1997 Miracle Yearbook

Nat/an SI4i4fiadEattalia and XindEx L'aff antedtoacceptothersforwho hey were. She said that ildasin made those around im feel at ease and was also sually trying to make them augh. Kelly also remembers is ability to think of small ays to encourage others,like ringing her favorite desert to er one evening after knowing he hadhad a bad day. "He ould do anything for any- ody," Hoppe said, and she emembers his willingness to e available for his friends henever they needed to talk. lthough Wildasin was a se- ior biology major planning to o to graduate school, he en- eyed literatureand writingand adalibrarythatincluded many lassics. Assistant professor f English, Mr. James nowden,enjoyed having him world literature class and njoyed even more the friend- hip they were able to develop ,SEEilfiEn cAl(igadSwam SiEfilmngod(Wirdasin during his time at Cedarville. Snowden remembers Wildasin's friendliness and said, "I've never known any- one who was more pleasant and good-natured. ... Steve had such a positive personality thatIfound Ialways felt better after talking to him." On April 21, 1997, Nathan Battagliadiedofcomplications related to a viral pneumonia infection. A senior electrical engineering major, Battaglia was engaged to senior nursing major Kimber Call. On April 24, Call and Battaglia's par- ents Mike and Carin Battaglia and other members ofhisfam- ily attended his memorial chapel service at the College. In this service,Dr.Paul Dixon and Dr.Bill Wheeler,pastorof Emmanuel Baptist Church in Xenia, Ohio, led the College family in expressing grief at the loss ofoneofour members and in comforting Battaglia's family and his friends who would feel his absence most keenly. Dr.Wheeler,who had been his pastor for more than twenty years, testified how Battaglia's life and death had glorified God, saying that his commitment to God was a model for all of us. He de- scribed the height disadvan- tages Battagliafaced as a teen- ager and how he turned his experience into compassion instead of bitterness. He said, thatbecauseBattagliasuffered, "hewassensitivetoothers who were unlovely, who had also been rejected."Pastor Wheeler furtherdescribed Nathanasun- selfish,giving histime,energy, resources—his whole self to others. "Nate had allthe ingre- dients of a servant's heart; he was driven to serve and had a capacity to love that seemed unlimited."Theclimax ofPas- tor Wheeler's testimony came when he described how Battaglia's friend Shawn, to whom Nathan had been wit- nessing since junior high, ac- cepted Christas his Savior asa result of Nathan's death. Pas- torWheelerthen prayedforthe voidleftbyBattagliatobefilled by those who would commit their lives more fully to God and exhibit the kind of com- passion that Battaglia had for people. Dr. Dixon closed the chapelservice with achallenge to the College family to get seriousaboutlivingforGod all the days that He has given us, reflecting on our own mortal- ity and remembering to num- ber our days. As the Apostle Paul wrotein Philippians 1:20, "Ieagerly expectand hopethat I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient cour- agesothatnowasalwaysChrist will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." Chapel ended with Dr. Dixon leading the College family in singing,"Christis AllI Need." Charles Spurgeon con- cluded hisdiscussion aboutthe deaths of God's children by saying that our prayers for our loved ones need not strive against the prayer ofour Lord, butin conforming tothe willof theOnewho desiresthem to be where He is, we can pray, "Lord, You shall have them. By faith we let them go." menzotiat 109