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Table of Contents 4..... A God of Incredible Miracles 8..... Love Lifted Me 12.... Asunder 15.... Press Release for Brook Hill Farm 16.... Not By Sight 18.... Mended 20.... Dose of Reality 21.... Justice Lab 22.... Single Life 24.... Water for Flint 26.... Least of These 27.... Giving Back
A God of Incredible Miracles As World War II ravaged her homeland, the odds of survival and escape seemed stacked against her. But Selma and her family knew that all things are possible with God.
On November 15, 2017, 87-year-old Selma Satonica
The Bolsheviks, a Russia majority radical group,
and proudly took her oath of allegiance to the
caught speaking German. The officers stood at the
of becoming a legal U.S. citizen. This moment was
to close the window, because the Russian Bolsheviks
ago, she almost did not make it to America. As
recalled. “If you talk Polish, they let you go, but if
survival and escape seemed stacked against her.
family heard the Bolsheviks coming, they would pray
possible with God. Through a series of remarkable
Polish. After hearing this language being spoken,
entered the Grand Rapids, Michigan, courthouse
began hunting down and exterminating anyone
United States of America, finally fulfilling her goal
windows of peoples’ homes to eavesdrop. “We had
a dream come true for the native German; decades
come listen if you talk German or Polish,” Selma
World War II ravaged her homeland, the odds of
you talk German, they take you.” Every time the
But Selma and her family knew that all things are
to God, and Ferdinand instructed everyone to speak
miracles and answered prayers, Selma and her
the Bolsheviks left satisfied.
spared from death time and again. “God helped us,”
Though knowing Polish helped save them from the
family were delivered from the perils of the war, Selma declared emphatically.
Bolsheviks, Selma and her family were in danger
Selma and her twin brother, Helmut, were born to
major reason - their faith. Selma’s father owned a
Poland, then part of the Soviet Union and now
it every Sabbath. Then came a dire warning that
more children in the coming years. Although the
Sabbath], they take you away in the concentration
language, they also spoke Polish. After World War
the store for Ferdinand on Saturdays.
would help save their lives.
home in Poland and moved to Freiburg, Germany.
of being hauled to concentration camps for another
Ferdinand and Elida Wutzke in 1930 in Slobodarka,
shoe shop, and as a Seventh-day Adventist, he closed
the Ukraine. Their family would grow by three
Selma remembers clearly: “If we don’t open it [on
family were ethnic Germans and spoke the German
camp.” To avoid this fate, a worker was hired to open
II broke out, this ability – along with many prayers –
In 1939, Selma’s parents were forced from their
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While awaiting placement, they stayed in a camp where they slept on straw mattresses and were served food containing pork. Selma’s parents
explained to the SS commandant that, “We don’t eat pork. We’re Adventists.” The commandant threatened that those who did not eat the food
provided and did not do as they were told should be shot, but the family did not back down. As usual,
when faced with grave situations, the family prayed. God honored their integrity with a miracle. Instead of executing them, the SS commandant began
serving them soup broth without pork, and cheese sandwiches. Seven months later, Selma and her
family were settled in Southwestern Poland. The
government evicted a family from their home so they could move in. Feeling terrible, Selma’s parents
arranged a secret meeting with the evicted family to return the belongings they had been forced to abandon.
Selma’s new residence was close to a barbed-wire
enclosed Jewish ghetto. The unwilling inhabitants
had to be inside by five o’clock sharp every evening; if they were late, the consequences were deadly.
Once, to her horror, Selma witnessed a Nazi shoot a
Jewish man for arriving seconds late. “It was 5:01 1 minute after,” she recalls, “and the Nazi shot that guy.”
Selma and her family helped their Jewish neighbors
every chance they got, often sneaking food to them under the fence. Each exchange was a risk
"For this, you
caught. Once, they
could end up in
Jew was so hungry,”
concentration
“My father sent me to
camp, that you
to life should they be almost were. “One Selma remembers.
the bakery to get some
buns.” Selma delivered
feed the Jews!”
the buns to her father, who gave them to the Jew. A Nazi wearing civilian clothing saw the encounter.
“The Nazi come up, he says, ‘For this, you could end up in concentration camp, that you feed the Jews!’”
Her father breathed a prayer. Miraculously, the Nazi chose not to report the exchange. “I’ll close my eyes this time, but let it happen again and you’ll be in the concentration camp,” he warned.
Eventually, Selma and her siblings were forced
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to join the Hitler Youth program. Selma and her
a string of red stamps! These were bread stamps,
Mädel (BDM), the female division of Hitler Youth.
bread to share. “We come back by my mom in the
younger sister, Gunda, joined the Bund Deutscher Part of their uniforms included wearing a Swastika
arm band, something Selma hated. There was fear that the boys, Helmut and Willie, would be drafted.
At the time, boys as young as ten were taken to war.
and provided Selma with two and a half loaves of
depot, said, ‘Look, we got bread!’ My mother said, ‘Where did you steal that?’” Selma laughs. “We didn’t steal it! God provided.”
God answered the family’s prayers and protected
God also provided a joyous reunion for the Wutzke
Ferdinand, did not escape the draft, however, and
a Seventh-day Adventist Church, they found their
the Wutzke children from this fate. Their father, was deported to Hamburg.
Then, on January 18, 1945, during a blizzard, two
German soldiers came to the family and instructed them to pack quickly. The German front was
collapsing. Russians would invade within the hour,
and their town would become a war zone. They had come to help the family escape, remembering the
times the family had fed them. Together with two
other families, Selma, her mother, and her siblings piled into the military truck and headed for a train depot 50 miles away. After prayerfully passing a
perilous checkpoint, they arrived to find the station
bombed out. The determined soldiers drove another 100 miles to the next train station. There, they
found a train overflowing with passengers. Selma
thought it looked like a Christmas tree, with people
sitting on top and hanging from the sides. It was so packed that the conductor told Selma’s mother to
wait for another train. Uncertain of what to do, the family prayed for guidance. After praying, a man
dressed in black approached them. “He looked like Johnny Cash,” Selma says, grinning. He told them,
“Take this train. This is the last one.” With that, the mysterious man vanished. Recognizing this as an
angelic encounter, Selma’s family boarded the train, which was indeed the last.
