Refresh: What we deserve.

By Dr. Marshall Wicks

I was walking across campus one day and greeted one of our current students, “Hey, how are you doing?” I think we generally expect a somewhat innocuous answer to such a greeting, but the answer I got was far from that. The student answered, “Better than I deserve.” Wow! What a perfect answer to a common question. It opens so many opportunities to draw a person into a very meaningful and spiritual conversation.

So many times, we think to ourselves that life is unfair. I remember one Calvin and Hobbes strip where Calvin laments that life is never unfair in his favor.

But life is always unfair in our favor. If life were truly fair, we would all be spending eternity in Hell, and Jesus would never have come to this planet and suffered the humiliation of the cross. 

This made me think about Jesus’ Gospel presentation in the book of Matthew. We know this passage as the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew is probably the first New Testament book written and as such lays down a number of benchmarks for all ensuing Scripture. Before Matthew tells us anything else about Jesus’ ministry, he lays out for all to see a simple and “user-friendly” version of the Gospel — a Gospel for the weak in spirit, a Gospel for those who hunger, a Gospel that comes free of charge. But it is also a Gospel that changes everything about our perspective on present life. We no longer worry about the trials and tribulations that swirl about us. We now see opportunities where we once saw threats.

The dynamic that changes our worldview is faith. We are now believers. We believe that God is working out a beautiful plan of opportunity for all who accept Him. We believe that nothing can separate us from the love of God that flows to us and through us because of Jesus Christ. Or do we?

Matthew 6:25 reads: “Stop worrying about the affairs of this life.” Perhaps some of us are going through difficult times even as we read this little article. God does not ask us to stop taking actions to remedy such problems, but He does tell us to stop worrying about them.

Worry erodes faith. It causes us to look horizontally and not vertically. It is an attempt to force our will on a situation as opposed to seeing the awesome work of a gracious God unfolding before our eyes.

Matthew goes on to write: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” Worry seeks the kingdom of man and our own righteousness. It tries to justify our own version of reality and ignore the worldview set forth in Scripture. Worry is not caused by the problems we encounter; it is a condition of the heart. If our hearts are not changed, we will never have the things added unto us that are promised for those who seek the kingdom of God. 

The next time someone asks how we are doing, we need to see it as an opportunity to remind ourselves and the one who greets us that this life is a whole lot better than any of us deserve.

Fall tours: Are any coming to a town near you?

The New York campus is sending three Collegian tour groups, made up of 20 students each, throughout the Northeast this fall. From November 30 to December 9, these groups will minister to local churches and Christian schools and share about the ministry of the Bible Institute and Word of Life as a whole.

Each group will offer a concert, special music, short dramas, testimonies, Sunday School classes, and programs for school chapels. Check out where these groups will be visiting to see if you can stop by and be encouraged, or if you can introduce someone new to the ministry of Word of Life and the Bible Institute.

Group 1
November 30: Poughkeepsie, New York
December 1: Allentown, Pennsylvania
December 2: Allentown, Pennsylvania; Piscataway, New Jersey
December 3: Piscataway, New Jersey; Jersey City, New Jersey
December 4: Jersey City, New Jersey; Paterson, New Jersey
December 5: Paterson, New Jersey; New York City
December 6: New York City
December 7: New York City; Long Island, New York
December 8: Long Island, New York
December 9: Long Island, New York

Group 2
November 30: Syracuse, New York
December 1: Syracuse, New York
December 2: Syracuse, New York; Rochester, New York
December 3: Rochester, New York
December 4: Rochester, New York; North Buffalo, New York
December 5: North Buffalo, New York; South Buffalo, New York
December 6: South Buffalo, New York; Jamestown, New York
December 7: Jamestown, New York; Watkins Glen, New York
December 8: Watkins Glen, New York; Binghamton, New York
December 9: Binghamton, New York

Group 3
November 30: Pittsfield, Massachusetts
December 1: Willmantic, Connecticut
December 2: Willmantic, Connecticut; Warwick, Rhode Island
December 3: Warwick, Rhode Island; Providence, Rhode Island
December 4: Providence, Rhode Island; Boston
December 5: Boston
December 6: Boston; Worcester, Massachusetts
December 7: Worcester, Massachusetts; Springfield, Massachusetts
December 8: Springfield, Massachusetts
December 9: Springfield, Massachusetts

For more information and specific locations (or to ask about hosting a group), please email Micah Melville at micahm@wol.org, or get in touch at studentministries@wol.org.

