She says that without any intention to belittle herself, she is the least experienced intern there, where most of her peers have completed a master’s degree, have previous work experience in sustainable development, and speak more than three languages fluently, “So I do believe it is pure divine intervention!”

Rebecca, an international student from Indonesia who has always wanted to work at the UN, graduated from HLGU in December 2016, having earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance and a minor in accounting. After a thorough hiring process that included two rounds of interviews and skills and knowledge assessment, she began her internship with the UN in January and worked there through the month of June.

“My experience at �������� University has prepared me for this internship,” she said. “HLGU helped me be well-rounded in terms of academics. I am truly experiencing the benefit of having basic knowledge on most of the crucial topics in the workspace.”

She continued, “I strongly encourage HLGU students to take as many technical skill classes as possible. The skills I developed through the computer classes provided by the business and CIS departments have been very useful throughout my internship.” Specifically, Rebecca has found the knowledge of the Adobe Suite, Microsoft Office, and statistical analysis software to be very desirable in the workplace.

She remembers spending many nights in the library crafting a tailored resume and cover letter for each internship that she applied for.

“I had my friends and professors proofread and give honest feedback,” she said. “I specifically asked them to butcher my resume and cover letter.”

“Rebecca was one of those students who make teaching worthwhile,” said Scott Hall, HLGU Instructor of Business. “She was curious, involved, and invested in her education. She was always prepared, asked good and leading questions, and participated well in discussions. Rebecca was also interested in and aware of current events and was able to relate them back to course assignments. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of my interaction with Rebecca.”

Rebecca’s duties as an intern included assisting the media and communications team in media- and social-media-related research and analysis as well as producing written content and graphic design for the UN Global Compact website, microsite, social media channels, and other online platforms.

Now, having finished her internship, Rebecca is hoping to continue doing meaningful work and study for the sustainable development of this world, be it still around the UN or in private sectors.

“I can proudly say that my internship with the UN Global Compact has been one of the greatest learning experience of my life,” she said. “It has inspired me to continue being on the front lines of encouraging companies to align strategies and operations with the universal principles of human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption.”

by Rebecca Sneed ’12

“Acton worked to build me as a student and professional while I worked with them,” said Nathan. “They engaged us as interns in several educational and career building activities.”

Acton focuses on doing research and then informing academics and the public on the positive relationship between sound economics and Judeo-Christian principles.

As an intern, it was Nathan’s job to further Acton’s mission by disseminating information to the groups on which Acton was focusing. He was also able to work entrepreneurially toward improving the organization as a whole.

Nathan was also part of Acton’s annual Acton University, a time when people around the world come together to engage in meaningful discussion on the principles Acton promotes. He helped prepare materials for the conference and was able to network with several successful business people.

“During this internship there was an exceptional academic focus,” said Nathan. “Not only was I able to attend many of the lectures during Acton University, but we also had weekly lunches with an Acton scholar to discuss important writings revolving around liberty, economics, and scholarship.”

Nathan was a member of a small group of interns who worked with Kris Alan Mauren, executive director. Together they worked on new ways to impact business persons with the ideas of liberty and virtue. Nathan also gained a lot of experience with donor relations through his involvement in the development department.

Nathan said, “I believe that this internship with the Acton Institute was a great opportunity for me to expand academically, improve professionally, and grow personally.”

by Rebecca Sneed ’12

“Through my early childhood, I can remember whistling tunes in my head all the time, and when people would ask me to whistle, I would just make something up, or improvise a song for them, I didn’t realize at the time I was in a way composing music,” remembers Thad

Today, Thad is a professional musician and composer whose peaceful, relaxing music is directly influenced by his relationship with the Lord, his family, and his life experiences. He has released seven albums on piano and will be releasing another album early this year.

As a child, Thad often listened to classical music, which peaked his interest in music and composition even more. In the fourth grade, he began to play in the school band, choosing percussion as his main instrument. “Not the best choice for composers,” he admits.

