TWU.CA/MAGAZINE
The Learning Bridge
High Seas Bucket List
From Russia With Love
The Healing Power of Science and Faith
No. 20 No Back-up Plan Issuing Back & Forth
letter from the president
No. 20
R ACHEL PICK ’0 4
congratulations to trinity western ’s editorial staff— past and present! This issue marks the 20th publication since the inaugural issue in summer 2001. Over the last 10 years, Trinity Western has told some award-winning stories about remarkable alumni, students, faculty, and donors. We’ve shared achievements in the arts, triumphs in sports, and discoveries in our science labs. Between then and now, twu has grown in many tangible ways, fueled by the vision and character of faculty members, administrative leaders, and devoted staff. Recently, I had the opportunity to connect with a few extraordinary students. As I chatted with Lenise, Brooks, Weston, and Caitlyn, I was struck by the quality of these young people. Ours is a vibrant, caring community because we believe that God loves us, embraces us in Christ, and wonderfully transforms us. This is twu’s amazing legacy —godly people working together toward a hopefilled vision they believe in. This makes a profound difference in everything we do. This September marks a milestone in our legacy—our 50th academic year! We’ll celebrate our 50th Anniversary with some marquis events throughout the 2012 calendar year —at Graduation in April, Convocation in September, and the Spirit of Christmas in December. More information on how you can participate in the anniversary activities will be coming soon. Every blessing in Christ Jesus,
president & publisher Jonathan S. Raymond, Ph.D. editor-in-chief Joan van Dyck ’04
senior editor Caleb Zimmerman, ma
managing editor Wendy Delamont Lees
external editor Amanda Lee Smith
art director Andrea Smith
web editors Ty Petkau; Adam Ratcliffe ’09
circulation Jay Jameson ’08 contributing writers
Jeremy ( J. J.) Hutcheson ’08 Jay Jameson ’08
Wendy Delamont Lees Bethany Leng ’09
Scott Stewart ’92
Jennifer Watton
Caleb Zimmerman, ma
contributing photographers & illustrators
Danny Hsiao ’09
Rachel Pick ’04
Michael Rathjen ’04
alumni relations coordinator
Christine (Crash) Stevens ’12 Submit alumni news or updates to alumniupdates@twu.ca trinity western online
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alumni
800.463.5419
twu.ca/alumni
development
604.513.2029
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parents
Jonathan S. Raymond, Ph.D., President
editor’s note: As you turn the pages of this 20th issue of Trinity Western, watch for the No.1 icon that gives a special update on some of our features from Issue 1, which you can also read online at twu.ca/magazine. The thematic thread that runs through this particular issue is the role that community plays as we encounter suffering—and, as the stories illustrate, how suffering often guides our journey of faith in an unexpectedly beautiful way. Joan van Dyck Editor-in-Chief 2 trinity western | spring ’11
888.817.3759
twu.ca/parents
+ Trinity Western communicates the essence and strategic
ends of the institution through informative and credible reporting to unite twu alumni and friends in communication with the University and to celebrate the transformative influence of twu and its graduates around the world. Trinity Western is issued twice a year.
advisory council
Loranne Brown
Audrey Martin ’78, ma
Printed in Canada Publications Mail Agreement No. 40010502 ISSN 1499-2868
Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to
Elsie Froment, Ph.D.
Tim Shulba ’01
University Communications 7600 Glover Road Langley BC V2Y 1Y1
contents feat u res
16
Issuing Back & Forth
20
No Back-up Plan
26
by Wendy Delamont Lees
We celebrate ten years of Trinity Western magazine by catching up with some of the inspiring people featured in our inaugural issue. by Bethany Leng ’09
One alumnus chooses to turn his struggle with cancer into a lifechanging ministry.
The Learning Bridge
O n t he c ov er
Where Two or Three are Gathered by Rachel Pick ’04
by Jeremy (J. J.) Hutcheson ’08
twu alumni strengthen business leadership in South Africa and beyond. W eb E xclus i v es
20
16
Experience highlights from the Spartans’ Men’s Volleyball and Basketball and Women’s Volleyball cis Championship games. 26
Hear Kristi (Haukeland) Plotkin’s (’04) story in her own words.
depar t m en t s
6 twu people
Listen to Quick Studies interviews about recent faculty research.
Glenn Hansen (’87) shares the secret behind his smile
7 campus chronicle
twu continues A+ success • Mars’ Hill receives top honour • World-changing speakers visit twu • N. T. Wright speaks at twu • Biology students discover the human side of cancer research
12 faculty folio
Three profs share what’s on their minds • twu faculty in print • Modern design has a heart-to-heart with the book of Proverbs
Page through the first issue of Trinity Western. Read our complete interview with Annie (Baxter) Bradner (’00).
for these and more, visit twu.ca/magazine
30 partnerships
New facilities boost twu’s research potential • Event unites donors and students • A real estate agent gets creative about helping students
ec o au di t
34 athletics
The content of Trinity Western magazine is printed on Rolland Enviro100 paper, which contains 100 per cent post-industrial fibre, is FSC Mixed Sources certified and an Environmental Choice, manufactured in Canada by Cascades using biogas energy.
36 alumni
BY USING ROLLAND ENVIRO100 INSTEAD OF VIRGIN
Volleyball team turns injury into strength • Students and Burmese refugees connect through sport Alumni Association—investing in each other • One alumna lives out her vision for justice • Shepherd’s pie inspires alumni to sail the world • twu couple grows global family through adoption • Alumnus hosts million-dollar treasure hunt
50 back 40
The Pillar marks 50 years of history
FIBRES PAPER, TRINITY WESTERN MAGAZINE HAS SAVED:
Trees: 75 | Wastewater flow: 234,948 litres | Energy: 42,479,651 BTUs THIS IS THE EQUIVALENT OF: planting 467 trees OR not driving 10,945 kilometres
FSC FPO
t wu.c a / mag a z i n e 3
nO. 1
1956 incepTion June 22, 1956 marks the earliest reference to the idea of a school in Canada. It was recorded in the minutes
of
the
Evangelical
Free
Church of America’s (EFCA) General Board meeting held in Winona Lake, Indiana.
with
iversiTy n u n r e T s e TriniTy W
nO. 2
1960 on hoLy ground David Enarson recalls going with a group to visit the farmland in Langley, the site of the future Trinity Western university. As Henry Friesen pointed out the beauty of the terrain, Enarson noticed Walter Cahill stop and remove his shoes. When asked what he was doing Cahill replied, “I’m taking the shoes off of my feet; I want to walk on this ground in my stocking feet because I believe I am walking on
A S W E A P P R O A C H O u R 5 0 TH A n n I V E R -
holy ground. I’m coveting this ground
S A R y, W E T u R n E D T O O u R A R C H I V E S T O
for the Wheaton of Canada.”
D I S C O V E R T H E M I L E S T O n E S T H AT L E D uP TO TWu’S FIRST ACADEMIC yEAR— FOR
17
THE 17
TH
F R E S H - FA C E D
STuDEnTS—On
OF SEPTEMBER, 1962.
THE SEAL kAP FARM, ca. 1961
1980
1970
19 6 0
1950
1962 1972
photos courtesy of the t W u Archives
1982
nO. 3
nO. 4
1961 Leadership esTabLished
1961 Land dedicaTion
In June 1961, at the annual EFCA con-
On
October
8,
1961,
approximately
400
persons
ference at Green Lake, Wisconsin, four
witnessed the sod-turning and dedication services for
people were elected to administrative
the 115-acre campus of Trinity Junior College (TJC).
posts at the Canada College-to-be:
Rev. Calvin B. Hanson, President of the new school, delivered the dedicatory address. Also participating
PRE SIDEnT:
were Harold P. Halleen, Vice President and Moderator of
Calvin B. Hanson
DE An & REG I ST RA R :
Enoch Mattson
the EFCA; Dr. Enoch E. Mattson, Registrar and Dean of
DE An OF S T u D En T S :
Leland Asa
TJC, and Rev. Perry Havens, Vice President in charge of business administration, each of whom turned shovels
VICE PRE SI D En T F O R Bu SI n E SS ADMInIST R AT I O n :
Perry Havens
of sod.
TWO STuDEnTS In FROnT OF THE nEWLy COMPLETED HAnSOn CHAPEL, ca. 1962.
DAVID EnARSOn InTRODuCES THE STuDEnT FROM THE GREATEST DISTAnCE, MARy STROMBECk OF
N o vA s t u d i o s & c A m e r A s u p p ly
MOLInE, ILLInOIS, TO THE STuDEnT CLOSEST TO TJC, kEn WILSOn OF LAnGLEy, BC, OCTOBER 2, 1962
CALVIn HAnSOn, ca. 1963
nO. 5
1962 The firsT sevenTeen On September 17, 1962, classes began for 17 enrolled students. The following day TJC held its first Convocation ceremony; President Hanson spoke, “concerning the great pillar of cloud and of fire which led God’s people of old.”
W AT C H F O R M O R E D E TA I L S I n T H E n E x T I S S u E O F T r i n i T y W e s T e r n A S W E P R E PA R E T O M A k E 2 0 1 2 A y E A R O F C E L E B R AT I O n .
1982
1992
2010
2000
1990
2012 2002
Got some dusty TWu photos or favourite anecdotes to share? Send us your stories, photos, and videos describing your TWu experience to magazine@twu.ca.
twu people
Michael R AT H J E N ' 0 4
Glenn Hansen if you know glenn hansen (’87), you’ve probably just laughed to yourself about something comical you once saw him do. And if you know him well, you recognize the miracle of someone with such a tragic past so willing to make others laugh. As Assistant Director of Community Life for graduate and commuter programs, Glenn infuses his work with wisdom, authenticity, and positive energy to help commuters and graduate students feel at home on campus. As such, he has been instrumental in the success of twu’s Collegium program during the last ten years. But for those who know the story behind his trademark smile, Glenn must seem like a paradox. After suffering the terrible loss of his son to cancer, watching his daughter Grace endure leukemia, and losing his wife to breast cancer, Glenn has had an uneven share of grief. So how can someone with so much heartbreak exude such joy? Fortunately, Glenn shares his secret: “God has not created us to go through life alone,” he says. “We need one another for the agony and the ecstasy.” When you understand Glenn’s transformational love for God and others, his uncanny enthusiasm makes perfect sense. Newly remarried to his wife Terrie, Glenn lives out the restorative power of Christ-centred community. “Without friends,” says Glenn, “I don’t think I would have made it this far. And I want that hope for everybody.” jj
6 trinity western | spring ’11
campus chronicle
High Five twu continues its A+ success trinity western received a fifth consecutive A+ in quality of education in The Globe and Mail 2011 Canadian University Report —an accomplishment achieved by no other university in Canada. Here are some other highlights from the report: +
+
+
+
A+ 2008 A+ 2007
A+ 2009 A+ 2010
twu earned more A-range grades than any other post-secondary institution in British Columbia, ranking it higher than ubc, sfu, and ufv. When asked whether their university had a global focus, students ranked twu third in the nation, after the University of Toronto and McGill University. Business and arts and humanities students ranked twu number one in its size category for quality of education and career preparation. Across all disciplines, twu topped the category of preparing graduates for employment—on par with University of Waterloo and Queen’s University. Jjh
A+ 2011
top honour for mars’ hill
Student paper wins ‘Pulitzer’ of collegiate press ars’ Hill won the 2010 Associated Collegiate Press Newspaper Pacemaker Award — the ‘Pulitzer Prize’ for student newspapers — for the second time in its history. The results were announced at the acp National Conference in Louisville, ky, this past fall. “We were really blessed to have so
many competent and committed people on board last year,” says former Editor-inChief, John Hennenfent (’10). “This being the highest honour in student journalism, it’s a great feeling to be recognized and affirmed for what we did.” Says current Editor-in-Chief, fifth-year student, Jason Brandl, “It was awesome to attend this conference and have some people in awe of our paper. I just hope we
can do it again next year.” A panel of professional journalists in the Washington, dc, area selected this year’s Pacemakers. Judging was based on content, quality of writing, leadership on the Opinion page, evidence of in-depth reporting, photography, layout, and design. JW Visit marshillonline.com
t wu.c a / mag a z i n e 7
campus chronicle
Chapel Talk Community heard from a world-changing roster of speakers this spring, twu chapel hosted a fascinating roster of guests from across the continent. Mike Yankoski, author of Under the Overpass, told his story of living homeless for a year in six different cities in the usa — a profound window into the response of Christians to the plight of the poor. Mark Buchanan, one of the most respected spiritual writers of his generation and author of the books Rest of God and, most recently, Spiritual Rhythm, spoke to students about the challenges of everyday faith. Salim Munayer, of the Musalaha Reconciliation Ministry in Jerusalem, gave insight into their work to reconcile Israeli Jews and Christian Palestinians. And John Stackhouse Jr., a highly provocative speaker from Regent College, spoke on culture engagement. JW T W U ' s m o s t p o p u lar 2 0 10 / 11 chapel s peaker , N . T. W ri g h t, s peak s t o a packed h o u s e
the wright stuff Former bishop spoke about hope and character It was standing room only when celebrated theologian and former Bishop of Durham, N. T. Wright, came to twu in October 2010 as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series. Drawing an audience from far and wide, Wright gave a series of talks on hope and character in tomorrow’s world. Speaking on the Christian university in the world of higher education, Wright says, “All truth being God’s truth is absolutely essential. Therefore, the university that is based on Christian principles ought not to be hiding away from serious scholarly enquiry in any field. It ought to be saying, we can do this as well, or better, than anyone else — with an added je ne sais quoi that ought to commend itself by the sheer quality of scholarship that results.” jw View N. T. Wright’s full addresses to the TWU campus at twu.ca/magazine.
