24 • GCU TODAY
GCU
Alumni
J
esse Hannington Nedella is a cherubic
blond bundle of busyness. He zips
through his living room in Avondale,
Ariz., alternately lobbing a fluffy ball
at his dad’s head and fitting plastic triangles
into a puzzle box. He stops just long enough to
bounce on toddler legs to an Elmo song on TV’s
“Sesame Street,” then pops a plastic bucket
onto his head and continues to entertain.
Jesse is 20 months old and even knows how
to whistle. By all accounts, he is the definition
of a miracle.
The uniting of brainpower
Looking back, their meeting at Grand Canyon
University feels accidental. But Drs. Nicole
(Stevenson) and Brent Nedella, now 34, have
realized their relationship — which began
awkwardly in organic chemistry class — and
their entire lives are being orchestrated quite
beautifully by God.
Brent figured out at 13 that he wanted to be
a doctor, and GCU made his undergraduate
education possible with a scholarship. Nicole
decided in kindergarten that she would be
a veterinarian, came to GCU because of its
cadaver lab (as so many high school students
do) and switched to people medicine as a junior
after enjoying her human dissection class.
The two biology majors were extremely shy
and never spoke during their freshman lab
despite sitting next to each other.
“God just totally brought this guy into my
life, when my plan was to go to grad school and
meet someone later,” Nicole said.
With medical school and residency looming,
Brent had no room in his schedule for a
girlfriend. “I figured once I was a big important
doctor, I would meet my trophy wife,” he said.
“Sorry, you got a nerd,” Nicole laughed.
They dated for two years, graduated in 2002
and started medical school at Midwestern
University in Glendale, Ariz. They married on
Nov. 17, 2003, then supported and studied with
each other during seven years of tough courses
and residencies.
God directed them away from pediatrics
(her) and orthopedics (him) toward family
practice and made room for them in 2010
at Pinnacle Family Medicine in Litchfield
Park, Ariz. The new practice, started by GCU
alumnus Dr. David Engstrom, was bursting
at the seams. Engstrom had been given funds
from Banner Health to hire one more doctor to
serve the expanding West Valley population.
“Dave started it on a foundation of God
and was fully seeking Him when he made the
decision to bring on another provider,” Brent
said. “And then God brought him two.”
Amission toAfrica
The Nedellas wanted to be parents and tried
to conceive for six years before consulting
a fertility specialist in 2011. But they had
reservations about putting “20 embryos on ice”
that likely would never all be used. Ultimately,
Nicole prayed for God’s will and converted the
nursery in their home to a “surrender” room
where she studied the Bible every day.
“It was a turning point for me — ‘If I don’t
get pregnant, that’s OK,’” she said.
That spring, a friend of Engstrom who ran a
nonprofit doing work in Uganda said God had
told him in a dream that the Engstroms and
Nedellas would accompany him on a medical
mission trip to Africa. This was news to
Engstrom, who’d never been to Africa, and to
the Nedellas, too.
Brent and Nicole prayed, and after listening
to Britt Nicole’s song, “Seeing for the First
Time” (How many years did You plan this
moment here? To show me how You love me?),
they felt called to go.
For 10 days in June 2012, the 12 Americans
traveled throughout western Uganda, flying by
what felt like the seat of their pants, handing
Special Delivery
They prayed for a baby and got the most belovedmale call they could imagine
B Y J A N I E M A G R U D E R
Jesse Nedella’s rosy, kissable cheeks are impossible for his parents, Nicole and Brent, to resist.
photo by darryl webb