Testimony Corner: Benjamin Ward, Class of 2005.

In my time at Word of Life, I learned the value of accountability, methods for Bible study that I still put into practice, and so much more. I met several godly men who have become my best friends. We still keep in touch to encourage and pray for each other — which is a huge asset to ministry — even though we live on different continents.

Right now I live in Kpalimé, Togo, West Africa, and I just finished studying the Ewe language. In August I will probably move back to Ghana, West Africa, where I will be involved with children, youth, sports, evangelism, and discipleship ministries. It is exciting to see how the Lord has helped me acquire the language, and I am looking forward to the months ahead and all He has planned.

Camp at Word of Life taught me patience in ministry, self-sacrifice, and how to handle tough situations. These lessons continue to guide me today in my life and ministry, as living in a foreign culture and communicating in a language I am still learning takes a lot of patience sometimes. But the lost must hear! I also appreciate having godly friends back home that I can talk to and ask for advice.

The list could go on and on for how my years at Word of Life and on the Impact Team help me in life and ministry, but it can all be summed up in this: Those two years are still the best years of my life, and I would never trade them for the world.

Book Club.

The Class of 1988 has produced quite a crop of authors and storytellers. Kyle Hammersmith, Twila Zehr Patterson, Sean MacDonald, and Robyn DeVries Graham have each published books since attending the Bible Institute. Three of the authors wrote nonfiction books about personal experiences, but for Hammersmith — now a professor at Liberty University — storytelling was a way to apply the lessons and landscape of Word of Life in a whole new way.

The Legend of Lake Marilee (Fiction) by Kyle Hammersmith

Lake Marilee is not only full of murder theories and a local ghost legend when young Jody Barrett comes to visit — it’s also the setting for a battle between fact and fiction, right and wrong, and good and evil. Christian apologetics meet intriguing storytelling as the lessons Jody learns about families, values, and God change the way he encounters truth.

Where have I seen that before?

When Kyle started writing his suspense novel, he turned to a familiar setting to sketch his characters and scenes: Word of Life. The novel is based in an area that mirrors Schroon Lake and Pottersville, including the central location of the Brown Swan Club (aka the Word of Life Inn). Kyle, who has a master’s in education from Ohio State University and a bachelor’s in English from Liberty University, was a chef at Word of Life in New York and Florida after graduating from the Bible Institute.

Editor’s Take: Looking for a book that will help the young people you know tackle questions of truth, postmodern philosophy, or apologetics? Kyle takes classroom lessons into real life in a suspenseful and entertaining way. This novel is great for teenagers and others who are tackling questions of truth.

Recruit the next generation … and celebrate yours.

By Alumni Director Wayne Lewis

Another class has just enrolled in Word of Life Bible Institutes around the world, and a great year is under way.  Students are showing an eager anticipation for studying the Word.

As always, it is thrilling to see alumni returning with their children, and parents bringing siblings of their older children who are now alumni. As an alumnus, you are the greatest resource for new students, and I want to encourage you to start recruiting now for next year.

Please pray for all the staff as they teach, train, and disciple these students, many of whom have high expectations for what the Lord is going to do in their lives.

The Bible Institute isn’t just training a new generation, though — it’s also celebrating and continuing to encourage those who have walked through its doors in past years.

The biggest way we do that at Word of Life is through our Memorial Day and Founder’s Conference weekend. We are already making plans for May 24-27, 2013, when we welcome all alumni to enjoy Word of Life, reconnect with each other, and grow anew in Christ.

We have specific reunions planned for certain classes, too. Every class that has done a reunion in the past has been blessed beyond measure. In fact, most are planning to gather more frequently.

We want to encourage five-year reunions this year as well as 10-year reunions. So, Classes of 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, and 2008, come and join us!

If you graduated one of these years, get on Facebook, the phone, email, or whatever, and get your class together.  You will not be sorry you did!

Click here to learn more about how you can help plan a reunion.

