For several years, my wife Kathryn and I lived just a couple miles from the ranch owned by Klein and Karen Gilhousen, and a large illuminated cross on their property was a significant part of our night skyline. The evening Klein passed away in 2016, I remember looking out our window at that cross and thinking that, though he had been called home to heaven, he was still proclaiming the light of the gospel of Christ. In the same way, Karen’s legacy continues to radiate the gospel.
I met Karen and Klein several years before I joined the team at YTI. Kathryn had been friends with the Gilhousens for many years, and the summer Kathryn and I started dating one of the first social events we attended together was the wedding of the Gilhousens’ daughter. Several months later, I remember Karen laughing along with the rest of us at Kathryn’s church bridal shower (yes, I was invited, too!) So from the very beginning of our relationship, the Gilhousens were a significant presence in our lives.
Over the years, we would run into Karen in various places around Bozeman, whether waiting at the chiropractor’s office or sitting with her and her assistants when we were attending the same church. She always greeted us with her warm smile, and she asked about our lives with genuine interest.
When Kathryn and I were invited to join the staff at YTI shortly after Dr. Smith became president, we had the privilege of being part of the Gilhousens’ long-standing vision for quality, accessible ministry training in Montana. When the first classes were held in early 2015, we all rejoiced together that the vision was at last becoming a reality. Even after Klein’s passing, Karen’s unflagging commitment to the vision of YTI remained an inspiration to all of us on the faculty and staff of the institute.
From the first seedling of the idea of a ministry institute, to our tiny first office at the Gilhousens’ ranch, to our permanent campus at “the Barn” (where our classrooms are larger than that entire first office space!), YTI is deeply indebted to Karen and Klein’s vision, generosity, and faithfulness.