Mars ’ Hill
THE TEAM
Katie Vermeulen Editor-in-Chief
Arkitt Martinez Chief Copy Editor
Sadie McDonald Managing Editor
George Philip Dumitrascu Arts & Culture Editor
Mauricio Martinez Staff Writer
Erin Vanderstelt Opinions Editor
Wilfred Elah Humour Editor
Bailey Froese Staff Writer
Joshua Olafson Sports Editor
Oli Nicholson Layout Editor
Sarah Jin Roy Social Media Manager
Aryan Srinivasan Web Editor
Isaiah Baek Event Planner
Morley Draper Photographer
Aristote Kalala Visual Assist
Esther Jungnickel Staff Writer
Xenpai Illustrator
Rachel Kehler Visual Editor
Netanya Castillo Community Life Editor
Hey!
Editor LETTER FROM THE
Thanks for flipping to this page. Allow me to explain what you are holding in your hand, how it got here, what this means to me, and what it might mean to you.
I picked up my first copy of Mars’ Hill in my first year at TWU in 2019. Captivated by the visual art and creative writing pieces, I was inspired. I thought to myself, “Wow, I want to write like this one day.” The words of that publication pressed closely into my soul, and it was just the beginning of the transformation that still unfolds through these very pages.
Mars’ Hill started in 1996 as a newspaper for the students by the students. Its emergence was initiated to highlight the essence of our university: to learn through dialogue and exposure to new ideas for the glory of God.
Named after the historical site where Paul the Apostle engaged Athenian philosophers (Acts 17:16-34), Mars’ Hill symbolizes the intersection of faith and intellectual discourse. In Athens, Paul used an altar to an “unknown god” to introduce Jesus’ resurrection, adapting his message to the cultural context of diverse beliefs. The title of this magazine reflects this spirit of thoughtful engagement with contemporary ideas, offering a space to discuss and explore faith amidst differing worldviews. Like Paul’s mission, this magazine emphasizes respectful dialogue, perseverance in the face of opposition, and a variety of responses to the Gospel. Consider contributing to our eight sections: Declassifieds, Feature, Arts and Culture, Community Living, Opinions, Humor, Sports, Creative Writing, or even multimedia visual arts.
Last year marked the first-ever transition from newspaper to magazine and online publication. Now with the opportunity for multimedia journalism, we embark on the first issue of volume 29, “New Beginnings.”
I am awestruck by this new team. Every media advisor, visual artist, staff writer, section editor, social media specialist, web designer, event planner, and prayer supporter brings unique gifts that inspire and contribute to the collaborative spirit of our campus culture.
New beginnings can be both exciting and overwhelming, especially for those who may feel nervous about venturing into the unknown. It’s important to remember that in the midst of change, there is power in stillness—a chance to pause and breathe, grounding ourselves amid the normative stresses of starting something new. As we navigate these transitions, new beginnings can unfold in ways both expected
and unexpected.
Sometimes we know we are venturing into a new beginning and at other times it just happens when later we notice a shift in our path. Whether through a new friend, a streak of sunlight after rain, or by a change of plans that works out for the better; there are new beginnings everywhere. In relationship with Christ we know that day by day we are being molded into a new creation of His image. I hope this issue stirs within you a new perspective, no matter what season of life you’re walking through.
Here at TWU, we are students from all over the world from varying walks of life, together entering into who we are called to be. At such a time as this we get to serve and celebrate one another on each new day, in each new challenge, and every moment. Get to know us this year and ask us questions; we want to hear your voice.
Treat this magazine like a journal—highlight passages, rip out pages that mean something to you, and use the visuals as wall decor.
There is a place for you here. This is just the beginning.
Declassifieds
Too scared to ask out that hot girl from Rels class? Have a thought you’re dying to share? Did a professor say something strange or funny? Do you have some information that you want to get out to the student body? Whatever it is, the declassifieds are here for you.
Rarity is by far the most misunderstood pony
It’s giving—boiled egg
The existential listlessness of summer is overwhelming
I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO
People picking up other’s valuables and finding it for them is a true treasure
Am I the only one who thinks Glenn is the hottest person in Walking Dead?
Exams are not forever You shall not pass!!
Fnub
Egg
As Jim-Bob Dugger would say… “I am embarrassed”
I am mildly into keyboards
Esther………..
I think Samsung is owned by Apple (my theory)
Submit yours at www.marshillnewspaper.com/declassifieds
I love Garrot
Why couldn’t the duck cross the road? His foot got stuck in the quack.
What is the opposite of middle?
YOU GOT ALL MY LOVE - 5A anonymous acapella
You won the most important race of your life = Psych Prof
Who’s that cute brown hair boy I keep seeing?
I’ve heard of this place called the “Dungeon”... Sounds scary, but apparently the people are nice.
What’s up with that fridge in the hallway of Jacobson?
Mars’ Hill so sick! So cool!
Netanya is so gorgeous, how is she real?
11:07 workshops every Tuesday at 10 p.m. in RNT 237!
Is there still swing dancing on campus?
I just started dating someone from speed dating… help.
RIP boiling water! You will be mist!!
Take your vitamins. FR.
Don’t stay up late.
Where can I get chocolate ice cream on campus?
Take me to the beachhhh
Is Diego still writing for Mars’ Hill?
I love beaded gecko key chains
Will anyone swipe me into the caf?
I’m still thinking about it!
BBQ Pringles <3
Forever grateful
This year is about to pop off
Mothers on their knees, children on their feet.
Guys please, quit lining up in the caf.
PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW
Mars’ Hill reserves the right to edit or reject submissions based on content and/or length. A printed submission does not reflect an endorsement of any kind, nor does it reflect the opinions of Mars’ Hill or its staff, the student association, or Trinity Western University.
Feature
Faith. Climate. Action.
Sadie McDonald and Katie Vermeulen
“[Climate change] is a more pressing issue than we ever could have imagined,” said Rea Klar, a fifthyear biology honours student. Klar is co-president of Trinity Western Environmental Club (TWEC), along with fifth-year biology honours student Sarah Demian. Fourth-year biology honours student Lauren Mckenna is vice-president. Mars’ Hill sat down with them to discuss their sustainability initiatives on campus.
Demian and Klar joined TWEC in their first year and attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP27, which was hosted in Egypt in November 2022. Mckenna and Demian are research assistants on Dr. David Clements’ research team, studying the spread of invasive knotweed. Klar is a research assistant on Professor Steensma’s research team, where she studies the use of kestrels as a sustainable and ethical biocontrol for agricultural crop damage caused by pests.
The
Santa Barbara Experience
Dr. Clements, professor of biology, mentors Demian, Klar, and Mckenna and serves as the faculty advisor for TWEC. In the spring of this year, Dr. Clements asked them if they would be interested in applying for a week-long program in Santa Barbara, California. Twelve teams from institutions across the United States and Canada were selected for the “Faith. Climate. Action.” workshop held at Westmont College.
Westmont College’s campus is nestled in the rolling hills of Santa Barbara, surrounded by lush greenery and natural beauty. Tree-shaded trails lead through gently sloping lawns to connect different parts of the campus, where students stroll or gather beneath canopies of leaves.
The architecture is a harmonious blend of Mediterranean and Spanish colonial styles, with red-tiled roofs, white stucco walls, and arched windows that catch the light in soft, golden hues. Many buildings are covered in ivy, seamlessly blending into the vibrant green landscape.
At the heart of the campus, a wide, open plaza invites community gatherings, bordered by meticulously landscaped gardens and flowerbeds that add splashes of color. Nearby, the chapel stands as a central feature, its elegant simplicity echoing the spiritual life of the college. The surrounding hills offer sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean in the distance, enhancing the peaceful, contemplative atmosphere.