8 trinity western | spring ’11
Visit twu.ca/onlinechapel to hear the full chapel audio recordings.
congratulations Tara Teng, Miss Canada 2011 In our last issue, Tara had just won the Miss BC title and was racking up speaking engagements across the province. Since then, she championed Freedom Week to abolish slavery, met with the Prime Minister about human trafficking, and on January 29, 2011, in a ceremony in Montreal, was crowned Miss Canada. “She’s the most inspiring person I believe I’ve ever met,” said Miss BC producer Darren Storsley. Of the win, Tara said, “I am so excited for this new opportunity ahead of me. Not only do I have the honour and privilege of representing my beautiful home of Canada to the world, I now have a larger platform to speak from. My goal as Miss Canada is unchanged from my mission as Miss British Columbia.” Find out more about Tara's vision to end slavery at tarateng. wordpress.com
MASTER of BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
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With specializations in managing the growing enterprise, non-profit organizations, and international business, TWU’S MBA is designed for businesspeople who want to ENgAgE WITh ThE WORlD.
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campus chronicle
R ACHEL PICK ‘0 4
Healing Power Science and faith integrate to reveal the human side of cancer research by jennifer watton lbert einstein once said, “Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.” While science and faith have long been wrestled over in public discourse, at Trinity Western University the two disciplines are intertwined in a cutting-edge biology class that examines the effects of cancer on patients and their families. Taught by Professor of Biology and Canada Research Chair in Developmental Genetics and Disease, Eve Stringham, Ph.D., the class — Genetics and Cell Biology of Neoplasia — brings together an intimate group of biology and nursing students to study the cell biology and immunology of tumor cells, genetic predisposition, and treatment strategies. In addition to the hard science they learn, the students are each paired with a cancer patient to pray for during the semester. “The class totally changed my life,” says fourth-year biology major Carol Tadrous. Like many students, Tadrous came to the class with her own personal story — her aunt was diagnosed 10 trinity western | spring ’11
with breast cancer the same year. “And then came Skyler,” she says, as she remembers the boy she prayed for. The seven-yearold had medulloblastoma (cancer in the brain that is pressed through the spinal cord). “He wanted to be a pastor when he grew up and gave inspirational talks at schools and churches,” she says. “I’m just speechless when it comes to this little boy. He was so full of hope and joy. I even included my experience with him in my application for medical school.” Not wanting to show pity, Tadrous found it difficult to approach Skyler at first. But they soon “as an aspiring christian became fast friends. doctor, i would really And from a class like to incorpor ate the unit about ‘heallove of jesus and his ing of spirit,’ she healing power—to use applied theory that that with the patients i she learned to her relationship with serve.”
campus chronicle <
B e f o re apply i n g t o m ed s ch o o l , C ar o l Tadr o u s , A re n d
S t rikwerda , a n d J u s t i n B aer g pray ed f o r ca n cer pat ie n t s i n e v e S t ri n g ha m ’ s B I O L 4 74 cla s s . S t rikwerda a n d B aer g each will lead a Gl o bal P r o jec t t rip t hi s s u m m er t o pr o v ide c o m m u n i t y healt h ed u cat i o n i n Ta n z a n ia a n d H ai t i , re s pec t i v ely.
R ACHEL PICK ‘0 4
him. “As an aspiring Christian doctor, I would really like to incorporate the love of Jesus and His healing power—to use that with the patients I serve,” she says. For pre-med student Arend Strikwerda, praying for terminally ill patients came naturally. “A part of who we are is to engage in each other’s suffering,” he says. “It’s natural to pray for someone and to empathize. I feel like that’s a really important part of what it is to be human.” He felt some trepidation when asking personal questions of his prayer patient — a middle-aged man with a tumour on his tongue. “It’s the first time I’ve met a stranger and said, ‘Tell me about your life over the past six months and what your experience is with cancer.” But the man and his wife surprised Strikwerda with their openness; they added him to their email list, and for nearly a year he read twice-a-week email updates from them. “I think I get it now from the personal point of view,” says Strikwerda. “Reading how his wife described the medical process, I thought, ‘Oh, that’s how they see cancer — here’s where they see hope, or this is what is really scary for them.’ It’s easy to be lost in the scientific knowledge, but I really learned how to relate to people on their level. I’m excited about how that will affect my relationships with patients in the future.” Biology honours student Justin Baerg, who came to the class with a background working in hospices with terminally ill patients, says the class had a greater impact on him than any other — his prayer patient recently passed away from brain cancer. When they were introduced, his patient was at stage four (of four).
“to be able to pr ay for a patient is the highest level of care i can see in a doctor.”
“There’s something unique about being with somebody when they’re dying,” he says. “The spiritual side is heightened and the intimacy is just so close. It is raw emotion for the most part. I’ve experienced this multiple times in the hospice — it’s flesh and bones. True humanity and true love come out when you are able to pray for a patient.” For many students, the science behind how cancer breaks down into cellular functions and mutations can become almost sterile. But once that science is applied to a human being, it changes completely. Tadrous, Strikwerda, and Baerg have all applied to medical school for fall 2011. “We are graduating from twu with a Christian education, so we have this conf lict between science and faith,” says Baerg. “But here we embrace that and understand the benefits that come from having a spiritual connection with another person. To be able to pray for a patient is the highest level of care I can see in a doctor. I’ve worked with doctors that have prayed with patients in Guatemala and Abbotsford and that is the utmost care. We know the science behind it, but God is still in control.”
eve stringham, ph.d. “If a student doesn’t have a personal story, I give them one. I and gives cohesion and meaning to it,” she says. “They gain share my own,” says Eve Stringham, Ph.D., who, at 25 years old, insight and a deeper appreciation for what’s going on that heightlost her mother to esophageal cancer — and who just last year ens their interest and willingness to study. The whole class rises fought and won her own battle with breast cancer. “It’s a great to the challenge.” story to tell,” she says. “God presents you with challenges, and “Dr. Stringham is known for being a hard professor — she’s scihow you respond to those challenges is a measure of who you ence and she’s tough — she’ll crack down on you,” says Baerg. are. Students, who often see the glass half empty and are quite “But when it came to this course, everything was stripped away focused on fairness in terms of exams and grades, encounter and there she was. She battled with it. So the value she brought people who have only a few drops in their glasses and see it as to the course was outstanding. She had an amazing story to tell.” abundant.” Tadrous echos, “She’s a strong woman who I really look up to. You won’t find an undergraduate class like Stringham’s at any This is a must-have class if you want to be a doctor.” other university in Canada. Her colleagues have taken notice Genetics and Cell Biology of Neoplasia and are interested in building a similar course at sfu. “The class is taught by Eve Stringham, Ph.D., alternating years. The next ties in all the courses — cell biology, organic chemistry, genetics, class commences spring 2012. even religion — that students have been building for three years
t wu. c a / mag a z i n e 11
faculty folio Quick Studies Research and work by TWU professors Since our first issue —the Quick Studies debut — ten years ago, TWU researchers have continued to attract major awards from leading public and private funding agencies. Here, three TWU faculty members share the ideas that fuel their research, from how the early church communicated to an illiterate society, to the mindset of winning athletes, and a new link to Alzheimer’s disease.
Belief through worship The Book of Acts gives insight into the early church's structure, founding members, and key events such as Pentecost and Paul's conversion. But after Acts, the picture of the church becomes vague. How did Christians worship? What did they believe? Associate Professor of Religious Studies and History, Craig Allert, Ph.D., intends to find out. “The question I want to answer,” he explains, “is how the beliefs of the church were communicated to the churchgoers, who were largely an illiterate society.” He is currently looking at the early Second Century to the late Fourth Century to answer these questions. His findings show that worship—through the reading of Scripture, the sermon, and the recitation of the creed— was an integral part of this communication of belief.
12 trinity western | spring ’11
Olympic mindset
Seeking a cause for Alzheimer’s
If you watched Vancouver’s Winter For many families, taking care of a loved Olympics last year, you heard a lot one with Alzheimer’s disease is difficult about the psychological training athletes and heartbreaking. Assistant Professor undergo before their competitions. “The of Biology and Director of Biotechnology, athlete’s state of mind plays a major Julia Mills, Ph.D., knows this firsthand— role in their performance—some people her father suffers from Alzheimer’s. Mills say even up to 90 per cent,” says Blair is currently researching some of the Whitmarsh, Ph.D., TWU’s Dean of the pathology and causes of the disease. She School of Human Kinetics. For the last 20 is working with a neuropathologist at years, Whitmarsh has taught sports psyVancouver General Hospital to determine chology at TWU and has trained Spartans the levels of the brain protein integrinand professional athletes on forming a linked kinase (ILK) in Alzheimer’s patients. winning mindset. He focuses on five major “I have a hunch and some preliminary areas: motivation, stress management, data to support the idea that this protein concentration, confidence, and reboundis altered in an Alzheimer’s brain,” says ability. These skills, says Whitmarsh, Mills. “This research may give us a new aren’t simply for the playing field, but also mechanism for why Alzheimer’s disease provide performance ability beyond sports. is occurring, and provide more options for “When athletes leave TWU and go out therapy.” jjh into the world, the skills they’ve learned Listen to interviews with these to compete and win will be the same twu researchers at twu.ca/magazine/ skills that will propel them in their future quickstudies. endeavours.”
faculty folio
New Faculty Books
Michael R AT H J E N ’ 0 4
politics & the religious imagination John Dyck, DPhil; Paul Rowe, Ph.D.; & Jens Zimmermann, Ph.D. routledge, june 2010 Politics and the Religious Imagination analyzes the connections between religious narratives and regional and global politics. Using several case studies, it examines the role of religion as an important motivator for political action. Based on an international academic conference held at TWU in March 2008, the book brings together the work of experts in a variety of areas—including politics, philosophy, religious studies, and literature. The book’s multidisciplinary approach offers a new perspective on aspects of the relationship between religion and politics, such as how religious stories are manipulated for political benefit or used to promote political change.
-
P e t er Fli n t, J o h n Dy ck , J e n s Zi m m er m a n n , E m m a Pav e y, a n d
Pa u l R o we check o u t t heir o w n — a n d each o t her ' s — b o o k s . N o t pic t u red : Michael G o hee n , wh o wa s lec t u ri n g i n Se o u l , Ko rea .
the structure of language: an introduction to grammatical analysis Emma Pavey, Ph.D. cambridge university press, august 2010 Pavey’s book examines something we often take for granted—the many complex tasks involved in speech. Pavey explores the structures languages use to form sounds into words and words into sentences. She discusses sentence patterns found in different languages and how the context of each conversation dictates the language structures used in that conversation. Emma Pavey, Ph.D., teaches Linguistics at TWU.
John Dyck, DPhil, is Assistant Professor of Political Studies at TWU. Paul Rowe, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and Coordinator of Political and International Studies and Chair of the History, Political and International Studies, and Geography Department. Jens Zimmermann, Ph.D., is Professor of English and is Canada Research Chair in Interpretation, Religion,
discoveries in the judean desert xxxii: qumran cave 1.ii: the isaiah scrolls (two parts) Eugene Ulrich, Ph.D.; Peter Flint, Ph.D.; & Martin Abegg, Ph.D. (contributor) oxford: clarendon press, 2010
and Culture.
a light for the nations: the missional church and the biblical story Michael Goheen, Ph.D. baker academic press, february 2011 In A Light for the Nations, Goheen examines the concept of a missional church in the context of the whole biblical story. He argues that both the Old and New Testaments are essential for understanding the identity and role of the church. By examining the historical, theological, and biblical foundations of missional ecclesiology, Goheen presents a fuller picture of the role God’s people are called to play in the biblical story.
This work is the first full critical edition of the Great Isaiah Scroll and the Hebrew University Isaiah Scroll, which constitute almost 30 per cent of all the preserved biblical material. These scrolls are crucial to a range of disciplines including Jewish studies, biblical studies, early Christian studies, and ancient history. Part One contains the photographic plates in colour and the transcriptions on facing pages. Part Two includes narrative on the history of the scrolls, as well as notes and editorial on their content. Eugene Ulrich, Ph.D., is the John A. O'Brien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures at the University of Notre Dame and Chief Editor of the Qumran Biblical Scrolls. Peter Flint, Ph.D., is Canada Research Chair in Dead Sea Scroll Studies and Director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute at TWU. Martin Abegg,
Michael Goheen, Ph.D., is Professor of Worldview and Religious
Ph.D., is Director of the MA in Biblical Studies at TWU, Co-director of the
Studies at TWU.
Dead Sea Scrolls Institute, and holds the Ben Zion Wacholder Professorship.
t wu.c a / mag a z i n e 13
faculty folio
The Designful Life
by Mark Halvorson, Ph.D. (cand.)