200 miles later, the train arrived in Cottbus,
Germany. Selma and Helmut were sent in search of
food, having eaten nothing on their exodus. To their dismay, stamps were needed to purchase food, and
they had none. As they stood wondering what to do,
a gust of wind blew something against Selma’s shoe:
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family; the miracles never ceased. With help from
opportunity to immigrate to America. A shoemaker was needed, which just happened to be Ferdinand’s occupation. The family leapt at the chance and
sailed across the tempestuous ocean to begin a new life.
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Love Lifted Me
The 31-year-old Michigan native, Cassandra McNulty,
a similar hurt and shame she experienced during high
stood before a small group of women gathered for
school and continued through her early college years.
camp meeting, her soothing voice echoing God’s call
Her story further illustrates the struggles of Christian
for an intimate relationship with his children. “Masks
youth on public campuses and journeying through life,
put a barrier between us and God,” she said before
oftentimes without firm moorings, only to fall prey to
launching into reasons to share our stories, even
wrong choices.
when they are as difficult and painful as her own.
Cassandra’s family moved a lot during her early years
“God wants us to use our testimony. Just like the
and she attended 12 different schools. The variety
woman at the well, he wants us to run back and tell
of schools in which she was enrolled was perhaps
everybody what Jesus has done for us. He wants us
matched by the assortment of churches her family
to be open and honest about our journeys and lives
attended. “We went to [a variety of] churches; just
so they can ennoble and enrich our church and our
things all over the place,” she recounts. “My dad
young people.”
very much believed that you go to the church where
Cassandra’s openness in sharing her own testimony
you feel like God is calling you and that is closest to
comes from a desire to help other young women avoid
scripture.”
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By her junior year of high school, Cassandra was
was expecting, she found herself being blamed for
immersed in an academic environment rife with
everything. He asked her questions such as: “How
partying, drug use and sex. As a Christian, she found
do you know you were raped?” “Why were you even
herself feeling very much alone. An extrovert by
there at the party?”
nature, the isolation was nearly torture. “I sat alone
“He was basically telling me that, if it was true, it was
at the lunch table for three months because I didn’t fit
all my fault anyway,” Cassandra remembers. “So, I
in,” she says. Finally, she could not take it anymore.
left church, and I didn’t look back.”
“I started compromising in order to have friends.”
Cassandra then moved out of her parents’ home and began attending a local community college. Deeply depressed, the former top student was struggling to
Things started harmlessly enough.
make Cs. “I knew I needed help, but I didn’t know
Cassandra began going to parties as the designated
what to do.”
driver. “I won’t drink,” she justified. “I’ll be fine.” But
Although she did not recognize it at the time, God
that was Satan’s lie.
had not given her up. At the community college,
One night, Cassandra was planning to attend a college
Cassandra began running into old friends from
party with some of her girlfriends. Since she was
her youth group. They always treated her kindly,
the designated driver, she stopped to pick up a can
encouraging her to come to a college Bible study
of soda before arriving at the crowded place. Things
group with them. Despite the fact Cassandra
went on as usual – until one accidental slip changed
continued to dismiss the invitations, they never
everything.
stopped asking. Then, on a whim to placate them,
“I made the mistake of putting my drink down,” she
Cassandra gave into their efforts and decided to check
says. “The next thing I know, I’m feeling really sick
out the college’s Bible study group.
and dizzy.” Drawing a deep breath, she continues, “I
For a while, she explains that she had one foot in
woke up in a dark room, and I had been raped.”
Bible studies and one foot in the world… until she
The experienced crushed her spirit. In the months
heard a sermon that changed her life. Through the
and years afterwards, she remembers hearing voices
message of the sermon and the gentle, persistent love
telling her: You are dirty. God can never love you like
of her friends, Cassandra realized, “God still loved
this! You are alone.
me, that I was not too far gone to him to save, and that
Cassandra finally decided that the only way she could
he just desired for me to come to him.”
cope was to fully participate in the activities around
Falling to her knees, weeping, Cassandra begged God
her. “I started down-spiraling very quickly, drinking
to rescue her. She asked God, “to cover my sins and
a lot and having one relationship after the other,
make me whole again, to heal me, to take the anguish
thinking that if I actually controlled the interactions
and the pain away.” “The crazy thing is,” she paused
that it would make me feel like I had control over
with a smile, “He did.”
what had happened to me,” she says. But it only made
Cassandra stopped drinking and partying, but she did
her feel worse.
not end there. “I gave my life so completely to him
Looking at herself in the mirror, Cassandra barely
that I told him that I would give him my summers to
recognized the reflection she saw, but she recognized
do mission work.”
that she needed help. She made an appointment with her church’s youth group pastor, and bared her soul to him. But instead of receiving the support she
New College, New Commitment
When Cassandra entered the University of Michigan,
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she had a friend and roommate who was a Messianic
They invested in me!”
Jew. Shocked by the secular environment, the girls
In December of 2007, Cassandra accompanied her
knew they needed to be intentional in seeking out a
friends to a Generation of Youth for Christ meeting;
church community.
there, she was fully convicted that God wanted her in
One day, they strolled past two students who were
the Adventist church.
Adventist public campus missionaries. Cassandra
“It was just amazing,” she marvels. “I feel like God
and her roommate heard them mentioning things like
takes each individual heart and communicates with
Bible studies, church service and vegetarian meals.
us what he wants us to know and be impressed by.
“My roommate and I just looked at each other and we
There were different things that God was prodding on
were like… This has to be from God.”
my heart, that this is the church that he wanted me to
Because her Messianic Jewish roommate kept the
be in, so I let my friends know.”
