Inspire, Spring 2011

Steadfast in Ministry It’s impossible to imagine Cedarville’s nursing program without Dr. Irene Alyn. Her vision and influence shaped the department from 1981 until she retired in 2007 from her post as department chair. One of her most life-changing experiences at Cedarville was serving alongside faculty and students in Togo, West Africa. Dr. Alyn played a key role in establishing this cross-cultural nursing partnership, now in its 20th year. For 10 months of the year, Dr. Alyn retreats to her 100-acre farm in the heart of Amish country in Pennsylvania. She hasn’t quite given up modern comforts, although she has come to appreciate her Amish neighbors’ lifestyle of simplicity. She loves her modest and functional home, where she hosted more than 60 relatives and friends for Thanksgiving dinner last year. Leaving Cedarville wasn’t easy, but one of her greatest joys in moving closer to family is having time to spend with them. She especially enjoys when her grandchildren visit. Believing our time is short, Dr. Alyn burns with a passion to share the love of Christ with everyone she meets. Her Amish friends are among those she desires to reach, and she holds a Bible club every summer for their children. They value her presence — even with all of her modern conveniences. One neighbor showed his appreciation by plowing her driveway using horses and railroad ties to clear a path for her car after a snowstorm. Dr. Alyn is looking forward to her next ministry in Togo this summer with a team of nursing students. “It’s a joy to see this ministry thrive,” she said. She considers herself truly blessed to see her legacy live on in the hundreds of nursing graduates representing Christ around the world. You may contact Dr. Alyn at alyni@cedarville.edu . Where Are They Now? facul ty voi ce program, we expanded our nursing curriculum in 1997 to include a minor in cross-cultural nursing. Cedarville nursing teams in Togo work alongside national nurses to provide care. This is a challenge because the nurses and patients know little or no English, so we rely on nonverbal communication and translators. French is the official language in Togo, but there are also more than 40 tribal languages. One of the most common tribal languages is Ewe, a tonal language, so learning to speak it is a trial-and-error process. Practicing Service Last year, I was practicing common greetings with a Togolese nurse, who is also fluent in English. “Dr. Baker,” he said, “your Ewe is very good.” It had only taken me 17 years to get the tones correct for common greetings! Evangelism in this context is only possible because of hospital chaplains, who are proficient in the common tribal languages and God’s Word. They translate as Cedarville students share the plan of salvation with their patients. In hospital wards, clinics, and operating rooms, our teams encounter patients with a variety of diseases rarely seen in America, including malaria, tetanus, typhoid fever, and other tropical illnesses. Many are critically ill, requiring immediate and aggressive assessment and treatment. Despite limited resources, HBB doctors and nurses provide excellent care, resulting in remarkable patient outcomes. When they aren’t in the hospital, the Cedarville teams participate in mobile medical ministries in remote villages, lead Kids Club for 200 Togolese children, and assist the ABWE missionaries with various projects. Students experience the Togolese culture by visiting the home of a Togolese nurse in a local village. We pound fufu, a staple food resembling mashed potatoes, and then we enjoy an authentic Togolese meal. We also tour a midwifery clinic owned and operated by Philomena, a Togolese midwife. Faculty members who join the team each year teach college-level nursing material through translators in the nursing school. And together, we all experience the joy of worshipping with Togolese Christians in the village churches. We leave humbled by the spiritual maturity of these believers who live in the midst of poverty and disease. Leaving Changed Students come home from this ministry forever changed. And as a result of the many people who have made this ministry possible through prayers and financial gifts, I have seen God use this experience to call laborers to His harvest. Faculty members and graduates of Cedarville’s B.S.N. program are now serving as career missionaries on every continent throughout the world — and for many, the journey to a life of missions began in Togo. Dr. Lois K. Baker, RN, serves as senior professor of nursing and has taught at Cedarville since 1984. She holds a B.S.N. from Nazareth College, an M.S.N. from the University of Cincinnati, and a Ph.D. from Wayne State University. She has accompanied more than 100 Cedarville students on nursing missions trips to Togo, and she directs the cross-cultural nursing minor in Cedarville’s B.S.N. program. You may contact her at bakerl@cedarville.edu . Ê Ê Ê Ê