I N T E G R A T I N G F A I T H , S E R V I C E , S C H O L A R S H I P
LASP NEWS
LASP’s mission is to cul vate a Christ-centered community of cri cal thinking learner-scholars from mul ple disciplines, that seeks to expand global awareness and integrate Kingdom values via experien al learning in the La n American context, challeng-‐ ing students to respec ully engage our host cultures and strive for academic excellence.
A Biannual Newsle er Spring 2014 Welcome to Current Alumni Updates Find us on Facebook and LASP, Mr. Presi-‐ Perspec-‐ Read about what LASP Twi er This poem was dent! ves alumni are doing, On the importance shared by Fall Stay up-to-date and connect Incarna onal Learning
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of our end of the semester commu-‐ nity immersion experiences and their life-changing impacts on our students
2013 student A response to the elec on that Costa David Mar nez Rica is currently at one of our experiencing and end of the se-‐ an cipa on for its mester ac vi-‐ comple on in April. P. 4 es. P. 3
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Reflec ons on our cur-‐ rent semes-‐ ter P. 4-5
where they are in the with LASP by “liking” our page on world, and what they Facebook. Search “La n American are where their pas-‐ Studies Program .” sions lie. You can find us on P. 6-8 Twi er at @LASP_tweets
Looking Back
Incarna onal Learning Britney Villhauer
A jovial rumble of conversa on and sto-‐ rytelling filled our LASP office at the end of our fall semester when students re-‐ turned from their independent commu-‐
different communi es throughout Costa Rica and to see how deeply it had im-‐ pacted their lives. This community im-‐ mersion experience is the culmina ng component of our semester in La n Landon Hankins, Howard Payne Universi-‐ America where students again break out ty, Fall 2013 of the classroom to learn about the re-‐ “While I was assigned to assist in the gion’s reality directly from the source. high school of the rural community of Every por on of the semester leading Pacayitas, I certainly feel as though I up to their community immersion expe-‐ have learned much more than I have rience prepares them for this. Students taught. Amidst the beau ful land-‐ are equipped to engage in a new per-‐ scape, I have learned how cheese is spec ve, to connect on a deep personal made, how bu erflies are raised, how level with the people they meet, and to to dance, and how the people of this learn by actually experiencing the La n small community make their living and American reality as genuinely as possi-‐ live in communion with one another.” ble. These community experiences are nity immersions, excited to share about manifesta ons of the academic con-‐ their experiences. I was blessed to hear cepts the students learn about through-‐ their grateful reflec ons on their me in out the semester. The people with
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Ashleigh Bugg, University Of Mary HardinBaylor, Fall 2013
whom students live embody the La n American perspec ve that we strive to grasp all semester. The theore cal comes to life and students are invited to par cipate in this reality, in solidarity with people they quickly come to love. P. 1
Looking Back “If we are to live fully and meaningfully in a world of plural cultures, we must learn not only to respect these differences but to enjoy them, not only to study them but to receive enriching experiences as the result of contacts with their representa ves. It is only in this way that North Americans and La n Ameri-‐ cans can enrich one another- by mutual contact and reciprocal sharing.” Expert from “Understanding La n Americans with Special Reference to Religious Values and Movements” by Eugene A. Nida
We see great value in what students can learn from these informal learning envi-‐ ronments: conversa ons around the ta-‐ ble, learning how to communicate in a culturally appropriate way, joining in work with people who are passionate about
Rica. They are able to see the world with sons they learned with them. These are not just lessons of memorizing facts, sta-‐ different eyes. s cs, and history; they are life-lessons
During my community immersion experi-‐ ence as a student with LASP, I was deeply impacted by the inspiring family with whom I lived. I have never felt so grate-‐ Tucker Fahlen, Taylor university, Fall 2013 ful for someone invi ng me to be a part of their lives, welcoming me into the holy fellowship of their home. Before then, all of my experiences abroad had been with the inten on of making a difference in the lives of the families I visited; this me, I was the one that was fundamentally transformed. I have never felt such a gen-‐ uine love for people or crea on as I have on the Kéködi Indigenous Reserve. My love for my family at Kéköldi is reflected daily through choices I make and through what they do, as well as with those who the way that I see God reflected in nature. are just struggling to get by. A er learning about the reali es of the Costa Rican con-‐ Both in my own experiences as well as the text through classroom lectures and field reports of nearly every LASP student with trips, students now go directly to the whom I’ve talked, the community immer-‐ source and discover for themselves how sion experience is lauded as the most lifethis reality influences daily life. Students changing por on of the semester. These have the opportunity to experience experiences greatly enrich the lives of our unique cultures and customs representa-‐ students far beyond their semester in ve of diverse people throughout Costa Costa Rica, as they forever carry the les-‐ P. 2