Sabbath and was a vegetarian, Cassandra was
Cassandra’s Adventist friends were thrilled, and gave
familiar with some aspects of Adventist practices,
her Bible studies on the major pillars of Adventism
so she was fairly open to exploring Seventh-day
to help deepen her understanding of the faith.
Adventism.
Cassandra was baptized the following April. “I was
She attended Bible studies and vespers on
so impressed by how much they knew their Bibles,
campus with her new Adventist friends and often
and how firm their understanding was of what they
fellowshipped with them. Still, Cassandra was
believed,” she recalls. “There was an aspect of God’s
more comfortable with her Sunday-keeping, non-
character that I didn’t understand until I came to the
denominational upbringing, so she frequented a more
Adventist Church.”
traditional non-denominational church. Eventually,
Cassandra credits God for using her friends as
this church offered Cassandra a job leading their
instruments in her journey, modeling Christ’s love
missions in Africa after her graduation. Africa studies
and cultivating relationships with her rather than
was her major course of study at the University of
preaching at her. She is now an advocate of the
Michigan, and she was thrilled. This was her dream
campus ministries that changed her life, going as far
job!
as serving as a campus missionary at the University
However, she realized that if she were to represent
of Michigan, and likens the mission to the Bible
a church, she needed to be sure that she believed
story of the friends who brought their paraplegic
everything her church taught. She began praying
friend to Jesus for healing. “Scripture says that
for God to lead and show her whether this was the
when Jesus saw their faith, their friend was made
church he wanted her to be in. Bit by bit, God began
whole,” she explains. “And it wasn’t because of the
impressing Cassandra that some things in this church
faith of the paraplegic; it was because of the faith
were not aligned with his ways, leading her to study
of his friends. I think that that is the power behind
the Bible fervently for answers. As she studied,
Campus Ministries specifically… ministering to those
the topic of the Sabbath kept coming up, driving
there that know Jesus, but don’t have a full picture,
Cassandra to ask her Adventist friends more serious
of those that have not even met him. And developing
questions about their faith. They happily obliged.
those relationships, and building those bridges, and
“They never made me feel like a project,” Cassandra
modeling Christ to them and showing them God’s
says gratefully. “They were friends… It wasn’t like a
Word… you’re able to bring them to the feet of Jesus.
‘come to my Bible study’… or, ‘come to an evangelistic
And through your faith, people are made whole.”
series.’ They were building a relationship with me.
“God does amazing things in all of our lives,” she
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concludes, “when we surrender our lives to him. That’s the one thing that I have to remind myself of – that it’s not my story, it’s his story. That’s what a testimony is. It’s the story of how he saved us.”
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ASUNDER Divorce. It is a topic that many Christians shy away from, or only
speak about in whispers. The label of being “divorced” is shrouded in suggestions of shame and failure. Divorce in the Seventhday Adventist Church is often treated as a taboo. Even though it happens, few know how to respond. Some individuals who have experienced divorce share the struggles they faced. Dr. Bradly Hinman, Assistant Professor at Andrews University in the Department of Graduate Psychology and Counseling and a private practice counselor specializing in marriage and family therapy, responds to three struggles that many divorcees face.
Identity
“I was not going to be one of those guys who gets
divorced,” 36-year-old John Weiss said, reflecting on
the year 2012 when he lost almost everything. “That wasn’t even a remote
possibility in my mind.” John lost many things upon his divorce – his house, his dogs, a lot of his money – but he feels that the biggest thing he lost was his
identity. “My label of husband, caretaker, provider…
and now getting this new label of “divorced”… it just seemed like it was too much.”
“It is normal to feel a loss of identity during divorce,” Dr. Hinman says. “Beginning at engagement the
natural course of many (but not all) couples is for the individual to become less, and the couple to become more prevalent. I believe that is what the Bible
meant when it said, “the two shall become one.”” He explains that when a relationship ends, an
individual suffers loss of identity because of the
sacrifices made for the relationship to work. In a relationship,
individual identity becomes less and the relationship
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identity becomes greater. When people lose their
relationship, through divorce for example, the person can feel as though they have lost a part of their
identity. Hinman explicates that feelings such as confusion, anger, and grief are common.
“Individuals who are suffering from a divorce should remember who they were before the relationship started,” Hinman says. “They should surround
themselves with people who are supportive and
do things they enjoy. Write a list, keep it in your phone, pull it out and pick one when things get
overwhelming.” Individual identity is an important thing to have; knowing who you are as a person
matters. But if an individual’s identity is not found in God first, an identity crisis is inevitable. Remember that you are a child of God. “After the divorce was
finalized, I spent maybe a year or two, or a few years, just me and God,” John recounts. “God started
building a new life for me, and tearing down the old frameworks and the bad assumptions and helping
me reexamine stuff from the past that needed to be
dealt with.” John explains that since his divorce, God
that we messed up too much for God to love and use
grounded in Christ. Today he serves as a producer at
individuals who were sinful human disasters, and God
has been building a new life, as new identity for him, Your Story Hour.
Can God Still Use Me Now?
“I was so upset and broken and in pain,” a 35-year-
old Theology professor at Andrews University says,
recounting the story of her divorce. “I really thought
I was going to lose everything.” She feared she would
be let go from her job. “Who wants a divorced woman teaching theology?” she asked, laughing at the irony.
She also thought she would lose her church ministry duties. She had been doing Pathfinders and youth
work for quite some time. “I thought… I’d never be happy again,” she said simply. “I would look at my
finger and miss my wedding ring… I felt like I wanted to hide my hands.” She wrestled desperately with
shame and self-confidence. Despite these struggles and fears, her worst fear was not for herself; it
was that her divorce had somehow damaged God’s reputation, simultaneously damaging her ability to
work for Him. “What good can God do through me
now?” she wondered. “I’m tainted. I’m dishonorable to His name.”
