Regina - “Ain’t she PRECIOUS!”

Regina first visited our church in 1990. She and her husband and children came at the same time when what we call “the Aspen Avenue” people did. It was an exciting time in the earlier days of our church history when several families all from the same street on the air base visited and became regular attenders all at once.

Regina was saved through the ministry of NTBC. She is a nurturing person, serves the Lord, church, and others, in every way that she can. She has always been known for having a tremendous sense of humor.

Born and raised on a farm in Tennessee, she thinks of herself as a ‘country girl’ at heart. She was ‘born barefoot’ and to this day only wears shoes when she has to.

She and her husband Mark met in college. Mark is retired from 22 years in the Air Force and now works as an RN at the Altru Health system in the ICU. Regina works at the Child Development Center on GFAFB. They have now been married for 28 years. They have three children: Andrew, a lab scientist in Nashville; Alicea, living with her grandparents in Tennessee and working in esthetics, a branch of cosmetology; and Matthew, a sophomore in our Christian School.

Mark, Regina, and Matthew now live on the outskirts of Larimore where there is plenty of room for her to pursue gardening, one of her many interests.

She also likes to bake, crochet, and quilt. Those who’ve eaten her homemade apple pies have experienced a special taste treat! She has baked many of them for our church functions and nearly every missionary and evangelist who has visited our church has had the pleasure of enjoying Regina’s special apple pies. Our pastor is one of her biggest fans! “Nobody makes an apple pie like Mrs. Kerstiens” he said.

Regina is very patriotic and loves this country. There is at least one American flag, along with copious other Americana decor, in every room of their house. She likes lighthouses too. They remind her of her Lord and Saviour.


The following memories are some illustrations of her good humor. I remember when we held a ladies’ retreat at the Red Willow campgrounds. Regina brought along some DVD’s featuring a Christian comedienne. That lady was hilarious, but what I enjoyed even more was listening to and watching Regina doubling over in laughter and giggles. (And she tells me that she was once extremely introverted!) The “Ain’t she precious!” at the beginning of this article is a quote from one of those DVDs. On several occasions Regina has quipped, “God has such a sense of humor!” There was also the time when she played the role of Ma Kettle in one of our family camp skits!

Have you heard her British impersonation of Hyacinth Bucket? It makes me smile.

Regina’s parents gave herself, her sister, and her brother a legacy of Godliness, diligence, honesty, and patriotism. Her mother, who has a meek and quiet Christlike spirit, inspires her.

Her favorite Bible verses include Romans 8:28 because of its truth that everything God allows in her life works out for good, II Corinthians 5:17 because it showed to her, her need of real, life-changing salvation, and Matthew 6:33 which reminds her to always give God first place in her life.
Getting to church services is very important to her. Why, one time the only way she could get to a revival meeting was to travel by snowmobile, so she braved the elements and did it! Regina has always been known as having a faithful spirit.

She admires Joseph in the Old Testament. He combined absolute faith in God with patient endurance. Joseph possessed power, but used it wisely, never allowing success to ‘turn his head.’

Placing her focus on the eternal, not the temporal is very important to Regina. She is thankful to God for helping her get over extreme shyness.
She is the Lydia Ladies group leader at church with a heart not only for our missionaries, but also for each lady in her group. She seeks to encourage others to use their talents for the Lord.

She has learned that being successful in life isn’t dependent upon how much money or earthly goods that you have, but upon how rich you are in the Lord Jesus Christ. She is laying up her treasures in Heaven. The whole reason she lives is to bring glory to her Lord. Her heart aches for people who need to be saved.

If you should happen to see something waving in the air at church, it might just be Regina waving her Amen hanky.

As she often says, “You go, Girl.” The world is a better place because of you, Regina Kerstiens.

We love you !