HOLDING ONTO HOPE FALL 2014 02 PRAIRIE HARVESTER Finding The Anchor MARK MAXWELL Photo by Mason Unrau PRESIDENT out. “Pay or not,” she says, “I need to be here for the kids.” When asked how terrified children respond to the alien- My earliest memories are of Africa, the land of my like appearance of medical childhood. Some are painful, but many are dear to me: workers in protective gear, she the natural beauty, the warmth of the people, the simplic- responds, “I begin to sing a ity of life. These days my heart breaks as I see a continent little song: Jesus loves the little torn apart by tribal conflict, political and religious clashes children, all the children of the and ravaging disease. Put these together with ongoing world…and pretty soon they crises elsewhere in the world and I am tempted, like start to smile.” Real hope many others, to despair. What can give us strength to results in practical love. And survive, the stamina to live, to wait for a better day? there I find reflected God’s Where can hope—the one thing we long for—be found greater love, the ultimate when trusted things are crumbling around us? gift from which nothing can I find it in my Bible where I read, “Happy is he… separate us. whose hope is in the Lord his God” (Psalm 146:5) May the stories of trust and I see that lived out in alumni like James Ngenda and perseverance in this issue (BC’89) of Liberia. In the midst of the Ebola epidemic, of the Harvester encourage he is mobilizing a prayer movement to intercede for his you to hold onto “the hope marklmaxwell @ country because “our government cannot help us. We that lies before us,” the an- need an intervention from on High.” chor of our souls. I also sense it in our students and marvel at the miracles that bring them here (p. 10). Because of COMING EVENTS them, I am encouraged to believe that God still has plans for this world. October 31-November 2 Lastly, I have hope because of love. The apostle Youth Workers Conference Paul praises “faith, hope and love” but calls love the www.prairie.edu/purelycanadian greatest, for it not only endures into eternity but gives November 14-16 meaning to everything else in life. In an overflowing “Deeper” Youth Conference treatment center in West Africa health workers risk www.prairie.edu/event/deeper2014 their lives, overworked and underpaid, wondering who March 12-13, 2015 will succumb next to the disease. With hope in short Global Connection Conference supply, the radiant smile of a local pediatric nurse stands www.prairie.edu/gcc FALL 2014 03 PAGE Cover photo Taking Jesus Home by Prairie Digital Media01 student 04Former refugee honored Mason Unrau A New Day 08 Finding hope on the prairies Songs from the Heart 14 Music for a new generation High Hopes Waiting for the harvest 16 Phil Callaway 18 “says it right” 92 YEARS YOUNG! Faculty, staff and students gathered on a beautiful autumn day to celebrate 92 years of God’s faithfulness to Prairie. Special thanks to Mike Fox, Director of Prairie School of Mission Aviation, and Paul Sankar, Digital Media student, for making this photo possible. MARK MAXWELL, PRESIDENT PAT MASSEY, EDITOR PETER MAL, MANAGING DIRECTOR – COMMUNICATIONS ELAINE MAXWELL, MANAGING DIRECTOR – DEVELOPMENT TWO 01 STUDIO, DESIGN 04 PRAIRIE HARVESTER FRONT ROW (L-R) Golden Anna (Wegner) Gutowski, Kathryn (Baer) Kline, Kathleen (Miller) Johnson, Ella (Mittelstadt) Schindel, Geraldine (Volz) Hunt Memories ROW TWO THE BIBLE COLLEGE CLASS Linda (McKerihan-Baynton) McCaw, Jeraldine (Wilkinson) OF 1964 GATHERED ON Derksen, Rita (Ryburn) Egli, Eleanor (Corey) Guderian, CAMPUS IN APRIL TO Elsa (Bromley) Henderson, Arline (Bettis) Dixon, CELEBRATE THE 50TH Fern (Pierson) Carlson, Judy Canfield ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR ROW THREE GRADUATION. IN MEMORY OF Bonnie Friesen, Elizabeth Louise “Betty Lou” (Pitman) THOSE SCHOOLMATES NOW Gibbard, Jean Sokvitne, Ione (Lutke, Rainsberger) Galat, WITH THE LORD, THE CLASS Verna Aspray, Martha Thomsen, Lois (Bromley) Hammond, DONATED $16,450 TOWARD Marla (Ochenrider) Binet, Pearl (Healey) Keib, THE UPGRADE OF PRAIRIE’S Marcia (Grove) Hadfield STUDENT COMPUTER LAB. ROW FOUR THE NEW COMPUTERS ARE John Dixon, Ron Berg, David Johnson, Al Riediger, ON CAMPUS AND WILL BE Joseph Samy, Hugh Pierson, Dick Derksen, Walt Keib, INSTALLED BY MID-OCTOBER. David Thomas WE THANK THEM FOR THEIR ROW FIVE GENEROUS CONTRIBUTION. Paul Kline, Jack Scrivens, Marshall “Dick” Chase, Phil Davis, Norm Harrison, Joe Gradin, Ron Guderian, Ken Foreman, Rodney Penner TRANSFER CREDITS Are you a recent graduate of Prairie? Have you applied to another accredited post-secondary institution since that time? Did you ask for transfer credit? If so, we would like to hear from you. Please fill in our questionnaire (www.prairie.edu/registrar). It takes just a few minutes and will help us improve transfer opportunities for past and future students. Thank you! FALL 2014 05 Taking Jesus Home FORMER REFUGEE NAMED 2014 DISTINGUISHED ALUM PRESIDENT MARK MAXWELL PRESENTS CINDY LUU WITH PRAIRIE’S DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD. Prairie has named 1992 Bible College graduate global ministry aboard the Cindy Luu as its Distinguished Alumni for 2014. Cindy OM ship Doulos. Despite grew up in a country at war and when South Vietnam the horrific memories of her fell to the Communists in 1975 her family had little childhood, Cindy chose to choice but to flee. The young teenager was crammed return to Vietnam where, for into an over-loaded fishing boat with 700 other desper- the past fourteen years, she ate refugees and sent out to sea. Pirates attacked and all has demonstrated the love aboard suffered from exposure, lack of food and con- of Christ in practical and stant fear. Cindy had no idea what had become of the creative ways. By feeding the rest of her family. Six months later, through a chance hungry, providing Christian radio broadcast at a primitive camp in Indonesia, she daycare for the children of learned their whereabouts and mother and children poor families and building were re-united in Canada. two homes for the destitute Even her new freedom, however, gave Cindy little elderly, Cindy continues to reason to live until she heard the testimony of a young reflect Jesus to the neglected student and met the Savior. In 1988 she enrolled at people of her homeland. Prairie Bible College and later spent two years in Prairie Bible Institute The Prairie Alumni Association exists to encourage connections Alumni between you and Association your school. You are invited to participate through prayer, financial investment, recruitment of new students and the promotion of Prairie in your area. For a directory of Executive Council members as well as current news visit www.prairie.edu/alumniassociation or contact us at [email protected] 06 PRAIRIE HARVESTER Family Album HARVEY JESPERSEN 1940s Jespersen, Harvey (BC’42) and his wife Elsie founded the Bethany Homes for Children in 1948, caring for close to 750 needy children over the next 43 years. Elsie PHILIPPE & ILKA FAUVEAU ED & DAYLE LAUBER passed away in 1999 and Harvey resides in Wetaski- O’Donnell, Mike (BC’70) win, AB, where he was hon- 1970s and Deanne (Phillips, ored as the 2010 Pioneer of Fauveau, Ilka (Hanke, BC’70) are now in Phila- the Year. He is 96. BC’74) and Philippe have delphia, PA, after serving been living in France for with WEC in the Middle thirty-seven years. He is East for forty-three years. a pastor and she teaches They are stepping down 1960s French literacy classes to from regional leadership Dueck, Hilda (Riediger, immigrant women, many but continue to be involved BC’67) pursued music of whom are Muslim. with the mission and re- studies, teaching and writ- Ilka is excited about the quest prayer for adjustment ing and published a novel opportunity to see God to North American living. called “An Orphan’s Song.” touch hearts. In 1982 she and Ernie took over the family farm in Phillips, Max (BC’79) and Tofield and Hilda taught Lauber, Ed (BC’74) and Tamra celebrated their school for the next twenty Dayle (Vannoy, BC’74) 50th wedding anniversary years. They are retired in joined Wycliffe Bible in August near their home Edmonton, AB, where Hilda Translators in 1975 and have in Nelliston, New York. Max continues her writing and been based throughout was a pastor with the C serves in music and leader- Africa since 1978. They have & MA. He is now retired, ship in their church. two grown sons and live works part-time as a school in Ghana where Ed is the bus driver and does pulpit Comprehensive Planning supply. Tammy enjoys car- McMindes, Dale (BC’62) and Coach for Ghana Institute ing for their grandchildren. Betty celebrated their 50th of Linguistics. wedding anniversary in May of 2014. Dale also graduat- ed from Toccoa Falls Col- FOLLOW OUR STORY lege where he taught in the School of Communications @prairiecolleges and assisted in building the original WRAF Christian SEND YOUR NEWS AND radio station operated by STORIES TO [email protected] the school. FALL 2014 07 ica, Decision Evangelistic Association, Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale and ORC. 2000s MIKE & DEANNE O’DONNELL GUILLERMO & PATRICIA NOVOA Higashi, Kensaku (BC’06) completed seminary studies in March of 2014 and is now a pastor in Chita-city. 1990s The church was planted Carlaw, Dan (HS’90, BC’94) ten years ago and they are and Marilyn (Scarrott, trusting God for a building HS’90, BC’94) moved to of their own. Ken is thankful Prince George, BC, in 2013.