance ministry.
Dean was owner/operator, of Equipment Service, a welding and farm machinery repair business between Nappanee and Bremen. Later, his son Verle partnered with him in the business. Dean enjoyed flying as a private pilot, enjoyed classical music, and widely read in a variety of disciplines. He was trilingual and enjoyed interactions with people from many cultures, traveling in some forty countries during his life, most of them alongside his wife, Edna. Enjoying her faithful support in the spiritual ministry, they often hosted friends and guests from across the country and around the world in their home in Nappanee, Indiana.
Dean became a skilled counselor, pioneering a Christian spiritual deliverance ministry spanning over forty years. On May 25, 1986, Dean was officially ordained by the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference, the first person to be credentialed for this particular specialized ministry in the history of the Mennonite church. Dean and Edna became members of Yellow Creek Mennonite Church on July 19, 1992, where they have been active for 15 years.
For the past ten years, Dean focused on teaching and leadership development to assure the continuation of the spiritual deliverance ministry for the generations to follow. A celebration of Dean's leadership in this ministry was held one year ago, at Yellow Creek Mennonite Church. Two weeks ago, Dean passed the "mantle of Elijah" on to Delora Reinhardt and Ben and Angela Snyder, as the new leaders of the spiritual deliverance ministry.
At 4:00 am on October 30, 2006, Dean died of natural causes in his home in Nappanee.
He donated his body to the Anatomical Education Center of Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Dean was preceded in death by Edna, his wife of 53 years, who died on April 25, 2006, his brother, Eugene, his son, Donald, and both of his parents.
Surviving are his three sons, Clair (Carole Anne) of Goshen, Verle, of rural Bremen, and Lee (Susan) of North Carolina, and eight grandchildren: Megan, Jordan, Landon, Shawn, Austin, Laura, David and Sarah Hochstetler.
Dean is also survived by three siblings: Mary Ellen Kaufman and Miriam Hochstetler of rural Nappanee, and Alan Hochstetler of Williamsburg, VA.
Memorial gifts may be designated in Dean's memory to the Mission Commission of Yellow Creek Mennonite Church, to be utilized to support the training expenses of persons involved in spiritual deliverance ministry.
We worked together with others to form the International Center for Biblical Counseling
In memory of Dean Hochstetler:
To the best of our recollection, we first became acquainted with Dean and Edna Hochstetler in the 1970's because of our mutual involvement in deliverance ministries. We have spent profitable hours, sometimes in our home in Georgia or South Carolina and sometimes in their home in Indiana. We found our friendship with them to be deeply enriching and warmly satisfying.
I often arranged for Dean to address church services and college classes because of his knowledgable expertise and his experiences and key insights into spiritual warfare. Our mutual interest in helping Christian workers to find more successful results brought Dean and me together with other spiritual warfare workers in forming the International Center for Biblical Counseling, an organization that continues to this day, with biennial meetings in Sioux City, Iowa.
Dr. Gerald E. and Martha S. McGraw
---------
(Clair's background note: As an update regarding the ICBC (click here) their headquarters moved this past September to Indiana. ICBC also organizes workshops and leadership training seminars which are conducted in various places throughout the country. Note the other related links at that site regarding faculty and workshop content.)
To the best of our recollection, we first became acquainted with Dean and Edna Hochstetler in the 1970's because of our mutual involvement in deliverance ministries. We have spent profitable hours, sometimes in our home in Georgia or South Carolina and sometimes in their home in Indiana. We found our friendship with them to be deeply enriching and warmly satisfying.
I often arranged for Dean to address church services and college classes because of his knowledgable expertise and his experiences and key insights into spiritual warfare. Our mutual interest in helping Christian workers to find more successful results brought Dean and me together with other spiritual warfare workers in forming the International Center for Biblical Counseling, an organization that continues to this day, with biennial meetings in Sioux City, Iowa.
Dr. Gerald E. and Martha S. McGraw
---------
(Clair's background note: As an update regarding the ICBC (click here) their headquarters moved this past September to Indiana. ICBC also organizes workshops and leadership training seminars which are conducted in various places throughout the country. Note the other related links at that site regarding faculty and workshop content.)
Dean's gift of spiritual discernment was wonderful, actually awesome.
Clair,
I am amazed at the great sense of loss that I have experienced as a result of your father's home going. However, we know that he is happier than ever, now that he is with our Father, our Savior, Edna, Donald and other family members.
Dean was a teacher, mentor and close friend to Cathy and me for nearly twenty years.
We became aware of your dad's ministry while attending spiritual warfare teaching by Dr Warner in the late 80's. Being neophytes in deliverance, we were quick to call on Dean for assistance whenever we felt like we were in over our heads, which was fairly often. He was always there, ready to help. He would usually suggest we bring the one seeking freedom to his home. And we would. When we arrived, he would meet us at the door with a big smile and we would exchange hugs with him and your mom. Sometimes when ministry ran long on Saturday mornings, Edna would silently slip into the kitchen and put together a wonderful meal. Your dad and mom had a marvelous gift of making people feel right at home.
As I write this I can hear him saying, as he often did during times of ministry, "Christ is victor". "We are working from a position of victory, which He bought for us on the cross".
Dean's gift of spiritual discernment was wonderful, actually awesome. He was often led to a root issue so quickly we just sat in amazement. And, he was such a gracious, patient and thorough teacher, who usually had some neat diagrams that helped everyone visualize the spiritual dynamic he was teaching. He freely shared with us from his vast knowledge of the spirit world and readily encouraged us to step right up and confront the afflicting spirits. Which we timidly did, but only because we knew he was there to back us up. To have had the opportunity to sit under his teaching for so many years, and on occasion minister along side him, has been one of Father's more precious gifts.
A special thanks to you, Clair, for providing this opportunity to express our love for Dean and Edna and our gratitude for all they gave us out of the abundance of their hearts. We, like many, look forward to being greeted by them, when we arrive at our heavenly home.
David and Cathy Payne
Fort Wayne, IN
I am amazed at the great sense of loss that I have experienced as a result of your father's home going. However, we know that he is happier than ever, now that he is with our Father, our Savior, Edna, Donald and other family members.
Dean was a teacher, mentor and close friend to Cathy and me for nearly twenty years.
We became aware of your dad's ministry while attending spiritual warfare teaching by Dr Warner in the late 80's. Being neophytes in deliverance, we were quick to call on Dean for assistance whenever we felt like we were in over our heads, which was fairly often. He was always there, ready to help. He would usually suggest we bring the one seeking freedom to his home. And we would. When we arrived, he would meet us at the door with a big smile and we would exchange hugs with him and your mom. Sometimes when ministry ran long on Saturday mornings, Edna would silently slip into the kitchen and put together a wonderful meal. Your dad and mom had a marvelous gift of making people feel right at home.
As I write this I can hear him saying, as he often did during times of ministry, "Christ is victor". "We are working from a position of victory, which He bought for us on the cross".
Dean's gift of spiritual discernment was wonderful, actually awesome. He was often led to a root issue so quickly we just sat in amazement. And, he was such a gracious, patient and thorough teacher, who usually had some neat diagrams that helped everyone visualize the spiritual dynamic he was teaching. He freely shared with us from his vast knowledge of the spirit world and readily encouraged us to step right up and confront the afflicting spirits. Which we timidly did, but only because we knew he was there to back us up. To have had the opportunity to sit under his teaching for so many years, and on occasion minister along side him, has been one of Father's more precious gifts.
A special thanks to you, Clair, for providing this opportunity to express our love for Dean and Edna and our gratitude for all they gave us out of the abundance of their hearts. We, like many, look forward to being greeted by them, when we arrive at our heavenly home.
David and Cathy Payne
Fort Wayne, IN
Comment from Earl and Shirley Bailey
When Dean and Edna came to Mali in 1990 and taught...I cannot even express to you the difference it has made in my life.
Dear Lee, Susan, Laura, David and Sarah,
We were very sorry to hear about Dean's passing. We are thankful for his life and great service to the Lord. When Dean and Edna came to Mali in 1990 and taught about spiritual warfare and deliverance, I (Sue) was able to start down the road to the Lord's healing in my life. I am so thankful for Dean obedience and faithfulness to the Lord's call in his life. I cannot even express to you the difference it has made in my life.
I look forward to seeing Dean again in heaven. May the Lord grant you all that you need during this time. It is difficult having both your folks going home to the Lord in such a short space of time. Thankfully we have an eternal hope in heaven and we will see our loved ones again.
Know that our prayers are with you.