At this inspiring location, speakers discussed topics from the carbon tax to politics around anti-climate change beliefs. In addition to the valuable sessions, the conference offered the unique opportunity to collaborate with other like-minded students. United in
their passion, but interested in various climate-related concerns, students got the time to plan what to do with their funding at their respective institutions. The conference integrated Christian faith into its program with morning devotionals and climate testimonies, the latter being what brought one to care about climate change. For Klar, it was the summer of 2017 when she was evacuated from her home in Williams Lake, B.C. because of the forest fires and spent the summer living from couch to couch. This significant life event is what Klar believes to be the initial stepping stones of the path God paved for her to engage with those most effected by climate change.
Canadian Students Awarded $5,000 Grant to Enhance Campus Sustainability at Trinity Western
University
In a significant boost to sustainability efforts at Trinity Western University (TWU), the only team of Canadian students from the Westmont College workshop has been awarded a prestigious $5,000 grant for the 2024-2025 academic year.
The grant, funded by the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, will be put to work by Demian, Klar, and Mckenna in a series of impactful initiatives that align with the growing campus-wide commitment to environmental stewardship.
Planned Initiatives
1. Increased Bicycle Accessibility:
The grant will be to expand the bike-sharing program at TWU. Building on the existing bicycles provided by TWUSA, additional bikes will be introduced to make sustainable transportation options more accessible to the student body. This initiative is expected to reduce the campus’ carbon footprint and promote healthier lifestyles.
2. Laundry Drying Racks:
In an effort to reduce energy consumption, the students plan to install laundry drying racks in the resident laundry rooms. This will encourage students to air-dry their clothes instead of using energy-intensive dryers, contributing to both energy savings and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Solar Panels in the Ubuntu Pavilion:
The grant will fund the installation of solar panels in the campus pavilion. This renewable energy source will not only support the university’s commitment to sustainability but also serve as a tangible example of clean energy in action.
4. Informative Signs Around Campus:
To raise awareness and educate the campus community, the team will place informational signs around TWU. These signs will address common sustainability myths and facts, helping to dispel misconceptions and promote informed environmental practices.
5. Events and Engagement:
A series of events will be organized to introduce the campus community to the students’ sustainability initiatives. Partnering with Dr. Clements, they will host workshops and presentations to explain their approach to campus upgrades. The goal is to engage students, faculty, and staff in the conversation about sustainability and showcase how small changes can lead to significant impacts.
6. Official Launch Event:
An official launch event will be held to unveil the campus upgrade plans and the broader vision of TWEC.
The Role of Faith in Climate Stewardship
The realities of climate change can be grim, especially when stories of wildfires and floods are on the news. How does Christian faith play a role in climate stewardship? Why should we care for the environment if Heaven is our eternal home? God gives us instructions through His word in the book of Genesis, and Mckenna notes that humans were not given their own day in creation and were told to care for the garden (Gen. 1.24-31; Gen. 2.15). As stewards of creation, it is our duty to protect the environment because we do not know how long our earthly home will last; as Jesus stated, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (New International Version, Matt. 24.36).
Many of us are not well-versed in environmentalism and can feel overwhelmed when picturing an entire world under global warming. We do not need to know all the answers, but becoming more informed comes with the responsibility of personal action. Demian, Klar, and Mckenna reinforced that small differences collectively make a big change, and therefore local and global climate change initiatives are not that different from one another.
Demian puts it into perspective: “Imagine living in a house that you love. As time passes, your house becomes run-down; maybe the floorboards are rotting or some of the furniture is falling apart. Do you burn down your house? No, many of us would restore it because, even if it is not as perfect as it once was, we would not just abandon it.” Klar wants readers to have hope because “Even if you are young and don’t think you can make a difference, you can. The small positive changes that continue to have an impact for years to come make it all worth it. This is why it is so important to walk in alignment with the plans God has set before us because He is doing something greater through each daily step of obedience.”
Building relationships with Professors: A pathway to impact
At TWU, the intimate class sizes create a unique environment where connecting with your professors is effortless. The invaluable nature of this close-knit university, compared to larger institutions, is highly coveted. Whether you are chatting over coffee at the Starbucks in RGK or engaging in casual discussions after class, these moments provide opportunities for sharing your passions and uncovering unexpected possibilities.
TWU’s network extends beyond local connections, offering international opportunities as well. Whether you are interested in joining the team working in the Crow’s Nest Ecological Research
Area, pursuing an internship within Parliament, or exploring creative projects with international institutions, expressing your interests can ignite ideas and open new doors. This is exemplified by Demian, Klar, and Mckenna. Their opportunities unfolded through the support of God, Dr. Clements, and the grant generously provided by Westmont College. Klar notes that TWU is getting more faculty that are passionate about climate change, not only in their courses, but also in their climate-based research and spiritual lives. A faculty-run initiative called ConVersing/ConServing, also engages the community through creative expressions of environmental awareness. Research initiatives, such as calculus studies on glacier melting, the use of fungi to biodegrade materials, and removal of invasive species further demonstrate TWU’s dedication to innovative environmental impact.
Why This Matters for You
Climate change hits the most vulnerable the hardest, and as individuals with privilege, we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to make a difference. Though we are often reminded of our privileged circumstances here at TWU, there are still moments when we are caught up in surviving the semester. Remember that each day is an opportunity to take steps in the right direction for our future as the one body of Christ. In line with our theme verse for the year, we can view climate change through the same lens: “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic. 6.8).
Klar encourages those who are intimidated by the issue of climate change to “evaluate what your authentic individual perspective is on climate change and better understand your root motivation and opinion.”
You can follow TWEC on Instagram @twu.twec and email them at twec.twu@gmail.com. For more information on “Faith. Climate. Action: A Workshop on Christian Climate Advocacy” at Westmont College, please visit https://www.westmont.edu/ faith-and-climate
Arts & Culture
Truth and Reconciliation
Mauricio Martinez
Truth and Reconciliation Day is a day of training, learning, and remembering.
Training as we learn how we can help in our daily lives with reconciliation, learning about each person’s story, and remembering the people who have lost their lives physically, spiritually, or mentally. Truth and Reconciliation Day may also be known as Orange Shirt Day. On Orange Shirt Day or Truth and Reconciliation Day, we are honoring the survivors of residential schools and remembering the lost. Indigenous children were forcibly taken away from their families to learn about European culture and learning habits. Assimilation occurred by implementing “the proper way” to civilize the Indigenous community, though the terms were more demeaning at the time.
How did Truth and Reconciliation Day get tied up with the famous iconic Orange Shirt Day? A brave lady named Phyllis Webstad in 2013 shared her story of when she was taken away from her family. When she was taken from Dog Creek to a residential school, they stripped her of her clothes. This is dehumanizing because Indigenous peoples did nothing wrong, yet they were treated like inmates before incarceration. Her orange shirt was part of her outfit and she never got it back. The school used this tactic as a form of punishment. The shirt today represents the loss of culture, languages, ways of being, and community.
goes deeper than that though, with the scars and the memories destroying hopes for Indigenous peoples to trust in the church. Not many Indigenous peoples trust that healing will occur in a church since the initial church crusades at the residential schools. How do you help advocate for someone who has dealt with generations of atrocity?
Love will break barriers that transcend understanding. The way to help the oppressed is to hear their story. Personally, I propose the power of prayer.
“Power in prayer so put ya hands in the air!” is a slogan I love to say. As a follower in Christ I love the scripture, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (New International Version, 2 Cor. 12.9). Persistency and consistency of character that resembles God’s love for us is how we can show compassion to others in this situation.
There are two important dates for Indigenous peoples in Canada: June 21 (Indigenous Day) and September 30 (Truth and Reconciliation Day). Indigenous Day is a day to celebrate the culture in traditional manners whereas Truth and Reconciliation Day is a day of remembering, learning and training.
