For over a decade, a local man has been striving to help sick individuals in the community recover from their illnesses through faith.

Just a few months ago, he decided to make his mission official by forming Praise You in the Storm Ministry.

Jon Wehrenberg is a lifelong resident of Monroe County, graduating from Waterloo High School and later moving to Columbia, where he taught and coached in the school district.

He currently works for the St. Louis Cardinals as a Busch Stadium tour guide.

The story of how he started Praise You in the Storm stretches all the way back to 2010 when he was visiting his dentist.

Wehrenberg’s hygienist, Karen Kaiser, had lost her sister and nephew in a tragic drowning that winter in rural Waterloo and as a way of coping with her grief, painted a picture of a cross emerging from a pool of ice.

He spoke with Kaiser about her loss, and when she brought up and showed him the painting, it immediately resonated with him.

As his father, a longtime local pastor, had recently suffered a heart attack at the time, Wehrenberg offered to purchase the painting in order to pass it on to his father as essentially a source of inspiration to help him recover.

Kaiser obliged, but the painting’s journey didn’t just stop at Wehrenberg’s father. It instead got passed along from person to person as Wehrenberg came to hear about folks in the community who could use some art, inspiration and faith to help in their battles with cancer, periods of mourning or whatever unfortunate situation they might find themselves in.

This continued for years as little more than an act of goodwill, but things became somewhat more official roughly half a year ago.

Then, Kelli Clarke, who’s son had passed away from leukemia, handed the painting off to Chris Vogt, also suggesting to Wehrenberg that even more good work could be done through a ministry.

Wehrenberg officially established Praise You in the Storm this past November.

“I just created the ministry called Praise You in the Storm – that’s what the painting is called – and I got photo copies of it, so I basically just send it out as encouragement to those who need it by word of mouth, just trying to reach as many people as I can,” Wehrenberg said. “And then people are encouraged to get on that website and pray for each other and encourage each other.”

Wehrenberg noted that, on top of the recommendation from Clarke, he was also hugely inspired by his mother who has worked as a letter-writing ministry, watching out for those in the community who have lost loved ones in order to send them a personal, hand-written letter for comfort.

Wehrenberg explained he hopes to have even more reach through Facebook, providing folks in the community a forum to support and encourage each other through their hardships.

At the core of that encouragement is still the painting and, since the ministry began, the photocopies.

Wehrenberg said the original painting has passed through the hands of 13 individuals while the copies have been spread to more than 100.

“It’s just been amazing how many people this has brought together, kind of a community of those trying to encourage each other,” Wehrenberg said.

He also noted one important component of the painting-passing process which is that everyone who hands the piece off to someone else writes a special message on the back.

Over the years, the painting has acquired a substantial number of messages, such that one of its more recent recipients required a new panel in order to write hers.

“When you pass the painting off, you write a verse on the back,” Wehrenberg said. “You can either write words of encouragement or a Bible verse, whatever you want to say to that person. And so the whole canvas on the back is filled with all these verses.”

Wehrenberg stressed the encouragement component of the ministry, saying it’s not just meant to inspire individuals as they receive kind words but also as they give themselves.

“My goal was to not just encourage, but when you are encouraging others, that helps you to heal,” Wehrenberg said. “All of these people who have been impacted and they know what it feels like, they are now healing by reaching out to others and helping others, and that’s the most beautiful part of this ministry. It’s not just the encouragement that they’re getting, it’s when they start to encourage others.”

Wehrenberg said the project over the years – and the ministry more recently – has seen steady growth and progress.

He said he belongs to The Way Church in Columbia but also attends a Bible study at Hope Christian Church south of Columbia and has generally been able to connect with folks through multiple churches in this area.

Wehrenberg also offered thanks to Cardinals broadcaster Ricky Horton who has been very supportive and helpful, particularly when it comes to praying for and working with children who have been part of the ministry and the painting project.

Regarding the future of the ministry, Wehrenberg expressed hopes that even more people would hear about Praise You in the Storm in order to grow the community even further.

He also described some of his long-term goals which suggest a potentially major addition to the ministry down the line.

“My vision, which is kinda crazy, is I would love to buy property down in Florida and give families a week break where they can just get away, go to the beach,” Wehrenberg said. “That’s my long vision is to not just encourage by all this but someday actually be able to send these people to a place where they can just get away from it, kind of recoup and just be a family or whatever it takes.”

For more information, visit the Praise You in the Storm Ministry Facebook page.