Thad’s teacher asked him to take a year of piano so he could learn to read music for the bells, marimba, and other melodic percussion instruments, and so, at the age of 11, Thad began to play piano. Not long after, he fell even more in love with piano and composing music.

“The more I developed my skills as a pianist, reading music and learning songs, the more my skills at composing increased and it became more and more apparent to me that God had given me the desire and talent to compose music, and there was no turning back.”

When Thad began attending HLGU, he continued piano lessons and further developed his skills in music theory, voice, and learning other various instruments. Though he started by majoring in music education, he later changed his major to psychology in hope of one day going into the field of music therapy.

“I learned a lot of valuable lessons and material from my teachers during that time,” Thad said. “Being at HLGU helped me become more passionate about my pursuit of music and fostered an even stronger desire to further develop my skills as a composer, musician, and potentially a music therapist. I began to understand that God had plans for me to use music not only as a career but also for ministry. Now looking back, I am amazed at where God has taken me, and how all the parts from my life, high school, college, life experiences, family, and jobs, have come together to prepare me for my ministry in music now.”

After many years of composing music and practicing piano, Thad heeded the advice of his piano teacher and began to record his ideas. Then in 2005, he felt the Lord calling him to take his musical ideas, complete them, and turn them into an album. After a year of work, his first album, Grand Design, was released on CD in 2006. The theme behind this album is the beauty of God’s creation and the grand plans He has for His children.

“After my first CD, I wanted to create something that was even more defined, music that was consistent throughout, so people would know what to expect when they bought it,” said Thad. “I settled on emotionally driven music that is simple and relaxing, but most of all I wanted to create music that would provide peace and comfort, that would minister to people, especially those going through difficult times.”

Thad continued, “My main focus of my music career right now is the ministry aspect, allowing God to use me to share His gospel through music, and He continues to grow my audience daily.”

As a self-employed musician, Thad’s work days often vary depending on his current projects, but generally he will practice piano in his home studio for anywhere from two to four or more hours. During this time, he will compose music, work on new songs for a current or future album project, or prepare for an upcoming event or concert. He’ll practice for a few hours and then rest a little while to give his ears and hands a break, and then work some more.

In addition to practicing music, Thad will also work on promotion by maintaining and developing his website, using social media, and generally expanding his internet presence. His music can currently be found on Amazon and iTunes, and internet radio sites such as Pandora and Spotify.

Currently, Thad is spending most of his time preparing for a new album release. He’ll go through music ideas he’s already written, decide which songs will be on the next CD, and record music in his home studio. He does all of the mixing and mastering for his music which requires many hours of work for each song.

Along with his career as a musician, Thad has also been involved with church ministry for over 15 years, serving in various roles such as youth pastor, teacher, Bible study leader, worship leader, and worship team member.

Thad and his wife, Laura ‘99, have been married for 17 years and have three children, 13-year-old Reed, who is learning guitar, 11-year-old Emma, who is learning piano, and 10-year-old Ross, who is learning percussion. The Fiscellas attend Calvary Baptist Church in Hannibal.

The trip started in the fall of 1958 when we entered our sophomore year at HLG. New in the student body were brothers Mario and Daniel Gonzales from Santa Clara, Cuba. They were trying to learn English and we were trying to learn Spanish. We became good friends.

Before leaving for summer vacation after the school year was over, they invited us to visit Cuba, and after some discussion, Bob and I told them we might come by bicycle. I don’t think they believed it and I’m not sure we did either.

We thought we would end up using a 3 speed, fat-tired Schwinns, which were popular at the time but just a few days before departure we drove to St. Louis to look for bikes. We found a bike shop that was the center of a small bicycle racing community. When we told the owner what we wanted to do he said the best choice was an 8-speed Raleigh Grand Prix. When we looked at the back wheel we said “what’s that?” It was a chain derailer, almost standard on bikes today. It was quite a contraption, and during our trip we spent a lot of time showing how it worked. We saw only one other during our trip—on a local bike in Florida.

