evening,she called her husband,
Ted,and asked for prayer for
herself and for me.
I have also been told how
students, now alumni, were so
faithful during those days in the
Intensive Care Unit. They stood by
the hour, watched over me,prayed
for me,and ministered to my
family and friends. During those
critical days,I was never left alone
because ofthe faithfulness of my
family,the faculty, alumni,nursing
students, and my church family.
As I recall what I have been told
about those days,it brings me great
joy to have been the recipient of
such loving care.
During those next weeks at a
rehabilitation center as I continued
my struggle for complete recovery,
the faithfulness of God's people
continued. Eventually I was well
enough to be home.In a couple of
days after arriving home,I went to
the office and discovered that I had
262 e-mail messages. Many of
those messages were from alumni.
These messages,and ones that I
currently receive,encourage me to
keep on towards the goal of
complete recovery and a return to
the ministries I had prior to my
accident.
This is now my second year full-
time teaching at the College since
my injuries! Being a nursing
educator and having been a critical
care head nurse makes me realize
just how much ofa miracle God
has performed. It would not have
happened without the power of
14 Spring
prayer!I am so thankful to give
glory to God and demonstrate my
gratefulness to our alumni for
consistent prayers for me.To put it
simply,I am in awe as I realize the
miracle of my recovery,and I am
aware that God still has a purpose
for me to fulfill on this earth.
Many ask me what my current
health status is, so I will give you
an update.I teach full-time not only
at the College, but also at
Children's Medical Center. Initially
my memory was affected as a result
of my brain injury, but I am
thankful that as soon as I arrived
home from the hospital, the return
of my memory was "accelerated."
It is a miracle that I am walking
Iam so appreciative of
your continued
prayers—withoutthem,
Iwould not be doing
whatIam doing today!
because of my sacral and pelvic
fractures. YetI have no pain!
The predominant symptom that I
still have is fatigue. Many times I
feel like I have been awake for
three days and nights, havejust
fallen sound asleep, and am
suddenly awakened and told that I
have to go to work! But my
physician gently reminds me that it
has only been a little more than two
years since my accident, and my
energy level will improve!
The progress that I see is that as I
continue to do more,my fatigue
does not get worse.Again,
I am so appreciative of your
continued prayers—withoutthem,
I would not be doing what I am
doing today!
My heart is truly blessed to have
had so many Cedarville College
alumni visit me and pray for me.
I continue to anticipate future times
when our alumni "revisit"
Cedarville and am eager to see
each of you and learn about what
God is teaching you.In the
meantime,let each of us follow
Hebrews 10:23-24:"Let us hold
unswervingly to the hope we
profess,for he who promised is
faithful. And let us consider how
we may spur one another on toward
love and good deeds"(NIV).
In summary, while I would never
have chosen this to happen in my
life,I am again reminded that my
goal is still the same as before the
accident—to bring glory to God in
everything I do. Let's each commit
ourselves to that goal!
With such witnesses serving as
role models at Cedarville College,
it is no wonder that God has
blessed the department ofnursing.
Since it inception in 1981, the
department has grownfrom 30
students to 250students. It is
anticipated that54 students will
graduate in June of2000.
Dr Baker says that this growth is
a combination ofthreefactors:
"God's blessing, the godly
leadership ofDepartment Chair
Dr Irene Alyn, and the excellent
faculty who servefaithfully."
Thefuturefor the nursing
program is promising. According to
Dr Alyn, "There will be continued
emphasis on growth in godliness
through programmed character
building andpaying careful
attention to our mission—providing
an education based upon biblical
truth so that graduates ofthe BSN
program can engage in nursing
practice as a ministryfor Christ."
The nursingfaculty is also eager to
initiate a graduate program in
community health nursing with
minors in cross-cultural nursing
and congregational ministries, and
they plan to expand the Wellness
Center to include health services
for Cedarville Collegefaculty/staff
and theirfamilies.