Our lived experience in the modern world is deeply bound to design. What is design? Simply put, it is the world we have made. That is, the world we have brought forth to serve us.
esign has formed our nations, urbanized our lives, connected us to all places, mechanized our work, enabled us to communicate anytime and anywhere, branded our consumption, extended our health, structured our education, regulated our political participation, and mediated our play. It affects every aspect of every person’s day. Design is a fundamental facet of what it means to be human. It is a creative response to the tension that exists between our finite nature and our aspiration to achieve what we truly desire. The iterative resolution of this creative tension has produced the built environments, objects, communications, processes, systems, and organizations that make our modern life possible. Who designs? The sort of person who likely comes to mind is the creative professional — a person like industrial designer Jonathan Ive (iPod, iPhone, iPad), architect Frank Gehry (Guggenheim Museum Bilbao), or Bob Propst (office cubicles), or typeface designer Max Miedinger (Helvetica). However, as Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon argues, “Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.” We all act as designers in a myriad of big and, more often, small ways. Day by day, we change our existing physical (hair, clothes, makeup) and virtual (social media) appearances into preferred ones. Likewise, we change the existing finishes, fixtures, furnishings, and configurations of our homes, into preferred ones. And many, if not most, have a hand in changing the existing communications, products, services, processes, structures, strategies, and goals of our workplaces into preferred ones. In short, we each design our own life, and collaboratively we design our lives together as families, schools, churches, workplaces, neighbourhoods, cities, regions, nations, and society at large. 14 trinity western | spring ’11
While our appearance, our home, or our work may seem like inconsequential acts of design, they are actually exercises of the heart.
faculty folio
What makes design good? Architect Christopher Alexander defines good design as the “goodness of fit” between the parts of the world over which we have control — what designers call form, and form’s context in the world as it is. For instance, when you select a pair of shoes to wear, you ask a simple design question: “Do they fit with my overall clothing ensemble?” Or, is there a misfit in some aspect of the pairing, like a colour mismatch? If no misfits exist, then, your design is likely a good one. The way Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous Fallingwater residence sits “naturally” in relation to its rural southwestern Pennsylvania site without sign of incongruities, or irritants that would cause a misfit, is the modern standard of “good” design. Our designs may be either acts of folly or acts of wisdom. Proverbs 21:2 warns, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” While our appearance, our home, or our work may seem like inconsequential acts of design, they are actually exercises of the heart. Each design act establishes a “goodness of fit” where our form follows our system of beliefs. Put differently, what defines good fit is whom our design serves. Is our design a selfish act, or an act of service? Does our appearance elevate our status, or does it afford meaningful engagement with others? Is our home a showpiece, or does it afford hospitality to others? Does our work merely provide us the means to live, or does it also give life to others? Wise design matters. The compound design of each little design act, at scale and over time, has produced the great design follies of our age: climate change, pollution, overpopulation, resource warfare, technological over-dependency, and the lopsided division of power that has failed to resolve poverty, ignorance, and social dysfunction. We are all designers, made in the image of the greatest Designer, who declared every aspect of His design to be good. Wise design, which meets God’s definition of good, matters. Godly design is an expression of our character, and it stands as a beacon of hope that the world can see.
Mark Halvorson, MAL (’04) is an Instructor of Design and Leadership. He teaches courses in communication design, organizational learning and innovation, and persuasive communication. A former member of the University Communications team, Mark is also a doctoral candidate at Simon Fraser University with a research focus on the design aspects of curriculum, as a design for life.
t wu.c a / mag a z i n e 15
education. transformation. impa
A Year in Sarpoza Prison
Issu i ng Back & Forth To celebrate the 20th issue of Trinity Western, we reconnected with some of the people featured in our inaugural issue to catch up on where theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at now. by wendy delamont lees
The Still Point of the Tur
16
nº 01
Much has changed since 2001, when the University launched the first issue of Trinity Western. Over the last 10 years, we’ve been privileged to publish some of the stories of our remarkable alumni, students, donors, and faculty. In celebration of this issue—our 20th—we reached back to issue one for updates on some truly extraordinary people. We hope you enjoy revisiting them as much as we did. N a t i o n a l Ti t l e s
On a Saturday morning in 2001, third-year student, Laura (Wilson) Morlang ran the race of her life in Sherbrooke, qc — and made twu history in the process, earning the University its first-ever ciau (now cis) national championship. The victory brought Morlang a national title—and a spouse. After John Morlang read an article in the Vancouver Sun about her win, the aspiring hockey player contacted her dad—who was a strength conditioning coach with the Vancouver Canucks—and asked for his help with training. Morlang and John married in 2002. Shortly afterward, they moved to the us, where John played forward on numerous nhl farm teams until a shoulder injury ended his hockey career. The experience gave Morlang the opportunity to volunteer and ultimately find her passion for veterinary care; she now works as a veterinary nurse. “God showed me that, and I’m truly happy doing it,” she says. “It’s about being a steward of His creation.” In addition to owning her mastiff, Daisy, she fosters a cat through the Tsawwassen Animal Hospital. “At twu, I learned how to integrate my relationship with God into the workplace,” she says. “In any setting, I can be an example and a steward for Christ.”
Morlang also played soccer during her first two years at twu. While her decision to focus on track and field brought twu it’s first-ever national title, her friendship with a fellow athlete connected her to its second. On the soccer field, Morlang met Kristi (Haukeland) Plotkin (’04), who, along with Angela Trauter (’06), co-captained the team that garnered twu its second cis championship in 2004. For Plotkin, the road to the championship was a rocky one; in her second year she fell in with an old high school crowd and became addicted to hard drugs. “I failed out of my classes,” she says, “and became ineligible to play soccer.” After a year in a treatment centre, she got sober —and back on track. Although she felt ready to return to twu, Associate Provost Sheldon Loeppky (then Dean of Students and Director of Community Life), felt she should wait. She returned in 2002. “If Sheldon had let me come back when I wanted to, I would have missed out on nationals,” she says. Plotkin overcame addiction, but lost her mother in 2003. The outpouring of support from her teammates—who all showed up in a blizzard for her mother’s memorial service — touched her deeply. Through her twu professors, coaches, and t wu.c a / mag a z i n e 17
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Minister’s office daily to discuss the Hepatitis c and tainted blood scandal. “It had been sitting on the back burner for about 10 years,” he says. “Pressuring the government to resolve it resulted in a compensation plan.” Little also clerked for Warawa on the Justice, Peace and Human Security, and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committees. For the last two years, he has chaired the Emergency Management and Preparedness Committee for the three North Shore municipalities. Taking part in the program required an unusual sacrifice for Little, who left his wife, Kelly Anne (Scott ’01) and young daughter behind in bc while he spent a semester in Ottawa. “It was tough to be away,” he says, “but with webcams and wi-fi, we made it work.” Shortly after Little returned from the llc, the couple’s second daughter was born. He and Kelly Anne now have four children: three girls aged nine, six, and three and a two-yearold boy. A P e r m a n e n t A d d r e s s i n O t tawa The program’s intense community is one of the aspects llc In 2001, twu acquired a piece of Canada’s history with the pur- students find most valuable. They experience not only their own internships, but others’ as well. “The community life was great,” chase of a national historic site in Ottawa: the Booth House. Little says. “Being sequestered with highly engaged students, Built in 1906, it was first home to a lumber baron and later who were also involved in community and government, made it housed the prestigious Laurentian Club. Booth House is now home to Trinity Western’s academic-internship program, as the easier to be apart from my family for a time.” Sharing the experience with one another also helps students Laurentian Leadership Centre (llc). prepare for opportunities that student interns at other instituLocated at 252 Metcalfe Street, mere blocks from the tions can only envy. “Our students work in mp offices, Cabinet Parliament Buildings, the llc gives twu a profile in the offices, and even the Prime Minister’s Office,” Buckingham nation’s capital. “It’s a unique program and our students are says. “They also work in a variety of non-governmental orgamuch sought after,” says Director and Associate Professor of nizations such as the Red Cross, Amnesty International, and Political Studies and History, Janet Epp Buckingham, ll.d. Make Poverty History.” “Many graduates stay on and work in Ottawa, giving twu an While some students—like Little, who also works in a ongoing presence in both governmental and non-governmental family business in the overseas lumber market—take their organizations.” llc experience into the political realm, others, like Keharn “llc students get a true inside look at the halls of power,” Yawnghwe (’09) explore the ngo path. Buckingham says. “Some are directly mentored by mps, senior Yawnghwe, who graduated with a ba Honours in Political government staff, and directors of international organizations. Science and a ba in Communications, currently works with the For some students, it’s the gateway to a job.” Euro-Burma Office, an international civil society organizaThe program was that gateway for Mike Little (’05), who, tion that endeavours to promote democracy in Myanmar (forafter an unsuccessful bid for City Councillor for the District merly Burma) by preparing the structural groundwork necesof North Vancouver in 2002, enrolled at twu to complete the sary for possible future transition to a federal democratic state. degree he started in 1994. The llc program was a big draw for “The solid group of students and professors pursuing the ideal the aspiring politician, who interned with then-newly elected of faith seeking understanding served as a source of encouragemp, Mark Warawa (’71). ment during my time at the llc,” he says. One of Little’s first duties in Ottawa was to call the Health teammates, Plotkin says she learned about unconditional love. “When I was in active addiction, my life was in total chaos,” she says. “But going back, I learned discipline and responsibility. I got serious about my academics and switched from History to Psychology, because I wanted to go into counselling.” After graduation, Plotkin earned a master’s in addiction studies at Hazelden Foundation in Minneapolis—where she met Jay Plotkin Jr., whom she married in 2007; their son, Jay iii, was born in April 2009. The family now resides in Austin, Texas, where Kristi works part-time as an addiction counsellor at Austin Recovery. “To be free of addiction—and help others achieve that freedom—is such a blessing,” she says. The former Spartan looks back on her twu experience with gratitude. “Being a Spartan had a total impact on my life,” she says. “It was such a satisfying feeling to leave my last semester as a national champion.”
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That “solid group of students” includes alumni like Leanne (Neufeldt) Smythe (’03)—who was in the first llc class and has since taught several classes there—and Lauren (Hosty) Ware (’07), Ph.D. candidates at the University of British Columbia and the University of Edinburgh, respectively. “Our students have distinguished themselves,” Buckingham says, “and are fine examples of Trinity Western’s leadership focus.” Certainly for Little, who was re-elected to North Vancouver’s city council in 2008, the llc experience proved invaluable. “It was instrumental in my 2005 election; there was a lot of local interest in my Ottawa experience,” he says. “Working in an mp’s office and in the House of Commons gave a young politician legitimacy.” O n a S ta g e o f G r a c e
In 1999, a group of dedicated students undertook a major project—the interdisciplinary fine arts production, A Maze of Grace. Integrating dance, live music, film, and visual art, A Maze of Grace was organized by students and alumni who desired to reach their unchurched cultural counterparts. Directed by Dawn (Braun) Crawford (’00), the show reached an audience of over 4,000 people during its five-show, six-year run. “One of our goals was to reach people on a deep emotional level that doesn’t have words, but feelings,” she says. “Because that’s really where God reaches many of us.” The 75 or so dancers, musicians, and artists who made up the A Maze of Grace team each year volunteered countless hours to mount the production. “We didn’t just build a show,” says Crawford, “we built a family. And I think we’ll be connected for the rest of our lives.” In fact, Crawford met her husband, Joel, through A Maze of Grace music director Jef Gibbons (’00)— now a music instructor at twu— who married Joel’s sister, Rebecca Crawford (’04). Dawn and Joel wed in 2003 and welcomed daughter Keira in 2008. After graduation, Crawford taught dance at several different studios and studied dance at Simon Fraser University. Two years ago, she took the reigns as studio manager and instructor at Free Style Dance Studio in Abbotsford, which her sister Bernadette Braun (’96) established in 1998. Crawford also teaches Creative Movement for twu’s School of Human Kinetics. One of her course assignments requires students to perform a dance they choreograph. “Watching
basketball players perform something they’ve created—it’s as if they say, ‘Here I am. Here is a chunk of my soul,’ without words,” she says. “Sometimes I’m brought to tears.” Interestingly, Crawford’s major wasn’t fine arts, but biology. And she wasn’t the only science major whose career choice shifted as a result of A Maze of Grace: Josh Dunford (’99) who did the show’s graphic design, photography and promotional materials that first year—his last at twu—was a biology major. “Because of twu’s liberal arts structure, I was exposed to the arts,” Dunford says. “It opened my eyes to ideas I became unexpectedly passionate about.” After a stint as yearbook photographer in his second year, Dunford took over as an editor —a role he would fill for the next two years. “I was already shooting photos and discovered I was passionate about graphic design,” he says. “In my third year, I realized what a great opportunity producing the Pillar was—to the slight detriment of my biology grade.” After graduation, Dunford freelanced and took a job with a design studio in Chilliwack. He then briefly led a design team at a technology startup in Langley that incubated his next project. “They had space to lease, so I registered a sole proprietorship at city hall,” he says. And thus, his company, Burnkit, was launched. Since 2000, Burnkit has grown steadily. “I believe it’s our pursuit of quality and innovation that sets our work apart,” says Dunford. “We serve our clients on time, on budget, and get the details right. On the creative side, we produce exceptional work—and we’ve had some remarkable clients.” Indeed. Burnkit’s diverse client list ranges from Microsoft, Kodak, and Sony, to non-profits like Union Gospel Mission and BC Cancer Society. Dunford, who instructs at Emily Carr University and serves on the board of directors of Vancouver’s outdoor art exhibition, Vancouver Biennale, believes people should pursue their passions. “One of the realizations I came to at twu was that it’s not a selfish pursuit to follow your passions,” he says. “Those are put in your heart by God—and it honours Him to pursue them with excellence.” To hear more of Kristi (Haukeland) Plotkin’s story in her own words, visit twu.ca/video. To read Issue No. 1 in its entirety, visit twu.ca/magazine/issue1.