On the first day we made it 75 miles to Winfield, MO. We think Molly Argent felt sorry for us and let us stay free in her rooming house. That day was the hardest of the trip, mentally and physically. We were thinking way too far ahead and left saddle-sore and chastened. We discovered what we were up against—two lane roads with few paved shoulders and drivers unaccustomed to sharing the road. Our safety equipment was minimal, a simple rear-view mirror. Only football players wore helmets.

The next morning we decided that if we were going to make it to Cuba we needed to do two things. First we would take one day at a time, and second, we hold our own and stay on the road, putting us inches from death hundreds of times a day. However we didn’t want to be “dead right,” so we got off the road when the situation was serious.

We had decided to eat in cafes and sleep in churches so we could travel light, with only a bed roll, clothes, and personal items. We didn’t even have a water bottle. We hydrated at gas stations and country stores—where we met locals— some of our best times. Laundromats were also favorite stops, giving us a chance to cool off, wash up, and meet folks.

Each day was a new adventure since we really didn’t know where we going to stay. Thanks to many kind people, especially church pastors and their families, we always had a place to sleep. On 30 of 40 biking days we slept in Baptist churches. Church stays were easy to arrange since Baptist churches were everywhere and the pastor and family almost always lived next door. Nearly all of the preachers were familiar with HLG.

On Day 7 (Memphis TN to Myrtle MS) we started into what we perceived as the Deep South. We saw signs that read “Colored in Rear,” “White Only,” and “Colored Use Cup.” Most gas stations had three restrooms—men, women, and colored. We were taken aback since we had never seen these before.

Also, we were served grits with breakfast whether we ordered them or not.
By Day 12 we reached the Gulf of Mexico, which gave us some encouragement, and with some 100-mile days, we were in Tampa, FL by Day 21. I noted in my journal, “The only thing free in Florida is Spanish moss.”

By Day 26, after 1800 miles, we reached Key West, FL where we found a Baptist Church and made our one phone call home! Some locals advised us not to wear shorts in Cuba, so we wore our only pair of long pants for the next two weeks.

On Day 28 we boarded a Q Airways DC-3, and 45 minutes later we arrived in Havana, a different world.

I noted in my journal, “What a mess,” but it was an exciting mess. There was confusion, with bearded Castro followers—most carrying guns—and peasant farmers carrying the tool of their trade, a machete. They were some of the half million people invited to the celebration of Castro. Thanks to some friendly Cubans, we were given directions to reach our refuge, the Baptist seminary where our gracious missionary hosts, the Caudhills, welcomed us.

We still had 170 miles to ride to Santa Clara so we called Mario and Daniel and yes, they were surprised since they didn’t know we were actually coming! They said it was too dangerous to ride those last 170 miles so they would come and get us. The next day we were on our way to Santa Clara, but not before the first of several press encounters, a story by a Havana TV station.

When we arrived in Santa Clara we were treated royally. Our friends’ parents owned a hotel, restaurant, and catering service, so we had room and board. Mario and Daniel were busy with school and work so we were free to roam, sometimes by bike and sometimes by train or riding along with the catering delivery person.

Santa Clara had been the site of a decisive battle by Castro just a few months earlier, so there were many fresh reminders, bullet holes and spent shells. There were also soldiers wearing army fatigues and carrying guns, but despite all this, we felt very safe.
Before the trip we knew there was cloud of Communism forming over Cuba, but once we were there we found an air of optimism.

We had only planned to stay one week but it stretched to two weeks, putting us behind in our schedule. We thought if we could get to New Orleans, we could get back on track. When we got back to Havana by train, there was only one option to get to New Orleans. That was to fly, but we didn’t have the $80 for a ticket, so Bob wired his mother for money and soon we were on a Delta DC-7 bound for New Orleans.