“People who invest their life working for God feel
called to arrange their life as perfectly as they can,” Dr. Hinman responds. “Divorce is a serious matter for many Christians, and I feel it would be natural for someone who has devoted their life to service
to the church would feel a sense of loss while going
through a divorce.” He goes on to describe how this
loss of the ideal life could be seen as a step backward, as loss, a failure, or a blemish on the worthiness of the individual. Dr. Hinman gives advice on what a
person can do when experiencing shame or doubting whether he or she can be used by God: “Talk to a
counselor, surround yourself with supportive people, and talk to other people who have successfully dealt with significant feelings of shame.” Satan loves to deceive and discourage us, trying to make us feel
us for His work. However, the Bible is replete with
still used them in mighty ways. King David, Abraham, and Moses all failed in terrible ways, but God used
them mightily. No one is ever too tainted for God to transform into His servant. Although the first year after her divorce was tough, Rahel says that God
has turned this into one of the greatest witnessing
opportunities of her life. I did not lose my job or my ministries! I have been in counseling and groups
for years and God has used that, along with many
other wonderful people and experiences, to bring me great healing and joy. In fact, God has turned what I
thought would destroy me, into something powerful!” She shares her story publicly, showing the healing
power of God’s love and grace. “He has given me joy beyond imagining with His presence and care.” She continues to lead her church’s pathfinder club and
youth group while serving as assistant professor of Biblical Hebrew.
An Uncertain Future
37-year-old Andrews University student and United
States Air Force veteran, Amy Manjarres, was married for five years before her divorce. In July of 2014,
while stationed in Turkey, the Air Force notified Amy that she would be one of many to be discharged. It
was a devastating blow. Not only was her marriage falling apart; now her career was too. Soon, Amy
found herself unemployed and newly divorced. Her whole future, so set in stone not long ago, was
uncertain. She felt like a complete failure, longing for something in life that would make her feel worth her
existence. “The fact that I became one more statistic was devastating,” Amy said.
“In this case, both her career and her marriage
were supposed to last for a very, very long time,” Dr. Hinman explains. “When things are supposed to
last for a long time and they don’t, we go through a
period of mourning, anxiety, and powerlessness.” A good job and a thriving relationship are factors that
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give us a sense of accomplishment. If these things
unless they ask,” he cautions. “Unsolicited advice
how much of any of our life is within our control.
Our Heavenly Father reminds us in Isaiah 43:2,
are taken against our will, it makes us question
Hinman says, “Divorce can be devastating, but in
my opinion, should not necessarily be viewed as a
failure. What people in this position generally need from other people is a listening ear, understanding, and compassion. Many times, it helps people to
feel better just to be able to express themselves and talk about the awful turn their life has taken.” In
addition to this, he counsels that helping a person plan for what to do next can help with attaining a
sense of control and getting back on his or her feet. It is human nature to want control over our every
circumstance, to want a concrete plan for our lives. But things do not always work out that way. Even in the face of an uncertain future, God promised
us that no matter how hopeless the future seems,
He has good plans in store. We can truly claim the promise given in the familiar text, Jeremiah 29:11: “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (NIV) As to
how she is now coping with the uncertainties about her future, Amy says, “It causes anxiety; however,
I’m working on being more dependent and trusting
of God. I try to internalize Bible examples of God’s faithfulness to man, and I am also trying to take
courage from close friends’ personal experiences
with trusting our Father.” Today, Amy is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and she hopes to use her new profession to serve Christ.
How should individuals in the Church respond when one of their brothers or sisters in Christ is going through a divorce? “Be supportive, loving, and accepting,” Dr. Hinman
says plainly. “I know that sounds simple, but these qualities are vastly underused today.” He explains
that many persons are uncomfortable around topics such as divorce or death, but instead of reacting in
judgment or condemnation, we should ask what we can do for the person. “We should not offer advice
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can come across as judgment or condemnation.”
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with
you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the
fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
Press Release for Brook Hill Farm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Local community health foundation awards grant to Brook Hill Farm providing scholarship support for at-risk youth
Press or Media Contact: Jo Anne Miller 540-586-0207 executive director@ brookhillfarm.org
June, 2017 Jo Anne Miller, Executive Director 540-586-0207 executivedirector@brookhillfarm.org FOREST, VA –Brook Hill Retirement Center for Horses, Inc. has been the recipient of a generous grant award from the Bedford Community Health Foundation. This grant for $7,500 provides scholarship support for youth in the farm’s at-risk youth program. This program works to provide safety and healing to area at-risk youth, and help them graduate high school. The program has a 100% graduation rate of the youth involved. In addition to helping at-risk youth succeed academically, the program helps its participants to heal emotionally and mentally through working with rescue horses who also come from negative situations. In their friends and horses, the youth find a renewed sense of purpose. Together, both rescued youth and rescued horses find healing and second chances at Brook Hill Farm. A sincere thanks to the Bedford Community Health Foundation for their outstanding support. For more information contact Jo Anne Miller, executivedirector@brookhillfarm.org
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Not By Sight She has been called the “new Picasso”… and she is legally blind. Artist Lauren Mills was born with Nystagmus, an eye
her perfect sight.”
While she can see minute specks up close, she does
called “Artologi.” After creating the website and
her. Still, these physical struggles never impeded
getting occasional commissions. Her art really took
drawing incessantly. At age six, Lauren accompanied
vendor at her grandmother’s encouragement.
was attending. The professor noted young Lauren’s
over the past few years, she has had the opportunity
blown away. “How is it possible that she’s able to do
Interlochen Art Institute, University of Michigan,
eye – visual capacity to do well?” she wondered.
programs were costly, but just when attendance
human ability”; it had to be a gift from God.
scholarships and donations from others, Lauren was
has really stopped my art,” the 17-year-old says. “I
Amidst her success, Lauren remains humble, never
I created things.” In fact, she uses this would-be
anything really huge, or like I’m a star or something,”
must look at things extremely closely, giving her
I feel like God’s been a crutch for me, because I don’t
I’m lying to them when I say that I’m legally blind,
“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you…” “It
pretty good,” she laughs. “She doesn’t see her visual
and he ordained him, and basically set his future
disease in which the eyes are constantly wiggling.