Here are some of the details about who will be speaking:

• Friday, May 25, 7 p.m.: George Murray
• Saturday, May 26, 9 a.m.: Stanley Toussaint
• Saturday, May 26, 10:45 a.m.: George Murray
• Saturday, May 26, 7 p.m.: Harry Bollback
• Sunday, May 27, 9 a.m.: Stanley Toussaint
• Sunday, May 27, 10:45 a.m.: Don Lough, Jr.
• Monday, May 28, 11 a.m.: Memorial Day rally: Jeff Struecker

Class reunions: How to make it happen.

We want to host special class reunions for the Classes of 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, and 2008 this year at our annual alumni gatherings for Memorial Day weekend and Founder’s Conference.

We need your help, though, to invite alumni from all over the world to come and make the weekend a great experience for everyone. Some of you have already expressed interest, so we’ve pulled together some information of what we’ve done in the past to help you get started.

If you are willing to help coordinate a reunion for your class, here’s a “plan of action” that we found worked well for other classes:

• Form a planning team that will help you promote the event.
• Put a working schedule together and get it out on Facebook, asking for ideas. If more people get involved in planning, more people will be excited about making the trip in person!
• Take time to track down old classmates on Facebook, and start a group devoted to your class or your reunion.
• Work toward creating an experience, not just an event, by incorporating themes your class can unite around. For example, create class T-shirts, make a handout booklet, or have a theme of the journey your class will take throughout the weekend as you take part in different events. We’ll have several options for you at Word of Life, such as dinners, meeting times, campfires, or sharing time at Council Hall. But you can also take advantage of spring in the area and go to Glens Falls (shopping, go-karts, bowling, Martha’s ice cream, Great Escape), check out Lake George’s tourist attractions or cruises, take a family hike up Mt. Severance, explore the Adirondacks via whitewater rafting, or try any of the other excursions the area has to offer.
• Create some competition by challenging other classes, such as seeing which class can get the most people to come for the weekend or bring the largest family, the longest or newest married couple, or the lowest (or highest) cumulative number of demerits from their Bible Institute year. We can help provide judges and rewards.
• Encourage creativity from class members so they make it “their” reunion.
• Create “buzz” — keep telling people about the reunion, and bring up memories (or future memories you want to make) that will encourage class members to come.
• Tell us how we can help. We can send an email to alumni, post specific updates on our Facebook page or group, or use our blog to keep people updated. We want to make it a success for you!

As always, please let us know if you have specific questions. You can reach us at alumni@wol.org or waynel@wol.org.

Update from Alumni Director Wayne Lewis.

I am rejoicing in the way so many of you have joined the effort to “wake the giant” and encourage greater alumni interaction.

We have moved out in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest with alumni gatherings, and your responses have been so encouraging. Additionally, several of you are taking the initiative to send us your testimonies and also share what the Lord is doing in your lives today.

Reading and hearing what God is doing through Bible Institute alumni is absolutely amazing! I have come to agree with Wesley Yerkes from the Class of 1986 reunion, who said, “Hundreds of thousands of people are being impacted each year through our class alone.”

This year we passed the 20,000 mark in the number of alumni from the U.S. campuses. You do the multiplication — that’s an amazing impact!

Thanks to each of you who are keeping in touch. Thank you for joining the effort to help deserving students, and thank you for continuing to be the number one source for new students year after year. Thank you.

Past meets present: How you can help.

Take a minute and imagine yourself as a Bible Institute student again. You’re looking at your dirty shoes and thinking of the next time you’ll do laundry, which makes you think of where you’ll get laundry money, which makes you wonder if you’ll ever have money again, or if you’re set for a life of being destitute, a la Paul, Barnabas and all of those pious people you thought never had anything in common with you until you ended up at the Bible Institute and suddenly realized that an amazing God had a grip on your life.

This past fall, one alumnus was in town for the Class of 1986’s “25-year mega reunion.” He walked the path to Colombia, his old dorm, tracing his steps from decades ago to the bed that had been his.

In his old bed was a current student, fast asleep at 10 a.m. after a weekend of ministry — the classic Bible Institute pose since 1970.

The alumnus took $25 to commemorate the 25-year anniversary and slipped it under the student’s pillow, bookending his journey with a gift toward the future.

The amount, he said, “wasn’t a lot, but I figured the students’ need of money hadn’t changed in 25 years.”

Think about what you remember of your time at Schroon Lake. What made a difference for you? What would you not give up if you did it all over again?