In Christ,
Sue, Brad, Nate and Adam Smeltzer
-----------
(Background note from Clair: These are friends of my brother Lee and sister-in-law Susan -- fellow Wycliffe Bible Translators in the same country they served, but based with a different people group in Mali, West Africa. Lee tells me the Smeltzers are presently based in Fresno, California to care for Brad's ailing mother.)
We were very sorry to hear about Dean's passing. We are thankful for his life and great service to the Lord. When Dean and Edna came to Mali in 1990 and taught about spiritual warfare and deliverance, I (Sue) was able to start down the road to the Lord's healing in my life. I am so thankful for Dean obedience and faithfulness to the Lord's call in his life. I cannot even express to you the difference it has made in my life.
I look forward to seeing Dean again in heaven. May the Lord grant you all that you need during this time. It is difficult having both your folks going home to the Lord in such a short space of time. Thankfully we have an eternal hope in heaven and we will see our loved ones again.
Know that our prayers are with you.
In Christ,
Sue, Brad, Nate and Adam Smeltzer
-----------
(Background note from Clair: These are friends of my brother Lee and sister-in-law Susan -- fellow Wycliffe Bible Translators in the same country they served, but based with a different people group in Mali, West Africa. Lee tells me the Smeltzers are presently based in Fresno, California to care for Brad's ailing mother.)
Dr. Tim Warner: He has made an immeasurable contribution to my life and ministry...
When I think of Dean being gone, it is like losing a part of myself. He has made an immeasurable contribution to my life and ministry. I don’t know of anyone anywhere in whom I would have more confidence to turn for support and wise counsel than Dean. I can only thank God for such a faithful servant who remained faithful to the Lord’s call until the very end. I thank the Lord for the legacy of blessing Dean has left for me and for so many of those to whom he ministered.
Timothy Warner
--------------------
Don Jacobs: I loved ministering and teaching with Dean - it was like...
-
Ministering with Dean was like chucking 2000 years of history and walking with Jesus and his disciples through Palestine and the world touching people with the healing power of the atoning work of Jesus. I loved ministering and teaching with Dean.
Having served as a missionary in East Africa I discovered many, many things. How excited I was to meet and learn from this dear brother, Dean, who understood exactly what I was learning.
Dean will continue to inspire me. He was God's special gift to me through these years.
He is now with his Jesus - safe and sound and secure - forever.
Don Jacobs
Retired Director of Mennonite Christian Leadership Foundation
(As Tony Campol loves to say) "Sunday's a comin' !"
Our whole family feels a deep sense of peace about what transpired on Monday. Incredibly, dad never really went into a coma, as all the medical professionals predicted he would due to such a high level of poisons in his system from kidney failure. Of course, true to his nature, he had a very strong "constitution!" As a family we took turns providing 24-hour care during the last week, managing to keep him comfortable and relatively pain-free right to the very end, with the wonderful help of Roxanole (Morphine Sulfate) and other recommendations provided by the primary hospice nurse. (We had hospice care at his home for the last ten days.) Though quite weak and bed-fast the last three days and nights, he was able to maintain enough alertness to interact with us - and acknowledge the love and support he was getting from good friends who stopped by. Throughout, Dad never really complained about anything.
We (dad's sister Mary Ellen - a retired nurse, my brother Verle, and I) took turns providing the primary care so that we could maintain good energy levels. Dad's sister Miriam, and brother Allen also hung out at the house each day to help with this and that. Verle did the hard slog of night shift all week and I relieved him of that Friday and Saturday night, and then left for home Sunday evening, just 5 or 6 hours prior to his death - I stayed around most of the weekend, and busied myself sorting through things in mom's desk, and alternated with interactions with Dad - while Verle continued to sort through a remaining batch of papers at Dad's desk that Dad was too weak to deal with. I observed signs and symptoms of impending death, and anticipated this possibly happening on Sunday evening. However, Dad's heart didn't really wind down until Verle was sleeping in the room next to his in the middle of the night. That's the short version.
However, Verle did have a very important personal experience surrounding Dad's home-going (sometime near or shortly after 3:30 AM, within a half hour of his death.) Verle told me later on Monday about this. Near that time my brother suddenly intuited the presence of a strong negative "evil force" that tried to invade the room. Simultaneously, he observed Dad make a visual negative reaction to "something" which he too must have seen -- at the very point when Dad was at his weakest, from a physical point of view. (Of course, by then he could no longer speak.) Verle immediately banished this force which he had sensed, with all the power and authority in Christ that he could appropriate -- and the "atmosphere" cleared forthwith.
Verle laid down again in the next room, but shortly thereafter Dad "slipped away" as Verle thought he heard Dad's respirations slow then stop. Yes, Dad was gone when Verle got up once again to check, so he threw his hands toward heaven, "releasing" Dad to the angels in a spirit of quiet victorious praise.
Dad went extremely peaceful at an estimated time of 4 AM -- a point when a couple of his close friends (told me when I called them several hours later) had been awake and praying for him at that time - Dad's situation laying heavy on their minds and hearts!
SO, THANKS SO MUCH to all of you who helped "stand in the gap" - keeping vigilant attention at your own homes - interceeding on his behalf and protecting his peace when he found himself in that very thin space between earth and heaven.
It seems like such a short time since we went through all this with my mother, Edna, after she died on April 25 of this year. If you know my father Dean and would like to be involved but simply can't join us in person this weekend for "The Great Celebration" of his life, this website I set up today (its actually called a "blog", short for "weblog") offers a significant opportunity:
This shall become an ongoing "work-in-progress" -- where my own plus a number of other family members' and friends' stories, reflections, and experiences surrounding dad's life are gradually being centralized here as a witness to the impact he made in people's lives.
If you got fairly well-acquainted with my father, you will most likely want to bookmark this website and check back from time to time, since I anticipate that others will continue to post their recollections. Specifically, in that regard, I encourage you to think about sharing something of your own experience of Dean, or how he made a difference in your life and perspective. Some of the postings here will likely be read on Sunday at his memorial service.
It's also OK to send something via my primary email address that I check often, at Clair.Hochstetler@gmail.com -- and if you would rather not have it posted on this blog, or read publicly, just say so. (I will ask for permission to "publish" here, in any case, if it seems to contain sentiments or facts of a more personal nature.)
In grace and gratitude,
Clair
We (dad's sister Mary Ellen - a retired nurse, my brother Verle, and I) took turns providing the primary care so that we could maintain good energy levels. Dad's sister Miriam, and brother Allen also hung out at the house each day to help with this and that. Verle did the hard slog of night shift all week and I relieved him of that Friday and Saturday night, and then left for home Sunday evening, just 5 or 6 hours prior to his death - I stayed around most of the weekend, and busied myself sorting through things in mom's desk, and alternated with interactions with Dad - while Verle continued to sort through a remaining batch of papers at Dad's desk that Dad was too weak to deal with. I observed signs and symptoms of impending death, and anticipated this possibly happening on Sunday evening. However, Dad's heart didn't really wind down until Verle was sleeping in the room next to his in the middle of the night. That's the short version.
However, Verle did have a very important personal experience surrounding Dad's home-going (sometime near or shortly after 3:30 AM, within a half hour of his death.) Verle told me later on Monday about this. Near that time my brother suddenly intuited the presence of a strong negative "evil force" that tried to invade the room. Simultaneously, he observed Dad make a visual negative reaction to "something" which he too must have seen -- at the very point when Dad was at his weakest, from a physical point of view. (Of course, by then he could no longer speak.) Verle immediately banished this force which he had sensed, with all the power and authority in Christ that he could appropriate -- and the "atmosphere" cleared forthwith.
Verle laid down again in the next room, but shortly thereafter Dad "slipped away" as Verle thought he heard Dad's respirations slow then stop. Yes, Dad was gone when Verle got up once again to check, so he threw his hands toward heaven, "releasing" Dad to the angels in a spirit of quiet victorious praise.
Dad went extremely peaceful at an estimated time of 4 AM -- a point when a couple of his close friends (told me when I called them several hours later) had been awake and praying for him at that time - Dad's situation laying heavy on their minds and hearts!
SO, THANKS SO MUCH to all of you who helped "stand in the gap" - keeping vigilant attention at your own homes - interceeding on his behalf and protecting his peace when he found himself in that very thin space between earth and heaven.
It seems like such a short time since we went through all this with my mother, Edna, after she died on April 25 of this year. If you know my father Dean and would like to be involved but simply can't join us in person this weekend for "The Great Celebration" of his life, this website I set up today (its actually called a "blog", short for "weblog") offers a significant opportunity:
This shall become an ongoing "work-in-progress" -- where my own plus a number of other family members' and friends' stories, reflections, and experiences surrounding dad's life are gradually being centralized here as a witness to the impact he made in people's lives.