At age eleven, Lauren started her own art company,
not see well beyond what is immediately in front of
posting some samples of her work, Lauren began
Lauren’s affinity for art. By ten months old, she was
off, however, when she began attending fairs as a
her mother, Leah Chapman, to a college art class she
Lauren had no formal art training growing up, but
excellent ability to see perspective. Chapman was
to attend classes at the prestigious institutions of
this, this thing called art that takes – in my mind’s
and School of Art Institute in Chicago. These
She realized that her daughter’s talent was “beyond
seemed impossible, God always provided. Thanks to
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a moment where my vision
able to participate in these programs.
never really felt like it played a negative part in how
forgetting who blesses her. “I don’t see myself as
setback to her advantage. To “quiet” her eyes, Lauren
she says. “I know definitely it was God and not me...
extraordinary attention to detail. “People think that
really stand alone in my life.” She cites Jeremiah 1:5.
because my detail work in my paintings I’ve heard is
was about how God knew him before he was born,
condition as a disability,” Chapman adds. “She calls it
up for him. That’s how I saw my art career… God
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just kind of set my life up,” she explains. Lauren
“I try to be myself in my art, so that other people will
banner for an evangelistic series held at her school;
“I’m definitely not one that has fit into a mold, or that
churches; most recently, she designed the Lake
art at the core.”
loves using her gift to glorify God. She designed a
know that it’s okay to be yourself,” Lauren said simply.
she sometimes gifts paintings to Pastors at various
really wants to, so that’s kind of what I try to say in my
Region Conference pins for the last Pathfinders
Oshkosh. As the co-AY leader at her home church, Lauren hopes to establish an art program for the young people there, teaching them to express
themselves in a “nondestructive” way. Having
participated in a few art shows with others, she is
hoping to develop her first solo show in the future.
Since graduating from Peterson-Warren Academy in
June, Lauren enrolled at Oakwood this fall where she
is studying commercial art and history. “My schedule is crazy,” she said one evening after finishing up a
worship service on campus. Between choir, work, and classes, she is determined to fit art in, somehow. “My only free time is Saturday nights, and that’s when I plan to paint.”
She opened an online store over the summer
and plans to devote time to that, too. The store
features products such as t-shirts, bags, and pillows
emblazoned with the “colored girl rainbow,” a patch of striped hues in various shades of brown.
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Mended It was not until he found himself in jail that harsh reality hit him: this was not the kind of life he wanted to be living. A loving husband. A faithful church-goer. Looking at Kelvin Lacy’s life now, few would guess that things were not always this settled and happy. Few, if any, would perceive the painful past and years of wandering endured until just seven years ago. Kelvin’s life was not always nicely put-together. Not until accepting the divine help and love of a faithful Jesus did he find healing and wholeness. The struggles began early. At the tender age of two, Kelvin found himself in the foster system along with his older brother and younger sister. Everywhere they went, the siblings were a package deal. “They kept us together all our lives,” Kelvin says, something which he is grateful for. However, he has no fond memories of any of the homes he stayed at. “Some homes, we would get there, and there’d already be other kids there, so… the other kids would take our food,” he recalls. “I guess they figured they were there first, and it was their house.” In order to keep from starving, Kelvin and his siblings resorted to shoplifting from a local grocery store on their way home from school, because they knew that they would get nothing else to eat. “It probably wasn’t right, but it was the only way we survived.” The Lacy children bounced around to seven or eight different homes before they were adopted by a kindly Seventh-day Adventist lady, Gertrude Pettitt, in 1976. By then, Kelvin was eight years old, his brother was ten, and his sister was six. “Ms. Pettitt” introduced the children to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and they resided in Chicago until moving to South Bend, Indiana, during the blizzard of 1979.
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Upon settling into their new home, Kelvin and his siblings were enrolled in South Bend Jr. Academy. Kelvin thoroughly enjoyed his time there, and he graduated valedictorian of the eighth-grade class of 1984. From there, Kelvin moved on to Washington High School – a public school. The transition from church school to a public school was a jolting experience. “The school was so much bigger, because South Bend Jr. Academy is a small school,” Kelvin explains. “There, I mean, it was just, like, rowdy. From quiet, to rowdy.” To help ease the transition, Kelvin began hanging out with a group of friends who had gone to public school all their lives, and Kelvin’s own life started going a different direction. “I hung around them to adjust, and then while I was adjusting, I just slowly was drifting and drifting further and further away from the church. And next thing I knew, I had stopped going.” Thus began a twenty-year separation from church. “[I] got off into the worldly things. Women… cars, hanging out with the wrong people, and wrong influences,” Kelvin recounts. He dropped out of high school during his senior year, only lacking three credits to graduate. “Why, I can’t tell you to this day,” he says. As time passed, Kelvin continued engaging in “the world.” It was not until he found himself in jail that harsh reality hit him: this was not the kind of life he wanted to be living. “It was time for a change,” he says, recalling five months in prison. “I was tired of living the way I was living. Things wasn’t going right. Bad relationships, hanging out doing wrong, kept going to jail. That wasn’t the life for me.” While
serving his time, Kelvin resolved to change his ways and better his life. One conviction he made was to return to the church and faith he had strayed so far from. As soon as he was free, Kelvin kept his promise and began attending church. “When I came out, it seemed like it was a whole new world out here. So I knew if it was a whole new world, it was time for me to make [a] change.” “I had my hesitations,” Kelvin admits, reflecting on returning to church by himself. Fortunately, he was warmly welcomed. He reconnected with an old classmate from South Bend Junior Academy and found a new friend in a woman named Roberta Stran. “I try to speak to people I haven’t seen before,” Stran explains. “And so I just spoke to Kelvin.” The two struck up a rapport, and would exchange pleasantries every time they saw one another at church for the next several Sabbaths. One Sabbath, while walking to the front of the church for prayer time, Stran noticed Kelvin sitting near the aisle, right where she was about to pass by. Suddenly, she felt that God was trying to tell her something. “I just feel the Lord impress me, ‘Well, just take his hand and take him down to the front,’” she recalls. Listening to the prodding of the Spirit, Stran reached out and took Kelvin’s hand in silent invitation. “You know, he got up and came with me?” she says. “And we’ve been doing that ever since.” Returning to church and to Jesus has changed Kelvin’s entire life. “I believe that He
[God] was just waiting for me to come home,” Kelvin says with conviction. “Ever since I’ve been going back to church… life is good.” One of the blessings Kelvin experienced after his return to church was marrying a lovely woman named Cynthia. The couple celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary in October, 2017. Just over a year ago, Kelvin was rebaptized. Though he had been baptized at age eight or nine, he decided a renewal was in order. “It felt good when I did get baptized,” he says emphatically. “I felt like a new man!” In the future, Kelvin is also hoping to finally finish high school. Reflecting on his tumultuous early life and the redeeming love of his Heavenly Father for a wayward child, Kelvin has one thing he can say: “He’s been good to me!”