t wu.c a / mag a z i n e 19
20 trinity western | spring ’11
No Back-up Plan Life as a young adult with cancer isn’t easy, but Mike Lang (’06) chooses to turn his misery into ministry by Bethany Leng ’09
t wu.c a / mag a z i n e 21
“There are certain phrases that alter life forever,” Mike Lang (’06) says in the voice-over to the documentary, Wrong Way to Hope. “‘Will you marry me?’ ‘We’re pregnant.’ ‘You got the job.’ I was expecting those words, but I had never considered a paralyzing phrase like, ‘You have cancer.’ This is not how I imagined life at age 25.” ang graduated from Trinity Western University with a Recreation major. He married Bonnie Chalmers (’07) in December 2008, and had just accepted a new job with Youth Dynamics Adventures (yda) in Plain, wa. There, he led outdoor adventure trips with atrisk youth. He and Bonnie thought they were exactly where God wanted them. For a year, Mike suffered what he believed to be asthma. “I was having a hard time breathing and lost about half of my lung capacity,” he says. He especially noticed the difference while skiing. A chest x-ray revealed a grapefruitsized tumour in the centre of his chest. In May 2009, just five months after their marriage, Mike was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma — a cancer originating in white blood cells that is transferred from one lymph node group to another. Three days later, Mike was flying home to Calgary, ab, to move back in with his parents and prepare for treatment. He underwent chemotherapy biweekly for the next six months, followed by daily radiation for six weeks. At first, he was in denial. “I viewed the sudden life change as a speed bump — you know, a ‘we’re going to get through this’ thing.” But as treatment progressed, he felt purposeless and began to question God. “‘We were working for You, God,’” he recalls thinking. “‘Why would You pull us away from that?’” After passing through the stages of grief, Mike felt his attitude shifting. “It was as if God told me ‘This could ruin your life, or it could shape you,’” he says. “This was something that would change our lives,” Bonnie adds, “not something we could get over and forget about.” At that point, Mike heard a sermon about changing misery into ministry — which got him thinking. How could he turn his personal hell into something that would ultimately glorify God? How, specifically, could he minister to young adults with cancer, who were facing the same issues? “Our skills,” Mike says, “are adventure therapy.” 22 trinity western | spring ’11
Wrong Way to Hope he Langs have always lived extraordinary lives, down to their choice of recreation as a major for Mike and a minor for Bonnie. “My friends used to make fun of me for studying recreation in university,” Mike says. “But out of all my friends, I’m the only one using my degree.” Ministry in the wilderness makes sense to Mike and Bonnie. In the outdoors, people advance relationships, build community, and come closer to God. And that’s how they came up with the idea to take a group of young adult cancer survivors on a trip that would meld their penchant for adventure with therapy and help fellow survivors cope with issues they knew well: loss, isolation, and frustration. They decided on an eight-day kayak trip, winding through the southeast Oregon desert and a 3,000-foot canyon on the Owyhee River. Then came an idea to make a film about the trip. The film, Wrong Way to Hope, documents the July 2009 Owyhee River trip, on which eight cancer survivors, aged 21 to 34, work through the challenges of their treatments and the changes in their lives. The idea was simple enough, but before they could start planning the trip, they had to raise money — a challenge that almost spelled the end of the project. Still, Mike and Bonnie felt God telling them: “If you’re going to live with no back-up plan, I’m going to make it work.” They decided to commit fully to the film. “Once we made that commitment, the money started flying in,” Mike marvels. Aaron Bryant and Fred Sprinkle, friends from Mike and Bonnie’s days at yda, had started a company called Hands On Films. They agreed to film and edit, for next to nothing. And yda gave the group a good deal on the trip. “If we’d known how difficult making a movie was,” Mike laughs, “we never would have done it.” At the time of filming, Mike had only been out of treatment for five months. “As we watch the film,” he says, “we realize we were really just fresh out of it.”
Adds Bonnie, “There were so many hands involved in the film — it’s so obviously from God. He used cancer to bring all these changes around to us. We realized we could have real, full lives when we didn’t have our own safety nets to catch us.” In addition to the pure physical challenges of the excursion, Mike came up with daily themes — assigned to the group each morning to consider individually and discuss with others later in the evening. They talked about everything from transition, fear, and uncertainty, to identity and relationships, and focused on “re-intrajectorization”— a word coined by a friend and fellow cancer survivor, which means “to look back, learn, apply what you’ve learned to your life, and move forward.” “Most of the survivors we meet aren’t Christians,” Mike says. “They’ve had a near-death experience, and they’re really hurting and searching.” As a fellow survivor, Mike knows what others have been through, their thoughts, the pain they’ve suffered — and are suffering. “They want to connect with people their age, going through the same things,” he says. “When you are able to form this community,” Bonnie says, “people open up, sometimes for the first time.” The film is transformative —“a perfect picture of freedom and redemption,” Mike says, in which young cancer survivors release themselves from their bitterness and begin to view their struggles in a positive light. “Because we have shared our story with them, people feel free to share theirs with us.” “It solidifies our story,” Bonnie says. “We really believe in the power of stories and being able to share your story and to know your own story.” One of the survivors who kayaked with the Owyhee group arrived with a poor prognosis. As a result, he was understandably cynical. By the end of the eight days, however, he had opened up to Christianity and had started to move forward with his life. They could see the change in his eyes. “He was peaceful,” Mike says. Judging by the countless emails received from the young man’s family and friends, attesting to his changed attitude after the trip, Mike is certain his friend became a Christian before he passed away, only a week before the film’s October 2010 premiere.
been screened about 10 times since its release, from Halifax, ns, and Rochester, ny, to Calgary, ab, and Leavenworth, wa. Since the documentary was filmed, Mike has been hired to run Survive and Thrive expeditions for Young Adult Cancer Canada (yacc). The group advocates for change within current healthcare to cater to the needs of young adults —a population often forgotten in terms of support and treatment. When yacc interviewed Mike last February, they wanted to hire him, but were short of funds. If he could raise $15,000, they told him, they’d hire him. He raised $30,000. Recently, as a result of the film and Mike’s work with yacc, the Langs have been handed one of their lifelong dreams. Peacefield, a retreat centre 20 minutes outside of Calgary, has been given to them by the former owners to be used as a base for adventure trips with young adult cancer survivors—proving, once again, that when you rely fully on God, big things happen. “It’s always been a dream of ours,” Bonnie says. “God has used a lot of hard things to bring joy and opportunities to our lives.” The couple plans to conduct a variety of activities at Peacefield, including mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, challenge courses, and adventure weeks. Their events will focus on helping survivors process their experiences in the outdoors while sharing Christ with them. Mike sounds incredulous as he talks about these last two years. His dream job was taken away by cancer —but is visible now on the magnificent Alberta horizon. “Not only did God give it back to us,” Mike laughs, “He gave it back to us, perfected. There are almost too many opportunities. Cancer was really just a way to get us in the door.”
If you can’t back up, go forward hanks to many requests for screenings, Mike and Bonnie are taking the film on a tour across Canada and the us this spring, with — they hope — a stop at twu. Each time they watch their film —and they do attend every screening —Mike and Bonnie are reminded of the beauty of the trip. And every time it’s screened, whether at a church, youngadult cancer organization, outdoor club, or hospital, people approach them and pour out their own stories. The film has t wu.c a / mag a z i n e 23
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Wrong Way to Hope can be purchased online at wrongwaytohope.com for $25 including tax and shipping. For more information about Peacefield Retreat Centre visit peacefieldretreat.com and to learn more about Young Adult Cancer Canada visit youngadultcancer.ca.
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by jeremy ( j. j. ) hutcheson ,08 // photography by rachel pick ,04
The Learning Bridge
twu alumni strengthen business leadership in south africa and beyond
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ost canadian aid to foreign nations consists of money, military security, or physical infrastructure. However, a group of Trinity Western alumni began an innovative organization devoted to sharing leadership and management skills with businesspeople in the developing world. Called the Arc Initiative, its first project began last summer as a partnership between ubc, a town in South Africa, and a group of Canadian students and businesspeople.
International Friendship
The story begins 30 years ago, when Jeff Kroeker (’86) — now an accounting lecturer at the University of British Columbia — and Aklilu Mulat (’84), now the coo of development organization Hope International — met as classmates at twu and became life-long friends. Both graduates of the business program, they have gone on to teach business and work 26 trinity western | spring ’11
with different organizations around the world. Mulat grew up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Robert N. Thompson — one of twu’s founders and earliest professors — was a mentor to Mulat’s father, who worked in Addis Ababa. “This relationship inspired both my father and myself to work for others in any way we could,” Mulat says, “just as Robert N. Thompson did his entire life.” Pointed toward twu by Thompson, Mulat earned a BSc in Chemistry and a ba in Business Administration. “Trinity Western has a phrase: ‘whole person development,’” he explains. “That concept, and the education I received there, is shown in the Arc Initiative in how we must join with local leaders with respect and understanding of their situation.” For 10 years, Mulat and Kroeker were looking for a way to help the developing world by investing in people, rather than just providing resources — a different approach than that of many humanitarian efforts.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;we were all there to learn and exchange with each other; it was a bridge both ways.â&#x20AC;?
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“It was apparent to Jeff and me that the developing world is deprived of many things,” says Mulat, “but one of the areas we could help with was leadership and management training. We could build a bridge or start businesses, but without local leadership and management sustainability, it could be lost. Building the knowledge infrastructure is a lasting way to help.” For Kroeker, having an African roommate and meeting other students from around the world at twu was also influential. “I think that one of the assets twu gave me was a strong international focus and strong community, which was the inspiration for the Arc Initiative and provided the lasting friendships that made it possible,” he explains.
The Arc Initiative
While Mulat and Kroeker were searching for the right venue to pursue their development ideas, a door opened with one of Kroeker’s ubc students, Thato Makgolane. Makgolane grew up in Phalaborwa, South Africa — a mining town of roughly 130,000 people — and was able to set up the connections in his hometown to make Kroeker’s and Mulat’s dream a reality. The Arc Initiative consists of three parts: a business internship for Canadian students, a business ideas competition, and 28 trinity western | spring ’11
a four-day mba-style executive workshop. For the most part, funding came from various donors and from the Canadian participants, who also covered their own expenses. According to Kroeker, the spirit of the Initiative is not a one-sided relationship in which Canadians teach skills to the people of Phalaborwa. Rather, it is a way to connect and learn from both Canadian and African perspectives. “We were all there to learn and exchange with each other,” he says. “It was a bridge both ways.” The internship portion began in July 2010, two months before Kroeker and Mulat landed in South Africa. Five of Kroeker’s ubc students flew to Phalaborwa, with their own funding, to intern with local businesses and learn from South African business leaders. Supported by a partnership “it was apparent with ubc’s Go that the developing Global program, world is deprived their internof many things, but ships involved a one of the areas six-week homewe could help with stay with local families, and was leadership work experiand management ence in a variety training.” of fields, including a tourism lodge, a bakery, the Phalaborwa municipality, and the local mine. The students researched how the businesses interacted with both customers and other local businesses. “It was clear to me that these students would be changed forever,” explains Kroeker, “but I was surprised at how well the project transformed and influenced the students as they interacted with the businesspeople.” The students also worked with local entrepreneurs to develop business plans for Arc’s Business Ideas Competition. Through his company, Redekop Kroeker Development, Kroeker's brother, Tim (’91), funded the competition, which sought to bring seed money to new startups in Phalaborwa. Tim joined his brother and Mulat on the trip and helped choose competition winners. The top two winners of the competition — in this case an internet café plan and chicken farm plan — received money to begin their businesses. “The best part of our trip was seeing these businesspeople — many of whom had hardly any of the opportunities we have in Canada — so enthusiastic about the plans they were creating,” says Tim. The final, crucial element of the Arc Initiative was the executive workshop. Makgolane advertised and used his con-
A klil u M u lat ’ 8 4
nections with local business leaders to promote the workshop, and Kroeker and Mulat — both Certified Management Accounting instructors — taught leadership and management skills at the conference for 60 businesspeople from the region. Participants were leaders from all social classes, including many from the local mine — Phalaborwa’s major economic staple. “There was such an amazing convergence and dynamic the business leaders had with each other, and us,” Mulat says. “In this country that has seen economic and racial tensions, it was amazing to see so many diverse people interact and get excited about business possibilities.”
