Cedarville Magazine Fall 2019

HEART, ATTITUDE, ACTIONS For Suzanne Lefever, Assistant Dean and Associate Professor of Nursing, building into her students’ lives comes naturally. “I don’t do anything big,” she said. “I just make an attempt to connect to them in little ways.” Some students she meets with regularly, while others stop in to talk as they need her. “My students know they can come to me at any time,” she explained. “I am here for the students, to love on them, and I pray that through our interactions, they see a bit of the love of Jesus. I want to point them to Jesus through my heart, attitude, and actions.” For Hannah First ’ 20 , Lefever has made a profound difference in her time as a nursing student at Cedarville. “She has been one of the biggest blessings in my time at Cedarville,” First said. Lefever has provided First with rides to the airport, overnight lodging during breaks, and a shoulder to cry on when needed, but her greatest gift has been pointing First to Jesus. “She has reminded me over and over that my identity is in Christ and that my purpose as a nurse is glorifying Him,” First shared. “I am forever thankful that the Lord is loving in how He blesses us with others.” THE GRANDFATHER HE NEVER HAD Sometimes, the best relationships just happen. Bob Parr, Senior Professor of Sociology, was guest lecturing in a criminal justice class, speaking on family relationships, when Marquise Jones ’ 22 approached him after class. “I know nothing about being a father,” Jones told him. And so began the unlikely friendship between a professor entering his 40th year of teaching and a college freshman, a relationship that Parr readily admits has changed him as much as it has helped Jones. The two get together often, sometimes with Jones just stopping by Parr’s office to chat, or through regular events like church and Sunday lunch with Parr and his wife, Kathy ’ 94 , or family game nights. The Parrs have welcomed Jones into their home, and their hearts. “We just share life,” Parr said. Jones considers Parr like a grandfather he never really had. “I always wanted a relationship with an older man, especially a believer,” Jones shared, “but I didn’t know how to get one. I have that now.” For Jones, Parr is teaching him what it means to be a godly husband and father. “I grew up in a culture of fatherlessness,” Jones explained. “I want to be a good husband and father someday.” As the two spend time together, Jones is learning as much from Parr’s godly example as he is from his wise words. “When I graduate, we’ll have four years of memories,” Jones said. “He’s made a big impact on my life.” CU MOM If Lynn Roper, Assistant Professor of Special Education, is falling behind in her work, it’s probably because she’s been spending time with a student. “I will never turn away a student,” she explained, “even if I’m busy. My heart’s desire is to pour into my students.” She and her husband don’t have children, but she considers her students her kids. “I always thought I’d have kids,” she said. “God met that desire in a different way.” Some of her students even call her their “CU Mom.” She spends countless hours with students getting to know them on a personal level, so eventually they are comfortable coming to her with deeper, spiritual issues. One of those students, Amanda Davis ’ 20 , assumed her interaction with her advisor would be strictly academic when she came to Cedarville as a transfer student. Instead, she encountered a professor — Roper — who deeply cared for her as a person, and especially her walk with Jesus. The two meet regularly to discuss Davis’ academic progress, but “also to keep me accountable to some things I wanted to work on in my personal walk with Christ.” Davis has found Roper to be a place of refuge during personal struggles. “She has always been there for me to talk through things with, and she always words things in a way I can understand,” Davis shared. “I am so blessed to have Dr. Roper in my life, not just as an academic advisor but as a life mentor and sister in Christ!” IMMEDIATE IMPACT For several years, Patrick Dudenhofer ’ 04 , Assistant Professor of Computer Science, felt frustrated after Getting Started Weekend that he wasn’t able to stay in close touch with his freshmen advisees. “I would spend time with them that first week,” he explained, “but then I wouldn’t see I will never turn away a student, even if I’m busy. My heart’s desire is to pour into my students. Cedarville Magazine | 15