THE Joshua Institute
A place for kids who learn differently When her family came to Nampa, Idaho to serve By Gaye Bunderson with Mission Aviation Fellowship, for a while she For some students, learning is easy. For others, it’s missed her mission work in Africa. She felt called to challenging but doable with some hard work. For missions very early in life. “I know without a doubt that others still, learning is a constant struggle — even God called me to be a missionary at age 10,” she said. though some students in that bracket are far from She was raised in a Christian family in Minnesota lacking in mental abilities. and attended “a great church.” One Sunday she Connie Risser, founder of The Joshua Institute, answered an altar call to give her life to God. “I went was a student in the latter category. Now 57, Risser to the altar and had a serious impression I was going to can still recall the difficult school days when she was be a missionary,” she said. It was an indelible inspiratreated with disrespect for her lackluster academic tion that never left her — even after leaving Africa and performances. It wasn’t until later in her life that she moving to the Gem State. Turns out, she was still going discovered she is dyslexic. Suddenly, her school days to be involved in mission work, but it was going to be were put into perspective. It wasn’t that she couldn’t of a different nature. learn. She just couldn’t learn the traditional way “After being here for a while, someone asked me, ‘Do that was comfortable for (almost) everyone else. you miss Africa?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ And that person told Risser has an impressive record of achievement me, ‘There’s an unreached people group here called despite her dyslexia. She and her husband Jason are Connie Risser ‘dyslexic children.’ When I heard that, I thought, ‘My missionaries with Mission Aviation Fellowship. The calling hasn’t changed!’” Risser family — Connie, Jason and their three chilHer vocation was intact. “Coming here was still a fulfillment of that,” dren — lived and did mission work in Africa for 15 years. In 2004, Risser said. when Risser’s 9-year-old daughter was unable to read, her worried She began working with children with dyslexia from out of her home. mom contacted the Member Care Department of Mission Aviation “I started in my living room with six children,” she said. Eventually, she Fellowship and told the person on the other end of the phone, “We became director of the Idaho Learning Center. Then she founded The have a disaster here.” Joshua Institute. In 2008, it became a non-profit, now 12 years old. In Nine-year-olds should be able to read, right? Well, not if the child 2015, it moved to its current location at 2150 W. Cherry Ln. in Meridhas dyslexia. It turns out both mother and daughter have the same ian. It survives through donations and grants. Seventy-five students learning disorder. Thankfully for Risser, the MAF staff members attend the Institute, and 15 professionally trained educational coaches had recently attended a conference for children, where dyslexia was work to help them succeed. discussed. They referred her to the National Institute for Learning Asked how the name The Joshua Institute was chosen, Risser exDevelopment (NILD.org) and told her, “It would be good for you to plained, “If you were coming to The Learning Center, you were ‘dumb.’ come and get some training.” That’s not how we felt, that’s how the kids felt. There’s nothing worse for She did go get training — all three levels of it — and realized in a teenager than to have someone think they’re dumb. We wanted this to doing so that her own academic challenges could be traced back to be a safe place where kids come and risk learning. We chose a name that dyslexia. That knowledge, and the subsequent training she got, were our kids could identify with.” a boon to both Risser and her daughter. The now-informed mom It’s based on Joshua 1:9 in Scripture: Be strong and courageous, for returned to Africa and worked with her child. “Within 10 months, I am with you. my daughter was reading ‘The Chronicles of Narnia,’” Risser said. Being dyslexic herself, she understands the students’ challenges and Risser had already acquired a degree in international ministries how they learn best, because they’re just like her. “I’m a big picture from Moody Bible Institute; and following that, the graduate level learner. I see the bigger details, with a lot of color and description,” she training she received through NILD led to her getting a master’s said. “Memorizing is hard.” degree in education.
30 May / June 2020 | Christian Living
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