If you got fairly well-acquainted with my father, you will most likely want to bookmark this website and check back from time to time, since I anticipate that others will continue to post their recollections. Specifically, in that regard, I encourage you to think about sharing something of your own experience of Dean, or how he made a difference in your life and perspective. Some of the postings here will likely be read on Sunday at his memorial service.
It's also OK to send something via my primary email address that I check often, at Clair.Hochstetler@gmail.com -- and if you would rather not have it posted on this blog, or read publicly, just say so. (I will ask for permission to "publish" here, in any case, if it seems to contain sentiments or facts of a more personal nature.)
In grace and gratitude,
Clair
Text of Dean's obituary in the local newspapers
NAPPANEE - Dean L. Hochstetler, 78, of 1752 Waterfall Drive, died at 4 a.m. Monday (Oct. 30, 2006) at home.
He was born Oct. 6, 1928, in Marshall County to William and Mary (Maust) Hochstetler, graduated from Bremen High School in 1947 and married Edna M. Swartzentruber on Dec. 7, 1952. She died April 25, 2006.
He is survived by three sons, Clair (Carole Anne) of Goshen, Verle of rural Bremen and Lee (Susan), currently in North Carolina, on leave from a Wycliffe Bible Translators assignment in Mali, West Africa.
He also is survived by eight grandchildren; two sisters, Mary Ellen Kaufman and Miriam Hochstetler of rural Nappanee; and one brother, Alan Hochstetler of Williamsburg, Va.
He was preceded in death by one brother, Eugene; and one son, Donald.
Friends may call from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Thompson-Lengacher and Yoder Funeral Home, 950 N. Main St., Nappanee, and from 2 until the 4 p.m. Sunday memorial service and celebration of life at Yellow Creek Mennonite Church, 64901 C.R. 11, Goshen, at C.R. 38.
Mr. Hochstetler donated his body to the Anatomical Education Center of IU Medical Center in Indianapolis.
Mr. Hochstetler and his wife, Edna, had been involved with the Yellow Creek Mennonite Church congregation for the past 15 years. He was owner/operator and later a partner with his son, Verle, of Equipment Service, a welding and farm-machinery repair business between Nappanee and Bremen.
He also traveled widely around the world with his wife and became a skilled counselor, pioneering a Christian spiritual deliverance ministry spanning more than 40 years. On May 25, 1986, Mr. Hochstetler was officially ordained by the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference as the first person to be credentialed for this particular specialized ministry in the history of the denomination. For the past 10 years, he focused on teaching and leadership development to assure the continuation of this ministry for the generations to follow.
Dean enjoyed flying as a private pilot, was a classical music aficionado and was widely read in a variety of disciplines. He was trilingual and enjoyed interactions with people from many cultures, traveling in over 40 countries, most of them alongside his wife. Enjoying her faithful support in the spiritual ministry, they often hosted friends and guests from across the country and around the world in their home.
Memorials may be given to the Mission Commission of Yellow Creek Mennonite Church, to be utilized to support the training experiences and expenses of people involved in spiritual deliverance ministry.
[Above is the text of the edited obituary as it appeared in The Elkhart Truth, October 31, 2006. Click on this for the original obituary as submitted by the family and printed word-for-word the same day in the South Bend Tribune - as far as I know, still available online with no password required to access it.]
He was born Oct. 6, 1928, in Marshall County to William and Mary (Maust) Hochstetler, graduated from Bremen High School in 1947 and married Edna M. Swartzentruber on Dec. 7, 1952. She died April 25, 2006.
He is survived by three sons, Clair (Carole Anne) of Goshen, Verle of rural Bremen and Lee (Susan), currently in North Carolina, on leave from a Wycliffe Bible Translators assignment in Mali, West Africa.
He also is survived by eight grandchildren; two sisters, Mary Ellen Kaufman and Miriam Hochstetler of rural Nappanee; and one brother, Alan Hochstetler of Williamsburg, Va.
He was preceded in death by one brother, Eugene; and one son, Donald.
Friends may call from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Thompson-Lengacher and Yoder Funeral Home, 950 N. Main St., Nappanee, and from 2 until the 4 p.m. Sunday memorial service and celebration of life at Yellow Creek Mennonite Church, 64901 C.R. 11, Goshen, at C.R. 38.
Mr. Hochstetler donated his body to the Anatomical Education Center of IU Medical Center in Indianapolis.
Mr. Hochstetler and his wife, Edna, had been involved with the Yellow Creek Mennonite Church congregation for the past 15 years. He was owner/operator and later a partner with his son, Verle, of Equipment Service, a welding and farm-machinery repair business between Nappanee and Bremen.
He also traveled widely around the world with his wife and became a skilled counselor, pioneering a Christian spiritual deliverance ministry spanning more than 40 years. On May 25, 1986, Mr. Hochstetler was officially ordained by the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference as the first person to be credentialed for this particular specialized ministry in the history of the denomination. For the past 10 years, he focused on teaching and leadership development to assure the continuation of this ministry for the generations to follow.
Dean enjoyed flying as a private pilot, was a classical music aficionado and was widely read in a variety of disciplines. He was trilingual and enjoyed interactions with people from many cultures, traveling in over 40 countries, most of them alongside his wife. Enjoying her faithful support in the spiritual ministry, they often hosted friends and guests from across the country and around the world in their home.
Memorials may be given to the Mission Commission of Yellow Creek Mennonite Church, to be utilized to support the training experiences and expenses of people involved in spiritual deliverance ministry.
[Above is the text of the edited obituary as it appeared in The Elkhart Truth, October 31, 2006. Click on this for the original obituary as submitted by the family and printed word-for-word the same day in the South Bend Tribune - as far as I know, still available online with no password required to access it.]
I didn’t know you were Dean’s son!
From Pastor Gordy Henke: (typical of several emails from pastors)
Hi Clair,
I didn’t know you were Dean’s son and I wanted to just write a brief note and congratulate my brother on his life and homegoing! Dean and I met a number of years ago, I had him come and speak 3 Sundays in a row several years ago when River of Life was a fledgling congregation and then he personally met with several individuals who needed his expertise in being freed from their prison in some manner.
Clair, I bless you and your surrounding family and trust God to see you through these days but with eternity in view and the end in sight, we have a sure hope. May God pour out to you his great love and comfort and having your eyes of understanding enlightened, see already the reward waiting for you wonderful and insightful father.
Blessings,
Gordon Henke
River of Life Fellowship, Middlebury, IN
Hi Clair,
I didn’t know you were Dean’s son and I wanted to just write a brief note and congratulate my brother on his life and homegoing! Dean and I met a number of years ago, I had him come and speak 3 Sundays in a row several years ago when River of Life was a fledgling congregation and then he personally met with several individuals who needed his expertise in being freed from their prison in some manner.
Clair, I bless you and your surrounding family and trust God to see you through these days but with eternity in view and the end in sight, we have a sure hope. May God pour out to you his great love and comfort and having your eyes of understanding enlightened, see already the reward waiting for you wonderful and insightful father.
Blessings,
Gordon Henke
River of Life Fellowship, Middlebury, IN
Express my love, respect, appreciation...
Dear Clair:
If your dad is still cognitive, please express my love, respect and appreciation for his life and ministry. I'd appreciate an update when it is appropriate.
Your friend,
Ron Susek
(Author, pastor, evangelist)
If your dad is still cognitive, please express my love, respect and appreciation for his life and ministry. I'd appreciate an update when it is appropriate.
Your friend,
Ron Susek
(Author, pastor, evangelist)
Poetic tribute by Delora Reinhardt
Tribute to My Spiritual Earthly Father,
Dear Precious Spiritual Father who was sent from God,
How I thank-you for your earthly Fatherly love.
You have been there for me through thick and thin.
And helped me to liberty in Christ, and how to spiritually win.
Through stories, laughter, and some giggles too,
Your affirmation was felt thru and thru.
Our lives have been filled with joys and tears.
How we have grown through the many years.
You were not perfect, you were a human man.
How I appreciated how you listened and tried to understand.
Thanks for being that vessel for me, to receive God's love,
He found you worthy to give gifts from above.
I know you are on a difficult path that is hard to see,
may you stay close to Jesus Christ, who will help you rest and "Be".
I have commanded angels to watch you thru this journey's end,
God says he will be faithful to you, because you are a faithful and true
friend.