Whether it be a gift or a word of encouragement, let us know how you are able to minister, and we will try to connect you with students who could use your prayer or help.

We also encourage you to take the invitation from Word of Life to “come on home.” Take time to revisit the place where you spent a year — or two — seeing God work in your life. And, if thinking about your days at the Bible Institute compels you to help the current student body, bring a small gift to share with whoever now sleeps in “your” bed.

“And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation. … That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children” (Luke 1:50; Psalm 78:6).

Contact alumni@wol.org or waynel@wol.org if you'd like to learn how you can help current Bible Institute students.

Making the most of youth: A message from the chancellor.

By Don Lough, Jr.

Young people have enormous potential to make a difference for Jesus Christ. At Word of Life, we believe in challenging children and teenagers with early opportunities to share their faith and to step up in serving the Lord. I’ll never forget Jack Wyrtzen’s periodic challenge to me as a young man: “Donald, let no one despise your youth.” He was basically telling me, “I believe in you – don’t let your young age hold you back from living out God’s Word.”

Several weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting a young man from Mexico who recently joined our missionary team. His testimony was anything but ordinary. When he was 20 years old and a sales manager for the Ford Motor Company, he met an 8-year-old boy who boldly shared the Gospel with him and led him to Christ. No, this is not a misprint, nor is it the end of the story. After the young sales manager was disowned by his family for his newfound faith, the little boy swung into action and began personally discipling him. He assigned him 10 chapters of Bible reading every day and then took the initiative to connect him with Christian families and a local church. Today, the fruit of his ministry is a full-time missionary!

We need to be so careful not to allow negativity or low expectations to seep into our interaction with the younger generation. The reality is that it doesn’t take much to discourage a child or a teenager. What are you doing to encourage and motivate the young people in your sphere of influence to step up for Christ? Just think of the possibilities.

Thanks for standing with us as we challenge young people to “know, grow, and show” all over the world.

Drawing from the Truth: Alumnus of the Year Sergio Cariello.

In a world where most people portray Jesus as a kind, mellow guy Who spent most of His time wearing a long robe and telling stories to His friends, Sergio Cariello has a different idea. If you flip through the pages of The Action Bible, it’s clear that Sergio sees his Savior as the ultimate superhero.

Think of it as a Nazarene in action: an athletic man, performing miracles and saving the world.

The Action Bible portrays God as the original action hero. With sketches and ink, Sergio vividly depicts plagues, miracles, and creatures of all kinds. His illustrated approach to the Bible invigorates the ancient stories, engaging readers of all ages and languages in enduring tales of truth.

Sergio’s career in art began when he was a child in northeast Brazil. He doodled on napkins and church bulletins, and by age 5, he had decided to become a cartoonist. At 11 he landed his first gig drawing Frederico, the Detective, a weekly comic strip he invented for his local newspaper, Diario De Pernambuco.

Growing up, Sergio attended church every Sunday, but it wasn’t until he stepped into the electric world of Word of Life camp in Recife that his relationship with Christ really came alive.

"Every visit to Word of Life was a spiritual injection,” Sergio says. “An extreme boost to my spirit.”

Sergio responded to Christ’s call at camp when he was 15, but soon after, he started to struggle in his walk with God. He dealt with many of the challenges teenage Christians face, and he lost momentum.

Then, the following year, Sergio began to return to his faith. What made the difference this time was his pastors, Roberval Lyra and Sergio Lyra, who were both involved with Word of Life.

“They nurtured me back to church” when they asked him to draw charts for a church fundraising campaign, he says.

Sergio recommitted his life to Christ and soon enrolled in the Bible Institute in Recife in 1981, just after high school. There, he was surrounded every day with a full dose of Word of Life’s discipleship, ministry, and personal growth formula: Scripture memorization, Quiet Time, and ministry opportunities such as Open Air Evangelism, sharing the Gospel door-to-door, travels across Brazil with the Collegians, and children’s ministry at local churches.

Sergio stayed connected to local pastors, and eventually his story made it to George Theis, the founder of Word of Life Recife. Theis turned to the Word of Life scholarship program to see if there was a way Sergio could go to the New York campus for further Bible study under the Bible Institute and School of Youth Ministries program (now second year).

For Sergio, moving to the States and attending the Bible Institute as a more mature believer was a dream come true. He deems his experience at the Schroon Lake Bible Institute campus “phenomenal.”

