The Speed of Darkness - Palacios

Betty Van Andel, became partners in a direct sales business venture that grew rapidly through integrity and an incredible work ethic. Helen quit teaching to work in the basement business. She and Betty became the silent partners in a business empire that now is a world-wide enterprise. That business is known as Amway.

Throughout their years of marriage, Helen and Rich DeVos raised a family of four children who continue to carry on the Amway business and the philanthropic efforts of their parents. Their children: Dick, who is married to U.S. Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos; daughter Cheri, son Dan (wife Pamella) and son Doug (wife Maria). In addition, sixteen grandchildren and six great grandchildren are the progeny of this remarkable family.

Helen passed away on October 23, 2017, following a stroke and brief hospitalization. She was 90 years old.

A Friendship that Continues to Bless Many

It was at Calvin College that the seeds of giving to missions, specifically Rehoboth, were planted. Helen became friends with a young man from Gallup, New Mexico, named Roland Kamps. Roland was the son of missionaries Jacob and Isabella Kamps, who served the Christian Reformed Church in Gallup and Tohatchi. Roland could not enter the military due to his “young” age and instead entered Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan with very few other males. It was 1944 and America was at war.

Roland at 90 years old still provides the details of his college relationship with Helen. When his keen memory does lapse, his wife, Ruth, fills in the details. “I was assigned to the kitchen/dining room in the Calvin College cafeteria where I entertained the girls by goofing around and messing people up. Helen was one of those girls. Through the years, Roland lost contact with Helen until the early 1990s. With the encouragement of mutual friends, Roland sent an e-mail to Helen asking for help with funding Rehoboth School. The e-mail was the first of many that would go back and forth between the college friends. The response of Mrs. DeVos began a pattern of giving that brought Rehoboth’s crumbling century-old structures into modern state-of-the-art buildings and provided substantial money for other causes.

The Influence of the DeVos Legacy at Rehoboth School and Beyond

Though physical structures stand as a testimony to the giving of the DeVos family and others, there is so much more to the support of this remarkable family. The physical presence of Mr. and Mrs. DeVos, the willingness of Rich to serve as graduation speaker, and their vision for creating the very best leaves lasting memories.

Rehoboth Christian School

Financial Assistance to help families afford a Christian Education in our community.

Capital project in the late 90s for the elementary school.

A million dollar commitment to a new middle school in 2002.

Lead donors in the building of the Sports and Fitness Center giving 9.5 million dollars

Lead donors in the campaign for the new High School (now under construction) with a commitment of 8 million dollars.

Numerous other causes: a piano keyboard lab, funding school buses, choir and art prize tour support, grants during leadership transition, and a writing project focused on multigenerational family stories impacted by the Rehoboth mission.

Zuni Christian School

Here are the various causes that the DeVoses have given to at ZCMS across the years.

Annual operational fund for Zuni Christian School

Endowment fund — When the DeVoses bought the land from the Red Mesa Foundation, the Foundation was dissolved and the resources distributed to Rehoboth Christian School, Zuni Christian Mission School, and Classis Red Mesa. Zuni School put the money into the endowment fund.

A five-year grant was awarded for a Development Officer position for Zuni Christian School. Later, a sixth year was added.

A capital campaign allowed the Zuni Mission to build a new campus. Phase I involved a new school and playground. The gym/ ministry center and housing were part of the second phase.

Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital and Beyond

The DeVos family donated a portable ultra-sound machine for prenatal care to RMCHCS.

Funds given toward the reopening of the residential alcohol and substance abuse treatment center located at the RMCHCS east campus and most recently, the RMCHCS Wellness Center.

The DeVos Foundation was instrumental in a donation of professional quality exercise equipment from MVP Sports Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan to be used both at the residential treatment program and the Wellness Center.

A generous donation to Bethany Christian Reformed Church’s building renovation and expansion campaign was also granted by the DeVos family.

1 USA News.com 2 Education Week’s Quality Counts, SanteFeNewMexican.com

“The Speed of Darkness”

If light stopped, you would see darkness spread across the hills, the valleys, the water, the homes, the cottages, the cities. The change that it would bring would be felt to the marrow. What was warm would become cold and damp. What was growing would stop. What we could see would now be dark to us.

So too, is it with disease or anger. Darkness comes from a black place called nowhere. A fit of temper hurls a hurtful word, which cuts its victim. A drug—which if swallowed—can destroy a life. The good characters of good people get destroyed just so someone else can get ahead. And still the gossip and lies spread at the speed of darkness just as cancer attacks the body and spreads.

And finally, the darkness brings death. The darkness spreads through the body, until at last, the light is blocked from the eyes and the flow of blood stopped from the heart. Thus, did it occur to Bernhard Schulze. It is sad that his behavior kept him living on the streets until death and darkness consumed him from exposure in the cold.

However, faster than the darkness is the speed of light. It envelops and warms the body and the spirit. For many years of his life, Bernhard was our light, our warmth, our joy, our laughter and our spirit. He dressed like a leprechaun! His eyes danced. He appreciated people. And he brought us into his world as a king might invite one into his castle. Everything was his, and he shared it with you.

Today, I looked to the east in the early hours. As the sun rose, I could see Bernhard dancing on the purple and red rays from heaven… just like the Fiddler on the Roof. With an echoing laugh he cast his final words to our ears:

This I see before my eyes The light of Christ before me lies I see my friends behind with tears While I walk on without such fear “STAY!” say I to DEATH While Jesus walks with me abreast Savor your time but not in fear That end of time on earth is near. For in the end you’ll feel His peace And struggle or pain of earth shall cease.

That’s Gallup! —Palacios