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Dose of Reality In the fall of 2013, I thought my life was over. After being seizure-free for nine years, the
His will and felt abandoned. My cries and misery
well began to fail me. My seizure activity returned
by, for the days when God watched over me…
of college. Things got worse and worse every day,
not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at
medication that had controlled my epilepsy so
echoed his: “How I long for the months gone
just as I was about to leave home for my first year
( Job 29:2) “I cry out to you, God, but you do
and because I had reached the maximum dose of
me. You turn on me ruthlessly; with the might
my medicine, I could not
of your hand you attack me.
decided to try adding
me before the wind; you toss
current one in hopes of
30:20-22).” Then, I read two
seizures as they began to
my entire outlook: “You are
to function. As a result,
Shall we accept good from
of control and I suffered
2:10)” “But He knows the
increase it. My doctors
You snatch me up and drive
new medications onto my
me about in the storm ( Job
regaining control of my
simple passages that changed
interfere with my ability
talking like a foolish woman.
my seizures remained out
God, and not trouble? ( Job
brutal side effects from
way that I take; when He has
the new medications. I was constantly nauseous;
tested me, I will come forth as gold ( Job 23:10).”
headaches every day. The drugs ravaged my body
there was nothing else I could do. I found myself
After a third medication failed and I developed
would eventually be delivered as Job was, whether
withdraw from school and go home to recover.
Finally, I received deliverance in the form of a
get my seizures back under control, I had nothing
took the greater part of a year before my seizures
and wonder why. In an attempt to understand and
seizure-free for a full year. I am back at college,
Despite bouts of bitterness and questioning, I
and God honored my faith as He did Job’s. Great
I pushed through severe vertigo and splitting
Through my ordeal, I learned to cling to God, for
until I was drained of all energy and motivation.
filled with a sense of peace and assurance that I
severe anxiety, I was so sick that I had to
on this earth, or at the glorious second coming.
While we searched frantically for a treatment to
medical diet: the Ketogenic Diet for epilepsy. It
but time to process what was happening to me…
got under control, but as of recently, I have been
keep courage, I turned to my Bible for comfort.
and am succeeding. I refused to let Satan win me,
drew great strength from the story of Job. He was
is His faithfulness!
someone I could relate to. Even a person with the greatest faith in God sometimes questions
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Justice Lab:
Engage, Explore, Execute On February 10, the Black Student Association of
explained that when God created Adam and Eve
Justice Labs slated for the month of February. The
and Eve “screwed up.” God had every reason for
the Seminary (BSAS) held their first in a series of ongoing event is a series of talks and interactive labs revolving around the theme, “As It Is In Heaven.”
What is a “Justice Lab”? “The purpose [of Justice Labs] is to hear from various perspectives and
through the discussion and synthesis to practically
learn how to take up the work of justice in our various
spheres,” explained Danielle Barnard, President of the BSAS. “Once we are educated about injustice, most of us don’t know what to do next. We ask ourselves,
‘How can I do something about it?’ The labs are truly
supposed to be practical and give tools for discovering our ‘how’.”
The Justice Labs open with two talks from various
speakers, followed by an open question and answer
session with the audience. Seminary student Petrice Wideman and Chaplain Michael Polite were the speakers at the first event.
Wideman spoke on the issue of dehumanization, observing that humans tend to “dehumanize” or “reduce” someone who they perceive to be their enemy. While it is easy to criticize others for
in His own image, He saw Himself in them. Adam justifiable anger. Yet He did not dehumanize His
children. Instead, God chose to become one of them! “To see myself in the other, to see God in the other,
goes hand in hand with the crisis that we deal with
today,” Wideman continued, challenging her listeners to follow Jesus’s example.
Chaplain Michael Polite took the floor next, observing how parts of Adventist remnant theology can project discrimination. Polite likened the label of the
“remnant” to being chosen for teams at recess games. Everyone wanted to be chosen first; everyone wanted to be a part of the “cool kids.” Yet there were always those chosen last, considered the least talented. He
cautioned the audience about the dangers of the tone of exclusivity often surrounding remnant theology. The audience then participated, asking their
questions. How should we process what we hear in the news without dehumanizing anyone? Someone asked. Another admitted that it feels easier to
dehumanize enemies, because humanizing them feels
as if you are accepting their actions. How should they deal with that?
“I think this was a very good topic to talk about
dehumanizing behavior and speech, Wideman
because certain people are treated as though they
reactions of indignation toward individuals who
(graduate student, Social Work). “We are humans and
challenged the audience to examine their own
openly dehumanize people. “It’s justifiable anger you can say,” she said. “There’s reason for the upset.” But, she continued, “I’ve been criticizing
all these other people for what they have done, and in the privacy of my comfort zones, [I] have been
perpetuating the very same attitudes that has brought us to where we are today in this country.” Wideman
are less than humans,” said Mary Opuni Mensah God created us equal in His image.”
