Family Story: The Lund Family

Anders Lund and his wife, Marcia, are long-time members of the PCA Community. What began as a pleasant exchange at a school fair in Amesbury, Massachusetts blossomed into an entire family’s complete immersion into our school community, extending beyond the classroom and even beyond graduation.

Now a board member at PCA, Anders continues to devote his time and effort to helping families like his find a life-long partner and home at PCA. Marcia, a devoted teacher who recently retired to become a full-time grandma, can be seen occasionally popping in to revisit her old colleagues and students when returning to New England from their home in Fargo, North Dakota.

Anders and Marcia’s three sons, Devon, Haakon, and Bryson, all attended North Dakota State University, two of whom have since married and had their first child. The youngest is finishing up his degree soon, and will be married to a fellow PCA alum this summer.

The Lunds are a classic case of making a short-term investment in their children’s education and, in turn, reaping lifelong rewards. Anders lays out the full details of his family’s move to PCA below. We hope you can find your family, or a family you know, in their story.

“We have three boys, and when our eldest son was in junior high school [middle school], he began to struggle. He had led the class academically and participated is sports, but the learning environment caused him to turn inward. Normally an extrovert, our son stopped reaching out. This raised concerns for my wife and me. 

“Even though PCA was—and is—far from our home, we explored it because we knew that our children needed a real change. Our son had the opportunity to shadow a PCA student for an entire school day at the end of the application process. The evening after he shadowed, he exclaimed that he was attending PCA.  

“Our eldest has since graduated from PCA, and he blossomed spiritually and socially. He needed the positive, reinforced structure that PCA was able to deliver. 

“We’ve had three sons graduate from the school, and upon entering college, they have all adjusted immediately to the academic rigors of college life and have excelled. The strength of character imparted by PCA has allowed each of them to attend a secular university without needing to retrofit their moral development to fit college life. They stand when the winds of change blow; they do not capitulate to the prevailing trends. 

“PCA allows the whole child to be developed…spiritually, academically, physically, emotionally, and socially. 

“My sons were challenged to give back to PCA through their Eagle Scout projects. Both found joy in developing a project that would be used for years to come. In addition, PCA’s missions trips to Guatemala, New York City and Tennessee Valley have had a dramatic effect on their future decisions for careers. PCA exposes kids to the real world, through the lens of God, and how they can participate in being His hands and feet. 

“Society routinely tells us about following the right path to invest in our futures…to select the best investments for our future retirement. Developing children who are well-adjusted, cognizant of the outside world and its allure through pornography, drugs and behaviors is worth our investment. We’ve committed to invest in the one thing we can take with us when we leave this earth—our children. 

“We travel 45 miles every day to educate our children at PCA. We don’t drive the latest-model car. We don’t plan elaborate family trips. Is it “worth it?” Is the money and time invested in our children at a young age worth the “sacrifice?” Absolutely. I would do it again. My only regret is that we didn’t find PCA when our eldest was an elementary student.”