The topic of Truth and Reconciliation is not a simple solution. The Catholic Church’s participation in atrocities of the past has branded a bad representation of the church in Indigenous lives. Part of the solution is to train, learn, and to remember. It
When this scripture became a heart posture, my chances of stepping into faith and trusting a person with my baggage changed significantly, by the constant character of a compassionate person in my life. There was a day when I decided to boast in my weakness, and surprisingly the person I told that day prayed for me. My weakness I confessed floated like dead dandelion seed, whereas her prayer popped open loud like a champagne bottle of blessing! The blessing is profound like in Numbers 6:23-27. Words of confetti to my soul, saying my name was in the Lamb’s Book of Life! A bold lady of faith speaking life with Scripture got a river flowing in the desert of my heart. That day sparked a new drive of where the Spirit of God showed me that I can never be separated from the love of God as read in the famous scripture from the apostle Paul in Romans 8:38-39. Be present to the people on the day of Truth and Reconciliation so that one day we can all walk in unity once again like God intended in the Garden of Eden.
Praise for Alien: Romulus - A Return to Horrifying Basics
George Philip Dumitrascu
lien: Romulus has been enjoying a surge in popularity following its release this August for the simple fact that, unlike most of its predecessors, Romulus has not tried to reinvent the gone back to the terrifying basics that defined it as a movie franchise in the first place.
Alien wheel, but instead has that
Ever since the nail-biting adventure aboard the Nostromo in 1979, the Alien franchise has seen a further departure from its roots on all fronts—the story, horror, and overall atmosphere of the film that set it apart from other horror franchises of its time. 80s futurism mixed with the biological horror from H.R. Giger created an aesthetic that has not been captured up until then nor since. However, more movies since then have strayed from the terror Romulus rectifies this by aiming the focus back on the aesthetic, taking a step back from the wider Alien franchise and focusing on a story taking place entirely on a claustrophobic, derelict space station.
Alien’s recent Alien that started it all.
first film did. As a result, most of what is seen on screen is made on a practical set that was painstakingly detailed, and most monsters featured on screen were either puppets or costumed actors. This makes for a living, breathing set that feels entirely realistic and lived in, yet also incredibly imaginative and interactive for both the actors and the audience. In an era where most summer blockbusters are filled with CGI and Romulus doing everything practically—though time-consuming and painstaking, it makes for an incredible experience to watch and be a part of, both watching it on the screen and the
actors and crew behind it.
studios coated in greenscreen, shows the value of
The aesthetic was director Fede Álvarez’s primary concern Romulus.
universe of the when directing It was his goal to recapture the magic of the first
Alien film, and sought to cut out CGI and greenscreens wherever possible and work practically as the
incredible leg-up for Romulus
Apart from the aesthetic, the return to basics also lends an in terms of horror. The film is genuinely claustrophobic, uncomfortable, and heart-pounding the whole way through. Some scenes were genuinely horrifying. There is even a moment in the film when a monster is revealed for the first time and, after a moment of silence, everyone in the theatre I was in let out a horrified groan—including me. No moment felt safe throughout the film, and the film’s pacing made sure that you kept feeling fear—just perhaps new kinds of fear, layered on one another. As a can keep you on the edge of your seat with excitement while also pressed back against it in repulsion.
result, Romulus
Feminist Fabler, Abuse Enabler: Grapling with Alice Munro’s Complicated Legacy
Camryn Munday
This article discusses childhood sexual abuse.
In May 2024, one of Canada’s best-known authors, Alice Munro, passed away at the age of 92. Among her countless awards and accolades, Munro was also dubbed the “master of the contemporary short story” and is forever immortalized as the only Canadian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (2013). You may have visited her bookstore in Victoria (Munro’s Books), and if you are Canadian, you have surely read one of her short stories in your high school English class.
Munro was a legend in my eyes. As a Canadian teenager who was interested in writing fiction, I often felt as though the good stories—the stories that mattered—were happening south of the border. In my fledgling mind, American stories captured a particular grandeur that Canadian ones never could. American novels grappled with humankind’s most evil foes: prejudice, war, materialism, greed, and totalitarianism. Meanwhile, Canadian stories seemed only to bear witness to the humdrum Canadian life and lament the harsh weather conditions. I snobbishly imagined American students just 60 kilometres south of my hometown reading something distinguished and important while I was stuck with Owls in the Family.
Given my (albeit unwarranted and juvenile) view of Canadian literature, one can only imagine how dear Munro’s short stories became to me. Munro put the lives of Canadian women on the world stage. All of a sudden, I could conceive of my own story being one worth reading. Upon discovery of Munro, the inner world of the Canadian woman became suddenly mysterious and alluring to me. A small town was no longer a boondock but a microscope. Vancouver was portrayed with potential for conquest and calamity rather than the irrelevance that so often characterizes the West Coast. Most of all, thanks to Alice Munro, Canadian womanhood suddenly felt like a topic of serious discussion and my hope to someday have children was no longer a death sentence for my budding authorial dreams.
On July 7, 2024, Munro’s daughter Andrea Robin Skinner published an essay to the Toronto Star, titled “My stepfather sexually abused me when I was a child. My mother, Alice Munro, chose to stay with him.” In the essay, Skinner comes forward with her own story of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather (Munro’s husband). Skinner describes the painful effects of the abuse she endured, each of them amplified by Munro’s choice to stand by her husband even after Skinner disclosed that the abuse had happened. It takes tremendous courage for any victim of childhood sexual
abuse to come forward, let alone a victim whose abuse was concealed in darkness by her nationally-beloved, literary icon mother. Skinner writes:
“I also wanted this story, my story, to become part of the stories people tell about my mother. I never wanted to see another interview, biography or event that didn’t wrestle with the reality of what had happened to me, and with the fact that my mother, confronted with the truth of what had happened, chose to stay with, and protect, my abuser” (The Toronto Star, 2024).
Munro’s readers are now left to reckon with a suddenly unsettling and ironic body of short stories. Munro’s heroines are distinct for their quiet inner rebellion against the gendered conventions of the mid-twentieth century. The women Munro penned are obedient yet covert rebels—subservient yet subversive in a male-dominated era. They rarely challenge their male counterparts but always envision a distant, egalitarian future, as if they were twenty-first century women plucked and transported through time to the rural towns of 1960s Ontario. I used to believe that these heroines were mouthpieces for Munro to express her own longed-for rebellion against the type of men who are coercive, forceful, and dismissive towards women. Skinner’s disclosure has made me reconsider.
Andrea Skinner is undoubtedly the ultimate victim of Munro’s complicity—this truth ought not be understated—yet there is also disloyalty to the readers who afforded Munro her icon status. For all of her fables of siding with women in an era when it was not popular to do so, in real life, Munro failed to side with her abused daughter and enabled her predatory husband, even as he pleaded guilty and was convicted of child sexual assault in 2005. The tragedy of Skinner’s assault has wreaked havoc on her life and now colours Munro’s literature with an unnerving darkness.
I will still recommend Munro’s stories. For decades, they have breathed life into the Canadian arts and have dared to portray the once-ignored inner worlds of women. Now, they also serve as cautionary tales, reminding readers of the great cost of failing to practice what one preaches.
Artist Spotlight
Pink Esther Jungnickel
An interview with Pink, a fourth-year art student.
Pink is a contemporary artist from China. He is a risk taker, an activist, and an underground genius. As an artist, he has recently shifted his focus from realism towards abstraction—a bold move. I have had the privilege to see him grow in his confidence, and today, we sit down to talk about what makes him tick.
MH: I heard you’re an artist. What type of art do you do?