You left a legacy that we feel privileged to carry on,
so there needs to be no more worry when you are gone.
Rest and know that you fought the battle and had a good fight,
and the peace to know that you depended on the Holy Spirit's might!
Say hi to the Trinity, and to the Saints, and Edna too,
as you enter heaven's gates, and will no longer be blue.
I bid you to cheer us on with the heavenly choir,
as our time gets near in this final hour.
This tribute is to you, oh blessed one,
To say how I love you, for all that you have done!!
Love,
Delora Reinhardt
Dear Precious Spiritual Father who was sent from God,
How I thank-you for your earthly Fatherly love.
You have been there for me through thick and thin.
And helped me to liberty in Christ, and how to spiritually win.
Through stories, laughter, and some giggles too,
Your affirmation was felt thru and thru.
Our lives have been filled with joys and tears.
How we have grown through the many years.
You were not perfect, you were a human man.
How I appreciated how you listened and tried to understand.
Thanks for being that vessel for me, to receive God's love,
He found you worthy to give gifts from above.
I know you are on a difficult path that is hard to see,
may you stay close to Jesus Christ, who will help you rest and "Be".
I have commanded angels to watch you thru this journey's end,
God says he will be faithful to you, because you are a faithful and true
friend.
You left a legacy that we feel privileged to carry on,
so there needs to be no more worry when you are gone.
Rest and know that you fought the battle and had a good fight,
and the peace to know that you depended on the Holy Spirit's might!
Say hi to the Trinity, and to the Saints, and Edna too,
as you enter heaven's gates, and will no longer be blue.
I bid you to cheer us on with the heavenly choir,
as our time gets near in this final hour.
This tribute is to you, oh blessed one,
To say how I love you, for all that you have done!!
Love,
Delora Reinhardt
AMBS - Chair of Pastoral Care Dept: Expressing gratitude for Dean's teaching in deliverance ministry & a new book dedicated to him!
Dear Clair,
Here is a paragraph I´d like to communicate to your Dad in some way, if still possible. In any event, it is also a summary word of grateful testimony.
Thank you so much - blessing to you,
Daniel
-----------------
Brother Dean,
I am grateful for your ministry of deliverance, your reflections on the significance of such ministry, and your gentle prodding to church and seminary to take it more seriously. I appreciate having received from you numerous case studies, articles, and personal notes all pointing to the importance of recognizing and dealing with the reality of evil and the need to confront the demonic and to bind the spirits in the name of Jesus and the power of the Spirit of the living God. Together with my colleagues at AMBS, I am grateful for your generous gift of time, resources and money in support of the study of, and equipping for deliverance ministry.
How fitting, then that the recent publication of the book EVEN THE DEMONS SUBMIT: CONTINUING JESUS´MINISTRY OF DELIVERANCE is dedicated to you!
You have been both a pastoral minister and a prophet who unfailingly “fought the good battle." No question, therefore, the words of Jesus apply personally to you: “Well done, good and trustworthy servant…enter into the joy of your master” (Mt. 25:21). Praise be to God for your life and ministry.
Daniel Schipani,
Professor and Chair of the Pastoral Care and Counseling Dept.
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary
Here is a paragraph I´d like to communicate to your Dad in some way, if still possible. In any event, it is also a summary word of grateful testimony.
Thank you so much - blessing to you,
Daniel
-----------------
Brother Dean,
I am grateful for your ministry of deliverance, your reflections on the significance of such ministry, and your gentle prodding to church and seminary to take it more seriously. I appreciate having received from you numerous case studies, articles, and personal notes all pointing to the importance of recognizing and dealing with the reality of evil and the need to confront the demonic and to bind the spirits in the name of Jesus and the power of the Spirit of the living God. Together with my colleagues at AMBS, I am grateful for your generous gift of time, resources and money in support of the study of, and equipping for deliverance ministry.
How fitting, then that the recent publication of the book EVEN THE DEMONS SUBMIT: CONTINUING JESUS´MINISTRY OF DELIVERANCE is dedicated to you!
You have been both a pastoral minister and a prophet who unfailingly “fought the good battle." No question, therefore, the words of Jesus apply personally to you: “Well done, good and trustworthy servant…enter into the joy of your master” (Mt. 25:21). Praise be to God for your life and ministry.
Daniel Schipani,
Professor and Chair of the Pastoral Care and Counseling Dept.
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary
He is one of the few I know that will be leaving the world in a better condition than they found it...
Thank you for your note regarding your father. We especially appreciated the information about the preparations for continuing his ministry. I am a much better Christian because of the many things he has taught me. I particularly recall with great joy a trip he made to the south in which I accompanied him to Atmore, Alabama, where he conducted a seminar for the staff of a Christian prison ministry.
...I am convinced that he is one of the few I know that will be leaving the world in a better condition than they found it. Thank you for taking the time to share all this with us. Come see us sometime. I have a great story to tell you concerning your mother when you parents visited here several years back. But you need to be here, standing where she was, when you hear it.
Blessings,
Del Yoder
(A relative of my mother's in Alabama)
Blessings,
Del Yoder
(A relative of my mother's in Alabama)
Re: A son's reflections on life and losing his father (the prologue)
Clair,
Thank you so very much for sharing this moving and beautifully written piece on your father! I believe I met your dad a number of years at Camp Friedenswald where he did some sharing on his ministry.
Also I remember reading about him in the GOSPEL HERALD. He was a pioneer in a field not very well-researched by Menno theologians and church leaders; his work will live on and continue to bear fruit.
Lynn Liechty
Berne, IN
Thank you so very much for sharing this moving and beautifully written piece on your father! I believe I met your dad a number of years at Camp Friedenswald where he did some sharing on his ministry.
Also I remember reading about him in the GOSPEL HERALD. He was a pioneer in a field not very well-researched by Menno theologians and church leaders; his work will live on and continue to bear fruit.
Lynn Liechty
Berne, IN
A son's reflections on life and losing his father (the prologue)
To family and friends of my father, Dean Hochstetler, from far and near:
Some of you are likely already aware of the current circumstances, but know that my father Dean's death is imminent, only six months after my mother Edna died from cancer on April 25. While I find myself in the midst of "anticipatory grief" -- an all too familar feeling by now -- it is, once again, a very moving time with much blessing, truth be told. This sort of experience has been like flinging open a window to my soul, motivating me to reflect deeply about my own life journey and specifically, my relationship with Dad.
While some things will remain committed only to memory, I conveyed a lot in writing the last two evenings. Though I'm not sure exactly why, I've felt prompted to share some of my reflections in this more public venue. While it's both cathartic and therapeutic to pull these sorts of thoughts together, to consider posting all this publicly does indeed call forth some courage - I know from experience how vulnerable this can make one feel. It's hard to predict what will happen when one shares such intimate reflections at a sensitive moment like this in family life, because of varying perceptions of what is "appropriate." I intend to share the link to this blog more broadly after talking with Dad himself some more on Tuesday.*
I do hope that by risking a higher level of self-disclosure, this may contribute to others' understanding (though admittedly, from a very personal and "biased" perspective) regarding what sort of person my father really is, and the difference he has made in the lives of many. Here you will have access to my own personal reflections on what our relationship has been like, as father and son. Most important for this current moment in my experience, I will be trying to convey how blessed I feel for the opportunity to have him in my life as my own father, though for certain stretches I experienced this blessing simultaneously as a significant personal challenge - trying to absorb what it all means. I also recognize that some of what can be found here will likely come as quite a surprise -- should the reader happen to know me only from contexts where we have not yet discussed these important dimensions of family background or spiritual "world view."
(Warning: this is LONG, so just move on if you don't have five or ten minutes to read this and then contemplate your own parent's passing - because this account will quite likely prompt you in that direction!)
---
Any day now, even though still alert and with a fairly clear mind, his doctors expect Dad to go into a coma because his kidneys have, for the most part, stopped working and the numbers that measure his kidney dysfunction have now risen to a level where this usually happens. My brother Verle and Dad's sister (retired RN) Mary Ellen, who both live about five miles away, have been alternating with his assisted living at his own home in Nappanee for quite some time already, seeing Dad at least twice a day. Dad has been experiencing congestive heart failure for over a dozen years and his cardiologist has consistently managed the medical balancing act, bringing Dad through some perilous times, which offered him about 10 extra years of life - we celebrated his 78th birthday just two weekends ago.
