For Don and Dianna Lund, the completion of 30-plus years of teaching signaled a satisfactory time for retirement.

In 2003, the Lunds — who do just about everything together — left Hart High School. But there was one aspect of their jobs they could not leave behind.

“We both felt teaching was a calling and a way to serve God,” Don said. “But when you retire you just can’t hang that up.”

“We both wanted to continue to serve the Lord.”

As soon as Don, 66, told his pastor he wanted to serve, doors began to open up, he said.

He began helping with confirmation, visiting shut-ins or the sickly in the hospital and much more.

But only six months after retirement, Don received some heart-wrenching news.

“He was diagnosed with prostate cancer,” Dianna, 62, said. “We were just devastated.”

Only a couple of months after his diagnosis, Don underwent surgery and recovered with virtually no complications, he said.

“I feel the cure I experienced was a miracle — a gift from God,” Don said.

“All the bad things that are supposed to happen to men after prostate cancer never happened to him,” Dianna added.

In the face of a life-threatening illness, Don’s desire to serve God did not waver.

“It did not influence my decision to serve God but what it has done — it has increased my compassion for others suffering cancer and disease,” he said.

As the Valencia residents continued to serve in their church, Bethlehem Lutheran Ministries, one opportunity began to unveil.  

“We thought if he becomes a deacon, it means something to the people who call (for help),” Dianna said. “It makes a difference in the lives of other people to know you’ve had training.”

When a brochure came in the mail for the deacon program, Dianna became ecstatic when she discovered there was a ministry program for women. She called her pastor the same day she received the brochure to ask for a letter of recommendation.

“We’ve been bound at the hip since we’ve gotten married,” Dianna said. “We do everything together.”

Don and Dianna headed into their respective three-year programs through The Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod not fully knowing what they’d be getting themselves into.

“I just thought it was something I could meddle in our spare time,” Don said.

Not quite. Don and Dianna compared their programs to the equivalent of “going for a master’s degree.”

“It turned our lives upside down,” Dianna said.

Throughout the program, Don had to give sermons, teach bible classes, complete two major papers per class, attend interviews, undergo a psychological evaluation and more, he said.

Dianna completed all the classes, evaluations and interviews Don did besides leading sermons, she said.

For the retired couple, the workload made sense.

“When you’re in an area of ministry you’re representing the Lord himself,” Don said. “When you speak, people will perceive you as a leader in the church and give a lot of weight to what you say.”

The last thing they’d want to do is disappoint their boss, Dianna said.

“Your boss is God — you don’t want to let him down,” she said. “One day you want to hear him say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’”

On Oct. 4, Don Lund was commissioned as a deacon and Dianna as parish ministry assistant at Bethlehem Lutheran in Canyon Country.

While the Lunds don’t believe a title earns them more favor in God’s eyes, they saw the training as a way to better meet the needs of people seeking help.

In Greek, deacon means servant, Don said. He gave his first Christmas Eve sermon as a deacon on Dec. 24.

While Dianna’s title does not carry the Greek translation of servant, that is exactly what she would like to be.

As a parish ministry assistant, Dianna assists with duties such as church set up and ministry or social outings.

She also accompanies her husband in teaching confirmation and visiting shut-ins and individuals in the hospital.

“I see myself as a helper and I like thinking of myself that way,” she said. “I just want to be a helper and there’s lots of small things that need to be done.”