Pink: I like painting, and I’m interested in art theory. I’m also a music minor so I like to compose music, and I play the guitar. I also enjoy writing Chinese poetry.
MH: Which one is your favorite CD?
Pink: Hmm, it’s probably Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. I don’t know where it is—it is somewhere. I don’t know.
MH: Does your stage name, Pink, have anything to do with Pink Floyd?
Pink: laughs...I don’t know, but I will show you Floyd.
MH: He’s a humble rock star. Looking at this pink painting, what inspired this work?
Pink: It was for an abstract painting class. I wanted to create the perfect composition; I don’t think it’s perfect, but it’s kind of good. I like the color.
MH: Is there a reason you chose pink?
Pink: Maybe... laughs... yeah.
MH: What about the composition do you enjoy?
Pink: It has a composition that is directional, leading the viewer’s eye from the top of the canvas diagonally to the bottom.
MH: Can we check out your room?
Pink: Yeah, sure.
Walks us over to his room in the Jacobson Pod. The walls are covered in records and CDs are stacked in a corner. A shelf stands in the middle of the room as a divider separating his bed from his desk.
MH: Wow, you’ve got a lot of records. Would you call yourself a collector?
Pink: I wouldn’t call myself a collector because I’m not very serious about it, but I do like collecting Vinyls, CDs, and anything to do with music production. I have more CDs here.
Pulls out a closet drawer full of CDs.
Grabs a little giraffe stuff y by his pillowcase.
Pink: This is my pet, Floyd; we’re Pink Floyd.
MH: You guys are cute together…Laughs… Tell me about your poetry.
Pink: I write Chinese poetry about everything; I don’t have a firm subject matter. It’s anything I can come up with. I like writing about society, sometimes about nonsense.
MH: What do you mean by nonsense?
Pink: It’s nonsense but it sometimes makes sense. I find that very fascinating and I like to write and speak nonsense without ever grasping its meaning. Anything can be something— it depends on the interpreter, and not the artist.
MH: What do you hope people receive from your art?
Pink: I want people to see themselves in my artwork and to evoke a feeling that they can relate to.
MH: That’s beautiful.
MH: Where are you originally from?
Pink: I’m originally from China.
MH: How do you feel about owning so much stuff as an international student?
Pink: It’s a lot, especially when I have to move every semes ter. I moved all this stuff from Fraser to the second floor of Jacobson to the fourth floor. It’s a huge undertaking.
MH: What is an example of how your culture influences your art?
Pink: Currently I’m working with Pillar Yearbook as a visual editor. I want to integrate more Chinese design into the visual design of the Pillar Yearbook.
MH: That’s cool. I’m hoping we can integrate that into Mars’ Hill as well, hopefully with this Artist Spotlight. When you hear the theme “new beginnings,” what comes to mind?
Pink: I used to be a realistic painter, paying attention to technique, but now I’m more interested in avant-garde.
MH: Can you explain what avant-garde is for those who do not know?
Pink: Avant-garde originated in the eighteenth century and focuses on pushing the status quo, a concept found in abstraction. I’m stepping into new beginnings as an artist and trying out completely different techniques to the ones I feel most comfortable with.
MH: What are current projects you’ve been working on?
Pink: I’ve partnered with the SAMC department to create an event called ARTISM. ARTISM is an event that looks for artworks from literally everyone, all students and faculty of TWU. The idea originated based on Michel Foucault theory of power; I want to prove that the power structure within our campus is fictitious. We can use artwork to break the power structure in the space, creating an environment that highlights diversity and harmony. It will happen three days after Reading Break (November 13 to 15); you can scan the QR codes for more information!
MH: I’m excited to see what people come up with. Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Pink: Oh, I’ve got this shirt
Holds up a paint-stained button up shirt
Pink: I like it; it’s like an artwork. I’m very proud of it; it reminds me that I’m an artist.
MH: I like that. It was nice to meet you, Pink. Thank you for sharing your story.
Pink: Nice to meet you too. Bye!
Waves goodbye
Community Living
Fort Babine Global Outreach Trip
Jenaya Russel
During May 2024, six TWU students including myself had the opportunity to go to Fort Babine and participate in a 30-year relationship between TWU and Fort Babine. Fort Babine is a remote Indigenous reservation an hour and a half drive from Smithers B.C. We got to go and serve the community and build relationships with the people there. It was an eye-opening experience that not only strengthened my faith, but also made me step out of my comfort zone and grow as a person.
This trip showed me that even people who go through a
lot of hardship can have a strong relationship with God as shown through the people of Fort Babine. One elder we met is one of the most hardworking, joyous women I have ever known. She has fought hard to get to where she is today and has gone through many hard times. One thing she said that stuck with me was “I never cry, I pray just like my mother did.” Indigenous people have gone through more than anyone ever should. This includes residential schools, cultural suppression, and much more. This elder and others in the community showed me that hardship does not define them, but rather their perseverance and faith do.
“As learned throughout this trip, God provides you with what you need. He will give you the answers He wants you to have.” I wrote this in my journal on my way home from this trip and it reminded me of how the people in Fort Babine live. They use what God has provided them with to live. They use everything they have and only take what they need. An example is when they shoot a moose: they use each part of the moose. They use the meat for food, the hide for clothes, and give the rest back to the soil of the earth.
We met Vance who works at a summer camp and we were having a late-night chat and he said, “Start moving prayerfully and He will align your path.” Throughout the trip, the team was constantly praying and we saw our prayers answered every day. One instance is when we prayed over a boy in the village who told us a shadow man was following him. He was terrified and we prayed over him, and throughout the rest of our time there he never saw the shadow man following him. Another instance is when the girls from TWU took one host into the town of Smithers for an appointment and on our drive back our engine started smoking—we were in the middle of nowhere with no service. We had no idea what to do so we prayed and a group of construction workers who were driving back into town stopped to help us.
If you want a life-changing experience where you get to live and learn about a different way of living with people who treat you like family, I encourage you to look into the Global Outreach trips.
Why, my Soul, are you Downcast?
Esther Jungnickel
1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.
Lord, the work of your hands long for new life; renew my soul.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
Lord, my worries consume me day and night; lead me to your table so I may find rest in your presence.
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
Lord, my hope is fleeting, I am consumed by my distress. Lord, fix my eyes on you so I may be restored.
4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.
Lord, remind me of your continuous faithfulness. You have carried me through every season, and you will continue to until the day you return.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Lord, you have gone before me. As I struggle to sit in the unknown, remind me of your Sovereignty.
6 My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
Lord, you have chosen to draw near; let me find peace in your presence. You are here in my circumstance. Teach me how to have my hands open to your will.
7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
Lord, you call out to the depths of my soul, but I feel afraid about the magnitude of life. Lord remind me that you are in control of the waves, and that you will carry me to safety.
8 By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life.
Lord, your love is unfathomable, you know my deepest insecurities, and yet you say that I am good. Lord, I am unworthy, how can I receive a love so deep? Help me receive the identity you have given me.
9 I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”
Lord, you are the only thing I can hold onto, without you I cannot continue on. My heart yearns for your presence but my actions push you away. Lord, forgive me: teach me how to live for you.
10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
Lord, I am wrestling to sit in my imperfection. I desire to serve you but my flesh is weak. Help me Lord–draw near to me.
11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Lord, I cannot go on. My soul is lost and weary as I come to the fountain of living water. Deliver me: I lay it all at your feet. Teach me to live in the fullness of your love.
(New International Version, Psalm 42).
Club Highlights
Rise Above the Barriers
Katie Vermeulen
TWU Rise is a club that aims to raise awareness about campus diversity and support all learners, regardless of their backgrounds or abilities. The club works to create a space where people can encounter God and each other. One of the most profound takeaways from being involved with Rise is realizing that when you strip away our achievements and abilities, what remains is the soul God created. In many ways, our earthly experience is a glimpse into eternity, shaped by the challenges we face, yet enriched by the opportunities to connect with others. The experiences we share, though different, are deeply intertwined, revealing a common human pursuit of meaning, belonging, and understanding.