Verle is one of those sons who has probably had a fairly rare experience, managing a whole sweep of changes in relationship with his father, and I give him a huge amount of credit: Verle worked the first chunk of his adult life for his dad in "the shop" beside the home where we four sons were raised - a very successful farm equipment service/welding/general repair business. Then he became an equal partner with Dad in the business, until Dad got way too busy with the counseling work, then he bought Dad out and became sole owner -- transforming the business into a metal fabricating company with a new building a mile away -- and then with dad working for him part-time. Later Verle sold the business due to some exceedingly difficult life circumstances (during which Dad provided a great deal of emotional support) and in recent years Verle had his role as a son reversed, in many respects -- becoming Dad's primary care-giver and tending to many intimate emotional and physical needs.
Last week I initiated, with Dad's permission of course, getting him admitted to hospice care at his home, just to stay ahead of the situation before it gets out of hand physically. (He's a very big man and recently is expanding even more, due to kidney failure, if you know what I mean.) I felt we should take advantage of the extra support that home care/hospice has to offer my dad and our family during such a time as this. (As a member of our hospice team, I see way too many families that wait too long to get this started, so I followed through with my own advice.) Dad began using a walker -- instead of his gnarly homemade cane made from a unique tree branch -- just on Saturday. Though very unsteady now, he has no pain whatsoever - just very aware that he is about to fade away from consciousness. So we are making the most of the time:
My brother Lee and his family (on leave in the US now from Wycliffe Bible Translation work in Mali, West Africa) made their way here from North Carolina with his family yesterday and today -- arriving this morning. Dad's brother Alan arrived this afternoon from Williamsburg, Virginia. (My uncle Alan's own Parkinson's Disease couldn't keep him from driving one of his beloved old cars!) Dad called his scattered grandchildren on the phone this past weekend, to say goodbye and to offer his blessing to them, even a couple of them who have kept some emotional "distance." I listened to him talk with my daughter - powerful stuff. Friends are phoning today, or dropping by for a bit to offer their affirmation and farewells.
Dad told me a week ago he can feel his life rapidly drawing to a close, that he his laying his life down now with absolutely no regrets, plenty of good memories, and with great hope and anticipation for the future. I can see that he is dying content, pain-free, with no further expectations, knowing that he has fulfilled everything that God called him to do, and really looking forward to joining my mother Edna, my brother Donald, his own parents, and a host of others who look forward to his joining "the great cloud of witnesses."
Those who know him well can probably just hear him say what he told my brother Verle a few days ago, when he asked Dad what it feels like to be dying: "Well, yesterday I plowed, today I'm working the ground, and quite soon I'm going to plant."
Yesterday evening (Sunday) at 6 pm there was a special service in his home when he and his friends ritualized a transfer like "the mantle of Elijah" - the leadership of his special counseling and deliverance ministry he pioneered in this area - to Ben (school teacher) and Angela Snyder (professionally trained counselor.) A similar ceremony for Delora Reinhart (a hospital nursing supervisor) who has been a key partner in his effort to provide continuity of leadership for the future, occurred earlier Sunday afternoon at 2 pm. It was attended by almost all "the original twelve" in an interdenominational group (now expanded to several dozen) Dad has been teaching and mentoring for the past decade, plus some leaders from the Yellow Creek Mennonite Church. Harold Bauman joined the group in the afternoon and shared a few words, as well. He teaches the advanced group, since this training program now involves three levels.
Yes, Dad's vision has come to fruition, quite a long way since the days of overt opposition from the leadership of the Mennonite Church, then his ordination 20 years ago by the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference specifically for this type of specialized ministry. (When you stop to think about it, it's no wonder there were great hurdles to cross - I mean, jeepers, he not only fought with "demons" that constantly sought to pester him - he fought the demons of others, as well!) I've observed the whole sweep of it develop since square one as a teenager, but sometimes from afar, not "inside" this ministry -- though certainly very aware of what is going on, and constantly questioning and learning a host of valuable things. A while back I reconciled myself with my own clear calling I knew I needed to pursue. And I never felt any pressure from my father to be the one to bear "his mantle" (whew!) although I have facilitated some important networking and referral of "difficult cases" at various key points along the way.
Of course, as his eldest son, there would naturally be many personal "issues" to deal with along the way, as you can imagine, but we have always managed to find a way to work through them. (I shared at some depth my own views and experience with my relationship with my father on the MennoLink email list two or three years ago, after someone else brought up the topic of his ministry, which generated quite the discussion for about a month afterward.)
During a conversation I had with Dad the middle of last week I shared with him (though I could hardly speak at the time) that there have been a number of moments throughout the years when I wondered why in the world was I born into a family with a father like this (who presented such intellectual, emotional and theological conundrums in my life.) However, in spite of our unique "takes" on life, and of course some differences in perspective, I told him that "I am extremely grateful and proud to have been able to call him my father, and to be his son."
As I entered adulthood I embraced his own searching, exploring, daring, yet humble, listening, and affirming approach to life - to justice - to foster freedom in people's lives. But I didn't realize the connections then - for quite some time I only focused on how different we were - I was seeking differentiation. It was such a revelation when (somewhere in my 40's and especially during Clinical Pastoral Education) I began to reflect on how deeply embodied these values were -- not only descriptive of my own central drive in life, but part of my family heritage. I not only got some family "junk" to work through, but a whole lot of desirable character as well -- from him! I didn't really articulate all those fancy words and concepts in that moment last week - but I know that he knew what I meant. And his affirming response, that included words of pride and gratitude for the lives and relationship he has been able to enjoy with all his sons, was a moment I'll not forget. It was one more special time -- a mutual feeling of profound blessing.
Last evening I sent a word of personal thanks to a special group of people, some of whom have walked with my Dad for the last twenty-plus years through a lot of uncharted terrritory. These are people serving on what was originally called an "Accountability Committee" set up by the Church Life Commission of the local district of the Mennonite Church in the mid-1980's to discern what was really going on with my dad and his "work." (These days the official name of that group is "The Bondage and Deliverance Committee of the Church Life Commission" of the IN-MI Conference.) They have worked hard recently to set up standards of readiness for ordination of others to such ministry. Dad needed this group, because he had no formal credentials, no real college or seminary education - though he was widely read and has taught many a seminary class. (He told me Sunday morning, when it was just the two of us, that if he had it to do all over again, and had a choice, he would have pursued the field of psychology.)
Over the past two decades Dad shared countless case studies from his counseling work with this special committee, and met with them regularly -- even up through this past summer when he declared that his life's work was done. Their legacy of hard work and great support over the years to my father, has undergirded what he was able to accomplish. There is no doubt in my mind that this ministry could never have approached the depth and durability it has today without the work of that group. This committee provided a basis for his integrity, validation, discernment of direction, and the start of integration of this ministry into the life of the church as a whole, as far as the Mennonite Church is concerned.
As a result, this sort of ministry is no longer deemed "parachurch", as it often gets relegated in relation to other mainline denominations, but has been getting integrated back into the central ministry of (at least some) of our churches for the long haul - right where it belongs, just as Jesus himself taught us to do. (Matthew 10:1-8) Dad's impact reached far beyond the Mennonite Church, however, into several other denominations and their seminaries -- for a long time before his efforts were appreciated and incorporated by leaders within our own church.
Dad often shares an overarching concern with me when we converse about this subject: that the Mennonite seminaries train and recruit into their faculties more instructors who are competent to "carry the torch" for the next generation; to take the place of those who have been doing it but are retiring; to teach these specific spiritual counseling and pastoral care strategies to many pastors-in-training, and other professionals in the healing arts, who pursue advance studies at our seminaries and beyond. Those who have benefitted from this already in their training, scattered in this country and across the world, are constantly sending stories, messages of support, and appeals to network -- expressing appreciation for having acquired these skills, realizing they would otherwise be rendered quite powerless to deal with many of the perplexing and oppressive pastoral care situations they face. He (and my mother, his partner) really made a difference in hundreds, possibly thousands of lives - we'll never know how many, nor does he care to keep track.
I am personally concerned that we actively build up a network of healing professionals including discerning psychologists and psychiatrists who can work together on an interdisciplinary team alongside others in the pastoral community, to make referrals to each other, share experiences, and work together on "tough cases." There are encouraging signs in this area locally, as conversations ensue with such professionals that I encounter in my own work, day to day, indicating to me that the capacity for this to develop is quite good. I hope I, too, can make a difference in this dimension, as I endeavor to deploy my own networking skills and explore the possibilities.