Greg Sobocinski, Eastern University, Fall 2013
"I have been blessed tremendously and have grown in my faith, learned how different perspec ves direct the thought processes of certain cultures, and I have been be er able to understand my pur-‐ pose in life moving forward. Many mes in life, people fail to set aside me to con-‐ sciously assess the path down which they travel, and LASP provided an excellent environment for this to happen. Ask be er ques ons, reflect on the significance of events and how they relate to your future, and constantly seek God in all aspects of your life." with holis c impacts. Students learn to live differently, to understand the world differently, and to interpret the meaning of life differently. When the students returned from their community stays this past semester, they shared reflec ons of how they had grown throughout their community immersion experience. Many expressed how their
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Looking Back experiences enriched their values and challenged them to put their faith into prac ce. Some students even discovered new voca onal passions that will signifi-‐ cantly influence the course of their future. Emily Higgins, Limpscomb University, Fall 2013
posi ve changes her experiences inspired in her life back home, such as simplifying her material possessions and freedom from dependence on comfort items such as her phone or hot water for showering. Though most students gained some really unique experiences, saw incredible sights, and accumulated exci ng stories to tell, I hope they see the greatest value in the rela onships they built. It truly is a special experience to form deep connec ons with Amanda Cummings, Southern Nazarene University , Fall 2013
“The community immersion experience was by far the most beneficial part of my study-abroad experience. I created longstanding rela onships, was chal-‐ lenged linguis cally, and truly welcomed into my host home. It was unforge ably enriching.”
Emily Hibdon, one of our fall 2013 semes-‐ ter students from Olivet Nazerene Univer-‐ sity, reflects on the challenges of return-‐ ing home to the U.S. a er an experience such as this. She expresses a genuine long-‐ ing for the life she experienced in Costa Rica: including the food, the rela onships she built, and the affec onate culture of her family. Addi onally, she no ces the
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Greg Sobocinski, Eastern University, Fall 2013
they have le on our hearts. God bless these incredible families that host our students! We are so thankful for the inval-‐ uable role they play in the learning and personal forma on that our students ex-‐ perience in Costa Rica. Katelynn Soendlin, Olivet Nazarene Univer-‐ sity, and Natalie Kadar, Taylor University, Fall 2013
families in small towns throughout Costa Rica. It is such a blessing to have crossed paths with such beau ful people that stu-‐ dents wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to meet. With such a deep love and respect for our new brothers and sisters, we are different people because our lives have been changed by the mark
"This piece was originally wri en as a spoken-word poem, as a reflec on and response to the loss of lives around me.” David Mar nez, Gordon College, Fall 2013
I don't fear death, but I fear not living. I fear waking up each morning to live another day of insignificance, unforgiveness, insensi vity and belligerence. I fear giving in. I fear giving in to what society tells me I’m supposed to be. I fear becoming more than meets the eye; of seeing poten al exploding and becoming powerful beyond measure. I fear days passing like sands through the hour glass…Are these real-‐ ly like the days of our lives? I fear long days of loneliness amidst other people, charla talks that only reflect off the pews and the people. I suppose I don’t know what to expect with each day, but I am told to fear not. I am told that God doesn’t give me a spirit of fear and so I look brave, but only as far as Atlanta Stop, pause, flip..next page. Here, I am not living my life and I’m no longer center stage. So in fear I stand. More than a fear of dying, I fear not living. I fear was ng away countless gasps of air in thoughtless words. I fear coun ng the cost for thoughtless ideas and ac onless verbs. I fear reaching the end and seeing only the start. A life of unloving with RIP in my grave to mean “Rest in parts.” So I desire that my life be lived to its full and completeness, not in pe y calcula on of every ac on or in toughness or in verbal diarrhea-like preach-‐ ing. I want to live in meekness. To let go of a fear to fear and adhere. To a life with unwasted words and purposeful tears. Let us live life with words that resist fear. But if we fear, let us fear not living, as opposed to dying. Let us walk in Christ’s humility and not in midity like the prey of lion. Live.
