And finally, Part 3 of our first Faculty Wife Spotlight, the conclusion of our wonderful interview with Mrs. Mary Mohler.

Where does your family attend church and what do you enjoy about the body there? In what ways are you involved in ministering to your church body?

We are members of Highview Baptist Church. This loving fellowship has supported us through thick and thin for the past 14 years. We moved to the East Campus of Highview a few years ago at the request of our pastor, Dr. Kevin Ezell. I try to keep the records straight for my husband’s large Sunday School class. Our children have been involved in the many programs offered for preschoolers, children and now youth.

What advice might you give to the women of Southern Seminary and Boyce College?

I would encourage the student wives and single women alike to make every effort to enjoy this season of their walk with the Lord. This will likely be the only time in ministry when they are surrounded by so many like minded people who are preparing for whatever God is calling them to do. Learn from them! Laugh and cry with them. Establish relationships with them that will stand the test of time. Enjoy all that Louisville has to offer. Plug into a local church and use your gifts to serve gladly. Make great memories. Strengthen your faith as the Lord will undoubtedly teach you valuable lessons here. Know that you will reflect upon your time at Boyce and/or Southern Seminary often so be sure not to waste any opportunities. Your time here will pass sooner than you think.

How can the women of Southern and Boyce pray for you?

To maintain balance and normalcy in scheduling. We want to keep things in perspective and be a real family.

And now, Part 2 of our Faculty Wife Spotlight interview with Mrs. Mary Mohler. Enjoy!

What are things you and your husband enjoy doing together?

Given the pace of our schedules, we just treasure time to talk, debrief and be together. We don’t have any shared hobbies like golf or bridge. Who has time for that? We prefer to have a quiet meal together, watch a movie at home, or perhaps walk around the mall. My husband is an amazing shopper.

What is your favorite Louisville Restaurant?

I have too many faves to pick just one! I would have to list my top three as J. Alexanders, Cheddars—and for very special occasions, Stoney River.

Tell us about your children and ways you enjoy spending time with them?

Katie is a bright, beautiful, capable college freshman at Union University. She is double majoring in history and political science. She has a dry sense of humor and a caring heart. I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for her. When people ask her what she plans to do with her degree, she confidently tells them that she wants to be a well informed wife and mother. May the Lord give her the desire of her heart.

Christopher is a bright, sanguine, somewhat carefree high school freshman. He takes classes at the Christian Educational Consortium, Memoria and Northstar online academies and at home. So, he is quite the juggler! He is a very sensitive young man with a quick wit. He has kept us all in stitches since the day that he learned to talk. He is somewhat the non-Al Mohler teenager in terms of academic drive and interests, but we are excited to see what the Lord has planned for him as well. He has an amazing memory for detail. He loves to watch sports—and has always kept his dad on his toes with his endless questions that show his insatiable curiosity about anything in the animal world that can kill you!

We enjoy just being together. I know that sounds evasive but it’s the truth. We recently purchased a lake home that has become our getaway. We enjoy time together on our boat. We have lots of fun around the dining table where the kids typically tease their dad incessantly. We enjoy watching old Perry Mason, Hawaii Five O and Andy Griffith episodes. Oh, and we all enjoy shopping. We have traveled quite a bit as a family and have logged many hours in bookstores across the county and abroad!

We are excited to announce a new Pendergraph tradition. Each month throughout the school year we will spotlight one faculty wife with an interview conducted by one of our board members. We are pleased to have Mrs. Mary Mohler as our first faculty wife spotlight, interviewed by Gretchen Neisler who serves as our Hospitality Coordinator.

Also, according to the providence of God, Mrs. Mohler has enjoyed more than one interview this month. The ladies over at girltalk recently published a wonderful four part interview with the first lady (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4). We have designed our own three part in such a way as to compliment and not overlap with this wonderful series. We hope you will enjoy them both!

First, tell us a little about yourself as a little girl? What did you like to play with? What did you want to be when you grew up?