Club President and fourth-year Corporate Communication major, Spencer Dyck, stewards the goals of TWU Rise alongside Vice-President Anika Idreou, Secretary Beth Richmond, Treasurer Guliana Papa and Faculty Advisor Moira Frike. As Dyck noted, it can be easy to feel alone in a community, especially when you do not see yourself represented. TWU Rise is changing that by creating a space where people feel safe, seen, and celebrated.
I had the privilege of attending TWU Rise’s Testimonial Night last March. This was my first experience with the club that has been running for the last eight years. The event opened my eyes to the diverse lenses through which we all experience life on this campus. One of the main messages students walked away with is that, although everyone faces challenges, these challenges do not define us. Instead, they offer opportunities for growth, understanding, and empathy. TWU Rise, as a club, offers a platform for students to engage with these themes in a meaningful way.
At the event, students were deeply moved by the poetry and personal stories that were shared. These stories illuminated how God shows up in our lives through community—especially for those advocating for more accessible learning spaces on campus. TWU Rise invites students who are not familiar with the lived experience of exceptionalities to learn how to be an ally, friend and advocate. It encourages us to acknowledge the perspectives of those whose challenges we might overlook.
One of the most impactful moments of the night was listening to guest presenters Tyrone and Lyndon Brown who communicate using assistive technology. Dyck invited various guests who talked about how sharing personal fears and challenges—whether related to autism or sensory sensitivity—brings a sense of connection and allegiance. What might seem irrational or isolating to one person becomes an opportunity to lift each other up when stories are shared. It was a reminder that knowledge is power. When we learn from one another, we can gain the strength and courage to navigate the most difficult of circumstances.
This past year, TWU Rise was a source of hope, acceptance, and peace for many. The community it fosters is one that truly embraces the “other,” whether that be neurodivergence, LGBTQ2IA+ identities, or anyone feeling outside the majority. Spencer’s leadership, grounded in faith, embodies the belief that stories hold power and that, as she stated, “God doesn’t do anything for no reason.” Regardless of diverse abilities, God has created each and every one of us for a purpose: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (New International Version, Eph. 2.10).
This school year, TWU Rise has exciting goals. From hosting more events to collaborating with other campus clubs like the Art Club and the Global Educo Club, they aim to broaden the conversation around inclusivity. TWU Rise also advocates for practical changes, such as improving physical accessibility on campus—an ongoing challenge many students face daily. The club name serves to remind our community that students will rise above the barriers they face.
TWU Rise equips students to be better neighbors, more empathetic listeners, and more engaged members of our campus community. Join TWU Rise and be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The invitation is open to everyone: come, share your story, and learn from the stories of others.
Follow TWU Rise on Instagram for more information: @ twurise
Email Spencer directly to get involved: Spencer.dyck@ mytwu.ca
What is TWEC?
Lauren Mckenna
Nurturing the earth around us is intrinsically linked with human life. In our day-to-day lives, we move with the rhythm of our fast-paced culture, often forgetting that society once used to revolve around gardens. However, in times of a changing climate, we are being reminded of how dependent we are on our surrounding environment.
We begin to stress about how to solve global issues, leading to what we experience as eco-anxiety. This anxious feeling comes from our thoughts of the current and future negative human impacts on our world, which become overbearing when thinking that you may have little power. It is that feeling that you want to make an environmentally-conscious change but feel like you are alone and that your small contributions do not matter. No matter what major you are or how environmentally active you currently are, you are not alone. These feelings are commonly felt in our new climate change age.
One key way that we can reduce eco-anxiety or environmental stress is by joining local environmental groups. Trinity Western Environmental Club (TWEC) is your group to join to make a difference in the environment around us.
We aim to provide a platform for meaningful conversations about your concerns and questions in regards to being more sustainable. We aim to act as a bridge to connect you to the other great environmental groups in the area so that you can continue your passion during university and after graduation. We aspire to have students share their passion for the environment with others to encourage students to live more sustainably. Finally, the Environmental Club is rooted in loving God, people, and the environment. As Christians, we have been called to steward the Earth and we hope to do so by spreading environmental awareness, creating hope for the future, and starting a change here and now.
Some of our recurring events include road-side clean-ups, environmental-themed Bible study nights, a volunteering day at the local Derby Reach park, and Sustainability Week where we celebrate Earth Day by advertising the easy switch students can make to live more eco-consciously.
Through this article, we hope to share more information on environmental news, local events, biblical support, and ways in which we can all make small changes to live a more sustainable life: to care and nurture the earth around us. We hope that in the coming years TWEC cultivates transdisciplinary partnership through students of all majors and backgrounds to love God, humanity, and the environment through the stewardship of our treasured ecosystems.
Enjoy Him Forever
Audrey Tupaj
Heading into my ninth and final semester at Trinity Western University feels like a fresh start because, for the first time in four years, I am not depressed (or at least not nearly as cripplingly depressed as I was). And while most days this feels like a ”shout praises to God from the mountaintops” kind of miracle, it also feels a little bit like I have lost a super comfortable hoodie. Like the darkness had become so familiar as to be almost comforting despite how damaging it was. I have to relearn who I am without depression. What if I do not like what I find? Worse yet, what if I do not harness this miracle and show God my gratitude by becoming the best student, friend, employee, and Christian I can possibly be? But let me stop that spiral right there.
My pastor at church today quoted a catechism that described the purpose of humanity as “to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” While we absolutely have a responsibility to behave morally, I am astounded by the idea that an important part of our purpose is to simply bask in the love God has lavished on us which will motivate us to action. That God chooses to include humans in His work while not grading or assigning value based on our productivity. I want this semester to be a time to celebrate the growth I have experienced and to enjoy the goodness of God in all its forms. I want my work to be born from the love and renewal I have experienced and not manufactured in an effort to become deserving. And I pray this for the entire TWU community that we would hear and respond to God’s invitation to enjoy Him together.
Opinions
Last First...Everything?
Erin Vanderstelt
Beginnings are hard, but looking back, I always found them to be exciting. These beginnings include learning something new and being thrilled about new skills you are going to gain and develop, or starting a journey and being excited about where it might lead. The first weeks of starting university as a freshman are a monumental kind of beginning: a bittersweet end of childhood, and entering into a new stage of growth and learning.
During this huge milestone, the first weeks are full of events centred towards the incoming students and getting them acclimated to university life. In the midst of this excitement, there is a different kind of energy surrounding us senior students. While the first-year students are dealing with a lot of emotions such as excitement, stress, maybe some anxiety and homesickness, etc., people seem to forget that we seniors are feeling similar.
This is not our first rodeo, but this year is different for us. We now get to sit and watch as first-years figure out how to remove chalk from clothing after the Colour Run, find their classes on the first day, stumble through square dancing and discover the luxuries that dorm life has to offer. It can be nostalgic watching these events unfold, knowing we were in their places what feels like just yesterday. However, there is such a sense of finality to everything us seniors do, slightly tainting our experiences no matter how much we try to push through it.
Additionally, there is not much “easing into” classes happening at the 300/400 level. Things start with a bang and we just have to roll with it, throwing ourselves into the year without much time to process the switch between summer and the academic year. On top of this, we have to do other senior du-
ties, such as being in Praise Chapel, where we then get called to pray over the new students. This is a beautiful moment, if you can drown out the little voice telling you that it is the first and last time you get to do this. For students in their last year that are student leaders, the combination of SLO Week, O-Day and O-Week has been incredibly draining. Attending the first (and only) Garden Chapel session, singing and holding back tears while lighting a first-year student’s candle, knowing that they are about to embark on a journey you are somehow nearing the end. It can be a lot to handle, but it is something we just have to do.
