Inspire, Winter 1992

Alan McCain'86 hasjoined the Cedarville College staff as computer information coordinator in the computer services department. With the installation of the campuswide computer network which includes personal computers in Printy and Lawlor dorm rooms, Alan finds his position a challenge. Alan was previously employed as a computer programmer with Trinity Divinity Schools. Alumni Pro le The average annual gift given by each contributing alumnus totals $41.98. Thirty-six percent of Cedarville College alumni give to the school,almost 12% over the national average of alumni who give to their alma mater. Thanks to the many faithful alumni who include Cedarville with their contributions of $5to $10each month. _Joni Features Brian Blair F; or several years CDR announcer Brian Blair 83 has introduced Joni Eareckson Tada's "Joni and Friends" program over the CDR Radio Network.On her July 27 broadcast, Joni introduced Brian to her listeners nationwide."Brian has demonstrated that a person's visual disability does not have to curtail serving the Lord," she said. Brian has been blind since birth, but he is quick to share how the Lord has blessed and gifted him in many ways. Brian praises the Lord for allowing him to use his love of music and his lifelong interest in radio at CDR.For the last eight years he has served as announcer,music hostfor"The Morning Sound" program,and now as assistant operations director. Brian manages the station by himselffor several hours each day. He uses braille to write news and weather announcements and to label music tapes."What other people see on a computer screen,I hear through a voice synthesizer," he says."I can select a song title from more than 13,000 entries on my computer and load it into the station system in less than a second." Since radio is a hearing medium,it has been an important part of Brian's life. Christian radio planted the seeds of his salvation."I used to listen to the children's programs and Christian drama,so I knew about God and the gospel," Brian recalls. He was saved while he was in high school, following a period of rebellion and searching for answers to life. "When I finally turned my life over to the Lord, nothing happened right away," Brian says."A few weeks later the Lord confirmed His Word by changing my desires and goals." Brian enrolled at Cedarville College,and his advisor, Dr.Jim Phipps'68,encouraged him to major in broadcasting.The Ohio Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired helped with textbooks and partial tuition. Following graduation,Brian worked for a Dayton company,reading newspapers over the radio to the blind. In 1984 hejoined CDR as a radio announcer.He learned to operate the station, and Sightless Children's Club,a support group for the blind, provided his laptop computer. Brian met his wife Laurie(Wagner'87)at Cedarville, and on their first date she twirped him to a band concert. They married in 1988 and have two children, Nathaniel, 3,and Gabrielle, 1. Brian's interests rather than his disability dictate his activities. He uses a cane and travels independently. "When I worked in Dayton," he says,"I rode buses and learned to transfer. For two summers during college I had a factoryjob,assembling parts for labeling guns." As a youngster,he was a Boy Scout and passed all the swimming requirements for his lifeguard certificate. A high school counselor discouraged him from being in the marching band,but Brian was on the school wrestling teams.In college he especially enjoyed a rock climbing class. Hejogs,hikes,and rides a tandem bike with Laurie and the children. He is a ham radio operator and plays the piano occasionally at his church where he also serves on the evangelism committee. Brian tries to encourage others with disabilities with his life, his ministry, and his words oftestimony over CDR. As Joni Tada concluded her broadcast about Brian,she commented on the phrase,"the love ofChrist constrains us"(2Corinthians 5:14). She said,"The word 'constrain' conveys the idea of pressing in in order to pressforward. God can take our limitations and turn them into the very thing that propels us miles ahead." Brian Blair has allowed the Lord to mold his disability with his gifts and interests into a ministry ofencouragement that is "miles ahead"of what Brian or anyone else would have thought possible. Hospice Nurse Ministers In ilhiopia or six weeks in the fall of 1991,the remote village of Awanno,Ethiopia, was home to hospice nurse Joan Reiter Cochran'62 and her husband, Chuck. Awanno consists ofa small cluster of grass-roofed huts and one central water spout. Joan and Chuckjoined a team working under the Sudan Interior Mission.The team's goal in Awanno was to build a residence for a veterinarian, a feat which was accomplished in two weeks.Joan assisted at the medical clinic sponsored by the mission by preparing medicine for distribution at the clinic, where 75 to 160 people are seen daily. "One day a man came in with a swollen leg. He had walked