“The speakers made good observations,” reflected Sean Kelly (Sophomore, undeclared). “Their
perspectives influenced me, and were thoughtprovoking.”
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Single Life “So, are you dating anyone yet?” This question becomes inevitable, especially when you reach your adult years and are still single while many of your childhood friends are getting engaged and married. Much of society seems to have an expectation that when you grow up, you get married. The notion is that if you stay single, you cannot have a happy, fulfilling life. Being single is too often seen as a failure – a perception that is entirely false. Whether you are single and waiting for “the one”, or if you are choosing to remain unmarried, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Dating and marriage are absolutely beautiful, and if that is your desire, you should absolutely go for it. But what must also be understood is that being single is not a bad thing. Some adults weighed in on why it’s OK to be single. Here are their top reasons.
Singleness is reality. Being single, whether by choice or by chance, is not an awful, strange or unfulfilling way to live. Pastor Dwight Nelson, Lead Pastor of Pioneer Memorial Church, explained that God created humans to be relational beings, but “the post-Eden reality is that not all marry.” “While God has an ideal, He lives with the real,” Pastor Nelson said. “And the real is, we don’t all get married. The real is, we don’t all want to get married. The real is, we don’t have to get married. The real is that, professionally and personally, a person can live a very fruitful life and never marry.”
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Are you ready to be selfless? When you are married or in a relationship with someone, you consult your partner about almost every decision you make. Decisions about where to go to school, where to work, where to live, what to do in your spare time… you are no longer just looking out for yourself alone. Relationships involve compromise, and if compromise cannot happen, a healthy relationship cannot flourish.
Marriage may not fit everyone’s lifestyle. 30-year-old freelance photographer/filmmaker, Tanya Musgrave, is a single woman with a lively career that keeps her traveling around the country constantly. As a result, she is never in one place for long. “Where I am in my life right now, I would never be home,” she said. “I’m kind of flitting from one place to another… I don’t even know if somebody would want to be in a relationship with somebody who is barely there.” She is completely open to being in a relationship should someone come along who could keep up with her. The thought of marriage someday appeals to her. However, she recognizes that she is not ready to settle down yet, and until she is, she is fulfilled by the work that she loves and the friendships she makes.
You are able to focus on developing your relationship with Christ above all.
You have time to focus on becoming who you want to be while you’re single. “I don’t feel like I’m the person I want to give to someone,” 23-yearold student, Bohdana Gayle, said. Gayle explained that if she wants to be in a relationship, she needs to give it “110 [percent],” but before she can do that, she feels that there are certain parts of her life that she needs to work on. “If I want to receive the best, I feel like I need to be able to give the best…And I’m just not there.” She would rather wait until she feels personally prepared for a relationship than dive into one and hurt her significant other in the end. This does not mean you have to have yourself all figured out, but learning more about who you are and what you want in life is a good way to prepare for any future.
Singleness can be a unique gift from God. Some people actually choose not to marry and are content that way. Pastor Nelson referred to the Apostle Paul – himself a single man - as an example. In 1 Corinthians 7:7, Paul says, “I wish that all of you were as I am [unmarried]. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.” Not only does Paul actually advocate the single lifestyle, but in the last half of the verse, he implies that singleness can be a spiritual gift. “Paul’s little insertion there… indicates that singleness can be a gift from God, fruitfully exercised for the building up of God’s kingdom,” Pastor Nelson said.
Human relationships may come and go, but a relationship with Jesus is eternal. He craves a personal relationship with you more than anything. Take time to get to know Jesus, the lover of your soul. Let Him help you clean out your proverbial “junk drawer” that is the human heart. Ask Him to reveal any hidden sins and areas of your life that you need to work on, then work on those with Him. Build on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Christians couples will say that a firm foundation in Jesus is key to having a lasting marriage, but this foundation is not crucial in marriage only. “This is not just a foundation if you get married,” Pastor Nelson said. “This is a foundation if you’re living.”
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Water for Flint
It all started with a casual conversation.
Seminary student Latina Carriger had previously taken
Physical Therapy (PT) students at Andrews University,
with her husband and classmates, but the desire to do
about the toxic, lead-contaminated water in Flint,
to various local churches looking for more water to
Jonathan Momplaisir, president of the first-year class of
some cases of water to Flint that she had collected
was chatting with second-year PT student Joses Ngugi
more still weighed on her heart. She sent out an e-mail
Michigan, upon reading a Twitter post
asking what Andrews University was doing to help those in the crisis. Momplaisir saw
the opportunity to do good. “Matthew 25:35 literally says, ‘I was thirsty, and you gave
me something to drink,’” he said. Excited
at the prospect of quite literally fulfilling a
Bible verse, he suggested holding a friendly competition between the first, second, and third-year physical therapy classes, along with the faculty, to see which team could
“When you want to do good, God affirms that.”
collect the most water for Flint. The project was a hit
deliver. Pastor Dwight Nelson, lead Pastor at Pioneer Memorial Church, copied
Momplaisir to the e-mail. Thrilled and
amazed, Momplaisir contacted Carriger
and said that PT had been collecting water
for some time; they just didn’t know how to get it to Flint. “When you want to do good, God affirms that,” Momplaisir said with conviction.
God did not stop there, however. Word quickly spread about the Flint
and took off immediately. Momplaisir said that his first-
project, and students and faculty outside of PT
hours. The project was so successful that, as more and
competition turned into a campus-wide movement,
about how all of the water would be transported to Flint,
joining in collecting cases of water.
starting to feel overwhelmed,” Momplaisir admitted,
delivery of 1,100 cases of water to the desperate citizens
just when he was feeling hopelessly overwhelmed, God
faculty of the Seminary, and many random strangers.
year class alone collected 42 cases of water within 24
wanted to take part as well. Before long, the friendly
more cases of water came pouring in, he began to worry
with the Seminary and the rest of the Andrews campus
located a few hours away from Berrien Springs. “I was
On Saturday, Jan. 30, eleven seminarians made their
having no idea the project would become so huge. But
of Flint, collected from local churches, the students and
began performing miracles.