I was not a baby-doll girl. I was into stuffed animals — they all lined up around me on my bed leaving me about 2 inches of the bed. I remember playing school with the stuffed animals, so I probably saw myself as a teacher — but not a teacher like I am for SWI, more of an elementary school teacher.

Let’s fast-forward a few years. Share with us some funny (or wise, or sad…) stories about your days as a seminary wife?

We were married just two months after I graduated from college and Al graduated from Southern with his MDiv. So, he was starting the PhD program when we moved into Fuller as newlyweds. He spent so many long hours in the library. I remember one particular night when I was home alone. I have never had a green thumb but decided to water the houseplant that was looking rather sad–again. I guess I didn’t think about the fact that it was positioned on top of the television. I should note that Al’s very generous sister had given us the television as a wedding gift. As you have already guessed, the water went straight through the flower pot and into the back of the television. I panicked and tried to mop up as much as I could. Then, I clenched my jaw and turned the television on only to find streaks going through what used to be a picture. I turned it off for fear of further disaster. I can remember going back to try again only to find the same result. When Al finally came home from the library, he found his distraught bride still in the panic mode. He calmed me down. The good news is that the television dried out with time and actually worked fine without any repair. We moved the plant to a safer location but I still don’t have a green thumb.

I also remember having quite a bit of time on my hands since cleaning a Fuller apartment really can’t take very long. I decided to try my hand at making some clothes since I was fortunate enough to have my own sewing machine. How hard can it be? There are directions in every pattern. My big mistake was that I purchased very inexpensive fabric since I didn’t want to risk a great expense if somehow the garment construction was harder than it seemed. Let’s just say that I never moved up to fine linen and purple. After several pathetic attempts, I joyfully went back to the safe art of cross stitching. I still have many of the elaborate cross stitching projects from those days displayed here in my office. Somehow, I have not started a new one since Christopher was born fifteen years ago. I wonder why?

Lastly, I have to share a rather emotional memory. Several years into our marriage, Al was named Assistant to the President of Southern Seminary. We were thus invited to seminary functions for staff members. One particular year, we attended the faculty staff Christmas party at the President’s Home. We had battled infertility for two years but were thrilled to be expecting our first child as we attended the party that night. I clearly remember sitting on the sofa in the Great Hall deep in conversation with someone when it happened. For the first time, I felt the baby kick! That feeling that I had longed for was finally happening right there at the party. What made this even more special five years later, was to realize that Katie had kicked for the first time just within sight of the doorway to what would be here pink and white bedroom according to God’s perfect timing. What a sweet memory that is for me!

How did you manage to cook dinner in your Fuller apartment? (Just kidding! But any words of wisdom concerning contentment with small living space would be welcome!).

Our Fuller apartment will always hold dear memories as our first home together. I will always picture it just the way it was once we “set up house” and put our lovely wedding gifts to good use. Granted, the kitchen was housed behind closet doors, which my husband failed to mention when he excitedly told me that we had secured a corner apartment. Nevertheless, I looked forward to coming home after work each day to prepare dinner. There was plenty of space for just the two of us! Those were the days when soft drinks were sold in returnable glass bottles. I remember carting cases of them up the stairs regularly. Funny memories like that stand out in my mind. We even hosted our country church for dessert “in the city” one summer night. I made pies and set them out buffet style on our table. It worked out just fine. The Lord was teaching me valuable lessons about hospitality even then. He knew, although I would have been shocked, that ten years later, I would be living on the other side of Lexington Road serving desserts from a kitchen that has an island the size of Australia. I am thankful for our home now just as I was thankful for it in Fuller 135.

Last but not least - and just for fun - what is your favorite drink?

Diet Coke, but I’m not one of those people who crack one open first thing in the morning. (I further press, and indeed she makes it through the morning sans caffeine! She did, however, agree with me that Diet Coke is “the elixir of life”).

Check back for part 2 and part 3 of our interview with Mrs. Mary Mohler.