Future Arcs
For Mulat and Kroeker, the trip was a success. “I don’t think we could have imagined how well this would turn out,” says Kroeker. “We were taking a gamble with this project in terms of how it would be received in South Africa, but it was an incredible experience for everyone, in that we were all able to learn and contribute to leadership and management models. That was the goal of our trip.” The success of the trip has inspired the team to continue its work in Phalaborwa and beyond. “One of the best surprises
t i m K r o eker ‘ 9 1
we found was that the [South Africans] urged us to come back, so we’re planning another trip,” says Mulat. However, South Africa will likely not be the only place the Arc Initiative will visit. “Issues of leadership and management are one of the main causes of poverty in developing nations,” explains Mulat. “For example, the Republic of Congo is one of the richest nations in the world in terms of natural resources, but it is one of the poorest nations in terms of its economy and infrastructure. We believe projects like Arc can help local businesses in these situations.” To keep the Arc Initiative going, the team is looking for both volunteers and donations. Future trips include South Africa and possibly Mulat’s home country of Ethiopia, and more twu alumni are anticipated to join in the effort. “We hope that by building different forms of development now and into the future,” says Kroeker, “the Arc Initiative will continue to create small bridges that can gradually help understanding and learning for both Canadians and leaders in the developing world.” For more information about the Arc Initiative, including ways to participate, visit arcinitiative.com.
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Partnerships A Centre of Science $3.9-million expansion to boost the University’s research capabilities
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ast august, twu broke ground on the latest campus construction project: the $3.9-million Neufeld Science Centre expansion. As part of the Knowledge Infrastructure Program (kip), the Government of Canada awarded $1.95-million to Trinity Western for the project. kip is a matching-fund strategy, requiring partnership of other investors at a 1:1 ratio. The expansion — which comprises 8,624 square feet of research space and is scheduled to open at the end of May 2011 — includes a biology research laboratory, nmr equipment room, tissue culture room, nursing laboratory expansion, animal care facility, and offices for graduate students and research personnel. Originally built in 1964 and extended in 1993, the 30 trinity western | spring ’11
expanded Neufeld Science Centre will support the advanced training generated by the University’s science and healthscience researchers — including Canada Research Chair, Eve Stringham, Ph.D. Stringham’s work uses a spinning disk confocal microscope — t he only one of its kind in the Fraser Valley — purchased in 2007 with a grant from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation Leaders Opportunity Fund. “The Neufeld expansion is very much in support of twu’s vision statement for research,” says Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Ka Yin Leung, Ph.D. “Trinity Western University supports high quality research and scholarship, providing venues and resources for reflection and dialogue on the meaning and value of truth that leads to positive action in the world.” wdl
Partnerships
Legacy of Giving Annual event unites scholarship donors and student recipients
T W U Sch o lar s hip Ma n a g er D arle n e H eri o t a n d s t u de n t Mar y Nd u at i s hare a b o n d be y o n d a s ch o lar s hip.
t’s a beautiful october afternoon, and the Larson Atrium on Trinity Western University’s campus is abuzz with activity. Seated around elegantly set tables, student scholarship recipients chat animatedly with supporters. The annual Legacy Reception and Brunch is one of the University’s signature events. For students, the event provides a venue to meet face to face with the people who have contributed toward their twu education. For supporters — whether through scholarships, promissory notes, rrsps, or legacy gifts — it’s a chance to see the result of their investment in students’ lives. For 16 years, twu’s Planned Giving Office has hosted the event that brings students and supporters together. twu’s Executive Director of Planned Giving, Inga Warnock, and Scholarship Manager, Darlene Heriot, have seen the Legacy Reception grow from 50 people to 250. “This event allows scholarship patrons, heritage members, and partners a chance to experience what the University is all about, from hearing student and faculty testimonies, to being on campus, to meeting [twu President] Dr. Raymond,” Heriot says. Incidentally, both Heriot and Warnock are also scholarship patrons. For them, the event is doubly significant, since in addition to connecting with supporters, they also have the opportunity to visit with the recipients of their own scholarships. “Having a family legacy is so fulfilling,” Heriot says. “We set up my dad’s scholar“the legacy ship before he passed event allows away — and now his legacy lives on scholarship through the lives of patrons, heritage students who receive members, and his scholarship.” partners a chance This day, four to experience students share their what twu is all stories — among them is second-year theatre about.” t wu.c a / mag a z i n e 31
Partnerships
major, Thomas Nelson, who credits his twu experience with helping him to grow personally, emotionally, and spiritually. “Being at Trinity Western is an experience that I can’t express through words,” he says. “When I first came to twu, I was an extreme introvert; I was afraid of people and didn’t trust anyone. After just over one year here, I now consider myself an extrovert. I’m no longer afraid of people and have become much more trusting.” Nelson credits being part of the theatre community for the profound changes he has experienced. “The people — students and professors — in the theatre department are supportive, always there for me, and always willing to push me when they know it’s beneficial for me,” he says. For international student, Mary Nduati — now in her firstyear of the Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy program — coming to twu meant leaving her teenaged daughter behind with family in order to study. But the
“trinity western university is an institution that is having a huge impact in the world— including kenya.”
single mother still felt led to pursue her mamft, a degree not currently offered in her home country of Kenya. “Trinity Western University is an institution that is having a huge impact in the world — including Kenya,” she says. “The quality of education here is second to none.” Nduati, like Nelson, would not be able to experience a twu education without the generosity of scholarship donors. “Scholarships have set me on the road to achieving my goals, realizing my dream, and fulfilling my Christian calling to be in the helping profession,” she says. And while it was a little bit nerve-wracking to share her story publicly, Nduati wanted donors to know, “the investment they are making is not in vain, but will go into helping the world.” Students like Nduati and Nelson — as well as Grace Wilson and Mark Ang, who also spoke at the event — keep Heriot excited about her job. “The longer I work with scholarships, the more pumped I get about them,” she says. “I love helping people help other people.” WDL To hear more of Thomas Nelson and Mary Nduati’s stories in their own words, visit impact.twu.ca/studentstories
ties that bind Former TWU Alumni Coordinator stays connected to alumni and students
Sch o o l o f B u s i n e s s m e n t o r , B re n da E va n s wi t h her m e n t o ree , f o u r t h -y ear B u s i n e s s a n d Theat re m aj o r , J u lia C h u rch .
32 trinity western | spring ’11
many alumni will recognize Brenda Evans who, for over 13 years, served as twu’s Alumni Coordinator. In her role, Evans organized reunions and homecoming celebrations and produced the Alumni Yellow Pages — a forum for alumni to advertise their businesses and connect with other alumni. Now a real estate agent in the Fraser Valley, Evans remains closely connected to the University — not only through the relationships she established during her tenure here, but also through several creative initiatives. In 2009, she established the Brenda Evans ‘Committed to Excellence’ Award, funded through a unique arrangement: on completion of a home purchase or sale for twu alumni or affiliates, Evans contributes 25 per cent of her commission to the award or to other projects, such as Alumni House or the Hanson Centre for Spiritual Life and Leadership. “When I worked at twu, I saw firsthand the difference scholarships made in the lives of students —and the benefit of living in the twu community, building relationships, and growing spiritually,” she says. As well as being a scholarship patron, Evans is involved in the School of Business Mentorship Program. The program pairs each mentor with a student who shares similar interests in career focus. The mentor commits to meeting the student
Partnerships
“when i worked at twu, i saw firsthand the difference schol arships made in the lives of students, and the benefit of living in the twu community.” once a month during the mentoring term, and provides input vital to that student’s business education and learning experience at Trinity Western. Evans was influenced to participate in the program by the involvement of Sam Beckford (’92), who flew his family to Ontario to attend his student mentoree’s wedding. When his mentoree — now an alumnus — moved back to bc, Beckford helped him find employment; they continue to be closely connected because of the program. “When I left twu, I made a commitment to be involved in the Mentorship Program,” Evans says. This year, Evans mentors fourth-year business and theatre major, Julia Church.
“The mentorship program expands my network of business connections and provides practical advice from the real world in my area of interest,” says Church. “More importantly, it has turned out to be a God-ordained, life-mentoring relationship with a woman of deep faith. I’m blessed to have Brenda in my life.” Adds Evans, “Julia and I have great discussions about the challenges we both face — and how our faith transforms how we work through circumstances, relationships, and business.” In addition to her involvement in the Mentorship Program, Evans actively promotes the University within her sphere of influence. “I’d like to challenge other twu alumni to start a scholarship, get involved, and give back,” she says. “A simple act of obedience can make such a difference in students’ lives. This place is more than just a university; it’s a place of transformation.” WDL For more information on Brenda Evans’ scholarship initiative, visit her website at brendaevans.ca. If you’re interested in participating in the School of Business Mentorship Program, check out their website at twu.ca/academics/business/features/ mentor.
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athletics From Russia With Love Volleyball star’s injury brings team closer to God and each other by scott stewart ’92
n one unforgettable moment, things got serious. It was mid-afternoon on September 4, 2010. Trinity Western’s men’s volleyball team was on a pre-season missions and training trip in Russia. Leftside star Marc Howatson lay writhing in pain on the floor of a gymnasium in the Russian city of Anapa. Howatson’s left foot hung, dislocated, at a gruesome angle. 34 trinity western | spring ’11
“A lot of my teammates, reflecting back, thought my career was over because that’s what it looked like,” he says. But while one of the best volleyball players in Canada West watched both his career and his foot hanging in the balance, something special happened. Without hesitation and without a cue, Howatson’s teammates prayed. In a time of great uncertainty, the team turned to God.
athletics
“All the athletes on the court surrounded Marc, and all the guys on the bench kneeled and started instantly praying,” says Spartans coach, Ben Josephson. “It was a really neat moment to watch the guys, under stress — immediately, their first reaction was to go to prayer.” Just moments before, the team was in the early stages of the fourth set of a hotly contested battle with a club team from Maykop. The Spartans were trailing 2-1 in sets but were starting to seize momentum. That’s when Howatson took off into the air for what should have been a routine block. But on this occasion he came down on a teammate’s foot and landed as Josephson says, “in pretty much the worst possible way.” “I came down and there was a shooting pain in my ankle, and I let out a scream,” says Howatson. “As I was falling, I saw that my foot was in line with my leg and I was just in excruciating pain.” The players and coaches huddled around Howatson and prayed. “They went first to God and second to each other,” Josephson says. “Overall, it was one of those invaluable moments that brought the team together in a way we probably couldn’t
have otherwise. I don’t think that this had to happen for the team to bond, but our team bonded well because of what happened. “And when Marc was leaving, on something like a World War ii type of stretcher, he just said he loved us. With his foot hanging off the side of his leg, he just kept saying, ‘I love you guys.’” For the rest of the trip, Howatson hobbled around via crutches or piggy-back, and did so with an ever-present smile on his face — despite not having any assurance of ever playing volleyball again. When he returned to Canada, he learned that the subtalar joint in his foot was dislocated, an extremely rare injury. Miraculously, no bones were broken or ligaments or muscles torn. Howatson made his Canada-West return against Calgary on January 21, in a rematch of last year’s National Championship. In March, the team went on to win gold in straight sets at the cis National Championships in Langley, earning their second cis title. That he was playing at all was a medical marvel; that he was playing this year, was a miracle.