Once in Louisiana we headed North at a fast pace, still staying in churches, with friends, and at the Salvation Army. We were making such good time we took a week break at the Lake of the Ozarks with friends from Hannibal.

Early in the afternoon, after 63 days–40 of those in the saddle covering 2750 miles, we rode unannounced into Hannibal. We hoped Tom and Huck would have been pleased with our adventure.

Bill Foster, the son of HLGU’s 11th president, Dr. Luther Foster, is a retired biologist living in Sitka, Alaska, and Bob Miller also a retired biologist, lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Both returned to Cuba on separate trips in 2010 and 2011 but did not find their friends. They did find the same American cars they saw in 1959.

The Bergens had done eight short-term teaching stints at other graduate institutions during summer terms in the past, but they had never taught at another institution during a regular semester.

As Dr. Martha Bergen noted, “Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary had a need, and Bob and I prayed about what God would want us to do to help them for the fall 2016 term. We sensed the Lord wanted us to pursue this opportunity.” But much would be involved to make the missions teaching opportunity a reality.

“We knew being away from Hannibal for an entire semester would require �������� to make some adjustments,” Dr. Bob Bergen noted. “Besides teaching courses at HLGU, I’m also the associate academic dean; Martha teaches several courses, directs the ministry guidance program, and serves as the Christian studies division chairperson.”

So the couple set up an appointment with HLGU’s president, Dr. Anthony Allen. Dr. Allen supported the idea of letting the Bergens teach one term in Canada, and with the consent of the trustees and much behind-the-scenes work by Dr. Miles Mullin, HLGU’s Vice President for Academic Administration, arrangements were made for the couple to take a sabbatical leave from August through December 2016.

Preparing to live outside the United States for four months required extensive preparations for the Bergens. Passports and work visas had to be obtained; arrangements had to be made for pets, the house, yard, and utilities; and packing had to be done for Canadian summer, fall, and winter weather conditions. And of course, the couple also had to make a two-thousand mile road trip across an international border to Cochrane, a town in the western Canadian province of Alberta.

“A lot was involved in getting us to Canada, but it has been more than worth it to be here,” said Dr. Martha Bergen. “The seminary is like a family—the administrators, faculty, staff, and students are wonderful to work with.”

Martha taught courses on effective Bible teaching, as well as spiritual formation; Bob’s courses dealt with 1-2 Samuel and Biblical Hebrew.

How does teaching at Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary compare with teaching at �������� University? “There are differences,” said Dr. Martha Bergen, “The classes we teach here are on the master’s level and the students come from a wider range of backgrounds. Much of what I teach does not compare with what is done on the bachelor’s level. However, both institutions share commonalities when it comes to their purpose and a desire to train students to use their gifts and abilities to serve God.”

Though seminary course-related work keeps both of the Bergens quite busy, they have found time for other activities. They attend spiritual and social activities at the seminary and even co-sponsored and prepared food for an all-school fellowship. On Sundays they have helped teach an adult “Connection Group” (think Sunday school) at Bow Valley Baptist Church. They have also spent time visiting several of the area’s beautiful national, as well as provincial, parks.

“Nature photography is a hobby for both of us. The rivers, lakes, and snow-capped mountains around here are fabulous, and large wild animals are abundant. We’ve photographed grizzly bears, elk, white-tailed and mule deer, bighorn sheep, and coyotes,” stated Dr. Bob Bergen.

Dr. Martha Bergen comments, “We are grateful for �������� University’s sensitivity to the missions need at Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary—and grateful that we are the ‘missionaries’ privileged to help meet that need at this time in her history. Our lives and ministries have been enriched by the experience.”

“My time at HLGU gave me the building blocks for what I needed be a good and compassionate nurse,” Nicole said. “I didn’t have close family members or any friends who were in the medical field so many of my nursing instructors where my first nurse mentors. I learned so much from them.”

