Torch, Summer 1986

CAMPUS NEWS Summer Ministry L"""''' ' . 1' '' ·f • 1, ' ''l·1. '~ '· " 1l·-'""'·• ,: ·~\~ . ~ I ·f!l 1;• 0 1~• 1 il\i 1f' '' · 1:11i:.''i i1/i1W"' I\ \. ~11~1; '1~-- 1'~, 1 '/I ' 1'/ ~· I ,I\• 'J' ' I I ' J I J~l" Jj - For most of the year, Dr. Irene Alyn devotes her energies to the Cedarville College Department of Nursing . She chairs the department, was instrumental in securing accreditation for the nursing program by the National League for Nursing earlier this year, and was named Faculty Member of the Year at Honors Day in May. However, for a few days each July, Dr. Alyn wears a different hat. For the past 15 years, Dr. Alyn, three pastors, and the director of a juvenile detention home have con– ducted a wilderness camping trip for young people. In a beautiful, primitive setting in northern Canada, the MIS Fosters Burden for Missions Commenting on the Missionary Internship Service program (MIS) at Cedarville College, Harold Green, Vice President for Campus Ministries, says, "We feel that MIS is a ministry that helps young people discover whether the mission field is for them. We have had a number of students make the decision to go to the mission field as a result of their MIS experiences . Others find that it's not for them. But they all come back with a tremendous burden for missions." focus of this camping experience is Jesus Christ. The campers are a mixed group: they come from churches, from detention homes, and from the streets of large cities. The group meets in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl– vania, and travels north by bus into northern Ontario . They unload their canoes, travel by water up river and across lakes, and portage over land until they reach their destination far from civilization. Dr. Alyn says they set up their campsite on a lake and eat lots of fish! She observes that young people, regardless of their background, have problems with stress and self-worth; they are seeking meaning to life. Through the chores of primitive camping and strict rules, the young people learn about consistency, authority, and how to depend on one another. Dr. Alyn says they also learn to have wholesome fun. Since the campers are far from medical help, Dr. Alyn's role as camp nurse is a vital one. Another responsibility she especially values is that of conduct– ing daily morning devotions. She leads the group through a basic study of Bible doctrine: God, man, sin, the fall, Christ, salvation, and the need for repentance . Far away from their familiar environments, the young people have the opportunity to learn about God's love for them in a tangible way through His creation, through rigorous Bible study twice each day, and through the concern of caring Christians. With three pastors (two of whom are her brothers) and a detention home director on staff, she adds, there is good follow up after the campers go home! Dr. Alyn says that the experience has been a life– changing one for campers and directors alike, and she gives many examples of young people whom God saved during those camping trips. As the camp brochure states, it is the desire of the directors "that all of us will be able to return from the trip with a deeper understanding of and a closer relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 'The One whom to know aright is Life eternal."' In 1970, Green and Dr. Don Callan, Athletic Director at Cedarville, organized the first MIS team. Since then , over 1000 individuals have raised an average of $1600 in support to go to 40 countries . MIS teams are unique in that they arrive on the field trained and ready to go to work. Their ministry has been of great value to missionaries and national pas– tors . This summer 88 students are serving in 10 countries . The college sent a 15-member soccer team plus five other students to the Ivory Coast; a basketball team plus nine students to the Philippines; music teams to Australia, Brazil, and England; and individuals to China, Germany, Quebec, Italy, and Ecuador. 15