Inspire, Fall 1995

Ministry At Cedarville t Cedarville College,the responsibility to minister locally and abroad is taken seriously. Seven days ofthe week you will find Cedarville students serving others, whether it be building friendships at Heathergreene Nursing Home,witnessing in downtown Cincinnati, hosting families at Ronald McDonald House,or teaching a Sunday School class in a local church. During the 1994-95 school year,churches across the United States welcomed the ministies ofseven traveling teams comprised of58 members.Cedarville College music,drama,and puppet teams visited 20 states from Florida to New England tial Illinois. In addition to weekends,spring break,and summer vacations,these students IN sacrifice an average of six practice hours weekly! The Missionary Internship Service(MIS)sent over 250students into 23foreign countries. Principles learned in the classroom were put into practice as engineering students completed projects in the Ivory Coast, education majors taught English in Hungary and Japan,and future nurses offered their skills to African mission hospitals. Many other students serve in the area of music,children's clubs,and athletics. Brandon Waltz'87,director ofcommunity ministries,shares his perspective of Cedarville College's ministry mindset— "Ministry is ALIVE at Cedarville. We provide the resources, but it is the students' energy and enthusiasm that make the ministry programs happen. We have dedicated young adults who love to minister to people in the community and around the world." CDR Listeners Respond To Worldwide Needs F or nine years,CDR Radio Network listeners have been active in providing Bibles and immediate humanitarian reliefin Russia,Somalia, Rwanda and other countries."Christians want to be good stewards of the resources God has provided,"comments General Manager Paul Gathany'63 about the network's emphasis on promoting missions and worldwide relief efforts."It's essential that we model our message by extending a helping hand to our brothers and sisters overseas." One ofthose efforts included a partnership with Susan Perry Snyder'78 of Russian Gospel Ministries.Sue coordinates relief shipments from their Elkhart,Indiana headquarters.CDR listenersjoined other believers across the country to provide basic food supplies such as rice and flour for Russian Christians in homeless shelters, hospitals, and nursing homes. Sue,who graduated from Cedarville with a degree in elementary education, also enjoys instructing and motivating children to respond to the needs ofthe world. She admits,"As a mother,my heart breaks when I think of parents in Eastern Europe who can't find clothes orfood or even a teddy bear for their kids. I have a bond with many moms that I will never meet in person,through our Lord Jesus Christ. What a great way to show God's love!" For information on how you or your church can provide clothing or other resources for Russian believers,contact Sue Snyder at: Russian Gospel Ministries 3128 Lexington Park Drive Elkhart,IN 46514 Phone:219-522-3486 Fax:219-293-1932 Sue Snyder '78and her son, Brent(6),pray faithfullyfor Russian Gospel Ministries. Brent eagerly shares his toys and clothing with needy children in Russia. Habitat For Humanity- Ministry In A Variety Of Settings Cedarville students have numerous opportunities for ministry while at Cedarville College.One particular ministry is Habitat for Humanity,led by Cindy Sutter-Tkel, assistant professor in the Department of History and Social Sciences and director ofthe College's social work program. Habitat for Humanity involves assisting needy people through building housing,providing clothes and food,and helping with general home repairs. This past school year included a work day in which the Cedarville Habitat for Humanity group traveled to Xenia,Ohio to help some elderly ladies with house painting. According to Cindy,the ladies were so happy with the work that they asked the students to come inside the houses and make some repairs. Cindy found out about the ladies' needs through a door-to-door survey that she and the students conducted earlier this year. The Cedarville Habitat for Humanity group also provides students with the opportunity to take a different kind of Spring Break.This year,the group traveled to Gainesville,Florida to construct housing for two homeless families.In 1994,the group traveled to Mexico,and to Louisiana in 1993.Each Spring Break trip involved many hours ofconstruction,as well as opportunities to share the Gospel with people in the area. Cindy shares,"People are amazed that we would travel all that way to help someone we don't even know.That presents an open door to share that it is Christ who motivates us to