four days to get to our clinic. It's incredible to think ofthat!" Joan comments,as she describes her work. "Another day,an eighteen year old was brought in on a stretcher made oftwo long poles and banana leaves. He was so ill that I'm sure he would have died in afew hours. They treated him for meningitis and tetanus and two days later he walked out and rode a donkey home."Joan encountered patients with other diseases,such as tuberculosis ofthe bone and the internal organs. Ethiopia, which traces its civilization to the days of King Solomon,has had a tumultuous twentieth century. A coup which overthrew the communist regime in 1991 has resurrected buried tribal antagonisms."The country is really tense politically." Joan states."We felt safe because we didn't know all that was going on.In the United States we take our everyday freedoms so much for granted. As a Christian,I believe there is another kind offreedom that comesfrom faith and from knowing that we have a purpose in this life. When people's hearts change,everything else begins to change as well. I saw this in small ways in the people who came to the mission. They began to feel better about themselves and so they took better care ofthemselves. They were more cheerful,took their medicine,paid attention to personal hygiene." Is this a one-time experience for Joan?"We will probably try somewhere else, maybe Haiti," Joan adds. "I look forward to other opportunities to give someday!" 6 Winter'92 Learning For it Lifetime r. Robert Foreman '77 has shown students and faculty at Pasadena City College that caring is active as well as passive. Dr.Foreman teaches English at the California college. However,he does much more than teach facts to his students; he gives them a listening ear and a compassionate heart. Bob is reaching out to many students who are drifting aimlessly through life. He has counseled rape victims, potential drop-outs,students with domestic problems,and even students living out ofcars. He says,"I am constantly asking God to guide me in all that I do and to give me strength to do it. I leave all my decisions to the Lord." He declares that there are always creative methods of bringing God's truth to the classroom.He finds this is especially easy to do in literature classes because students frequently ask questions concerning religion. Dr.Foreman also teaches a course called Race& Religion in Literature&Society in which he instructs students how to understand and accept one another. He helps them learn to break down barriers ofrace and color and to live harmoniously in a multicultural society. One of his assignments for the students has focused on the prejudice against the elderly.To understand and combat their discrimination,the class proposed visiting area nursing homes to talk to senior citizens. His teaching methods have caused many students to ask about his beliefs and what makes him different. Bob makes himself available to students outside the classroom as well. He is involved in some ofthe support resources thatPCC offers. As part ofthe mentoring program,he helps students learn how to better manage their time,take notes, and study for exams. He is anticipating the Semester Abroad Program in the spring of 1993 when he will teach at Oxford University for a nine-week period. Bob is excited about the opportunity to share and to experience the English culture. Dr.Foreman has no inclination to move into administration. He desires to stay in the classroom.He fervently states,"Where the students are is where my heartbeat is and where God wants me to be. I feel for these students." Bob believes that his caring spirit really developed while he was a communication arts major at Cedarville College.He was extremely impressed by the friendliness ofthe students and faculty,and he believes that Cedarville College surpasses Disneyland's claim as"the friendliest place in the world."Two faculty members,Dr. Dan Wetzel, affectionately known to Bob as"Dad,"and Dr.James Phipps have had a strong influence in his life. They have a genuine interest in him and have always provided a listening ear. Bob stills keeps in touch with them. Bob is a steward of his time and talents for Cedarville College. A member ofthe Alumni Council, he also is a motivator for West Coast alumni get- togethers. Bob has led the way in organizing a multicultural fair for Cedarville's student body. Bob earned his master's degree in English at Wheaton College and his doctorate at Fielding University in Santa Barbara,California. In a state with numerous institutions of higher education,he confidently says,"The Lord led me to fit right in at PCC;I am in a wonderful department.I thank God every day." Bob has set definite goals for the future. He is striving to be a "lifelong learner." He wants to continue to learn more about Christ and the world and to be the best listener he can be. As he learns and gives,he constantly reminds himself to do what the apostle Peter urges in 1 Peter 5:7,"Cast all your care upon him,for he careth for you."