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Current Perspec ves
Welcome to LASP, Mr. President! On February 2nd, Costa Ricans went to the polls and voted between thirteen different presiden al candidates. One of those candidates, Luis Guillermo Solís, is a long me friend and speaker in LASP’s core seminar. Many LASP alumni reading this will recall Mr. Solís’ s mula ng charla on USLa n American rela ons. As the leader of PAC (Ci zen’s Ac on Party), Solís ran a very strong campaign over the last several months and overtook the PLN (Na onal Libera on Party) candidate Johnny Araya by a narrow margin, coming in at 30.84% and 29.64%, re-‐ spec vely. Because neither Solís nor Araya managed to achieve the 40% of the popular vote needed to win the presidency outright, a runoff elec on will be held on April 6th. The only other elec on that required a runoff was in 2002. Indeed, this was an elec on year with many “firsts”; the first me PAC gained a majority of the votes, and the first me Costa Ricans abroad could vote with absentee ballots. We are eagerly an cipa ng the results of the April 6th runoff elec on. On April 7th, we hope to be able to congratulate LASP’s good friend Luis Guillermo Solís and welcome him to our classroom once again; this me as “Señor Presidente.”
Current Perspec ves Ge ng Oriented
“Breaking the ice” in one of our ac vi es during orienta on. LASP stu-‐ dents certainly have to possess a certain special quality that makes them successful in this type of learning environment. It’s something we like to call “FUNK!” P. 4
Family Time
Some students a ended the Sa-‐ prissa soccer game at the na onal sta-‐ dium with their families. This was an excellent opportuni-‐ ty to par cipate in one of Costa Rica’s favorite past mes.
Elec ons
Students experienced Costa Rican elec ons on February 2nd. John-‐ ny Araya and Luis Guillermo Solis will go into a runoff elec on on April 6th to determine the coun-‐ try’s new president. LASP alumni may recognize Solis as a former guest lecturer for LASP.
Spanish Class
Students completed their Spanish lessons a er six weeks of inten-‐ sive language study every a er-‐ noon. It is incredible to see how much they have advanced in their use of the Spanish language.
Welcome to LASP, Mr. President!, Current Perspec ves
Current Perspec ves Limon Trip
Students sharing a delicious meal and wonderful company en route to Limón.
We stop at a pineapple Students enjoy the warm Limón planta on along the way to atmosphere as they hit the streets discuss the detrimental to interview the Limón residents. effects of monoculture farming.
Enjoying a meal of “rice and beans” at the fa-‐ mous Black Star Line in Limón.
Legisla ve Assembly
Filling the seats of the diputados in the Plenary Hall, where the laws of Costa Rica are made. Students learned about how the assembly debates legislature and determines what laws will best serve the Costa Rican people. La Marta Wildlife Refuge
A picture a er our session with Juan Si ng in the seat of the President of the as-‐ Carlos Mendoza, representa ve of the sembly. We are looking at great future leaders! Par do Acción Ciudadano, in what It was incredible to be invited to this loca on was originally meant to be the Presi-‐ dent’s residence. Don Juan Carlos was for our class on US-La n American rela ons. the president of the Legisla ve As-‐ sembly from 2011-2012. His mother, Nelly García, was once a faculty mem-‐ ber at LASP, and his father, prominent Organic Farming Chris an biologist, Rolando Mendoza, was a regularly invited presenter too! Free Time in San Jose
Students take a weekend trip to La Marta wildlife refuge with local students from the Universidad Metropolitano. We have done mul ple conversa onal ac vi es with this ins tu on in San José.
Current Perspec ves
Learning about organic farming at Rodderick’s farm in Barva de Heredia. Rodderick challenged students to think about food produc on as a means of connec ng with the creator and par cipa ng in ministry as cocreators.