As seniors, we recognize the trials of this transition and so we attempt to pass on our wisdom to these first-years. We share our wealth of tips and tricks we have learned through our time here, assuring them we know how they feel when they get confused by unsolved campus mysteries such as the bell going off at what feels like every five minutes, why the classroom numbers are hard to figure out and why everyone randomly claps in the cafeteria sometimes. Even if we do not have explanations, we commiserate and ensure they know that they are not alone.
All this to say, I know that the beginning of the year can be tough for everyone, but there is another level to it for us seniors. For those of us who are still figuring out what exactly comes next, we are thankful for the slower days when we can savour our time here. Some may be anxious to leave and get going, but I know for me and probably a few others, I am taking my time enjoying all the little things about campus life. I wish the best of luck to all the first-years and other new students, but please, take it easy on us seniors as we embark on the beginning of the end of our journey and enjoy all our last firsts.
Do You Hate Worshipping Too?
Bailey Froese
Content Warning: Spiritual Warfare
Ihave an incurable faith. When my younger sister left the church, it made me seriously question my own Christianity; after all, we shared the same faith background and led similar spiritual lives. I concluded that I could not separate myself from my love for God. It is a strange love—one that sometimes feels like loving a parent who left many years ago. However, I cannot explain or deny the Moments; the times a silent, alien voice has crept in and made me think, Ah, there You are. This both assures and confuses me, given how my own body has revolted against the structures of the churches I grew up in. One of the most recurring tests of my faith, insignificant as it may seem, is the profound discomfort I feel while singing in worship.
I am autistic, which means my senses are perpetually caught in a traffic jam. Sounds, smells, and other stimuli clog up my nerves and send me into a panic. Few circumstances overwhelm me more than being trapped amongst crowded bodies, all of whom are singing and displaying strong emotions. This sensory overload manifests as physical and emotional pain for me. I have lost track of the times I have run off to the bathroom crying during a worship service because I felt like I was going to explode. All of this is easily explained by my disability, but it took years before I realised that this was why I hated singing in worship. Why? Because of the spiritual significance attached to it.
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (New International Version, Col. 3.16). Moses, the disciples, and Paul are a few of the biblical figures who are described singing songs of worship. The Book of Psalms is entirely made up of songs. The tradition of worship singing is ancient, and millions of churches around the world still punctuate their services with rounds of music. I understand that many find the experience spiritually enriching, given the hand raising, cries of joy, and other gestures of elation I have observed in church. This is within the infamously stiff Mennonite Anabaptist spaces I grew up in, too; I cannot imagine what a Pentecostal or Charismatic service must be like.
Because I found only pain in singing like this, I sincerely thought I was possessed by demons. Perhaps this came from reading The Screwtape Letters and This Present Darkness at impressionable ages, but those close to me did little to refute this belief. I remember my well-intentioned mom praying with me for my “spiritual attacks,” which only worsened my conviction that I was destined for Hell. A year ago, I told all
this to my therapist and she suggested that I might have felt anxious because of the noise. This was the first time in six years of experiencing this that someone suggested my autism was involved, even though I had been diagnosed since I was three. I bought a pair of earloops, which greatly minimised my pain. This came too late, however. Thoughts of self-hatred still plague me when I worship. I have two choices: tune out while I sing, which blocks the emotions but makes me feel guilty, or try to worship like a normal person and crumble. I am filled with dread when someone describes Heaven as a choir where we all sing this way.
“I know there must be others who feel this way, but I never found anyone else who shared this perceived spiritual failing. Either no one else feels any pain when they sing in church, or no one is willing to talk about it.”
I know everyone has their own annoyances and gripes with how their church operates. Some people are renewed by singing but struggle with sermons or finding community. And some have been hurt or traumatized by people within their church, their experiences among other Christians forever tainted. Going to church and trying to blend with other believers is not easy. For some of us, it hurts, but it does not seem that we are allowed to hurt. As a kid, my parents told me I had to sing during church because it would “chase Satan away.” I took this very literally, believing that if I did anything opposite to what was expected of me in church, I was selfish and enacting Satan’s will. I did not think I was allowed to hurt because no one else seemed to struggle like I did. I know there must be others who feel this way, but I never found anyone else who shared this perceived spiritual failing. Either no one else feels any pain when they sing in church, or no one is willing to talk about it.
I have discovered that there are methods other than song for worship. If I find natural wonders that awe me outside or observe human kindnesses that salve my cynical heart, I silently thank God for them and feel nothing but warmth. I am still uncomfortable with sharing my worshipful emotions with others. Maybe this will change, but I need time to heal first. Part of this healing is sharing these experiences, reassuring myself and others that no one is alone or defective in how they love God. If you hate worshipping too, know that God loves the strange, the broken, the queer, the disabled, and everyone else whom regular church routine may exclude. If we seek Him, He will find us.
Sports
Unwritten Gym Rules
Cole Hergott
Hello everyone! Let me start this section by briefly introducing myself. My name is Cole Hergott and I am the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Spartans here at TWU (nicknamed “The Headmaster”). I was once a TWU student, just like you, reading Mars’ Hill. So, it gives me great pleasure to be able to contribute to this publication and offer some fitness, training, and health advice to you all. Buckle up and get ready to learn—and hopefully be inspired!
Since this is the first segment, I wanted to start off with some general advice to follow when in the gym. I know some of you are maybe brand new to fitness (or maybe just starting to think about it) and are not really sure what to expect or what the “rules” are. While most gyms have actual rules (i.e. do not break anything, do not steal) there are some unwritten rules in the gym that I want you all to be aware of to help make the gym a safe place for you and others. So listen up and read on!
Clean up after yourself.
Yes, this might also be an actual rule too because no one wants to go do an exercise on a bench covered in someone else’s sweat or spend the first 10 minutes of their workout cleaning up your loaded squat bar. Be kind, clean up.
Be encouraging.
Everyone in the gym has a story. That larger person you might be judging? They just lost 20 pounds and are feeling really good about themselves for the first time in a while. That person walking around looking lost? It is their first day and they are not really sure what to do (like all of us were at some point). So again be kind, be helpful, and do not be afraid to give out a fist bump or a “nice work” to those around you. We all appreciate encouragement from others, so why not spread the love?
If you need a spot, ask.
If you are in the gym alone, it can be very intimidating to ask a stranger to spot you on an exercise. But you know what is worse? Being the person who fails a bench press and is flailing around until someone saves them. Just ask for a spot, and do not hesitate to spot someone when they ask you. Once again—spread the love!
Do not hog the equipment.
Yes, we would all love a personal gym to ourselves, but as most fitness centres (especially the one at TWU) have a limited amount of equipment and space, it is important to share. Yes, we know you want to superset bench press with squats and lat pulldowns, but now you are eating up three of the main machines that others are probably wanting to use too. So please, try and stick to one space at a time and also…
Get off your phone!
I get it : rest breaks are important. But did you know that scrolling social media actually decreases workout performance? Crazy huh? Not only that, but you taking an extra three minutes to watch some Reels makes your workout take longer which makes others wait longer before they can use the squat rack you are currently occupying. Yes, having your phone in the gym is okay, but it is better for you to go in, crush your training session in 45 minutes, and then use other time in your day to scroll socials than to have your 45-minute session take 2 hours and hold up other people along the way.
Be smart.
If you are new to the gym, watching what others do can be a great way to learn different exercises and techniques. However, doing exactly what they do can be dangerous. Just like you would not watch Simone Biles and try to replicate her flips without training, you want to be careful who you emulate in a gym. There is a wide range of experience levels and training goals, and just because an exercise looks cool or easy does not mean it is effective or safe. So, make sure you do a little research before you just try something.