Yes, even strangers. Latina Carriger explained that the
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seminarians nearly bought all Benton Harbor stores out
of water – and they got a lot of attention doing so. When curious fellow shoppers found out where all the water was going, many of them immediately donated money
or bought more cases of water to chip in. Carriger had no idea that the Seminary’s load of water would be so enormous. As it continued to grow bigger and bigger,
she, like Momplaisir, began to feel overwhelmed in the face of a seemingly impossible task. How would they possibly transport so many cases of water? Finally
taking a break from her work one night, Carriger called
use her, and her classmates, to prove that He sees
what is happening in Flint, and He cares. “God is not ignoring their concern,” she said emphatically.
The School of Physical Therapy will be making their
water delivery on Saturday, Feb. 6, and the final delivery from Andrews University will be made on Valentine’s
Day (Sunday, Feb. 14). Those involved are confident that God will continue to provide for every need that arises,
for He has proven Himself time and time again. Nothing is impossible with God!
her four-year-old daughter in to pray with her that God would provide a way to get the water to Flint. God’s
miraculous answer came the very next morning in the form of an e-mail from a man named Mike Villwock.
Villwock, who is unaffiliated with Andrews University, wished to help deliver water to Flint and was offering
the use of his trailer truck that could transport up to 300 cases of water at once. Carriger of course took him up
on his offer, and the first delivery of water from Andrews
was a success, as well as a great witnessing opportunity. Carriger said that, after helping to load up one man’s
car with a few cases of water, the man told her to thank whoever was in charge of their project. She responded that God was the one in charge, and He had heard the man’s praise. She loved getting the chance to let God
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Least of These When several of Emory Dent’s friends asked if he
“These experiences that you go through, and the
to see how they could help the homeless there, he
to them… That made it totally worth it all.”
super… reluctant,” Dent, a Senior Medical Laboratory
“It’s called the Great Commission.” God constantly
emphatically. This was not the first time Dent had
He meets us where we are and moves us forward. He
wanted to go to Chicago one fall Saturday afternoon
people that you meet, and the ways that you minister
was not expecting to feel as hesitant as he did. “I was
“There’s always a standing invitation,” Dent says.
Science major at Andrews University, says
presents His people with opportunities to serve Him.
been involved in ministry. He had been canvassing
can always use us, even if we are reluctant servants.
and participated in homeless ministry before. Still, he was resisting. “It’s Sabbath afternoon. It’s not much of a break… what if people don’t accept? …
What if our endeavors are basically fruitless?” he
remembers wondering. After prayerfully examining his feelings, Dent decided that he did not want his
selfishness to get in the way of something awesome
that God might want to do. He finally agreed to join his friends on their mission. Taken aback by the great need he discovered, “that reluctance… just started to diminish.”
“We were really blown away by the amazing deficit that is out there,” Dent recalls. Gesturing to his
backpack, he remarks that most of the homeless have nothing more than a backpack containing their few
material possessions. Dent knew that he could not
go help these people just once. In September, 2015, he and 7 of his friends were moved to organize a ministry they call the “Least of These.”
One Sabbath a month, Dent and his fellow team leaders take a group of 20 to 30 volunteers to
Chicago to minister to the homeless. Splitting
up into smaller groups of 4 or 5, the participants
spread out and distribute bags of basic necessities, such as personal hygiene products and snacks,
to the homeless, simultaneously fellowshipping
with them and establishing friendships. Visiting
the same general area, Dent says he sees 65 to 70
percent of people he has seen before. And when it
comes to sharing the Gospel? “We’ve had way more acceptance than rejection,” he says with a smile.
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Giving Back “I didn’t really think I was going to work here, but apparently God had other plans, and I’m grateful for those.” Elementary school teacher Sabrina Webb was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, where she attended the Chicago SDA Jr. Academy starting in Kindergarten. In 2013, upon graduating from Oakwood University with her teaching degree, God led her back to that school – not as a student, but as a teacher. During her last semester of college, however, Sabrina was unsure whether God wanted her to be a teacher after all. “Teachers have to take plenty of tests in order to be able to be certified and graduate and do internship,” Sabrina explained. In her Junior year, she had passed all those tests and received her certification. Everything was on track until the following year, when a new test was added to those requirements. “My teacher told us we were all going to have to take that test in order to graduate, to do internship, and for certification,” Sabrina recalled – and she only had a week or two to study for it. Sabrina took the test and missed passing it by a mere 2 or 3 points. It was a devastating blow. Not passing meant that Sabrina was not certified to do her internship, the final thing she had to finish for her degree. Feeling defeated, Sabrina moved out of her apartment and returned home, not planning to return the following semester, as she could no longer do internship. “Is this really what you want me to do, God? Am I supposed to be a teacher?” she wondered. Her answer came a few days before the new semester began when her department’s dean informed her that she was eligible for her internship after all and could re-take the test. Sabrina returned to school, completed her internship,
and took her test again, this time receiving one of
the highest scores out of all who took it. “God is amazing,” she marveled. “That right there just let me know that whatever He has planned for me… He has a plan, and I’m just going to follow whatever, wherever He leads me to and whatever He wants me to do.” And God did lead. Sabrina had planned to work in the public school system and assist part-time at Chicago SDA Jr. Academy, but a phone call from her former Kindergarten teacher alerting her of a job opening changed her course. Sabrina currently teaches first through third grade, as well as teaching fourth graders in four subjects and the entire student body in choir. “I feel like this is the school that made me who I am,” Sabrina said. “They definitely set the foundation, and I want other kids to be able to have that same foundation.”
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Shannon Kelly shannonk1776@gmail.com (434) 941-0218
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