‘I was filled with hope. We were not going to give up.’
By Jeff Kurowski | For On Mission
Photography by Scott Eastman
***Corrections made from On Mission magazine print version***
FREEDOM — Imagine during a time of fear and despair being able to lean on your faith to find gratitude.
That’s what Jim and Susan VandeHey of Holy Cross Parish, Kaukauna, experienced when they nearly lost their son, Cole, in 2012.
“He was in eighth grade and got very sick,” Susan said. “We really didn’t understand what was happening to him and he was in the hospital for a month.”
Cole’s condition continued to worsen.
Jim recalled a conversation he had with God while on his knees in the chapel at Children’s Wisconsin.
“I was (angry), and if this was the end, I was thankful for 13-plus years,” he said. “I remember very specifically saying, ‘I’m asking you to heal my son. I want more time with him.’ That switched my heart from angry to grateful.”
“My prayer life came alive,” Susan said. “I started to see God in everything and listened to that voice.”
Cole suffered from paralysis from the waist down due to a spinal blockage, and when the doctor presented Susan with the slim odds that her son would ever walk again, she continued to turn to God in prayer, she said.
“My God is bigger than this,” she said. “‘You’re God, you can do anything.’ I was filled with hope. We were not going to give up.”
The VandeHeys, parents of four, said they felt the power of prayer from family, friends and the community.
“I asked our doctor at Mayo Clinic, ‘Do you believe in the power of prayer?’” Jim said. “She replied, ‘Yes, and you’re going to need it.’”
Miracles happened, Jim said.
The blockage on Cole’s spine disappeared. Intense therapy helped him regain his ability to walk again.
A day after taking his first steps, Cole ran on a treadmill.
“We had people tell us, ‘I can’t believe he’s going home,’” Susan said. “I would say, ‘It’s a gift of the
Holy Spirit.’”
“We asked people for specific prayers,” Jim said. “I think one of the fruits of Cole’s illness was it reignited the power of prayer in us and our community.”
Looking back, he continues to offer gratitude.
“Life is going to be hard,” he said. “When it is, that’s an opportunity to either draw closer to God or move farther away.”
Jim and Susan have been married since 1993.
“The first time I ever met Susan a voice said, ‘Here’s your bride,’” he said.
Both point to their childhoods as influential in their faith development.
Susan, who grew up as a member of Immaculate Conception Parish, Oneida, is the middle child of
11 in her family.
“My parents (Gordon & Mary Peterson) taught us the importance of family and a strong work ethic,” Susan said. “My mom had a beautiful gift. She made you feel loved. Even with so many of us, we all felt that love.”
Jim grew up down the street from their current home and was a member of Holy Cross Parish, Kaukauna. He credits his father, Ken, and late mother, Jan, for their faith influence.
“They did so much pro-life work and an incredible amount of ministry, including helping to establish the Colorado Leadership Retreats (now known as the CLR Ministries, Inc.),” he said.
Susan recalled seeing a change in Jim before their senior year of high school. During the summer, he had participated in a a Colorado Leadership Retreat in the Colorado Rockies.
“On that retreat, I encountered God in a way I never had,” he said. “I heard him very clearly say ‘Jim, I love you.’ It was very transformational.”
“Holiness is attractive,” he added with a laugh in response to Susan’s recognition of the positive change she saw in him.
It was important to invite God into their relationship and “lean on the Lord” early in their marriage, they said.
They were also called to ministry.
Jim has been involved in faith offerings related to the outdoors and men’s ministries to build strong men of faith. His parents led many CLR retreats from the mid 1990s to the early 2000s. He and Susan along with Jane and Rick VandenBoogart founded CLR Ministries, Inc. in 2012.
Last year, the VandeHeys became involved in the McGrath Institute for Church Life Mental Health Fiat Program for the Diocese of Green Bay, which is designed to provide Catholic formation and to promote a culture of understanding and hope in the area of mental illness and mental health challenges.
They then brought that training to their CLR 2025 team.
“We’ve learned that the gift of time is really important; you have to be intentional in your time together,” said Susan about finding balance with ministry. “Too many people are busy, I want to be present for my family and others.”
The VandeHeys, who have four grandchildren and another one on the way, said they begin and end each day with prayer.
Susan, an educator, has a deep connection to Mary and holds the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion as a special place.
“St. Joseph has always been my guy,” said Jim, who works for Faith Technologies.
They leaned on their faith and prayer life again four years ago when suffering a significant loss.
On July 21, 2021, their home was destroyed by fire. Fortunately, their daughter, Alison, and a niece, were able to escape the home without harm.
“Losing all your material stuff was very difficult,” Susan said. “But people are what really matter. When you think about my people versus my stuff, take my stuff.”
The VandeHeys were able to rebuild.
“The fire happened on a Wednesday,” Susan said. “On that Friday, we were out in the yard picking up things. There was so much peace. That peace can only come from God.”
Due to the pandemic and fire, CLR Retreats were halted. Jim and Susan pondered bringing them back but moving it to Wyoming. They sought conviction during their trip to Indianapolis in July of 2024 for the National Eucharistic Congress.
“I thought, ‘OK Lord, you can convict me to do this,’” Jim said. “‘If I run into Bishop (James) Conley (Chair of the Board of Wyoming Catholic College) at the Eucharistic Congress, and have a conversation with him, I will take that as a conviction that we are supposed to go back.’ I turned around (at the congress of 60,000 people) and there he was.”
The final day of the Eucharistic Congress was July 21, 2024, the three-year anniversary of the fire.
“The fire is done; it’s over,” Jim said. “It’s time to be who God created you to be and live that mission.”
A group from the Diocese of Green Bay, including Fr. Matthew Settle as spiritual director, traveled to Wyoming for a CLR retreat in early July.
“The gift the youth receive is an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist because it forever changes them,” Jim said.
Moving forward, the VandeHeys said they strive to continue to live out the words from a favorite Scripture verse, Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.”
“God has provided for our family,” Jim said. “We are continuing to discern his voice so we can give of our time, talents and treasures, which allows us to help bring people closer to Jesus. We are very, very blessed.”