“No pain, Gain.”
A slight spin on the common phrase “no pain, no gain,” because the gym should NOT hurt. Yes, the soreness you feel the next day from that killer session (called DOMS or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) might make it tough to walk up the stairs properly, but if doing the exercise itself is causing you pain then something is wrong. Whether your form is off, you are using too much weight, or the exercise is not helpful (see above), please don’t train through pain. Seek out help from someone in the gym (like one of the student trainers or gym staff) to see what the cause could be. The gym should be a place to get better, not worse!
And there you have it, seven unwritten gym rules to abide by. If you are not doing these already, please start. The gym should be a place of encouragement, growth (physically, mentally, and even spiritually), and fun! Remember, we were all “gym newbies” once upon a time, so let us be kind to others and make sure the gym stays the great place we all know it to be.
The Strength in Her Steps
Katrina Laurila
Reaching for a young girl’s hand in Mexico this summer deeply changed my heart. I embarked on a week-long mission trip to San Quintín, Mexico, in partnership with Team Up and Eternal Anchor—two outstanding organizations. Our small team was privileged to work with Eternal Anchor, which is “a ministry dedicated to serving people with disabilities in the rural communities of Baja California,” according to Ancla Eterna’s Mission Statement. This organization operates several properties to serve the community in various ways, including a school where I met a little girl.
When I first met the seven-year-old girl at the Eternal Anchor school, she was smiling in her wheelchair, her eyes focused on her feet. She had joined the program in 2023, starting to learn how to walk using both ankle braces and the help of the staff. Growing up, she did not have the support needed to learn to walk or talk, so her first steps last year were a tremendous milestone. I learned her story from one of the leaders at Eternal Anchor, someone who has witnessed her entire journey and is overjoyed by her progress. On our first day visiting the school, I felt inexplicably drawn to the girl and reached for her hand. Without hesitation, she gripped mine tightly, her determination shining through, even though we had just met. That day, we began walking together—and we did not stop. We walked for hours around the small school, her tiny feet taking slow but steady steps. Even during the sports camps, while others played, she and I continued walking, her determination unwavering. She longed to be free from the chair that confined her, and I was honored that she trusted me to support her every step.
Walking with her and hearing her story revealed the immense barriers she has overcome to reach this point. I do not know what the future holds for her, but I do know that she was created in God’s image and is wonderfully made. She is perfect as she is, and I love her. I dream of the day when she will run freely across a playground or speak her first words. Her journey reminds me of how easy it is to take for granted something as simple as walking—something many of us do without a second thought—while for her, each step is a triumph. Her resilience is humbling; she faces challenges that would have broken many, yet she walks with the quiet strength of someone who knows her potential is limitless. My heart has truly been changed by the young girl’s actions and persistence.
Saying goodbye to her was one of the hardest goodbyes I have ever experienced. I will always be rooting for her. She has shown me the strength of the human spirit and the power of hope when it is nurtured. I look forward to the day when I return and see her running—because in her eyes, I know that is exactly what she dreams of.
New Beginnings a curated playlist
Ripples
The
Lighthouse
Humour
What Your Christian Tattoo Says About You
Bailey Froese
First of all, if you believe that getting a tattoo is a cardinal sin, I recommend asking Professor Cavalli about the rich history of early Christians using tattoos to mark themselves as belonging to God. The fact is, a lot of God’s children have tattoos. Once decried as marks of delinquency and seediness, tattoos are now as common as Starbucks cups in trash cans. Some people just enjoy having art on their bodies, but tattoos are often used to convey meaning and identity to anyone their bearers meet. If you have a Christian tattoo and wonder what impression it gives off, here is a list of common ones reviewed by a panel of expert judges (the voices in my brain).
Fine-line cross: This is the plain vanilla Christian tattoo. It was probably your first one, perhaps administered via stickand-poke by a friend at a youth group all-nighter. Despite how tiny the tattoo is, you probably still hid it from your parents for a while and wrote a whole essay to argue why it was acceptable. Complete with footnotes and a bibliography. This is because you are anal about details and like to keep your life clutter-free, whether from drama or more than two lines on your ankle. You probably love those minimalist beige rainbows too.
Celtic cross (or other artistically intricate cross): This one is subtler as a Christian tattoo – you could easily pass as someone who just enjoys historical European architecture. You do, almost as much as you enjoy your collections of driver’s caps and beard oil. Are you 22 or 52? No one knows. You also somehow manage to incorporate The Lord of the Rings into every devotional you lead–please stop. Everyone knows the parallels between Jesus and Gandalf or Aragorn. And please try to remember that Jesus, being Jewish and Middle Eastern, did not look like Viggo Mortensen with brown hair.
The fish: Oh, come on. Your whole body is a canvas and you chose the bumper sticker? Actually, you probably got this one because your car has no room left amongst all the stickers bought during your hiking vacations to Whistler or Squamish. Everyone on the road needs to know that your body is 60 percent trail mix. This tattoo is obvious even to those only casually familiar with Christianity, but that matters little when the second thing out of your mouth to most strangers is an invitation to your Bible study.
Bible verse: If you have the numerical reference to the verse instead of the verse itself, you either didn’t want to take up too much space on your body (that octopus battling a dragon deserves a whole sleeve, after all) or you want people to look up the verse themselves. “Maybe this will encourage them to read the Bible,” you think. Maybe, provided they don’t assume it’s someone’s birth or death date. Some people get portions of the verse tattooed alongside the numerical reference so its biblical origin is more obvious. If you have this, your tattoo looks like an inspirational Facebook post. “Be still” or “By grace alone” lose their verve somehow when scrawled in cursive on someone’s arm. If you have an entire verse or passage, you have an incredible pain tolerance and probably get anxious easily—you don’t even need to open your Bible to find your comfort verse when it’s right there on your skin. It’s like an EpiPen for panic attacks.
Anything in Greek or Hebrew: We get it. You went to Bible school. It was one year of your life and yet you haven’t stopped talking about it. You get aggressive in theological debates, especially if the Greek word you’ve chosen is “logos.” You sleep with a picture of C. S. Lewis under your pillow and you are perhaps a little too defensive of your opinions on predestination. You may have contemplated starting a podcast called “Calvinist and Hobbes.”
Lion: This one is less “I lift my hands in praise” and more “I lift only to post gym pics on Instagram.”
Romans 12:24
The Night Aura Was Gained: A David vs. Goliath Saga
Wilfred Elah
Welcome, first-year students, to the wild ride of university life! You’ve made it this far, but the real challenge isn’t surviving your first midterm or finding the best coffee on campus— it’s mastering aura. What is aura, you ask? Oh, sweet child—let me enlighten you. Aura is the unspoken yet all-powerful force that determines how cool, confident, and socially invincible you are. Imagine it like a video game stat but much more fragile. Trip in front of a crowd? Boom, minus 500 aura points. Get someone’s number without stammering? Congratulations, you just leveled up by 1,000 aura points.
Now, this isn’t science—though, honestly, it should be—but based on my totally legit observations, the average person has between 500 and 1,000 aura points on a good day. However, life at university is unpredictable, and your aura score can yo-yo more than a toddler on a sugar high. One minute you’re coasting at a solid 750 aura, and the next thing you know, you’ve plummeted to zero because you mistook a statue for a person and said “Hi” to it. Yes, that happened. No, I will not elaborate.
Aura is gained and lost in the most ridiculous ways. But every now and then, something magical happens—a rare, once-in-a-blue-moon event where you gain aura and make someone else lose it at the same time. It’s like hitting a buzzer-beater three-pointer, but the other team also manages to trip over their shoelaces in the process. These moments are legendary. And lucky for you, my dear reader, I witnessed such a moment. It was the night when David defeated Goliath. Or, in this case, when my homie took down the most overconfident chess player this campus had ever seen.
