Meet Kailee Kolade
Describe yourself in 5 adjectives.
Loyal, passionate, hospitable, loud, adventurous
Tell us about your family and how long you’ve been at Calvary.
I grew up in Brooklyn Park, MN, and moved to Rochester during nursing school. My husband is from Nigeria and moved to Rochester in high school. We met at a church in town the first week I moved here. Within a couple months he asked me out on a date, and the rest is history! We’ve been married 7 years and have an almost 2 year old son, Gideon. He takes after his Dad in his dancing talent and he loves the outdoors like me. We are also pretty proud of his bilingual language skills – English and Yoruba!
We have been attending Calvary for just over 3 years. We recently got connected in a small group and you can always find us getting a treat between services at coffee connection!
Share a core childhood memory and a bit about your younger years and places you’ve lived.
One of my favorite memories growing up was going camping with my family. We usually camped at states parks in Minnesota and Wisconsin, almost always at a campsite with access to canoeing. I loved those getaways together! Whether playing in the tent with my sister, or making s’mores around the fire, everything was more fun while camping!
If you had no limitations, what would you do with your life?
If I had no limits in life, I would travel to every country in the world with my family, and bring a new family member or friend with us on each trip. My husband and I traveled quite a bit before Gideon, and hope to do more international travel again as our family grows. There is so much to see, learn, and enjoy in this beautiful world God has given us. I’d love to see and meet as much of his creation as I can!
What is your favorite holiday tradition?
I LOVE holiday traditions as a whole, but one favorite I have is making gingerbread cookies. It’s been a tradition since childhood and, even with our growing families, we get together each year for a fun baking day. We make a lot so it’s crazy chaos made worse with lots of bright colored frosting everywhere, but it’s also a day full of laughs and delicious fun shaped gingerbreads!
Meet Sue Nelson
Tell us about your family and how long you’ve been at Calvary.
We moved here from Texas in 2006 to direct Camp Victory. Four out of five of our children moved with us, but they all are grown now and living in South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Japan. My husband David and I will celebrate 40 years of marriage this year, and we have always worked together.
Share a core childhood memory and a bit about your younger years and places you’ve lived.
I spent summers growing up at a Christian camp in New Hampshire that my parents served at. That experience and my middle school and high school youth pastors were the most significant impact on my spiritual growth.
What are you most passionate about?
I’m most passionate about the impact that Christian camping has on young adults who choose to spend a summer (or more) serving at camp. It can be a life changing experience not only for campers but for staff. Our staff recruiting motto is “Come disciple and be discipled.” Our philosophy is that as the year round and leadership staff pour into the summer staff, they will in turn pour into the campers, making it an authentic caring relationship where they can share the Gospel message.
My other passion is being a grandma to our 14 grandchildren. It’s hard being so far from them all, but we try to make the most of the time together. We just returned from 2 weeks in Japan with our son, who is stationed there, and his family. One interesting bit about our grands is that we have 2 sets of boy/girl twins, and our one son who just started fostering was also given a set of boy/girl twins!
What is your favorite outdoor activity?
My favorite outdoor activity is cycling, but my husband and I also enjoy hiking, camping, canoeing, skiing, and more.
What is/are your favorite holiday tradition(s)?
When our kids were growing up, they would each get a unique Christmas ornament every year. It might be related to their favorite activity that year, a particular accomplishment or something from a family vacation. Then when they left home, they took them with them and had a good start to decorating their own tree.
Share one thing that you love to do that you get to do nearly every day.
I really enjoy exercising, whether it is a fitness class, swimming, cycling, or walking at Camp Victory.
What do you appreciate about Calvary?
Renovare has been a real encouragement and keeps me accountable to studying God’s word.