“It was a new land with new dreams,” he says, “(The Bible Institute) in Recife was great, but New York was greater.”

A children’s Bible memory revolution: John Tice, Class of 1990.

When you turn to an online game or app to help your kids pass the time, John Tice is hoping it isn’t Angry Birds — he’d like you to check out some of his Scripture memory programs.

Impress Kids, a 13-year journey that became an official company in 2010, isn’t like most Scripture memory methods. It has gone beyond note cards to full-fledged, color-filled online interactivity — and it’s set up so anyone can take advantage of it with their own Bible Memory plans.

John first thought of the idea for Impress Kids when he and his wife, Andrea, were serving as Local Church Ministries missionaries in western New York. He was troubled by the way the children’s Biblical curriculum was disjointed as kids tried to learn through several programs at once.

“They had Sunday School and mid-week programs; some went to AWANA or learned Bible verses at school. The problem was that none of it was connected. I kept thinking we could do better,” he says.

In 1997, after driving home from church, John says he began to dream of a Bible memory program that could complement what was already being done in churches, schools, and homes — something fun for kids and useful as a ministry tool.

John would work on his idea some, lose clarity, and then neglect it. But he kept picking it back up.

“It was a dream God never let me put aside,” he says.

Why am I here? A message from the chancellor.

By Don Lough, Jr.

In the rush of life, it’s all too easy to lose sight of the fact that God has placed us on this earth for a purpose. Philippians 2:15 reminds us that God has strategically placed us “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” and that we are to “shine as lights in the world.” We are not here simply to exist. Our lives should be all about taking every opportunity to show and share the difference that Christ can make in life.

I was reminded of this truth while waiting for a flight a few months ago. I couldn’t help but notice a businessman just a few seats away. He was sobbing uncontrollably as he talked on the phone. It was clear that he was coming to terms with some very difficult news. To be honest, my first instinct was to find another place to sit. After all, this man really needed some privacy, right?

Then I was reminded, “Why am I here?” I knew this had to be a divine appointment. With my heart pounding, I slid next to the man and asked, “Sir, are you going to be okay? Would you mind if I pray for you?” His hostile response caught me off guard: “No — I don’t believe in God!” I said, “Excuse me, sir, I don’t know what you are going through, but God does exist, whether you believe in Him or not. Matter of fact, God loves you, and it’s pretty obvious that you need Him right now.” With words punctuated with profanity and sobbing, he began to unfold his story. He was highly educated and a successful robotics engineer. He admitted to me, “Until today, I thought I was God.” The devastating phone call had come from his son, his pride and joy, who was a professional athlete in the National Hockey League. He had called to tell his dad that his career was likely over and that he was on his way to rehab and prison for possession and use of drugs.

I responded, “Sir, I have some more bad news for you. God, in His Word, says that not only are you not God, but you are not even good” (Romans 3). I continued, “You said you don’t believe in God, right? Has it occurred to you that God put us together today? I could’ve sat in any number of seats in this airport. My being here at this exact moment is no accident. God has to exist!” He nodded affirmatively and replied, “You got me.” I prayed for him and his son and gave him a Gospel tract before we parted ways. While I’ve not been able to reconnect with this man, there’s no doubt that this was an assignment from God.

Of course, we all have work to do, places to go, and people to meet. But the primary reason we are here is to represent Christ and to “hold forth the Word of Life” to this world that so desperately needs Him. I’m convinced that God puts divine appointments on our calendars every day. Our responsibility is to recognize and seize these opportunities to share what Christ has done in our lives.

From heartache to a full heart: Lori Beth Blaney, Class of 1988.

In December 2006, Lori Beth Blaney, Class of 1988, was in a Georgia hospital. She and her family had been in a car accident, hit head-on by a teenager from the local high school. Everyone made it out alive except for one: Lori Beth’s unborn daughter, whom she and her husband would later name Rachel.

The day after the accident, in an almost unspeakable state of grief, Lori Beth had to deliver her stillborn baby. After the birth, she didn’t see much of the hospital staff — they seemed to avoid her. No one looked to ease her despair, and she was left alone without much help to deal with her loss.

“I felt like I had a hole that needed to be filled,” she says.