The Exponent: Where Legends Are Born
It was a crisp September evening at the annual Exponent—a campus event where clubs lure you in with free snacks and the promise of eternal boredom. My friends and I were making the rounds, casually collecting chips like broke squirrels prepping for winter. That’s when we stumbled upon them—the Chess Club. Now, I’m not saying they were evil, but if any group on campus had villain vibes, it was these guys. Sitting at the table, with an air of superiority so thick you could cut it with a knight’s move, was him. We’ll call him ... Chad.
Chad wasn’t just playing chess; he was conducting a symphony of destruction. He took down his opponents with one hand while casually munching on a cookie with the other. He didn’t just play; he trash-talked with the kind of confidence that can only come from years of never losing a single game—or, you know, having no real friends. My homie, brave but definitely not ready for this level of psychological warfare, sat down to challenge him. Spoiler alert: it did not go well.
Chad played like he had been training for this his entire life, while my friend looked like he was trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube with one eye closed. After a few humiliating moves, my buddy lost faster than a Wi-Fi connection during finals week. Aura points? Gone. Pride? Non-existent. The crowd? Loving it. And Chad? Well, he was basking in his own glory,
Enter Me: The Fool with a Plan
Now, I’m not one to back down from a challenge. But this? This was personal. I sat down across from Chad, and I swear, the temperature in the room dropped by ten degrees. He looked at me like I had already lost, probably because I was sweating more than someone who had just run a marathon. “You really think you can win?” he said, smirking, pausing to munch on another cookie. Yes, a cookie mid-game. The audacity! I knew my odds of winning were about as high as my odds of becoming the next president of the United States, but I had a plan. A genius plan.
You see, I wasn’t there to win. I was there to tire him out. My strategy was simple: drag out the game, make him bored, make him cocky, and then—when he least expected it—my homie would swoop in for the kill.
The game was painful. Every move felt like another nail in my coffin, but I kept going. Chad, meanwhile, was already planning what snack he’d devour after he beat me. In between moves, he was cracking jokes with the crowd and, at one point, started looking for his water bottle. Yes, it was that easy for him. Finally, the inevitable happened. I lost. But that wasn’t the end.
The Comback Kid
It was time for the real match. My homie sat down again, this time with fire in his eyes and a renewed sense of purpose. Chad looked confident, but there was something different. Maybe it was the fact that he had been sitting there for so long. Maybe it was the mental fatigue of playing against me—an opponent so slow and incompetent that I had accidentally given him brain fog. Whatever it was, Chad wasn’t the same.
The game started, and for the first time all night, Chad wasn’t trash-talking. The crowd noticed. My homie noticed. And me? I was counting the moves like a general planning a coup. And then—out of nowhere—it happened. The move. The move that would go down in history. My homie saw an opening and struck with the force of a thousand Davids slinging stones at Goliath. Checkmate.
The crowd erupted. People who had never seen a chessboard in their life were suddenly experts. We lifted my homie up like he had just won the World Cup. And Chad? Well, Chad sat there, stunned, as if he had been personally betrayed by the Queen herself. Aura points flowed like water. My homie was drowning in them, and Chad? His aura hit rock bottom. He didn’t just lose. He evaporated.
The Moral of the Story
So, what’s the takeaway from all this? If you’re going to trash-talk, make sure you can back it up. Otherwise, you might find yourself in a situation where not only do you lose the game—you lose your aura, your pride, and possibly your will to ever play chess again.
Welcome to university life, folks. Keep your aura in check.
Creative Writing
First Things
Eve Tan
The first thing I noticed was the smell.
A sweet but not too pungent smell as I stepped into my Airbnb the first day I entered Canada. I can’t figure out the origins of the smell—it felt like detergent and strawberries.
I noticed the same smell in London Drugs.
Scents can transport you to a certain memory.
As I walked in the streets of Vancouver, a different scent caught my attention.
The smell of smoke, dust, and an occasional whiff of weed. In the beginning, I couldn’t tell it was weed as I had never come across the scent before.
After that, I could smell weed everywhere.
Passing by a stranger, walking by a random location, driving past a street.
The strawberry smell that I initially encountered was gone soon afterwards. I have gotten used to it and it is no longer new anymore.
The first thing I noticed was the license plate. Beautiful British Columbia.
I took an even closer look and saw the different themes and colors.
Personalized license plates. Some of them were so creatively designed.
When you explore B.C. Your reaction would be, beautiful.
The first thing I noticed were the homeless people. I would see one or two around a corner before I learned that there were a lot more in Downtown East Hastings.
Seeing addiction so openly on the streets was new. At home it was hidden—here it was publicized.
The vibrant streets of downtown were smeared by the less vibrant lives of lonely individuals.
What little can be done, what more can be done to help the situation?
It is tragic when wealth and death are neighbours, maybe even partners.
Is British Columbia still beautiful?
The first thing I noticed was the maple-shaped leaves on the ground.
It was a small but wonderful detail; it tells me where I am without having to look around.
Seeing the maple leaf on a McDonald’s cup points to the differences of where I was at.
Things are foreign, but they are not too new. It is still the same thing I had seen before.
I have to say it is an odd feeling to find the same things with varying differences away from home, but it is also a comforting factor of the shared presence of humanity.
The first thing I noticed was the distance.
Everything was far apart from each other; there were multiple highways within a province.
I lived on an island; you can get to places in minutes. Everything was very convenient. The streets are plastered with motorbikes and people. We have narrower roads and smaller lanes.
I have ever since then been fascinated by the wide streets. It brings me a calming presence when I can see everything far and wide.
The first thing is not so new anymore. It is now something I am used to. A daily phenomenon. Accepting my circumstances has helped.
But there will always be more first things to come. And it shall be beautiful.
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New Beginnings
Parnika Trivedi
New beginnings carry the old me along,
Turning the page as the earth hums its song.
Seasons change, memories bloom, lessons linger, 365 days, 12 months now sewn into time, Calendar the same, yet years realigned.
The day I arrived feels like a lifetime ago,
A century past, though it’s been just a year—
No more, no less.
From autumn leaves crunching beneath my shoes,
The wind threading through my hair,
To the first scent of snow crisp in the air,
Winter’s breath, soft and sweet on my skin.
From nights spent sitting on the staircase,
To laughter echoing through rooms full of cheer,
The soft hum of rain tapping at the window,
And the fresh aroma of cocoa filling the cold—
Feeling like a hug in a cup.
I remember the first cherry blossom bloom,
The ice cream melting in warm summer hands, And now, as I feel the autumn breeze again, It takes me back to that very first day.
A strange feeling stirs within—
Something familiar, yet everything’s changed.
It’s a new beginning, a new season,
But with the same old heart, old lessons, old place, And memories that will never fade.
CONTRIBUTORS
Cole Hergott
Katrina Laurila
Lauren Mckenna
Camryn Munday
Jenaya Russel
Eve Tan
Parnika Trivedi
Audrey Tupaj
MA R S ’ H I L L
Mars’ Hill is a student publication of Trinity Western University located on the traditional ancestral territory of the Stó:lo people. Floated with funds raised by the Student Association, Mars’ Hill seeks to be a professional and relevant student publication, re ecting and challenging the TWU community, while intentionally addressing local, national, and international issues
The mission of Mars’ Hill , as the official student newspaper of Trinity Western University, is to inform and entertain its readers, cultivate awareness of issues concerning the TWU community, and provide a forum for purposeful, constructive discussion among its members in accordance with thea Community Covenant, Statement of Faith, and Core Values of the University.