The AFM, refitted from a Danish rail ferry, is 500 feet long and houses approximately 400 crew members from up to 40 different countries. The hospital portion of the ship covers 13,000 square feet and consists of five operating rooms, a four bed recovery, intensive care for up to five individuals and 80 ward beds. Surgical procedures provided include cataract removal and lens implants, tumor removal, cleft lip and palate reconstruction, club feet and bowed leg reconstruction, obstetric fistula repair, and more.

Nicole works aboard the AFM as a charge nurse in A Ward where one of her duties is to monitor patients after their surgeries, and though there are a lot of similarities to working in a regular hospital, there are some rewarding and challenging differences as well.

One of the biggest challenges is not being able to speak to patients without a translator. However, Nicole still feels that despite the language barrier, she is able to build stronger relationships with her patients on the ship.

Language isn’t always a barrier, though. There is a joy that cannot be expressed in words when a little boy is able to walk on straight legs and kick a soccer ball for the first time, or a little girl is able to see, when a woman is freed of a goiter that was slowly suffocating her, and when the weight of a 30 pound tumor was lifted from a young lady’s back.

Nicole appreciates the Christian atmosphere on the ship. “We spend a lot of time in prayer. We start and end our working day with prayer as a team. We pray for patients just before they leave for surgery. It’s just a really nice environment to work in,” Nicole expressed.

“I love the community on the ship,” she continued. “Relationships are built very quickly because we spend so much time together.”

Close living quarters can also make personal time a bit tricky to come by, but with diligence, Nicole has managed to develop a balance. She’s also learned to be creative with storage space in the cabin she shares with three other girls.

“Since I live on a ship, the walls and ceiling are magnetic so we use magnets to hang a lot of things,” said Nicole. “I sometimes even hang my tablet on the ceiling with a magnet so I can watch movies in bed. I will miss magnetic walls when I leave the ship. They are very convenient.”

Following its recent stay in Benin, the AFM just started a 10-month field service in Cameroon. Two big benefits come from staying in a country for so long. First, it allows for more invasive surgeries that require longer recovery times.

“Releasing burn contractures and straightening crooked legs won’t do any good if we can’t provide the long physical therapy it takes to recover,” said Nicole.

Second, it allows the volunteers more time to assist in building local health resources, because, in addition to providing free, life-changing surgeries, the AFM also works to train local medical staff, and strengthen the country’s healthcare system.

The AFM is not equipped to help everyone with a problem though. There are health conditions that fall out of the AFM’s scope of practice. Sometimes it’s too late to operate or the person turns out to not be a surgical candidate. Sometimes the needs are too many and all available slots are filled.

“Those are the most frustrating and heart-breaking times,” expressed Nicole. “When I first came to this country I thought I had prepared myself for such needs; however, knowledge of a need and actually seeing it are very different. I was emotionally devastated by the needs here that were so much greater than the capacity we had to help.”

Nicole sometimes fights the urge to close her eyes to that side of the world and not feel the pain, but she knows that’s not how God views things.

She said, “When we ask God to love like He loves, we must expect heartbreak because the consequences of a sinful world break His heart too. By allowing myself to really see people and feel a little of their pain, I am able to better understand the heart of God, and am being molded closer to His image.”

She continued, “It’s easy to focus on the enormous scale of depravity looming before us, but in those moments all I have to do is look around me at the patients we are able to help. We may not be able to help the entire world, but for the individuals we do help, we have changed their entire world.”

Through God’s mercy, those aboard the Africa Mercy are able to live and love and do the work of the Lord in the poorest countries of the world.

“There is a strength that comes from living and working with others whose goals are the same as yours,” said Nicole. “We may have been brought to the ship by different means, we may have different ideas, we may have different levels of maturity, different talents and skills, but all of us are here because we felt a call and are acting on that call to serve the forgotten poor. I have never seen the Body of Christ so beautifully displayed until I arrived on the Africa Mercy.”