As time passed and Lori Beth’s sorrow threatened to swallow her up, she felt God laying something on her heart. She was painfully aware of the lack of support for mothers in her situation and felt God leading her to do something about it.

“I didn’t want to do it at first,” Lori Beth says of creating Rachel’s Gift, the faith-based nonprofit that would emerge in 2008. “I’m more of a worker bee and not one to start something from scratch.”

But after much lost sleep and time spent arguing with God, Lori Beth knew what she was supposed to do.

She started by reaching out to other moms dealing with the loss of an infant, women who felt isolated during the grieving process. She did extensive research and connected with counselors and nurses to help understand how best to work with parents in crisis.

Four years later, Rachel’s Gift now works with seven (soon to be eight) Georgia hospitals to provide grief assistance for parents and families experiencing infant loss. It also helps train nurses and caregivers to address issues that families face while dealing with such tragic situations.

Testimony Corner: Marisa Irizarry, Class of 1986

I made the decision to accept Christ at age 7 during a Vacation Bible School program at a friend’s church. The program definitely stuck with me: I currently help lead VBS with the youth ministry team at the same church where I was saved — Quinton Baptist Church in Quinton, New Jersey.

I’ve had a heart for ministry since that young age, and I’m still amazed by the opportunities God has given me over the years. Growing up, I found many ways to show Christ’s love through community service and share His Word through visitations as a teenager.

During my junior year of high school, my youth pastor took our group to Word of Life Snow Camp. I remember watching the counselors and thinking, “If the same God lives in them that lives in me, then why am I not as happy as they are? And if this is the place where they came to become that happy and joyful, I’m coming, too, because I want what they have!”

I enrolled in the Bible Institute right out of high school and moved to Schroon Lake with that renewed faith and inspiration that can only come from a fruitful mission trip. I had spent the summer sharing the Good News in England, and I felt God calling me to do missions overseas as an adult. The Bible Institute was the first step.

During my time at the Bible Institute, I grew so much spiritually. I didn’t have a breadth of the reality of Scripture in my life during my childhood nor in my teens, but through my courses I gained a deep biblical knowledge that continues to support my decision making as I minister to youth.

My Bible studies and Quiet Time with my Savior would influence my heart and inspire me to reach out with Jesus’ hand and affect the world. I joined the Open Air Evangelism ministry and remember Jack Wyrtzen talking to us about having a vision and then doing it: “Stop praying about it, and just go do it!” So, some of my friends and I started a campus outreach. We would go to different college campuses every Monday, hand out tracts, and talk to people.

After finishing Second Year at the Bible Institute, I went to Appalachian Bible College and earned my degree in Bible and youth ministry. I met my husband, Albert Irizarry, and we wed in 1992. Albert also attended the Bible Institute, Class of 1991, before returning to Appalachian Bible to finish his degree.

We have two children: Eric, 18, and Megan, 16. Eric got his acceptance letter from Word of Life in the mail three days ago! He says he knew he was going to the Bible Institute — it was written on his birth certificate. With two alumni as parents, I guess it’s hard not to end up at Schroon Lake! Megan also plans to attend when she graduates high school.

I’m thrilled my children will have the opportunity to experience the joy I found at the Bible Institute. I got a fresh dose of that joy when I attended the 1986 class reunion. What a spiritually uplifting, encouraging, and amazing time we had together!  Although we hadn’t seen one another in 25 years, it was like we never left each other. I enjoyed such sweet fellowship with the alumni, and I know I can always call on them for prayer support.

As I shared with my former classmates at the reunion, Albert and I have been leading on the youth ministry team at our home church. We love to watch the teens grow in Christ. Our youth group has attended the Island and goes to Snow Camp every year. (Our kids won first prize in the banner competition — that place is still 48 hours of sheer energy!) We’ve also planned activities, taught Sunday School, and hosted a teen prayer group at our home on Friday nights.

Besides ministering to the youth, I have been involved in a variety of ways at Quinton Baptist Church, including missions, serving as a deaconess and church secretary, attending and leading Bible studies, and singing with the worship team. I also held director of development and event coordinator positions with Bridgeton Christian School and worked in sales at a local Christian radio station. Right now, I am a stay-at-home mom.