Anyway, back to yesterday: everyone who gathered for the meeting with him recognized that to have such a ritual put them in more "uncharted waters" -- however, one of the participants in this ministry group had earlier received specific guidance from the Holy Spirit about the need for this sort of transitional ritual - and how it should be done - and Dad simply followed through, saying they shouldn't wait. It had to be done now if it was going to be done. (It's been the basic modus operandi of his life - following the prompting of the Holy Spirit, as he "plowed new ground" - but being very responsible to others in the process.)
For me personally, though I was behind the camera, to witness what happened and what all was said as the day unfolded yesterday was quite the moving experience, to say the least. I can understand now why it was important to happen before "time runs out." (I won't go into details here, but I have the highlights of these experiences all recorded on video DVDs. I happened to have my movie camera along when I arrived early Sunday morning to take my turn caring for him during that day - before I realized any of this was going to happen.)
Yesterday Dad was still able to compose his thoughts, read, and speak, and even sing a little bit! He had already transfered his unique library the day before -- about a thousand volumes, together with many other papers he authored over the years and recently sorted through -- into Ben Snyder's hands. Sunday evening as he read from scripture, Dad quoted the Apostle Paul: "I have run the race...I have finished the course..."
Lynda Hollinger-Janzen and I had hoped to get together with him over the past weeks, to prepare to do interviews and collect materials to write a book about his extraordinary life, since he gave me permission to pursue that about the end of August, and I invited her to collaborate on this, but just as I was leaving on a two week vacation in connection with my daughter's wedding. Others have been badgering him to let someone do this before, but he would never give permission. Though many of his friends and acquaintences share how they initially quaked in fear and wonderment at how they would be received by one who had developed such a widespread reputation for success in freeing people from their demonic oppression -- this is the dad I've come to know, especially in recent decades: a very humble man well aware of his own weaknesses and failings, who resisted drawing attention to himself, but instead yearned to draw people's attention to focus on the One who sits on "the Throne of Grace" as he loves to put it.
Lynda herself shared a story today that she said I could post, which illustrates this dynamic in his personality so well:
----
"I’d spoken with Dean in the context of meetings and seminars but the first time my husband and I went to visit him on a personal matter in 2002, I was very nervous. His powerful presence awed me. What evidence of demonic activity would he see in me, even though I was going to meet him on behalf of someone else?
We parked the car by a cornfield and prayed before gathering up the courage to pull into his driveway. I don’t think I would have been more apprehensive before the Pearly Gates expecting St. Peter to answer the ring than when I rang the Hochstetler’s doorbell. Dean opened the door and just stood there with such a big, welcoming smile on his face that worry could not coexist in the presence of this great compassion.
“Perfect love casts out all fear.” I John 4:18
Dean, of course, spent hours with us. He armed us with deliverance prayers, books, case studies ... and assured us that we were equipped by the power Jesus gives to confront and overcome evil.
We thank God for Dean and Edna’s faithful courage and obedience that opened the windows of God’s redeeming love in so many lives." --Lynda Hollinger-Janzen, Mennonite Mission Network
----
Dad loved people, listened to them for hours on end, helping them clean up their guilt issues and face their systemic family problems that were often rooted in generations of spiritual dysfunction. He resisted dependence; his goal was always for counselees to become empowered for themselves; to learn to appropriate "the all-sufficient power and authority of Jesus within their own lives." More often than not, no literal demons were manifested, but woe be to the one or several who did. However, Dad exercised great patience with people, because some "tough cases" took weeks or months before people could resist their relapses successfully. He did not like to work alone, in fact, considered that dangerous, and always, always, mentored other leaders in the process.
He did not ever take on a case without considering their follow-up needs, first ensuring that others were ready to tend to the client's pastoral care issues that would inevitably need to be addressed. And he never charged a fee or took a dollar for his work, unless they absolutely insisted, and it was for their own psychological benefit to do so. Mom and Dad's living room was often "the office" and they worked together to exercise their gifts of hospitality. This is the character of my father -- the Dean Hochstetler that I know. Some of these skills and principles that I learned from observation, and from listening to him respond to my questions have been invaluable in my own work and ministry. And I don't even know the half of it.
Towards the middle of September, as I made ready to pick up on this "book writing" opportunity, I could tell from further conversation with Dad that he really didn't want to do much interviewing in preparation for it. He said there is a lot that can be researched about his life after he's gone, some tapes that were already made, and reams of papers and case studies he wrote. Yes, there is a lot of research that could be done, and I'm sure will be done by others for some time to come.
The truth of the matter is he's felt "too tired" to participate in such a process. So I hestitated to push it too much, and decided to back off -- to just letting things unfold a bit more naturally. I had brought my video camera with me on a previous visit and reminisced with him spontaneously then for a few hours, drawing out some stories and getting good footage for the sake of other family members and generations to come.
This morning, upon awakening, I got the inspiration to set up a weblog soon - where folks who know him can post their own thoughts, affirmations, stories and testimonials - to jump-start that book. The idea came as I checked my email this forenoon, and realized the responses to a message I sent out last night to an email list of his friends were already rolling in and continued to do so all day -- not only from around this country, but others as well. Here is just one sample among the many:
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Dear Clair:
I am expressing appreciation for Dean's ministry. The Lord has used him at times to greatly influence the call upon my life. Shortly after high school I had a dream wherein I was delivering a friend from demonization. At that time I knew very little of this ministry. However, soon after that, this friend was taken to Elkhart General Hospital and Dean ministered to him. This set forth a 16-year journey in ministry and education with a variety of exposures to deliverance and inner-healing ministry. Currently I am in a PsyD. program, as a student, at a Christian university [the university was named here] believing God has directed me to a full-time ministry of discipleship therapy to the hurt, the burdened, and the demonically- oppressed. The Lord has used Dean to help me greater understand the unique ministry God is calling me to. It has been an honor to know him and to have had some teaching from him.
As I move into the field of Christian psychology and am battling against oppression from both purely "secular" psychology and the spirit realm, as well, I will continue to remember the path the Lord blazed through Dean, as well as the struggles he had -- both with the church and secular society.
Dean, thank-you for your courage, strength, and willingness to be used by God in a unique and bold way.
With Great Appreciation,
(Signature of this pastor, now a Psy.D. student)
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If anyone reading this on "the web" (or getting this passed along to them from someone else who copied it from this source) knows my father Dean, and wants to send a personal message to him, that can be done either 1) by posting right here on this blog, as a reply, or 2) by sending it to my email address at Clair.Hochstetler@gmail.com
However, you will want to do this in the next day or so, if you want to make sure he gets a chance to hear it himself. One could also try calling him at home -- and for those interested I can give the phone number privately. One of us will be there with him all the time, until he's left us - to figure out "the rest of it" for ourselves.
Clair Hochstetler
Monday evening, October 23, 2006
P.S. Please click on the "comments" line - it appears right below each posting - if you would like to share your own reflection, affirmation, or story about my father Dean with other readers and our family. ("Tall stories" and tales of humorous situations you have found him in are OK, too, because I know there are a few floating around out there! Simply post it now or later - over the weeks ahead. And please feel free to pass along the location of this website, via this link: http://deanhochstetler.blogspot.com/ )
Send private messages (that you don't want posted here) to Clair.Hochstetler@gmail.com
Some of you are likely already aware of the current circumstances, but know that my father Dean's death is imminent, only six months after my mother Edna died from cancer on April 25. While I find myself in the midst of "anticipatory grief" -- an all too familar feeling by now -- it is, once again, a very moving time with much blessing, truth be told. This sort of experience has been like flinging open a window to my soul, motivating me to reflect deeply about my own life journey and specifically, my relationship with Dad.
While some things will remain committed only to memory, I conveyed a lot in writing the last two evenings. Though I'm not sure exactly why, I've felt prompted to share some of my reflections in this more public venue. While it's both cathartic and therapeutic to pull these sorts of thoughts together, to consider posting all this publicly does indeed call forth some courage - I know from experience how vulnerable this can make one feel. It's hard to predict what will happen when one shares such intimate reflections at a sensitive moment like this in family life, because of varying perceptions of what is "appropriate." I intend to share the link to this blog more broadly after talking with Dad himself some more on Tuesday.*
I do hope that by risking a higher level of self-disclosure, this may contribute to others' understanding (though admittedly, from a very personal and "biased" perspective) regarding what sort of person my father really is, and the difference he has made in the lives of many. Here you will have access to my own personal reflections on what our relationship has been like, as father and son. Most important for this current moment in my experience, I will be trying to convey how blessed I feel for the opportunity to have him in my life as my own father, though for certain stretches I experienced this blessing simultaneously as a significant personal challenge - trying to absorb what it all means. I also recognize that some of what can be found here will likely come as quite a surprise -- should the reader happen to know me only from contexts where we have not yet discussed these important dimensions of family background or spiritual "world view."