“all the guys on the bench kneeled and started instantly pr aying.”
kowan and the kids from karen Spartans connect with Burmese refugees through soccer and schoolwork This past season, the twu men’s soccer team received rewards greater than any on-field accomplishment. Led by goalkeeper Andrew Kowan, the Spartans have been using the gifts of love and service to help make life easier for a group of local Karen (pronounced Kә /RÉN) refugees. Kowan and the Spartans have been running once-a-week soccer clinics for Karen children in the community, connecting through the sport of cane ball (Sepak Takraw) and by helping in homework clubs. “I think in my first couple of years, I took it for granted that I am a soccer player here at Trinity Western, and I deserve a lot of things the school can offer,” says Kowan. “But last year I realized how blessed I am to be here. It really struck a chord with me that I have so much, and it was time for me to give back. It’s this ‘blessed to be a blessing’ type of mentality that God has given me.” For more than 30 years, the Karen people have been forced to flee their homes in Myanmar (formerly Burma), where they face violence and persecution at the hands of the Burmese military. Over 140,000 refugees have made it through the Burmese jungle to Thailand, where refugee camps have been set up along the ThaiBurmese border. However, the camps lack basic necessities — sanitation, clean water, and proper nutrition. Burmese troops frequently cross the border to attack, burning what they can and killing the camps’ residents at random. Life in the camps is difficult — and for many of the younger refugees, it is the only life they know. The Spartans connected with the Karen people in Canada
through sports outreach, but the relationship with the kids is growing beyond sports. twu Soccer head coach, Pat Rohla, found the changes significant for both the players and the kids. “As the relationships grew, our guys realized that being in the lives of other people was rewarding,” he says. “As a result, other things began to happen. We were going to their cane ball games, fundraising for their tournaments, and some of our guys have gone to their church and are planning to spiritually mentor them.” The soccer nights attracted over 60 kids. From there, the Spartans began volunteering at the homework club. Twice a week for a few hours, they help mostly middle school-aged kids with schoolwork and reading. With most of the children not understanding English at a high enough level to thrive in an academic setting, and the large class sizes in school, the Karen kids are severely disadvantaged. “They’re so happy to connect with a group of people who actually care about them,” Kowan says. “It’s making them feel welcome and giving us a chance to give back.” Going forward, Kowan and the Spartans hope to continue the indoor soccer clinics for the younger kids and start a cane ball clinic for the young adults, with a central focus on faith integration. The Spartans are also looking at hosting a cane ball tournament for Langley’s Karen community this spring, to raise money for the costs associated with their sports and homework clubs. SS
t wu.c a / mag a z i n e 35
twu Alumni Creating a New Alumni Association Investing in each other as you are reading this, the graduates of the Class of 2011 are about to join the distinguished global community of Trinity Western University alumni—who number (depending on your definition) 10,508 who’ve earned a degree at Trinity Western or more than 18,000 who’ve studied here for at least one semester. Unfortunately, our alumni community has for a very long time lacked a formal organization to connect alumni to each other, to the University, or to current students. In January 2011, a group of alumni (who collectively attended Trinity Western between 1972 and 2009) came together determined to change that. The goal of this group of alumni is to design and create a vibrant, sustainable and self-governing Alumni Association that will effectively serve the interests of both Alumni and the University. The deadline they’ve set for their work is April 30th, which will allow them to formally present their plan to Trinity Western’s Board of Governors on May 1st, 2011. Roughly a quarter of the twu Board of Governors are alumni (including both the current Chair and the Vice-Chair), and they too are strongly committed to the creation of a new Aaron Fedora Amy Buhler Annie Brandner Bob Kuhn Brenda Evans Brian Ratzliff
twu Alumni Association. When asked what this group of alumni is trying to achieve in the creation of a new Alumni Association, one member responded, “We have a general theme about investing in each other as alumni and connecting alumni to students to provide mentorship, jobs, and internships. Ultimately, it is about creating an organization that is sustainable and will remain vibrant 50 years from now. Trinity Western’s alumni are leaders in their fields, working all over the globe, and I always like hearing and sharing their stories. Our alumni are an amazing community of leaders who love Christ and are doing so much to impact our world. We think that it is high time for us to organize ourselves to support each other and to support the University that gave us so much.” One of the first things this alumni group did was set up the Facebook group “Alumni Speakers’ Corner” to consult with alumni and enable all alumni to have a say in what our new Alumni Association needs to look like. Please check out the Facebook page.
alumni association group
Brian Weir Carmen Meier Christine Stevens Darren Slade Daryl Page Dave MacDonald
Gord Zeilstra Jocelyn Durston Jon Raabe Krista Lidstone Paul Lermitte Paul Perschon
Peter Reek Peter Van Giesen Richard Taylor Ron Pike Wade Larson
Or, if you’d like to know more, contact one of the following directly: from the 70s Bob Kuhn (bkuhn@kuhnco.net)
from the 80s Paul Lermitte (plermitte@assante.com) Peter Van Giesen (pvangiesen@gmail.com)
from the 90s Daryl Page (dpage@twu.ca) Dave MacDonald (davemacd@gmail.com)
from the 00s Aaron Fedora (aaron.fedora@gmail.com) Richard Taylor (richard@thewellspringfoundation.com)
They would love to hear from you.
36 trinity western | spring ’11
A n a s ta s ia C h o m lack
twu Alumni
visionaries In its first issue, Trinity Western magazine profiled recently graduated communications major Annie Baxter (’00)—now Annie Brandner—to learn of her work and goals in the social justice arena. For issue 20, tw caught up with Annie to see what difference a decade can make. <
then - 2001
now - 2011
Occupation: I recently completed an internship in Washington, dc, with International Justice Mission. This Christian ministry, led by human rights professionals, helps people suffering injustice and oppression who cannot rely on local authorities for relief.
Occupation: Director of Policy and International Relations for Global Peace Initiative (gpi) in Toronto. gpi exists to respond to the urgent needs of the oppressed and to promote peace, human rights, and religious liberty around the world.
Vision: To be an advocate for the world’s oppressed, educate the church about the brutal reality of international human rights abuses, and empower and mobilize others to join in the work of justice.
Vision: To pursue peace, and to love those who are suffering as if I, myself, were suffering, and to be an effective advocate who moves the minds of leaders to promote freedom and improve the lives of the oppressed.
A n n ie , wi t h h u s ba n d Pa u l B ra n d n er ( ’ 9 8 ) a n d t heir s o n Mile s .
A decade of impact: I hope that in my life and work to date I have shed some light on the brutal persecution that exists around the world, and that I have helped bring a measure of freedom and support to some of my brothers and sisters who are suffering simply because of their faith. Read the rest of Annie’s interview online at twu.ca/magazine.
t wu.c a / mag a z i n e 37
twu Alumni
High Seas Bucket List Alumni live their student dream, sailing around the world by jennifer Watton
R ya n Sha n t z ( f r o n t ) a n d hi s G o o d s o cie t y - C hrysalis, t he P e t er s e n s ' 6 5 - f o o t jea n s ( m o deled behi n d hi m ) g i v e n ew m ea n i n g cata m ara n m o o red i n Mia m i , Fla . t o t he t er m , “g o o d b u s i n e s s .”
38 trinity western | spring ’11
twu Alumni
he dream began in the twu cafeteria over a plate of shepherd’s pie. Kim Petersen (’90) met and married the love of her life, Mike (’90), in her second year of university. Together one lunch hour, they pulled out a piece of paper and began to write out their life dreams—a bucket list. “Number six was to live on a boat and cross an ocean,” Petersen says. Flash forward 15 years. The Petersens have had three children. Their second daughter passed away due to sudden infant death syndrome. Grief, crisis of faith, and fear of future had crowded the years, and Petersen retreated into a comfortable passage of days. Now in her late thirties, she happened upon their old bucket list, and seeing it again reawakened her desire to dream. Intent on facing their fears head on, the couple held a giant garage sale
“i leaned out and felt the night air and the spr ay of the water on my face and a peace bloomed in the centre of my being.” to sell all their possessions. The family purchased a 65-foot catamaran shell from New Zealand and had it shipped to Florida, where they relocated. Having no boating experience, they read a lot of books on the topic. “It was the biggest homeschooling project that we ever did—and will never do again,” she says. Eight months later, they christened the
boat Chrysalis and moved aboard the still-unfinished vessel. On that first night, 15 miles off the coast of Miami, under a sky full of stars, Petersen opened the pilothouse door. “I leaned out and felt the night air and the spray of the water on my face,” she says, “and a peace bloomed in the centre of my being.” For the next two and a half years, the Petersens travelled the eastern seaboard of the us and Canada—eventually crossing the Atlantic and cruising the Mediterranean. Petersen recalls quiet nights at anchor in Patmos, Greece; sleeping with Bedouins in the Sahara; long walks in Jerusalem; and meals shared among folk with whom there was no common language. “I used to think I could conquer fear,” says Petersen. “But that’s not the nature of fear. I don’t think I’ll ever conquer it. But by journeying through it, I have learned how to approach it. And having gone through it, I feel a certain power about being able to approach it again.” Petersen describes her family’s journey in the book Charting the Unknown: Family, Fear, and One Long Boat Ride. A public speaker and certified Life Coach, she blogs about writing, food and travel. Six years after departing dry land, the Petersens still make their home in Florida aboard Chrysalis. Check out Kim’s blog at thewanderingobserver.com.
t wu.c a / mag a z i n e 39
twu Alumni
Patchwork Quines Through adoption, one TWU couple grows a global family
by jay jameson ‘08
One year later, the family of four visited China to adopt am (’95) and maria (hansen ’97) quine started three-year-old Faith. “Through our daughter,” explains Sam, off just like many other couples at Trinity Western. Having met on campus at a worship service, and mar- “God showed us the need of children who are waiting around the globe.” This perspective was further crystallized when the famried shortly after graduation, their story seems fondly familiar. However, it wasn’t until they became parents ily took a trip to northern Ghana to adopt one-year-old Kody. While there, the couple witnessed devastating poverty. A year that their mutual compassion and obedience to God took their later, with compassion for that lives in an extraordinary new direction. “god cares deeply continent still heavy on their While many couples advocate adoption, Sam and Maria for the orphan hearts, the Quines adopted personify it. Their international family, of Lynden, wa., comprises five children from around the globe. In 2004, the couple and he expects us five-year-old Ella from Ghana. Lastly, Sam and Maria plan to adopted their first child, Isabella, from the United States when to do the same.” become the proud parents of she was just two days old. “We did not plan her,” says Maria. Jase, a one-year-old boy from rural China, in the spring of 2011. “God literally—within a weekend—made us instant parents.” “Our kids are amazing and such sacred gifts from our Father,” When Isabella was three, Maria gave birth to Matteus, the cousays Maria. “Above anything else, we consider it pure joy and ple’s sole biological child. “When we got married, our life plan was that we would have two children: one adopted and one bio- such an honour to be each one of our children’s mom and dad.” Despite their varied origins, the Quines are as close-knit a logical,” says Sam. “However, after we did that, God opened our family as any you’ll find. Together, they enjoy numerous outdoor eyes even more to His heart.” 40 trinity western | spring ’11
twu Alumni
<
I n Spri n g , J a s e , f r o m r u ral C hi n a , will j o i n t he Q u i n e fa m ily.
activities typical of an adventurous, Northwest predicted how their family would take shape, they do know they’ve simply been following family. Whether hiking, cycling, swimming, God’s promptings all along. “God cares deeply or skiing, they manage to save time for everessential play. “Honestly,” says Maria, laughing, for the orphan and He expects us to do the “it’s really a lot of fun. It is definitely not an easy same,” says Maria. “He is depending on us, His children, to be His vessels to orphans journey at times, but it’s worth it.” domestically and across the globe.” Though Sam and Maria could never have
hunt for the cure Alumnus hosts real million-dollar treasure hunt Locked away in a vault in an undisclosed location, a golden Nevertheless, the code-breaking experience was of value to Ron eagle waits to be claimed. With a body composed of 18 lbs. of in that it gave him the idea for a $1 million treasure hunt, somesolid gold, a head encrusted with over 700 diamonds, and a thing that has never before been done. pedestal containing an emerald salvaged from the 1622 Atocha But Ron’s real inspiration for The Hunt was borne from shipwreck, this sculpture epitomizes the word “treasure.” But tragedy. In the 22nd week of her pregnancy, Ron’s sister-in-law, more remarkable still, the eagle’s $1.5 million value serves as Gabi, learned that the breast cancer she thought was eradicated the grand prize of a global treasure hunt, which requires parhad returned. As a result, she was forced to choose between ticipants to crack a code to discover the ownership certificate her life and the life of her unborn child. She decided to forego and claim the million-dollar prize. While this may sound like chemo; and two days after giving birth to her daughter, Gabi the premise of a Da Vinci Code or National Treasure sequel, it is passed away. Shaken by Gabi’s death, but inspired by her sacriactually part of entrepreneur Ron Shore’s (’86) real-life strategy fice, Ron resolved to take action against the injustice of breast to end breast cancer. cancer. “When Gabi chose the life of her baby above her own,” Confidently named, The World’s Greatest Treasure Hunt says Ron, “the least I could do was honour her memory with can be described as an adventure quest and charity fundraising the thing I’m most passionate “when gabi chose effort. Anyone can play by purchasing Ron’s book The World’s about: raising funds to find a the life of her baby cure.” Greatest Treasure Hunt: Quest for the Golden Eagle, the net proceeds of which go entirely to breast cancer research. Each chap- above her own, the If successful, The Hunt ter is an adventure story filled with clues to finding certificates will raise millions to fund least i could do was for the golden eagle and 12 silver eagles hidden around the breast cancer research. So, honour her memory globe. For those not familiar with code-breaking, Ron offers beyond offering treasure seekby r aising funds to a companion book called Cracking the Code, which makes the ers a one-of-a-kind adventure, find a cure.” quest solvable by anyone. By reading these books and interRon’s true aspiration is saving acting online at TheGreatHunt.com, participants can do the lives. “When you experience bulk of their treasure hunting from home. If a participant is the great loss, you understand first to submit a correct answer for a certain chapter, they will that having a Christian faith be awarded travel expenses to within 250 miles of a certificate. matters,” explains Ron. “If we From there, they will follow a treasure map to the exact location are to live that out, we need of the certificate. to boldly step forward and say The basic idea for The Hunt came to Ron as a Trinity ‘my life is going to count and Western business student. When nearing graduation, Ron got it’s going to count for this.’” jj wind of a $150,000 prize that would be awarded to the person Visit TheGreatHunt.com to who could crack a logic-based code. He pulled together a team learn more, or if you would of computer science students to develop a program to solve the like to help Ron accomplish puzzle. However, with finals week approaching, Ron was forced his vision please contact him into an ultimatum—either break the code and win the money, directly at 1 604 857 2488. or study hard and graduate. Impressively, he chose to graduate. t wu.c a / mag a z i n e 41
twu Alumni
alumni updates If you are a TWU alumnus and wish to update our community about your recent endeavours, please contact the Alumni Relations department at alumni@twu.ca or at 1.800.463.5419.
1966
1971
Dave & Ruth (Olson) Handy are retired
Maureen (Taylor) Jonson has been a retired Langley, BC, schoolteacher since June 2010. She and her husband, Ron—also a retired teacher—have lived in Surrey for 38 years and attend Northview Community Church in Abbotsford, BC Their favourite retirement activity is spending time with their three grandsons, who live in Langley and are the children of TWU graduates Jeff and Christina (Jonson) Ingwersen (’00). In the spring, the Jonsons hope to make their fourth trip to Lebanon, where their son, Brian (’98), works for World Vision and lives with his wife, Maya, and son, Mitchell (1).
from their law and teaching careers and enjoy golf (Dave) and quilting and gardening (Ruth). They hope that their traveling— to New Zealand last winter and Arizona this winter—becomes a habit, while saving plenty of time to spend with daughters Teresa Hanson (’91) and Karen Witt (’92) and their active families. Teresa lives with her husband Keith in Louisville, KY, where he attends seminary. Karen lives with her husband, also named Keith, in Kelowna, BC, where he is a realtor and Karen is an ICU nurse. Dave and Ruth have resided in Creston, BC, since 2000 and have six grandchildren: Elaina, Megan, Isaac, Luke, Alex, and Emily.
1973 Jerry & Mildred Petersen serve with
Radio HRGS on the island of Roatán, Honduras. HRGS is the only Christian radio station in the Bay Islands and has thousands of listeners in the islands and along the coasts of Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize. The station broadcasts in English and Spanish from 5am until 11pm In spite of increased secular competition, listener response has been growing. HRGS is the main source of its listeners’ spiritual education since most pastors in the area have little, if any, formal training. See the radio station’s blog at gravelbaygazette.com.
1969 Ken Stewart continues to teach theol-
ogy and church history at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, GA—the mountain community where he lives with his wife, Jane. His latest book, Ten Myths About Calvinism: Broadening the Reformed Tradition, comes out in March 2011.
42 trinity western | spring ’11
Parker Rittgers is semi-retired after a career in the information technology service sector with global clients. He now uses his time to operate his two businesses and develop materials to help returning Canadian and US military personnel with posttraumatic stress disorder. Parker has developed web sites and
media for ministries such as wellspring. mx, wellspringlife.ca, akwellspring.com, and Wellspring Ministries of New Zealand. Not surprisingly, his wife, Kit, works full time for Wellspring Ministries International in Anchorage, AK., where they reside with their twin daughters, Katelyn and Kelly. Katelyn works in the North Slope oilfield service industry and Kelly is part of an electronic weapons team in the US Navy, temporarily on assignment in Alaska.
1974 Darwin & Darlis (Stokka) Anderson
of Clear Lake, IA, recently celebrated their 20th year as missionaries with International Messengers. Darwin is president of the organization, and they travel extensively throughout North America and Europe
recruiting, speaking, training, leading teams, and doing staff care. They are responsible for a staff of 140 in Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine, Czech Republic, China, Russia, Africa, Nepal, and Peru. The couple celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary in August and enjoy spending time with their kids and grandkids.
twu Alumni
Roy Lindland
has resided in Charlotte, NC, for the past 17 years. Since leaving Trinity Western, he has been an assistant dean of students at a Christian college, performed sales and operational management, and currently consults—assisting firms with business development, strategic planning, and sales training. He has been married for 27 years and has two daughters.
1980 Terry & Jan (Comm) Heinrich have been
blessed in life and have great family roots in Kelowna, BC. Together they are building new homes in the Okanagan. They live on the Black Mountain Golf Course, where they enjoy the company of two siblings and daughter Brittany (‘07), who studied political science and played on the Spartans women’s soccer team. This summer, Brittany married Cory Stuart—a great addition to their family. Terry and Jan’s son Spencer has taken several apprenticeship courses and travels overseas often. He hopes to end up in South America.
1983 Kevin & Jacqueline (Christoff) Bay
are a family with a vision for marriages and families that glorify God. They live in Langley, BC—close to TWU so their children can be part of the vision of a Christian university with academic excellence—and attend Crossway Community Church. This year their second daughter, Jenna, married
her sweetheart, Lee Bisschop. Their oldest daughter, Mikayla, is an honours English student at TWU and loves all aspects of her education. TWU is an amazing privilege, which we thank the Lord for. The three youngest children are still home-schooling and loving the closeness it offers. Angela Brown-Burchett lives in Naples,
FL. She is the single mother of three teenage boys: Dylan (18), Tyler (15), and Blake (13). Angela is a kindergarten teacher at Seacrest Country Day School, a prekindergarten through secondary private school, where all of the Burchett Boys are students. Angela attends Living Word Family Church and serves as a Sunday morning greeter and Friday night home group hostess. Angela is happy to say that she and Glenda Wiebe-Hiebert have remained dear friends since meeting as TWU freshmen in 1980.
1986 Lenora McGillivary completed a graduate degree in special education at Brandon University, this past year. She has instructed Senior 1 Mathematics in Manitoba. Now she is a sales associate at Babies R Us, awaiting acceptance to the University of Ottawa to complete a master's in audiology in September 2011. She lives in Plantagenet, ON, with her husband and three beautiful children: Teah (9), Gregory (7), and Arley (6). She will soon be moving to Hawkesbury, ON, to be closer to her mother, two uncles, and numerous cousins.
1989 Paul & Pam (Fraser) Grimm live in Kelowna, BC. Paul is an investment sales manager for BMO. Pam is a consultant/ speaker for business and ministry. They have three children: Alex (19), Arianna (17), and Denver (13).
1990 Lynn Squire lives in California with her husband Dave and three kids. In June 2011, Lynn's new book, Joab’s Fire, will be released in bookstores. This novel and Bible study is based on the book of Job. The story is set in 1903, in the fictitious town of Surbank, AB. Lynn currently serves as president of the American Christian Fiction Writers Bay Area Chapter and enjoys helping in every area possible at Calvary Baptist Church.
1991 Barry Ratzliff soon begins his 20th year in Japan. He works at Hokkaido International School and continues to live in Sapporo with his wife Kaori and their sons Saimon (12), Leo (10), and Kamui (5). Barry has worked in a number of teaching and administrative positions at the school and is currently serving as building-level principal and head of school for the 2011-2012 academic year. Kaori coaches basketball and manages her business on the side while
1987 Marty Dziuk —along with his family: Debbie, Kyle, Connor, and Carson—has been living in and enjoying the outdoor lifestyle of Colorado for 11 years. Marty manages the Rocky Mountain sales for a hightech manufacturer's rep firm. The family went to an interesting event this year—the Cheyenne Wells Machine Gun Shoot. They got to shoot all of the current and WWII machine guns. It was a blast! Finally, Marty is still singing love songs to Jesus and serving through the local church.
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twu Alumni
being a dormitory parent. The Ratzliffs are active participants in church work—they have been involved at Open Door Chapel for the past 17 years. They welcome your messages at bratzliff@his.ac.jp.
1992 Bruce & Lisa Enns are living in Saskatoon, SK. They have four girls, ages 17, 15, 12, and 9. Lisa is a full-time mom and life coach for an active family of six (plus a dog). Bruce serves as the lead pastor at Forest Grove Community Church, where they have been since 2000.
moved his family back to the Fraser Valley, BC, at the start of 2010 to join Food for the Hungry (FH) Canada in the role of director of partner development. Having worked with and visited FH offices overseas, Shawn was drawn to their long-term commitment to sustainable community development and going in with an exit plan.
1994 Patrick & Kristie ('97) Naayer live in Abbotsford, BC, with their three children: Kaitlyn (10), Allie (7), and Lukas (5). Patrick is enjoying his 13th year teaching senior social studies at Abbotsford Christian Secondary School. Kristie is a registered nurse, working at Abbotsford Regional Hospital in vascular access, and can occasionally be spotted in TWU’s nursing lab, teaching workshops on IV therapy. Patrick and Kristie both keep busy as their children’s taxi drivers, tutors, chefs, and housekeepers—and they love it.
1996 Jerrilyn & Mark Jurgeneit are missionaries with YWAM. They live in South Auckland, New Zealand, with their children, Aiden (10) and Ethan (8), as pioneers and directors of the Asia/Pacific Discipleship Training School. Students come from around the world to grow in their relationships with Jesus. As God works in their hearts and lives, these students will be taking the Gospel to the Asia and Pacific regions. Shawn Plummer and wife Lindsay married in 2001 and have a daughter, Lauren (5), and twin boys, Jake and Max (3). Starting in 2000, Shawn managed the Samaritan‘s Purse field offices in Mozambique and Eritrea before working out of their US office as regional director for North Africa and the Middle East, and director of technical programs. Shawn
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Rolando Villarreal-Soriano became manager of administration and finance for an insurance company, a public pension fund management company, and a leasing company, all within the same group of companies owned by Mexico´s second richest man. Now, he is the assistant to the CEO of a company being developed by that man’s son. This year he earned his MBA in finance from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). Five years ago, to cope with stress, he became a marathon runner and recently completed the 2,500th Anniversary of the Athens Marathon.
in South Porcupine, ON, and Sudbury, ON, then returned to Tanzania, their former home, to start a Bible training program called Open Bible School (OBS). In September 2010, the Tuokkolas moved to Ethiopia, where there is a challenge to educate new Christians who have converted from Islam. Their younger son, Walter, was a pastor in Toronto and is now moving to Finland with his family to prepare for missions. Their older son, Will, recently earned a master’s degree from TWU and lives now in Red Lake, ON, where he is a pilot trainee. His dream is to use his skills as a pilot to glorify God in missions work.
1998 Tyler Clarke graduated with a biology
degree from TWU and then went on to UBC to do graduate work in medicine. After his MSc and two years of medical school, he became a pilot in the Canadian Air Force in 2005. Since receiving his Air Force Wings, he has worked with a Special Operations Unit and is now gearing up to instruct students for phase two military flying in Moose Jaw, SK.
1997 Chris Cochran and his wife Carrie had the privilege of welcoming home their adopted daughters, Fikeraddis (16) and Eskedar (13) in September. Chris and Carrie live in Hillsboro, OR, with the girls and Gabe (9), Matt (7), Edelawit (3), and Joshua (1). Chris is working as a school counsellor and finishing his doctorate in leadership and education, while Carrie works as an adoption worker, specializing in international and foster care adoptions. They recently moved to Hillsboro from Blaine, WA, where they had lived for 10 years. Paivi & Sam Tuokkola served for five years in the Finnish Pentecostal Churches
Heather (Somerville) Thiessen and her husband, Ed, welcomed Sadie Anne Thiessen to their family on September 17, 2010. Sadie weighed 8lbs., 6oz., and was 22 inches long. Heather is on maternity leave
twu Alumni
from teaching, and both she and Ed are enjoying being parents to this precious girl.
1999 Marcie (Milec) Cooper and her husband, Paul, along with their children Melia (6) and Joshua (2), welcomed their new son Justin Daniel into their family on October 30, 2010. The Coopers live in the mountains of the Dominican Republic, where they are working with Kids Alive International to help atrisk children. Marcie also recently published her first children's book, Meet the Teens.
Thomas Rauchenstein just completed
a four-year teaching position on staff at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland. L’Abri, which means “shelter” in French, is an international study centre where students from many different countries and faith perspectives come to ask questions about Christianity. Thomas recently moved back to Guelph, ON, where he plans to upgrade his education and pursue career options in counselling psychology or library science. In the meantime, he enjoys swimming, reading, and listening to Coldplay. Bob & Carissa (Brey ‘02) Youssef were
David & Melissa (Hansen) Dumdei
married in July 2001 and for the past 10 years have taught private music lessons out of their Washington State home. In January 2010, they welcomed daughter Teija, who has been delighting her family ever since.
2000 Ben Kappes
graduated with a degree in international studies and now lives in northern Virginia. Ben is happily married to Stephanie, and they have an adorable son, Matthew (2). This year, Ben founded Healing Home Ministries (healinghomeministries.org)— a non-profit Christian retreat centre for first responders and their families, helping them cope and heal from job-related stress. Ben is assisted by another TWU graduate, Rev. Shane Gallagher (’99), who serves on the ministry's board of directors. Ben will be hosting his first retreat in the fall of 2011.
married in 2006 and have a daughter, Alexandria Joy (1). They live in Abbotsford, BC, where Bob works for Community Living BC and a private counselling practice, and Carissa works as director of communications for Food for the Hungry Canada.
is whatever gives you meaning. This may require you to have a job to support this pursuit.” After getting her psychology degree, Emily chased her passion for rock climbing around the world. In July 2010, she married her climbing partner and soul mate, Jacob Doyle. She coordinates a recreation program for the Canadian Mental Health Association in Salmon Arm, BC, and Jacob is an aircraft maintenance engineer to support their climbing adventures. Tyler & Susan (Macfarlane) Duncan
live in Lethbridge, AB, with their daughter, Abigail Grace, born September 3, 2008. Tyler, along with his brother, owns and manages New-Way Motorsports, a Kawasaki and Yamaha dealership, and Susan stays home with Abby while doing part-time bookwork for family companies.
2001 Leanne (Reid) Stoop and her husband Casey have a new addition to their family! He came on May 19, 2010, and his name is Ian Patrick Casey Stoop. Leanne is staying at home with her son while her husband works full time in Chilliwack, BC.
2002 Emily (Bostrom) Doyle has embraced TWU Associate Professor of Psychology Chuck MacKnee’s idea that “your career
2003 Alison (Woods) Bean left TWU with a BHK. She now lives in Fort Worth, TX, with her husband, Jake, and two daughters, Addison and Avery. For two years after TWU, she attended Pacific Master’s Commission—a discipleship school on Vancouver Island, BC. After that, she traveled to New Zealand (where she met Jake), Australia, Bali, and Thailand. For the last three years, Alison has stayed at home with her girls while Jake teaches and coaches at a local high school. Katherine (Janzen) Douglas married Aaron Douglas in 2006. Katherine is on maternity leave from her grade one teaching position, taking care of their new daughter, Rebekah, born in September 2010.
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twu Alumni
Wesley Moore worked with Athletes in Action following graduation. In 2004, he moved to Ottawa to re-pioneer AIA's ministries at the city’s various universities. In 2006, Wesley left full-time ministry to work as the legislative assistant to Member of Parliament Dr. Colin Carrie of Oshawa, ON, then worked as a policy and parliamentary advisor, and later as the senior policy advisor. He is now a senior advisor in the Department of Industry. In 2006, Wesley married Karyne Merrick. In 2009, they adopted their son, Gabriel (3), from
South Africa. Then in 2010, their biological son, Adrien, was born while they were on vacation in Victoria, BC. The family will soon be moving to Stellenbosch, South Africa, for one year, where Karyne begins graduate school in combating human trafficking. Follow the Moores’ adventure at godsspeedandlittlemen.blogspot.com. Hannah Visser & Matt Dissen (’04), although having never met at TWU, married on May 2, 2010 in Chilliwack, BC. After seven years of educational development and humanitarian aid work with various NGOs in North Korea, Hannah has recently
accepted a job in Osaka, Japan. After fulfilling his dream of providing excellence in river cruise dining, Matt decided to use his communicative talents to teach English. He recently graduated with his MA in TESOL and, after teaching in Langley, BC, he is looking forward to moving to Asia.
2004 Art Birch , a graduate of the MAL program, became the lead pastor of Ross Road Community Church in Abbotsford, BC, in January 2011, after a period of rest between ministries. Art and his wife, Rosabelle, have been commuting from their long-time home in Maple Ridge, BC, but are planning to move to Abbotsford as soon as they are able. Christopher & Hannah (Shriner '03) Buschhaus, live on the last working farm in Vancouver. They have been actively growing their education, food, and family since their TWU days. Christopher recently completed his Ph.D. at UBC in plant biochemical physiology, and Hannah coordinates the Children’s Learning Garden at the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems on the UBC Farm. Their son, Nathanael (2), is looking forward to a new sibling this spring. Eric Nyvall married Mary in 2007. They now have two children: Isaac (2) and Clara (1). Mary is a maternity physician in Abbotsford, BC, where Eric is a chartered accountant. Maria Whelton
and her new husband Alex married in September in a solemn and moving ceremony at St. Innocent Orthodox Church. Maria is an insurance broker, and
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teaches piano and harp at her studio in Langley, BC. Some highlights of her musical experiences include collaborating with fellow TWU alumnus Graham Yates for dynamic piano duos, performing with orchestras at the Orpheum and throughout the Fraser Valley, and taking her six-foot pedal harp up the Grouse Mountain gondola, much to the amusement of the hikers and tourists.
2005 Louise Green graduated from the first cohort of the MA TESOL online program in 2005. She has since taught for four years in North Africa, teaching academic writing and speaking to large classes at a national university in the Sahara Desert. In 2009, she returned to Canada with her husband and rejoined her friends and her adult children who are studying at UBC Vancouver, UBC Okanagan, and UFV Chilliwack. Louise is a collaborating instructor for one course in the MA TESOL program and is now teaching English 101 and looks forward to teaching Linguistics 420. George Keulen received a long-awaited double lung transplant in June 2010 after eighteen months on the British Columbia organ transplant waitlist. George’s lung condition began failing in 2008 due to the effects of Cystic Fibrosis. By spring 2010, things looked critical. But due to the selfless gift of his organ donor, at 5 a.m. on a beautiful June morning, George received the call that a set of lungs had become available. George and his wife Kim (Rietkerk ‘04) live in Delta, BC, and relish the simple pleasures of life: walking, biking, and living without oxygen tanks throughout the house. God still does miracles today! Alex & Sara (Lanting) Lehmann are
proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Julia Grace Lehmann, born February 11, 2010. The couple resides in North Hills, CA, where they just bought their first home. Alex is the senior character animator at Riot Games and Sara is enjoying staying home with Julia.
twu Alumni
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Tommi & Cary (Funk ‘03) Lintinen married
in 2002 and welcomed their son, Magnus, in 2008. In line with the artistic endeavors both were involved in at TWU, Tommi is developing his own line of furniture made from reclaimed wood, while Cary builds her photography business—Carolyn Marie Photography (carolynmariephotography. ca). Tommi, Cary, Magnus, and their dog, Lulu, live in Langley, BC and spend their holidays visiting Tommi’s family in Finland.
kinesiology. After graduation, Rachel traveled to Europe to mountaineer in the Alps before she was accepted to the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine in New Westminster, BC. She now practices as a naturopathic physician at the Selkirk Clinic in Maple Ridge, BC (healthymedicinedocs. com). Mark worked as a paramedic before returning to UBC in September 2010 to complete a two-year nursing program. They are very thankful for the many precious friendships they developed at TWU and are excited to see what God has for their future. Ashley Best
Aaron & Emily (Sampson ‘07) Pogue met
at TWU and married in 2007. Aaron graduated with a business degree, while Emily graduated with minors in education, geography, and history. They currently live in Beaverton, OR. Aaron was accepted into dental school at Oregon Health Science University in 2008 and now is in his third year. He will graduate in 2012. Emily teaches third grade in Beaverton School District, just outside of Portland. She completed her MA in Teaching at Pacific University in 2008.
2006 Mark & Rachel (Visscher) Bell recently married at Minter Gardens, BC, and now live in Fort Langley, BC. While at TWU, Mark completed a BSc in biology and a BA in history, while Rachel received a BHK in
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now resides in Silverton, OR. He married a beautiful nurse in September 2010. He owns his own pottery business, White Crow Ceramics, and is the production manager at the world's largest honeystick factory.
He started fresh out of university and has recently merged his practice with Singer Olfert Financial Group in South Surrey, BC. Adam works with individuals, families, and small business owners in their asset building and retirement years. Last March, Adam and a group of 12 other men had the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua and visit an orphanage. The orphanage rescues girls from the city dump who are at risk of being sold by their families for a first chance at any new garbage coming into the dump. If you would like to hear more, Adam would love to talk with you over a Starbucks beverage. Ben (Dyck) & Vanessa (Wiebe ‘07) Samuel had an eventful past year. They
changed their last name to Samuel, went on an exciting European trip, and recently celebrated the birth of their first child. Ben also completed his Journeyman Electrician training last March. Greg Thiessen , spent eight months liv-
ing in a Benedictine monastery in Northern Ireland following graduation. He attended Regent College in Vancouver, where he graduated with a master’s in Christian stud-
Lindsay Bisschop
works for the Province of BC’s Economic Immigration Division as a program advisor with the Provincial Nominee Program. Before starting an MA in Public Administration at the University of Victoria, she traveled south to eat delicious food, drink fine wine, and trek the countryside in Argentina, Chile, Boliva, and Peru.
ies in April 2010. Greg then connected with a missionary organization callled Serving in Mission (SIM), and in October 2010 moved to Malawi, where he will spend the next two years serving with SIM. He is teaching a mix of church history, theology, and biblical studies at the Evangelical Bible College of Malawi. Read his blog at gregmeetmalawi.blogspot.com.
2007 Adam Bornn has spent the past five
Mark & Katie (Howard ’08) Pernosky
years growing his financial planning firm.
married on April 12, 2009, and welcomed
their son Inunnguaq David Pernosky into the world on March 25, 2010. They are now living in Nuuk, Greenland. Mark continues to work at Asiaq Greenland Survey, and has become the program manager of Nuuk Basic Climate Basis, a part of Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring. Katie taught English at an elementary school in Nuuk before going on maternity leave. Their passion is for missions and they look forward to seeing God work in Nuuk and Greenland.
They live in Langley, BC, and are beginning to work part-time with DRIME, a ministry of Power to Change. This year, Fred and Beth will travel the world, doing ministry with MEI and DRIME in (Lord-willing) San Diego, CA, and Thailand. Dan & Melody Grove live in Bambalang, Cameroon, where they work with Wycliffe Bible Translators. They work with a team that is targeting nine languages for Bible translation. Translation has begun in two languages, with the book of Luke being printed this spring. The translation process will begin in four more languages in May.
later. They reside in Caronport, SK, where they coach the Briercrest College men's volleyball team. Jonathan (JP) Pankratz has worked in
northern British Columbia during the summers as a wild land firefighter and now resides in Langley, BC, with plans to pursue graduate studies in prosthetics and orthotics. In the meantime, he has traveled on a shoestring budget through Los Angeles, the west coast of South America, the Philippines, and Thailand. While in South America he hiked up to the Incan ruins of Choquequirao and Machu Picchu in Peru, visited the equatorial line in Ecuador, and visited Angel Falls in Venezuela. God pro-
Wenbao Zhang is a housing developer in Vancouver. He misses TWU and often thinks of his classmates, teachers, and friends there.
2009 Heather Elliott moved to Ottawa shortly after graduation, where she works as a nurse in palliative care. Heather is also working at her Master of Science in Nursing through TWU's newest MSN program, with hopes to eventually teach. Craig Ketchum is a teacher in Maple Ridge, BC, and has been working with the humanitarian non-profit organization First Steps. He routinely writes for Converge Magazine (formerly Options Magazine) and plays his guitar. He hopes to return to Asia and/or Africa soon-ish. (P.S. Hi mum!)
2010 Fred & Beth (Douglas) Brown married in May 2010, and Fred has since been teaching English, Bible, and math part time at MEI Secondary School in Abbotsford, BC.
Alphabets have been completed along with basic literacy materials in all languages, and reading classes have begun in most villages.
vided for him throughout his entire trip and continues to walk beside him every day. He looks forward to the next adventure God will send him on.
Mark & Yvette Lowen graduated in April 2010, with majors in business and education. They married on July 2, 2010, and now reside in Lethbridge, AB, where Mark owns a flooring store. Yvette is a substitute teacher at Immanuel Christian School.
Christiana Walter spent last summer working in public relations for the Surrey non-profit, Childcare Canada, on a government grant. She wrote, organized events, and wrote some more. Now she is doing contract writing while searching for her next communications adventure and will hopefully do some traveling.
Natalie (Wood) Mullan gave birth to her first son, Damian Nigel Mullan, on August 12, 2010. Natalie graduated with a BHK in the spring of 2007 and married her husband, Nigel, two months
All submissions sent to the Alumni Relations department at Trinity Western University, including but not limited to information updates and photos, will become the sole property of Trinity Western University for its use.
t wu.c a / mag a z i n e 49
BACK 40 Deep Roots it’s one of twu’s most distinct campus features. Between the Atrium and the Robert N. Thompson building sits a gnarled, hunched apple tree, better suited to a enchanted forest than a university campus. According to Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, Bob Burkinshaw, Ph.D., the story behind the tree is even more interesting than its fairytale appearance. Passed down by one of twu’s founding professors, Robert N. Thompson, the story goes that in 1820 the Hudson’s Bay Company (hbc) established a farm near the Salmon River and Fort Langley and planted bc’s first European fruit trees on the farm — now the site of twu’s campus. During the 1880s, they sold the land in plots and, by the time twu acquired it 80 years later, only a few of the trees remained intact. Today, one still stands. Though no official records exist to prove its origin, the tree is rumoured to be the oldest fruit tree in British Columbia. JJH If you have any further information on this story, please contact Trinity Western magazine at magazine@twu.ca. s U A rchi v e o f t he T W
Michael R AT H J E N ' 0 4
courtesy
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c o u r t e s y o f t he T W U A rchi v e s
TrIsTAn smITh 3rd year communications major & scholarship recipient
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thanks to the scholarship I received, I have an opportunity to become the first in my immediate family to graduate from university. After receiving my degree I aspire to be a public speaking mentor, inspiring youth wherever God leads me.â&#x20AC;?
Start a chain reaction
As a TWU alumnus, you can give students the same opportunity you had. Your investment in the life of a student has limitless potential as he or she graduates and goes on to impact others. So be the catalyst in a chain reaction that could change the world. It all starts with you.
To find out more, visit twu.ca/chainreaction
Send change of address and comments to magazine@twu.ca Submit alumni updates to alumniupdates@twu.ca
Islomania
acrylic and gel on canvas - 24" Ă&#x2014; 36" by katrina grabowski, Art (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;12)