As I list these things, I know that God sees them, but really I just want to be known as a woman who loved God and prayed — not this or that accomplishment or title. When people remember me, I just want them to say, “She loved to pray — to talk to Jesus.” That might sound simple, but I do love to pray, and that’s what I want my legacy to be.

Victory Journal Issue 4: Online in PDF form.

If you'd like to see Issue 4 of the Victory Journal in PDF form, click here. We'll be rolling out the articles from that issue on this blog in the coming days, but you can get the full treatment of what the magazine looks via the PDF.

Reunion Report: Class of 1986

Word of Life is always welcoming alumni to come on home for a class reunion, Bible Institute visit, or conference at the Word of Life Inn. While the main event for alumni to visit each year is the Memorial Day and Founder’s Conference weekend, alumni are also invited to plan other get-togethers throughout the year. Word of Life is also willing to help alumni plan local meetings across the U.S.

If you’re interested in planning an alumni reunion, contact Wayne Lewis at waynel@wol.org. To book a spot for the Memorial Day/Founder’s Conference weekend, which includes alumni reunions for the classes of 1973, 1983, 1993 and 2003 this spring, call Dawn Wayson at (518) 532-2290.

Here’s what happened when one member of the Class of 1986 got to work on planning a reunion for his class this past spring.

By Wesley A. Yerkes

About two years ago, I received a message on Facebook from some Bible Institute classmates who wanted to get together for a reunion that year or the next. I had been to Founder’s Conference, Homecoming, and Memorial Day events at different years, and the turnout for my class had always been small — 15 to 20 people at a time, and that was the largest of any class that came.

I thought about it and responded, “Let’s wait two years until our 25-year anniversary from graduation and have the biggest class reunion they have ever had.”

I wanted to make our class reunion different. Twenty-five years is a milestone — a quarter of a century! I thought, “Let’s make this huge!”

We started with almost a year of chatter and brainstorming on Facebook, throwing out all kinds of ideas of when, where, who, and how. Then we began narrowing our options and plans. Nobody said for me to kind of take the lead on this idea, but I had one broad goal in mind: to try to get as many of my classmates together as possible in one place, at one time, to glorify God with our testimonies and praise and to encourage one another in the faith while there is still a little time left in this life.

I designed a brochure, recruited a classmate to help me with some artwork, and bounced all of our ideas off the folks at Word of Life. Things really began coming together. I gave portions of the responsibilities of contacts and music preparation to those who were willing to help, and it really became a group effort.

Along the way, I was blessed to find so many of the exciting things my classmates have done since graduation. Many have thriving ministries. Some have become authors. Several are excellent pastors of local churches. Others have become school teachers, youth pastors, missionaries, Christian counselors, or are serving in many other positions of ministry that are touching lives around the world. This one class of Bible Institute students could literally be responsible or used by God to touch the lives of and bring thousands of people, maybe even a million souls, into the family of God in just 25 years.

“Our God is in control though pressures burden the soul. His sovereign plan is a sym-phony!” were some of the lyrics to a song we sang on the Daniel Tour, and these words still ring true in my heart today. Some of my classmates have gone through incredibly difficult experiences (divorce, cancer, loss of loved ones, loss of jobs, depression, huge financial struggles, and more), and it has been my privilege and joy to share their pain and their burdens in prayer to our Heavenly Father as well as to encourage them in the midst of their suffering.

There are times that I don’t understand what God is doing, but then years later when I look back and see the big picture, I see the “touch of the Master’s hand” in composing this wonderful symphony of life. If my classmates are encouraged and strengthened in their faith because of this class reunion, and if the work of Jesus Christ is magnified through it all, then all of the investment of time and energy will be worth it.

So, I would encourage other alumni to help us “awake the giant.” Get your classmates talking and plan regional alumni events with Bible Institute faculty and staff. Encourage one another in the faith. Pray for each other and share your burdens. Then pick a milestone year and plan a huge reunion in New York, Florida, or Owen Sound to come together and rehearse all the great things that God has done. Enjoy the Word of Life experience all over again as you praise God together!

A gift of growth.

By Rhonda Nicholes
Word of Life missionary to South Korea

What would you do if a friend came to your house one evening and said, “I’m going to give you $230,000?” Well, that is exactly what happened to us this past March. As you can imagine, we were floored and at a loss for words. God had blessed a friend from church, and she wants to see the cafetorium here at the Bible Institute’s Jeju campus completed this summer.

