Don and Diane Heyden, longtime members of Hope Lutheran Church in Bozeman, Mont., regularly invite students from nearby Montana State University to their home.
ticipants are Lutheran, everyone is welcome. “We have Presbyterians, Catholics, Methodists,” Diane said. There’s not much better than
getting to relax and have a home- cooked meal after a long week of schoolwork and tests, said Andrew Bender, a recent graduate who attended the dinners for four years. Bender and his girlfriend also
visit the Heydens outside of the scheduled dinners once or twice a month, going over to play cards or just hang out. “It’s nice to be around a different generation,” especially a couple with important life lessons and interesting stories to share, Bender said. “[They’re] our Boze- man grandparents.” When someone’s 21st birthday
rolls around, there’s a good chance the Heydens will treat that student to a celebratory drink. (If you’re over 21 and want to sip a beer at the gather- ings, that’s fine. Diane has a spread- sheet with everyone’s date of birth and does keep track.) Before retirement, Diane was a sixth-grade teacher and Don was
Author bio: Scarvey is
communications specialist for Lutheran Services Carolinas.
an engineer. Married for 36 years in what is a second marriage for both, the couple moved to Bozeman from California 18 years ago. Tired of the desert, Don was drawn to Montana in part because of fly-fishing. The Heydens have six children
from their first marriages. But they consider the college students who visit them to be family as well. Diane estimates that they’ve seen
22 of them graduate with bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees or both. Many still keep in touch, letting the couple know when important life events occur. The Heydens even attended a wedding in Nebraska of one of their “firstborns”—their term for the original group of students. Diane said she enjoys seeing how
students mature from their freshman years to when they get comfortable with the group and become more outgoing. Part of that blossoming probably has something to do with her effervescent personality. “Diane is outgoing and bubbly and talkative and really just wants to know every- thing about you when she meets you, and it’s great,” Olsen said. Not even a huge snowstorm can
derail the meals. When a winter storm knocked the power out, the group carried on, even with less food. “We shared more stories and
‘We just thank the Lord for the blessings of these kids every single day.’
laughed harder than we ever had,” said Shannyn Wilson, a lifelong Lutheran from Whippany, N.J., who has attended the dinners for three years. Olsen, who is a mechanical engi-
neering major, says she’s been grate- ful for the chance to meet other stu- dents with whom she wouldn’t have crossed paths otherwise. The dinners also have been a cata-
lyst for many students to find a place for themselves at Hope. When the Heydens invited Wil-
son to a dinner the first Sunday she visited Hope, she was hesitant to accept but is forever grateful she did. Because of that dinner Wilson
started working in the nursery, attended the ski trips and helped direct the youth play at Hope. “Don and Diane are like a third
set of grandparents for many of us, and two of the most amazing people I have ever met,” Wilson said. “With Don and Diane you know that you always have someone who loves you and wants to spend time with you.” The Heydens feel much the same.
“We just thank the Lord for the bless- ings of these kids every single day,” Don said.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE HEYDENS
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