help others." Cedarville's Habitat for Humanity group has about fifteen members who participate on work days, which are held one Saturday each month. According to Cindy,students continue to show enthusiasm in helping others and often bring friends along to hel with a variety of projects. "Friday Night Alive" M ost people anticipate Friday night as personal time to relax and socialize. But 1985 graduate Mike Mikesell devotes his Friday evenings to the young men and women held in the Greene County Juvenile Detention Center in Xenia,Ohio.Being involved in the Ohio Veteran Children's Home ministry at Cedarville College encouraged Mike's burden for teenagers. "Friday Night Alive,"a volunteer program begun four years ago,reaches these troubled teens through group activities and personal interaction. Because only a handful of teenagers remain in the detention center from week to week,each Friday offers a fresh circle ofhurting young people. After an icebreaker activity, a volunteer shares a personal testimony or brings a devotional. In one session,teens were captivated by 1989 Cedarville graduate Marty Larson, who shared how God saved and changed him from a life of drug and alcohol use. While decisions for Christ have been made,Mike says one burden remains constant—"Once God saves these young people,the greatest struggle is helping them continuationfrom cover story Continuing to Minister Tammi Danec Maloney'80N hen the phone rings at 5:30 a.m., it means one thing—a client crisis. My husband Vance,a counseling psychologist and professor,often receives calls from stressed clients at unconventional hours.So when the phone rang early one Saturday morning,I tried to ignore the conversation. We had been praying since my return from Albania about the possibility of bringing one ofthe older girls from the orphanage to America on a student visa. After many phone calls, talking to the local school district, and seeking advice from government officials, we finally completed all ofthe forms and letters necessary to request a student visa. Prayerfully, we mailed the packet of papers,hoping it would arrive at the Hope for the World offices in Albania. We began preparing our children for the possibility ofadding to our family. Their excitement caused my hopes to soar, and I dreamed ofsharing first experiences with a new family member...swimming pools, pizza, parks,Christmases,grocery stores, movies,a zoo,amusement parks, McDonalds,and the mall! My husband,on the other, hand,attempted to keep this in perspective. We had' heard that the possibility of, bringing an Albanian teenager to the States does not often turn into reality. Each day we committed the situation to God.The package offorms had not arrived in Albania two weeks after we mailed them. But God was in control! The U.S.Embassy in Albania granted a student visa five days after receiving the paperwork. After shaking me into semi-consciousness that Saturday morning, Vance mouthed the word Kola. His big grin and thumbs-up told me that God had given us a"YES"to our prayers. Dhurata Kola,a 17-year old Albanian orphan would come to live with our family in September of 1994,just afew months after my sister and I returned from the summer missions trip. I began a mental list of who I would call to share this incredible news. After all, it was almost6a.m. Isn't everyone awake by then? Vance '79and TammiDanec Maloney '80N live in Upland,Indiana with their .four children—Brendan(14), Erin (11), Ryan(6), and Nicholas(3)—and Dhurata Kola. Sisters Robbin Danec DeMeester '85N& Tammi Danec Maloney '80N share their love with Dhurata Kola,a 17-year-old Albanian orphan. After returningfrom their trip to Albania in 1994, Robbin and Tammi continued to prayfor the many children they met and built relationships with. From Tammi's story, you read that their ministry continued with Kola asshe came to the United States to live with the Maloneyfamily. Kola is enrolled asajunior in igh school thisfall and can remain in the U.S. with the Maloneys as long as she a student. Robbin and Tammicontinued their ministry evenfurther, as they raveled back to Albania this summer to work with the same orphanages. This enabled the sisters to continue building relationships with children they had worked with during the summer of1994. A lovefor Albania and her people has blossomed into a.family affair. Vance Maloney '79led a group ofcollege students on a recent trip to work in the University, and Erin Maloney(11), wants to visit Albania with her mom and Aunt Robbin on a summer trip. Both Tammi and Robbin cite their Cedarville MISand traveling ministry experiences as an influencefor continuing to minister on these short-term missions trips to Albania.