(Warning: this is LONG, so just move on if you don't have five or ten minutes to read this and then contemplate your own parent's passing - because this account will quite likely prompt you in that direction!)
---
Any day now, even though still alert and with a fairly clear mind, his doctors expect Dad to go into a coma because his kidneys have, for the most part, stopped working and the numbers that measure his kidney dysfunction have now risen to a level where this usually happens. My brother Verle and Dad's sister (retired RN) Mary Ellen, who both live about five miles away, have been alternating with his assisted living at his own home in Nappanee for quite some time already, seeing Dad at least twice a day. Dad has been experiencing congestive heart failure for over a dozen years and his cardiologist has consistently managed the medical balancing act, bringing Dad through some perilous times, which offered him about 10 extra years of life - we celebrated his 78th birthday just two weekends ago.
Verle is one of those sons who has probably had a fairly rare experience, managing a whole sweep of changes in relationship with his father, and I give him a huge amount of credit: Verle worked the first chunk of his adult life for his dad in "the shop" beside the home where we four sons were raised - a very successful farm equipment service/welding/general repair business. Then he became an equal partner with Dad in the business, until Dad got way too busy with the counseling work, then he bought Dad out and became sole owner -- transforming the business into a metal fabricating company with a new building a mile away -- and then with dad working for him part-time. Later Verle sold the business due to some exceedingly difficult life circumstances (during which Dad provided a great deal of emotional support) and in recent years Verle had his role as a son reversed, in many respects -- becoming Dad's primary care-giver and tending to many intimate emotional and physical needs.
Last week I initiated, with Dad's permission of course, getting him admitted to hospice care at his home, just to stay ahead of the situation before it gets out of hand physically. (He's a very big man and recently is expanding even more, due to kidney failure, if you know what I mean.) I felt we should take advantage of the extra support that home care/hospice has to offer my dad and our family during such a time as this. (As a member of our hospice team, I see way too many families that wait too long to get this started, so I followed through with my own advice.) Dad began using a walker -- instead of his gnarly homemade cane made from a unique tree branch -- just on Saturday. Though very unsteady now, he has no pain whatsoever - just very aware that he is about to fade away from consciousness. So we are making the most of the time:
My brother Lee and his family (on leave in the US now from Wycliffe Bible Translation work in Mali, West Africa) made their way here from North Carolina with his family yesterday and today -- arriving this morning. Dad's brother Alan arrived this afternoon from Williamsburg, Virginia. (My uncle Alan's own Parkinson's Disease couldn't keep him from driving one of his beloved old cars!) Dad called his scattered grandchildren on the phone this past weekend, to say goodbye and to offer his blessing to them, even a couple of them who have kept some emotional "distance." I listened to him talk with my daughter - powerful stuff. Friends are phoning today, or dropping by for a bit to offer their affirmation and farewells.
Dad told me a week ago he can feel his life rapidly drawing to a close, that he his laying his life down now with absolutely no regrets, plenty of good memories, and with great hope and anticipation for the future. I can see that he is dying content, pain-free, with no further expectations, knowing that he has fulfilled everything that God called him to do, and really looking forward to joining my mother Edna, my brother Donald, his own parents, and a host of others who look forward to his joining "the great cloud of witnesses."
Those who know him well can probably just hear him say what he told my brother Verle a few days ago, when he asked Dad what it feels like to be dying: "Well, yesterday I plowed, today I'm working the ground, and quite soon I'm going to plant."
Yesterday evening (Sunday) at 6 pm there was a special service in his home when he and his friends ritualized a transfer like "the mantle of Elijah" - the leadership of his special counseling and deliverance ministry he pioneered in this area - to Ben (school teacher) and Angela Snyder (professionally trained counselor.) A similar ceremony for Delora Reinhart (a hospital nursing supervisor) who has been a key partner in his effort to provide continuity of leadership for the future, occurred earlier Sunday afternoon at 2 pm. It was attended by almost all "the original twelve" in an interdenominational group (now expanded to several dozen) Dad has been teaching and mentoring for the past decade, plus some leaders from the Yellow Creek Mennonite Church. Harold Bauman joined the group in the afternoon and shared a few words, as well. He teaches the advanced group, since this training program now involves three levels.
Yes, Dad's vision has come to fruition, quite a long way since the days of overt opposition from the leadership of the Mennonite Church, then his ordination 20 years ago by the Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference specifically for this type of specialized ministry. (When you stop to think about it, it's no wonder there were great hurdles to cross - I mean, jeepers, he not only fought with "demons" that constantly sought to pester him - he fought the demons of others, as well!) I've observed the whole sweep of it develop since square one as a teenager, but sometimes from afar, not "inside" this ministry -- though certainly very aware of what is going on, and constantly questioning and learning a host of valuable things. A while back I reconciled myself with my own clear calling I knew I needed to pursue. And I never felt any pressure from my father to be the one to bear "his mantle" (whew!) although I have facilitated some important networking and referral of "difficult cases" at various key points along the way.
Of course, as his eldest son, there would naturally be many personal "issues" to deal with along the way, as you can imagine, but we have always managed to find a way to work through them. (I shared at some depth my own views and experience with my relationship with my father on the MennoLink email list two or three years ago, after someone else brought up the topic of his ministry, which generated quite the discussion for about a month afterward.)
During a conversation I had with Dad the middle of last week I shared with him (though I could hardly speak at the time) that there have been a number of moments throughout the years when I wondered why in the world was I born into a family with a father like this (who presented such intellectual, emotional and theological conundrums in my life.) However, in spite of our unique "takes" on life, and of course some differences in perspective, I told him that "I am extremely grateful and proud to have been able to call him my father, and to be his son."
As I entered adulthood I embraced his own searching, exploring, daring, yet humble, listening, and affirming approach to life - to justice - to foster freedom in people's lives. But I didn't realize the connections then - for quite some time I only focused on how different we were - I was seeking differentiation. It was such a revelation when (somewhere in my 40's and especially during Clinical Pastoral Education) I began to reflect on how deeply embodied these values were -- not only descriptive of my own central drive in life, but part of my family heritage. I not only got some family "junk" to work through, but a whole lot of desirable character as well -- from him! I didn't really articulate all those fancy words and concepts in that moment last week - but I know that he knew what I meant. And his affirming response, that included words of pride and gratitude for the lives and relationship he has been able to enjoy with all his sons, was a moment I'll not forget. It was one more special time -- a mutual feeling of profound blessing.
Last evening I sent a word of personal thanks to a special group of people, some of whom have walked with my Dad for the last twenty-plus years through a lot of uncharted terrritory. These are people serving on what was originally called an "Accountability Committee" set up by the Church Life Commission of the local district of the Mennonite Church in the mid-1980's to discern what was really going on with my dad and his "work." (These days the official name of that group is "The Bondage and Deliverance Committee of the Church Life Commission" of the IN-MI Conference.) They have worked hard recently to set up standards of readiness for ordination of others to such ministry. Dad needed this group, because he had no formal credentials, no real college or seminary education - though he was widely read and has taught many a seminary class. (He told me Sunday morning, when it was just the two of us, that if he had it to do all over again, and had a choice, he would have pursued the field of psychology.)
Over the past two decades Dad shared countless case studies from his counseling work with this special committee, and met with them regularly -- even up through this past summer when he declared that his life's work was done. Their legacy of hard work and great support over the years to my father, has undergirded what he was able to accomplish. There is no doubt in my mind that this ministry could never have approached the depth and durability it has today without the work of that group. This committee provided a basis for his integrity, validation, discernment of direction, and the start of integration of this ministry into the life of the church as a whole, as far as the Mennonite Church is concerned.
As a result, this sort of ministry is no longer deemed "parachurch", as it often gets relegated in relation to other mainline denominations, but has been getting integrated back into the central ministry of (at least some) of our churches for the long haul - right where it belongs, just as Jesus himself taught us to do. (Matthew 10:1-8) Dad's impact reached far beyond the Mennonite Church, however, into several other denominations and their seminaries -- for a long time before his efforts were appreciated and incorporated by leaders within our own church.
Dad often shares an overarching concern with me when we converse about this subject: that the Mennonite seminaries train and recruit into their faculties more instructors who are competent to "carry the torch" for the next generation; to take the place of those who have been doing it but are retiring; to teach these specific spiritual counseling and pastoral care strategies to many pastors-in-training, and other professionals in the healing arts, who pursue advance studies at our seminaries and beyond. Those who have benefitted from this already in their training, scattered in this country and across the world, are constantly sending stories, messages of support, and appeals to network -- expressing appreciation for having acquired these skills, realizing they would otherwise be rendered quite powerless to deal with many of the perplexing and oppressive pastoral care situations they face. He (and my mother, his partner) really made a difference in hundreds, possibly thousands of lives - we'll never know how many, nor does he care to keep track.