Finishing this cafetorium will officially bring Phase 1 of the Jeju building project to a close. We have been able to run the school without it until this point by using one floor of a dorm to have classes, operating our offices out of a construction storage container, temporarily housing the kitchen in a maintenance garage, and serving meals in a greenhouse/tent structure (very hot in summer and very cold in the winter).  As you can see, this will greatly enhance the experience of students who come, make the campus much more attractive, help us recruit students, and make the program much more efficient for the staff.

We were not necessarily planning a work project this summer, but God obviously had other ideas. So, we are looking for a few more donations to bring us up to the $300,000 needed to complete the project. We also need workers — skilled and unskilled — to come and help to raise the roof between July 17 and September 17.

It will be one of the cheapest overseas short-term mission trips I know of — just the cost of a plane ticket.

The logs for the building are already on their way from Lincoln Logs in Warrensburg, New York. They should arrive around July 17. God is also sending Eugene Webster and his family back as the general contractor to oversee the project.

Anyone interested in investing his or her construction skills — carpentry, electrical, plumbing, roofing, tiling — or simply two hands is invited to help at the Bible Institute in Jeju this summer. Please contact cherylgredlein@wol.org for more information, and be praying that God will send the funds and friends needed to make this happen!

Sparks of Ministry: Q&A with Doug Reider.

One man’s journey from electrical engineer to missionary in Poland to the Bible Institute’s Owen Sound campus

On how going to school for electrical engineering led to him being called to Eastern Europe:
I had always wanted to be an engineer and was good in math and the sciences. When I graduated from high school, I was encouraged to attend Bible college but felt that I already knew the Bible, having attended Christian school and church for most of my life. But the Lord began to convict me. I knew there was more purpose for my life than designing computers. It was in my last few weeks of university that I wanted to see change. A friend suggested I consider the Bible Institute, but I didn’t want to quit my job. Then he suggested I study the Bible at the graduate school level. By the time I finished at Capital Bible Seminary, the Lord led me to be part of what He was opening up in Eastern Europe.

On coming to Word of Life:
At the time, I was an associate pastor in my home church. The senior pastor suggested I consider Word of Life as a mission board, since they were already in Eastern Europe. I worked in computer operations at the Bible Institute, and met my wife, Sue Washburn, a fellow missions-minded Christian.

On ministering in a country that went from communism to Scripture memory cards:
After the Lord supplied our financial support, we moved to Poland with our year-old son, Sam. Most of what we did the first several years was language training, but a missionary wears many hats. I got to do all kinds of things, from speaking at camp, teaching in a seminary in Warsaw, and directing Bible Clubs to doing necessary computer work, laying out the Bible Club material, and cutting out every individual memory verse card (yes, somebody has to do it!).

On helping start a brand-new Bible Institute:
A lingering medical situation took us out of Poland, but the Lord had a plan: we moved to Owen Sound, Ontario, to organize and start the English-speaking Bible Institute there.

Since all of the staff (at Owen Sound) are also missionaries, we didn’t exactly have staff and couldn’t just go hire people. They, too, had to raise support. As little as 30 days before the Bible Institute opened in 2002, I was still the only staff person working full-time. Every letter that went out, I sent, and every phone call, I answered. But with the end of summer camp that year, all hands were on deck for that fall.

On challenging times:
The 11 months before the Bible Institute opened in Owen Sound were traumatic. John MacQueen, who handled all the maintenance on property, was killed in a tractor accident on Thanksgiving Day. The very week of registration, a second staff member, Craig Watson, was killed while driving from his home to campus to speak to the students who had come early for leadership training. The Bible Institute started with much pain. As a side note, both staff members who died were from the local area. Often we think that it’s missionaries on the other side of earth that die. Sometimes it’s when they’re in their hometown.

On the Bible Institute’s first decade, which has already given birth to a new spiritual generation:
We’re now in our 10th class at the Owen Sound campus. In fact, as I write, Missions Conference is going on. It’s exciting to see how the Lord has led the alumni from past years. Last year during a Campus Days while I was teaching theology, I was struck by the thought that the four pastors sitting in the room who had brought students to that Campus Days were all former students in Owen Sound! It’s exciting when I hear from alumni who are in ministry, whether they are pastors, missionaries, or working in their home churches. God continues to do great things!