What was your favorite moment in the classroom from the year?
My favorite moment from the year was during our mission trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, watching the students worshiping at the church. The worship, of course, was all in Spanish. Seeing students completely embrace the worship style and enjoy the time that they had with the Mexican believers, recognizing that we are all believers in the same God. That we’re speaking a different language and come from a different culture, but that we have that background together.
When was a moment when you saw God working positive change in the students through one of your classes?
The discussion of how culture influences our view of the gospel. If we come from a guilt-innocence background, honor-shame background, or fear-power background, Scripture informs itself differently based off of how we are culturally nuanced.
Another discussion was, ‘What does a servant look like?’ We talk about being a servant, our mindset of being a pastor-servant or missionary-servants to the people that we go to. Our mindset in that is learning ‘What is it that the culture needs us to be? What is servanthood in the culture that you’re going to? How do you discern that?’
What are three words that described the student body this year?
Energetic, open to experiences, and discerning what the Lord has for them.
What is your advice for incoming students?
Join the cross-cultural classes. No matter what line of work you pursue in the future, you will interact with people of a different culture: whether that’s a familial culture, whether that’s a culture from a different state, or whether it’s an international/foreign context. Also, everything that students learn in the cross-cultural classes are things that they can bring into their marriage. I do that intentionally, because I think that is an area we can continue to support and disciple long afterwards. In a lot of cultural things, it’s not right or wrong, it’s just different than what you’re used to.
What is one of your favorite stories from the year?
Watching the students interact with the kids at the children’s home (on our missions trip). There was an openness to connect with the kids, invest in what the Lord is doing in their lives, learn new games, and love on them in a way that they maybe haven’t received before.
Also, we brought in missionaries from the state of Oaxaca. They shared with us about their calling, how they came to know the Lord, and how they came to know they were called to serve internationally. Having them share and seeing the response to the students would be another really big moment for me.
What kept you motivated throughout the year in your vocation as a professor?
When students were getting the principles and they understood what was being taught. They were seeing how the Lord works across the world, and how we have a place in that call.
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