I am personally concerned that we actively build up a network of healing professionals including discerning psychologists and psychiatrists who can work together on an interdisciplinary team alongside others in the pastoral community, to make referrals to each other, share experiences, and work together on "tough cases." There are encouraging signs in this area locally, as conversations ensue with such professionals that I encounter in my own work, day to day, indicating to me that the capacity for this to develop is quite good. I hope I, too, can make a difference in this dimension, as I endeavor to deploy my own networking skills and explore the possibilities.
Anyway, back to yesterday: everyone who gathered for the meeting with him recognized that to have such a ritual put them in more "uncharted waters" -- however, one of the participants in this ministry group had earlier received specific guidance from the Holy Spirit about the need for this sort of transitional ritual - and how it should be done - and Dad simply followed through, saying they shouldn't wait. It had to be done now if it was going to be done. (It's been the basic modus operandi of his life - following the prompting of the Holy Spirit, as he "plowed new ground" - but being very responsible to others in the process.)
For me personally, though I was behind the camera, to witness what happened and what all was said as the day unfolded yesterday was quite the moving experience, to say the least. I can understand now why it was important to happen before "time runs out." (I won't go into details here, but I have the highlights of these experiences all recorded on video DVDs. I happened to have my movie camera along when I arrived early Sunday morning to take my turn caring for him during that day - before I realized any of this was going to happen.)
Yesterday Dad was still able to compose his thoughts, read, and speak, and even sing a little bit! He had already transfered his unique library the day before -- about a thousand volumes, together with many other papers he authored over the years and recently sorted through -- into Ben Snyder's hands. Sunday evening as he read from scripture, Dad quoted the Apostle Paul: "I have run the race...I have finished the course..."
Lynda Hollinger-Janzen and I had hoped to get together with him over the past weeks, to prepare to do interviews and collect materials to write a book about his extraordinary life, since he gave me permission to pursue that about the end of August, and I invited her to collaborate on this, but just as I was leaving on a two week vacation in connection with my daughter's wedding. Others have been badgering him to let someone do this before, but he would never give permission. Though many of his friends and acquaintences share how they initially quaked in fear and wonderment at how they would be received by one who had developed such a widespread reputation for success in freeing people from their demonic oppression -- this is the dad I've come to know, especially in recent decades: a very humble man well aware of his own weaknesses and failings, who resisted drawing attention to himself, but instead yearned to draw people's attention to focus on the One who sits on "the Throne of Grace" as he loves to put it.
Lynda herself shared a story today that she said I could post, which illustrates this dynamic in his personality so well:
----
"I’d spoken with Dean in the context of meetings and seminars but the first time my husband and I went to visit him on a personal matter in 2002, I was very nervous. His powerful presence awed me. What evidence of demonic activity would he see in me, even though I was going to meet him on behalf of someone else?
We parked the car by a cornfield and prayed before gathering up the courage to pull into his driveway. I don’t think I would have been more apprehensive before the Pearly Gates expecting St. Peter to answer the ring than when I rang the Hochstetler’s doorbell. Dean opened the door and just stood there with such a big, welcoming smile on his face that worry could not coexist in the presence of this great compassion.
“Perfect love casts out all fear.” I John 4:18
Dean, of course, spent hours with us. He armed us with deliverance prayers, books, case studies ... and assured us that we were equipped by the power Jesus gives to confront and overcome evil.
We thank God for Dean and Edna’s faithful courage and obedience that opened the windows of God’s redeeming love in so many lives." --Lynda Hollinger-Janzen, Mennonite Mission Network
----
Dad loved people, listened to them for hours on end, helping them clean up their guilt issues and face their systemic family problems that were often rooted in generations of spiritual dysfunction. He resisted dependence; his goal was always for counselees to become empowered for themselves; to learn to appropriate "the all-sufficient power and authority of Jesus within their own lives." More often than not, no literal demons were manifested, but woe be to the one or several who did. However, Dad exercised great patience with people, because some "tough cases" took weeks or months before people could resist their relapses successfully. He did not like to work alone, in fact, considered that dangerous, and always, always, mentored other leaders in the process.
He did not ever take on a case without considering their follow-up needs, first ensuring that others were ready to tend to the client's pastoral care issues that would inevitably need to be addressed. And he never charged a fee or took a dollar for his work, unless they absolutely insisted, and it was for their own psychological benefit to do so. Mom and Dad's living room was often "the office" and they worked together to exercise their gifts of hospitality. This is the character of my father -- the Dean Hochstetler that I know. Some of these skills and principles that I learned from observation, and from listening to him respond to my questions have been invaluable in my own work and ministry. And I don't even know the half of it.
Towards the middle of September, as I made ready to pick up on this "book writing" opportunity, I could tell from further conversation with Dad that he really didn't want to do much interviewing in preparation for it. He said there is a lot that can be researched about his life after he's gone, some tapes that were already made, and reams of papers and case studies he wrote. Yes, there is a lot of research that could be done, and I'm sure will be done by others for some time to come.
The truth of the matter is he's felt "too tired" to participate in such a process. So I hestitated to push it too much, and decided to back off -- to just letting things unfold a bit more naturally. I had brought my video camera with me on a previous visit and reminisced with him spontaneously then for a few hours, drawing out some stories and getting good footage for the sake of other family members and generations to come.
This morning, upon awakening, I got the inspiration to set up a weblog soon - where folks who know him can post their own thoughts, affirmations, stories and testimonials - to jump-start that book. The idea came as I checked my email this forenoon, and realized the responses to a message I sent out last night to an email list of his friends were already rolling in and continued to do so all day -- not only from around this country, but others as well. Here is just one sample among the many:
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Dear Clair:
I am expressing appreciation for Dean's ministry. The Lord has used him at times to greatly influence the call upon my life. Shortly after high school I had a dream wherein I was delivering a friend from demonization. At that time I knew very little of this ministry. However, soon after that, this friend was taken to Elkhart General Hospital and Dean ministered to him. This set forth a 16-year journey in ministry and education with a variety of exposures to deliverance and inner-healing ministry. Currently I am in a PsyD. program, as a student, at a Christian university [the university was named here] believing God has directed me to a full-time ministry of discipleship therapy to the hurt, the burdened, and the demonically- oppressed. The Lord has used Dean to help me greater understand the unique ministry God is calling me to. It has been an honor to know him and to have had some teaching from him.
As I move into the field of Christian psychology and am battling against oppression from both purely "secular" psychology and the spirit realm, as well, I will continue to remember the path the Lord blazed through Dean, as well as the struggles he had -- both with the church and secular society.
Dean, thank-you for your courage, strength, and willingness to be used by God in a unique and bold way.
With Great Appreciation,
(Signature of this pastor, now a Psy.D. student)
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If anyone reading this on "the web" (or getting this passed along to them from someone else who copied it from this source) knows my father Dean, and wants to send a personal message to him, that can be done either 1) by posting right here on this blog, as a reply, or 2) by sending it to my email address at Clair.Hochstetler@gmail.com
However, you will want to do this in the next day or so, if you want to make sure he gets a chance to hear it himself. One could also try calling him at home -- and for those interested I can give the phone number privately. One of us will be there with him all the time, until he's left us - to figure out "the rest of it" for ourselves.
Clair Hochstetler
Monday evening, October 23, 2006
P.S. Please click on the "comments" line - it appears right below each posting - if you would like to share your own reflection, affirmation, or story about my father Dean with other readers and our family. ("Tall stories" and tales of humorous situations you have found him in are OK, too, because I know there are a few floating around out there! Simply post it now or later - over the weeks ahead. And please feel free to pass along the location of this website, via this link: http://deanhochstetler.blogspot.com/ )
Send private messages (that you don't want posted here) to Clair.Hochstetler@gmail.com
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When we first met Dean eleven years ago we had no idea the blessing he would be to us and to our ministry. His influence continues to impact our lives personally and the way we teach and train others. Dean and Edna were an incredible team in ministry and an important model for us. We are truly grateful for the life of this faithful servant of Christ. We are committed to passing his wisdom on to the next generation. Words cannot fully describe our love an appreciation for Dean. As Dean would say, "Christ is Victor!"
--Kurt and Kristen Sauder, ministering at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky