Alumni news.

Here's what a few of your classmates have been up to. Send your news to alumni@wol.org.

1970s

Bruce Compton (’75) has served 30 years with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey.

Melanie Bennett (’78) is a reading specialist serving at community centers in inner-city Lansing, Michigan.

Caroline (Sims) Jones (’76) graduated with a degree in Biblical Counseling from Christian Heritage College, where she met her husband, a Navy captain. They have four daughters, whom she homeschooled from start to finish. One is a senior and another graduated from the Bible Institute last year.

Linda (Klump) Moser (’76) works in the kitchen of a local school. She and her husband are very involved with college-age adults at their church. Her youngest song graduated from the Bible Institute in 2010.

Sylinda (Birchard) Alfred (’78) homeschools her children. Four of the five have graduated. She is a leader in a homeschool support group.

Linda (Ramsey) Wollbrink (’79) is teaching at the Lynchburg General Hospital School of Nursing. She and her husband, Larry, have two sons, Joe (19) and Chris (17).

Margaret Heffner (’79) is a member at Hyland Heights Baptist Church, where she is involved in the choir, the baptism ministry, welcome ministry, and living cross ministry. She works as a hospital service coordinator for Medical Associates of Central Virginia. She has three children (Daniel Pausl, David Heve, and Ella Elizabeth).

1980s

Daryl Swartley (’80) is a church planter and pastor.

Elizabeth Dalenberg (’81) is a teacher at Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchurg, Virginia. She taught Michael Rocco, who is the starting quarterback for the University of Virginia Cavaliers. He nominated Elizabeth to receive the UVA “Heroes in Education” Award, and she received the honor when Virginia hosted Penn State in September.

John Knaus (’81) is a Discipleship in Action leader. He gardens and runs food services for Central Virginia Community College.

Jane (Snyder) Ortendahl (’82) is married and has four children. She attends Grace Point Church in Newton, Pennsylvania, and works as a real estate agent.

David Winch (’82) has been a full-time police officer for 22 years and a  youth pastor for 31 years.

Martha (Perry) Walker (’82) is completing her master’s degree in nursing.

Randy Richardson (’83) is a builder in Michigan and works with the youth ministry at his local church.

Dorinda (Murray) Phillips (’84) is working full-time for Word of Life’s Local Church Ministries while raising her 9-year-old great niece with her husband, Scott (’84). Scott owns and operates Adirondack Log Works in Schroon Lake, New York, and works with the junior high Word of Life Clubs program at Mountainside Bible Chapel. Dori works with the Word of Life Gopher Buddies at Mountainside.

Hope Compton (’84) is working at Bethel Baptist Church in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

Dave Eger (’86, ’88) has been an area missionary with Word of Life since 1988. He and his wife, Anita (Scott) Eger (’86), have two children, Brandon and Emily. Brandon is in second year in New York now after doing first year in Florida.

John Lingelbach (’88) will soon retire from the United States Air Force and would like to teach at a Bible college.

Kimberly Lingelbach (’88) runs a home day care and runs in marathons.

Ruth (Rozelle) Adams (’88) is a nursery coordinator at her church. She is taking care of her husband, three boys, and a small hobby farm. She enjoys scrapbooking.

Tom Boyd (’89) is serving the Lord in prayer group, Bible Studies, and more. He has been married for 22 years and has two children.

Jason Shugar (’89) is arried to Lynn and has two children, Sarah and Jack. He is a classroom teacher, loves horseback riding, and plays guitar on the worship team at church.

1990s

William Rose (’90) is a missionary with World Baptist Fellowship in Spain.

Jonathan Bunyan (’91) is part of the ministry team at Star 88.3, a radio station in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He Encourages everyone to put God first in everything, whether good or bad.

Elizabeth (Whynacht) Guiles (’91) is a stay-at-home mom. She is involved in ministry at her church with her husband and in a local Child Evangelism Fellowship Good News club.

Ted Whitney (’91, ’92) teaches a new believers class at his church. He recently started a new job at Liberty University overseeing online communities.
 
Jodi Rabquer (’92) homeschools her two boys. She says she is getting them ready for the Bible Institute. She volunteers at a local youth center and would love to have a class reunion! 

Melissa (Smith) Gibson (’93) is a missionary to Portugal with the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism.

James Harvey (’93) has been a missionary with Open Air Evangelism with Word of Life for the past seven years.

Christopher Roth (’94) is working at Sunshine Growers Inc. in Lakeland, Florida. His two children attended the Ranch this past summer.

Bonnie (Low) Coello (’95) married Eddie Coello in 2002 and is a first-grade teacher in Amherst County, Virginia.

Tracey Fox (’95) is teaching at Faith Christian Academy in Hurt, Virginia. The Bible Institute came for a school capel, and she would like them to come again.

James Lane (’95) is a senior chaplain in Painesville, Ohio, and is working on a doctorate in Ministry at Baptist Bible Seminary. He has five wonderful children: Susanne (23), James (21), Sarah (18), Rachel (13), and Rebekah (10).

Andrea (Miller) Barnard (’96) has worked at Lake City Bank as an expert float for the past 14 years. She loves to spend time with her family and encourages other alumni to continue holding forth the Word of Life.

Caroline Cahoon (’99, ’00) graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Theatre from Cornerstone University in 2003. She is working as an art director and adjunct instructor of advertising at the university. She is also involved in theater at the university and in the community.

Katie (Westcomb) De La Cruz (’99, ’00) married Eliud De La Cruz on May 19, 2012. In June 2012, they were accepted as missionaries with Word of Life to Guatemala and Belize.

2000s

Robert DeWitt (’00) is the senior pastor at Dalton Baptist Church in Muskegon, Michigan, where many adults do the Word Life Quiet Time.

Amy Harmer (’00) is working in bone marrow research at Indiana University Health Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Larry Berna (’00, ’01) is a pastor at Merriam Christian Chapel in Albion, Indiana. He is interested in missions. Jeremiah 33:3 is his life verse.

Austin Green (’01, ’02) is a fundraising consultant for Christian schools and church groups.

Teresa (Davis) Green (’01, ’02) is a freelance writer.

Hannah Halsey (’02) is a teacher and caseworker at a school that works with children who have been abused or neglected.

Kendra Jenkins (’04) is the office manager of the Business Intelligence Office at Liberty University. She is heavily involved with a missions organization in Kazakhstan and is involved in her local church’s worship team.

Christopher Bowles (’05) is a youth pastor and an ordained minister. He is pursuing his masters in Global Apologetics at Arlington Baptist College in Texas.

John Turner (’06, ’07) is a youth leader and is pursuing a teaching career.

Beth (Lundin) and Dustan Horst (’08) are Word of Life area missionaries in Southern Ohio. They are having their first child in March. They would love to connect with you and your church to see how they can partner with your ministry.

Jarod Burrer (’08) is the director of public relations at Appalachian Bible College.

Zachariah Canfield (’09) is a senior at Liberty University.

2010s

Kathryn Anderson (’10) misses Word of Life so much that she’s having withdrawals from not being there. She says that Word of Life taught her to grow in her walk with the Lord and made her see things that she had never seen before. Her year made her realize how important it is that she be in God’s Word daily.

Samuel Speck (’10) is studying church planting at Moody Bible Institute.

Eric Feenaughty (’10) is working at Tampa General Hospital in Florida in the Information Technology Department as a technology support associate. He and his wife, Jessie (Strout) (’08, ’09) have recently become members at South Tampa Fellowship and are looking forward to being involved in the ministry there.

Cody Armstrong (’11) is studying athletic training at Liberty University.

Jesse Nester (’11) is styduing aviation at Liberty University.

Richard Barclay (’12) is a small business owner. He still considers his year at the Bible Institute as one of the best of his life.
 
Andrea Sheldon (’12) works at First Baptist Church in Jamestown.

The Second Generation.

To read about each person featured in this cover story, scroll to the bottom of this post.

“His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.” (Luke 1:50)

The Bible is filled with generations.

Hidden within the many genealogies and stories of parents and children is a two-fold purpose. People are called not only to follow God’s direction for their lives but also to pass on the Truth they learn to those who come behind them.

Abraham was given a promise, and Isaac and Jacob carried it until the nation of Israel formed. David was told by God that he was just generations away from seeing a Savior come from his line. The Israelites, for years and years, watched their children.

In the Bible, one generation is measured as 40 years. That same time frame — 40 years — also marked momentous eras in Jewish history, most notably the wandering in the desert, when an entire generation died away after dismissing God’s hope for entering a new land.

The lesson to be learned is that one generation can fail to continue what has come before — or one generation can turn away from unbelief and forge ahead by God’s leading.

But the best stories of generations in the Bible are those of blessing, where parents train their children according to sound teaching. One generation rises up to follow God, and their children rise up as well.

Last year marked the 40th anniversary of the Word of Life Bible Institute’s founding, meaning the school is officially in its second generation. For years, parents have been sending their children to Schroon Lake, Hudson, Owen Sound, or now Jeju Island. But in recent years, many of those parents aren’t just sending their kids to a school they heard was great. They are pointing their children to the campuses that once changed their own lives.

We’ve rounded up a few students attending the Bible Institute this year who have parents who are alumni — as well as some of the alumni who encouraged their children to go to Word of Life — and asked them to describe why they made the choice to come to the Bible Institute and what it has meant to them. Not surprisingly, many of the alumni whose children are now studying in the same system that began 40 years ago have fond memories of when they first came, and they can affirm why they wanted their children to follow.

These are just a few of their stories. We would love to tell more, and to hear from any alumni about their experiences at the Bible Institute and beyond.

But, most of all, we want to celebrate a new generation following Christ, as the generation before, which pursued truth and God’s guidance. May we all see another fruitful 40 years.

