Storyteller Pati Kachel

My love for listening to and telling stories was one of the greatest gifts that my paternal grandmother passed on to me. Her name was Oliva Bergetta Anderson Kachel, but we just called her ‘Grama Ollie.” Her parents immigrated to America from Norway in 1868 with other families from the northern Nordland region. They brought very few earthly possessions with them but transported countless memories, music, and traditions from their beloved homeland. They pioneered their way westward to establish their new life in the fertile prairies near Paynesville, Minnesota. The Israel Johan Anderson homestead still stands and operates as a family farm today. Before they built their own homes, in thanksgiving to God for their safe travels, these grateful and industrious families built the Nordland Lutheran Church. Their Christian faith was the cornerstone of their lives, so Bible stories were read and told around the family dining room table as well as in church. Joyful hymn sings and testifying of God’s goodness and answered prayers were a part of everyday life, not just on Sundays in our family. Biblio dramas were acted out with a cast of family members of all ages and were a source of edifying entertainment. My grandmother could captivate all of us with her skillful telling of both Old and New Testament stories. Through her loving ways and wonderful sense of humor, she passed on the legacy of her love for Jesus to all of her descendants. I am honored and delighted to be able to pass along her well-told faith stories as well as my own God stories to the next generation.

                                                                                                  - Pati