Students enjoy cafecito at the Na onal theater in Downtown San José during their free me. P. 5
Alumni Rela ons Abi Kim, FA ’13 graduated from Taylor University. Melissa Hassman, FA ’12 graduated from Northwestern College (Orange City, IA) in December 2012. She works in bilingual services at Sioux Center Public Library in Sioux Center, IA, and also as an adult literacy instructor through Northwest Iowa Community College, teaching com-‐ munity ESL and Spanish GED classes. Ma Gorter, FA ‘12 worked with the Interna onal Jus ce Mission chapter of Covenant College in November to organ-‐ ize an event called SeekJus ce2013. The hope is that it will be the first of an annu-‐ ally recurring event, bringing in speakers to s mulate important conversa ons about global jus ce issues. This event had Carmencita "Chie" Abad, former sweatshop worker and current lobbyist working for Global Exchange, come speak to students about reali es of labor abus-‐ es in the garment industry, including her personal experiences. It was followed by a panel discussion on humanity’s role in the problem and how we might respond to this tragedy. Answers were not clearcut, of course, but at the very least it became clear that ignorance and indiffer-‐ ence are not acceptable op ons. Hannah (Flagel) Werner, SP ’12 married Drew on July 27, 2013 and moved to Cha anooga, TN from MI because Drew got a job as an athle c train-‐ er at Bryan College.
Ashley Phelps, SP ’12 is currently study-‐ ing abroad with Best Semester’s Middle East Studies Program in Israel for the semester and will be gradua ng from Palm Beach Atlan c University in May.
Chelsea (Wade) Willis, SP ’09 was mar-‐ ried in July of 2013 in her home state of California. She and her husband Jordan currently live in Salem, MA. She is a grad-‐ uate admissions counselor for programs at Lesley University in Boston, MA, and Jordan is a high school math teacher. Chelsea hopes to pursue her own mas-‐ ter's through Lesley in the near future and gain a degree in Intercultural Rela-‐ ons or Counseling Psychology with a trauma specializa on.
Kelsey Hofer, FA ’11 has a new job work-‐ ing at a Hispanic college, partly due to Megan (Redlin) De Haan, SP ’09 and hus-‐ her experience studying abroad with band had a baby boy named Liam in Ju-‐ LASP. She is the Title V Administra ve ly. Assistant at Esperanza College in Phila-‐ delphia. Monica Ordoñez, SP ’11 is in a masters of social work program with an urban family focus. Emily Dawson, SP ’11 is con nuing the master's program at Fuller Seminary, and in addi on, just began working at the Connec ve Leadership Ins tute (run by Dr. Jean Lipman-Blumen) as a staff asso-‐ ciate and execu ve assistant. Paige Woods, SP ’10 is now a Senior Staff Accountant for Fron er Airlines in Den-‐ ver, CO, which includes flights to Costa Rica.
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Alumni Rela ons
Alumni Rela ons Megan Griwac, SP ’09 married Andrew San Giacomo, of St. Paul, MN, on Jan. 4 and will graduate from the University of Minnesota medical school in May. Ma hew & Clare Crowson, FA ’08 are s ll in southwest Florida (Bonita Springs) un l May 1 and are wai ng for LASP friends to visit. They say “The weather here rivals Costa Rica in the winter, and we would love to see any of our LASP friends! Lindsey Gant, SP ’07 is currently the bilin-‐ gual office manager for Su Casa Hispanic Center which is an NGO that offers emer-‐ gency assistance for La no immigrants
he would be her fellow congregant sever-‐ basic services inside Syria. She is very hap-‐ al years later, and she'd know so many py in this work, and credits her LASP expe-‐ wonderful people behind the magazine rience for sparking a passion for interna-‐ and organiza on? onal humanitarian work and social jus-‐ ce. Shannon (Bowman) Gorres, SP ‘04 is cur-‐ rently serving as camp chaplain in Sonoma Co, CA, where she leads prayer and devo-‐ onals, yoga, and Spanish/English clas-‐ ses. She is finishing a Masters of Divinity in May, 2014, and seeks ordina on in the United Church of Christ.