• John and Kimberly (Neve) Lingelbach; Taylor Lingelbach
• Debbie (Baker) Hobbs; John Hobbs, Julie Anne Hobbs
• Ruth (Nazarian) Zaharek; Michelle Zaharek
• Valerie J. (Schrack) Donley-Mure; Joanna Donley, Jay van den Akker
• Anne (Halbert) Wieder; Brad Wieder
• Kimberly Easton; Lake Alexandria Whitehead
• Kimberly Grocott
• Ryan Williamson; Kirsten Williamson
• Ben Knaus
• Wesley Monzon

If you want to share the story of where your life has gone since the Bible Institute, email alumni@wol.org, mikebush@wol.org, waynel@wol.org, or jenslothower@wol.org. You can also visit wolvictoryjournal.blogspot.com.

The Second Generation: Wesley John Monzon

I decided to study at the Bible Institute because of the way my dad lived his life after his year at the Bible Institute in Brazil. God showed him what He wanted him to do with his life, and I really want God to show me what to do.

Since I have been at the Bible Institute, God has taught me a lot about humility and really trusting Him with everything, especially my future.

My dad always told me, “Go to the Bible Institute. It’s the best decision you can make. God will show you through this year what He wants you to do with your life, and He will use you in many ways.”

I really hope God will use me in the area of being an example and being able to stand up for my faith. I hope He will point me in the right direction always.

For more second generation stories, click here.

The Second Generation: Ben Knaus

I love the Word of Life program. My church in Lynchburg, Virginia, had always used Word of Life’s books for youth, and that is how I first heard of the school. But two other factors also influenced me to go to the Bible Institute.

The first was my father. I have had the unusual pleasure of growing up with a dad who knew his theology and always had a ready answer for all the questions I had. He learned a lot of what he knew from personal study, but he always gave credit to Word of Life for helping set that fire in him.

The second reason is because of my friends. In Lynchburg, the home of Liberty University, I got to observe thousands of college-age Christians. The students from Word of Life campuses always showed more integrity and passion for ministry. I wanted to have a testimony like theirs.

I want to give credit to my mom and dad for helping me get here. Without their encouragement, advice, time, and prayer I do not know if I could have done it … or could do it.

For more second generation stories, click here.

The Second Generation: Ryan Williamson

I came to the Bible Institute in my mid-20s as a married student when my daughter, Kirsten, who is now a Bible Institute student in Florida, was only three months old. I already had a college degree, but I wanted to spend a year immersed in the Word of God so I could grow more and prepare to serve the Lord.

Following my time at the Bible Institute, I served with Word of Life Local Church ministries in Indiana.  My training at Word of Life equipped me to be a lifelong student of the Word and to be active in ministry. Our children have known from an early age that their college career will begin at a Bible Institute, no matter what career path they choose. The year or more they spend immersed in the life-changing Word of God is a foundation for lifetime growth and service that is hard to duplicate anywhere else.

Click here to read about Ryan’s daughter, Kirsten, Class of 2013

For more second generation stories, click here.

The Second Generation: Kirsten Williamson

As a daughter of a Word of Life staff member and Bible Institute graduate, I grew up knowing I would go to the Bible Institute. People used to joke with me that there’s an unwritten rule about staff kids having to go to the Bible Institute, and I hated that. I used to be set against coming to the Bible Institute — and I didn’t have a reason other than wanting to do the exact opposite of what everyone expected me to. I remember having many different conversations with my mom about coming to the Bible Institute, and she explained the importance of being grounded in the Word before I went out into the “real world.”

When I was 14, I went to Missions Conference, and I’ll never forget the last night. After seeing the students’ passion for what they were learning and how the Lord had worked in their lives that weekend, I knew the Bible Institute was a special place, and I couldn’t wait to graduate to go!

I wanted to take a couple of years to really focus on growing deeper in my relationship with the Lord and to study the Word intensively. I’m convinced there’s no better place to do that than at Word of Life! I am so excited to be in a place that limits distractions and really encourages growth.

I am so thankful that God has been faithfully stretching and strengthening me this year. Right now, He’s teaching me the importance of trusting Him in every situation and waiting patiently on His perfect timing. I cannot wait to look back at all He has done in and through our class on graduation day.

Click here to read about Kirsten’s dad, Ryan, Class of 1995

For more second generation stories, click here.

The Second Generation: Kimberly Grocott

Both of my parents went to the Bible Institute, and they played a big part in my decision to come. They were constantly telling me how the Bible Institute helped them develop a deeper relationship with God. My dad said that setting aside one year to focus on building a better relationship with God would be well worth it and would change my life. Today, I am so thankful for the love they have for Christ, and that they strongly encouraged me to come to Word of Life. I have learned so much about God’s unconditional love, His forgiveness, the need to trust fully in Him, and the importance of being in His Word every day.

For more second generation stories, click here.