Sometimes we just need to have fun. Out-loud laughter, enthusiastic conversation, excited planning, creative chaos… the noise of fun. Some people just naturally bring excitement to a room. They draw people in a way that says, “you are wanted,” “you are cherished,” and “feel the love because I love you big.” An extroverted extrovert. Never too many people to love. Never too many kids in the backyard playing. Never too much food to cook for the people they love.
In walks Dana Owens… charming, witty, never met a stranger. She laughs at herself. She’s not afraid of making mistakes or a mess. Or even if she is, that doesn’t stop her from inviting friends into her home, keeping extra kids, teaching a homeschool writing class, or fitting in time for a game night.
Dana loves Jesus and the Jesus that seeps out of her is fun, crazy, loving, generous, hopeful, joyful, transparent, prayerful, and genuine. She is the one who remembers birthdays and wants everyone to feel extra special on that day, hopes against hope when adversity comes, and believes our Father can redeem everything. She remembers to check on friends who are hurting, to encourage friends who are down, to be a cheerleader for friends who have triumphs. She openly shares stories of all the ways God has redeemed and healed her throughout her life. She uses the pain from her past to encourage the people God brings into her life.
A little over a year ago Dana had a major surgery to improve her health; this drastically changed how and what she is able to eat. One of her biggest concerns was how to care for people without the focus being food. In our culture, we gather so much around meals or coffee and dessert. One of her favorite ministries has always been cooking for people to show love by meeting a practical need. What if cooking would be too hard? What if her friends wouldn’t invite her to share a meal since her eating habits had changed?
When people think about good food, they think about Dana. Many people comment that the reason her food tastes so amazing is the love used to prepare it, not the ingredients. Love is stirred into the batter, love is cut up in the raw chicken, love is chopped into the onions and love is boiled into the noodles – that is straight-up Dana cooking. No lifestyle change or meal plan could take away her ministry because her cooking was never about food, but the love all mixed in.
Dana has helped host several student serve days with Grace Klein Community. She is the one in the kitchen stirring things up – laughter and maybe a few recipes if there’s time. Her natural, easy humor has everyone laughing and she teaches the kids truth about Jesus while they are cutting chicken and measuring milk. She tells stories to help the kids think about the people that may receive the food they are preparing. She wants them to understand that it really means something to surprise someone with a home-cooked meal and that showing love doesn’t have to be hard or complicated.
The Owens family has delivered food boxes for years and have invested much time and energy loving people in very hard situations. Their consistency makes a difference in situations where chaos and unpredictability are normal. Their commitment means a lot to people who aren’t used to people sticking around. Dana and her husband, Rusty, are showing their kids how to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a hurting world.
A couple of years ago, the Owens felt strongly that they were supposed to help buy a bus for people they barely knew at a ministry in South Africa. They prayed and asked God, “are you sure?” He said, “yes.” So they obeyed and it was a sacrifice. It was hard. The Owens are teaching their kids that following Jesus requires sacrifice and that the road will not always be easy.
Through Grace Klein Community, Dana has been an active team member and leader of multiple outreaches to partner ministry, Impacto Ministries, in Guatemala. Everyone jokes that she turns into complete order in the mission field. She makes new team members feel welcome, loves on the babies, and makes the elderly laugh. Even Guatemala is better because of her.
A community of Christ-followers needs all different types of people to be truly healthy and alive. Some of us are serious, some of us are rule-followers, some are a little more like rebels, some of us are work horses, some of us are leaders, teachers, administrators. Dana brings a much-needed energy and lightness to any group. She values fun because she knows that God invented fun and wants us to enjoy His creation and one another. She has the gift of sharing truth with a dose of humor. She knows that we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously.
If you see Dana around, give her a hello, a smile, or a hug. She will love you and you will know it.