Hannah (Funk) Fishburn, FA ’04 relocated to Greenville, IL. Her husband Jason now when they first arrive to the tates with works as the Worship Pastor at Greenville jobs, apartments, immigra on paperwork, First Chris an Church and Hannah works Zumba/yoga classes, and English classes. as a Spanish Professor at Greenville Col-‐ She has plans to travel, learn, and become lege. She enjoys seeing students before a yoga instructor. She is currently in Gua-‐ and a er their study abroad experiences! temala with her sister and loving life. Lindsay (Davis) Longballa, FA ‘04 and hus-‐ Shane Jewell, SP ’06 and wife Kate had band Michael had a baby in September. their 2nd daughter, Norah, at the end of January last year. Their first daughter, She was born on September 21st and her Jocelyn (Josie), will be turning 3 this year. name is Julie Gail. Shane was also recently promoted to the role of Veneer Buyer by my employer, Nucra , who is a na onally ranked con-‐ ference table and office furniture manu-‐ facturing plant. Sarah Wineland, SP ’05 recently took a job as a Systems Integra on Technology Consultant with Deloi e and is currently staffed at the IRS (she was also on a short-‐ er engagement at State Depart-‐ ment). She's s ll hoping to make the switch to a more interna onally-focused job, but in the mean me, she's involved in her church (District Church - come vis-‐ it!) leading worship and a small group, and will soon start pro bono work with Courtney Phelps, FA ’04 recently moved Deloi e's an -human trafficking efforts. She traveled to Guatemala/Costa to Antakya, Turkey to work on the Syrian Rica this past fall for a friend's wed-‐ humanitarian response as the Women's ding and had the privilege of visi ng her Protec on and Empowerment Coordina-‐ host family from 9 years ago (see pic-‐ tor with the Interna onal Rescue Com-‐ ture). She con nues to live in Washing-‐ mi ee (IRC). She works to design and im-‐ ton, DC, just a few blocks from the So-‐ journers office. She s ll laughs about plement programs that ensure women's that, considering she first heard about Jim needs are being met, and that survivors of Wallis from LASP, years ago. Who knew gender-based violence have access to
Alumni Rela ons
Caleb Howard, FA '03 presented a semi-‐ nar at the American Council on the Teach-‐ ing of Foreign Languages in Orlando in 2013. He also launched his website SenorHoward.com. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Sarah, and daughters Ava and Bethany. Cur s Romjue, FA ’01 leads Arts A er-‐ care, a nonprofit bringing "beauty and healing through the arts" to survivors of human trafficking. This year Arts A er-‐ care trained 20 staff members from five organiza ons that serve hundreds of sur-‐ vivors in Mexico City in the use of their Healing Arts Toolkit.
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Alumni Rela ons Chris Qualls, SP ’01 married Arkansas na ve Jessica LeAnne Schleiff this past October in Bejing, where they con nue to live and develop Journey Wilderness Ad-‐ ventures, a backpacking company that provides unique opportuni es for mean-‐ ingful experiences in pris ne wilderness environments around China. (www.jwatrips.com)
wrote his disserta on about several mis-‐ sionaries that students met during the LASP Spring 2000 semester--John Stam, Linda Holland, and others. Melissa (Keys) Zubal, FA ‘97 and husband Nathan bought a new house this year, moving about an hour out of the Detroit metro area and onto a lake. Melissa has now worked one year as a home health care worker for the elderly. She says she absolutely loves it and is amazed at how God leads us along our life journey. Kellie O'Connell, FA ’97, husband Orlan-‐ do, and two boys Lucas (5) and Timothy (3) live in Goshen, IN. They moved to the
U.S. in 2011 a er having served in Costa Rica as missionaries with Christ for the City Interna onal for 10 years. Kellie is currently an interpreter at Maple City Health Care Center, a health care home offering affordable health care to build community across cultures in a medically underserved area. John Hirte, FA '87, while in Japan for a military exercise in January, had the opportunity to climb a mountain that had a view of Mt. Fuji!!!
Susannah Knust, FA ’00 graduated from the University of Tennessee in December 2013 with a PhD in Kinesiology and spe-‐ cializa on in sport psychology and motor behavior. Rod (Miller) Coeller, SP '00, his wife Nathalie, and son Kai (2) live in Oakland, CA. Rod is teaching history at Diablo Val-‐ ley College and recently finished his PhD in the history of U.S.-La n America for-‐ eign rela ons at American University. He
LASP Staff Anthony Chamberlain — Director Javier Arguedas — Faculty
stay connected. Learn how others are integra ng faith, knowledge,
Jessica Sanchez — Administra ve Coordinator
experience and ac on, and share your own stories as
Laura Frey — Program Assistant
well. Check out our LASP Facebook (La n American
Britney Villhauer— Program Assistant
Studies Program) and Twi er (@LASP_tweets) pages!
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Alumni Rela ons