Connecting alumni and friends with San Diego Christian
Summer missions highlights 12
Everyday missionary living Grace Ross 11
Hawks drafted to the MLB 7
Alumni Spotlight Tony and May Lasavath 5
Class Notes 16
Pictured: 2014 Thailand and Laos Team
July 2014 Issue #4
Dear SDC Alumni, Though the summer is often an opportunity to rest and recuperate, it is always a blessing to have students and staff commit part of their summer to serve on mission trips. It has become a tradition and characteristic of our institution to set aside the summer to spread the Gospel and impact the world through service. This summer we had the joy of sending students out to Thailand, Laos, Nigeria, and France. I have enjoyed hearing about the exciting and life changing experiences several of our students and staff have been through. This past month we also had the joy of celebrating learning among K-12th grade students within the community of San Diego through the offering of summer youth camps. Through the Institute for Community Engagement, an initiative to partner with local and global communities to enhance a passion for learning, we have implemented SDC Youth. SDC Youth is a program dedicated to empowering families, promoting creativity, fostering literacy skills, strengthening the community, and nurturing a love of learning. We have enjoyed meeting new families and watching their children engage in a Christian learning environment.
Dr. Paul and Lorri Ague
We can see how God is definitely blessing and utilizing SDC in wonderful ways within our community and our students. Please join me in prayer for our students as they enjoy the rest of their summer break and prepare to return to campus. Thank you for supporting the college. Sincerely,
Paul Ague, Ph.D. President
TRUTH P U R P O S E IM PAC T 200 Riverview Parkway
Santee, CA 92071
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(619) 201-8700
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
FEATURES
Photo taken by Professor Larry Wilson during the Vision Team’s trip to France 2014
5 / ALUMNI
8/ SUMMER CAMPS SDC hosted its first SDC Youth Summer Camp.
10/ MISSIONAL LIVING OR MISSION IMPOSSIBLE Grace Ross (‘13) writes about the practical call to missional living.
16 / CLASS NOTES
7 / THREE HAWKS
9 / ALUMNI DINNER
11 / MISSIONS
19 / REFER FUTURE
SPOTLIGHT Tony and May Lasavath, missionaries in Laos.
DRAFTED IN THE MLB Guess which 3 baseball players got drafted to play in the major leagues.
Can you spot anyone you know? View pictures from SDC’s Alumni and Friends Dinner in Dallas, TX.
Read highlights from student summer mission trips to Thailand, Laos, Nigeria, and France.
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Take a look at where SDC alumni are serving in the world today.
HAWKS Know someone that would be a good fit for SDC?
Office for Advancement and Alumni Relations advancementoffice@sdcc.edu 619-201-8788
Greetings! I hope you are enjoying a restful summer. This month we were able to reconnect with our students who traveled overseas on mission trips to France, Thailand, and Nigeria. It is always an encouragement to hear about their experiences, how the Lord used them, and how their faith grew during their time of service. We wanted to capture some of those moments and share them with you. SDC has a strong tradition in equipping students for the mission field. Therefore, we wanted to highlight our alumni who have been serving in long term missions across the globe. Tony and May are ministering in Laos, Brandon and Rachel Buser in Biem, and Erion and Melodie Dielli in Albania. These three couples are just a few of the many alumni who are actively engaging in overseas missions. We hope you enjoy reading the exciting ways our alumni and students have been reaching the world for Christ. God bless,
Robert Jensen VP for Advancment and Administration
Robert Jensen, MSEL
Make SDC a part of your summer plans! UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION:
Please update your e-mail and mailing address by contacting the Advancement Office at (619) 201-8788 or via e-mail advancementoffice@sdcc.edu.
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Recent Alumni Visitors: Jim (‘90) and Terri (‘90) (Hill) Kerr with their son and daughter.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT plant and developed a love and passion for missions. He has traveled extensively to Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia on short-term trips. He graduated from SDC with a degree in Biblical Studies and a minor in Intercultural Studies. May was born in 1982 in a Mien village in Northern Thailand. When she was 3, May’s family came to the U.S. in hope of a better life. In the refugee camp, her parents became Christians, because they wanted to escape the worship of spirits. But even in the U.S., May’s family still practiced many animistic beliefs and rituals, until they later embraced God’s gift of eternal life through His Son.
Tony (‘04) and May (‘04) (Saechao) Lasavath
At a young age, May started going to Sunday School and asked Jesus into her heart. She was deeply stirred and committed her life to missions when she heard a missionary from Thailand speak. The turning point in her life came when her older brother passed away due to a tragic accident. During this time, she recommitted her life to the Lord. May attended SDC intending to become a missionary teacher.
Missions Organization :
OVERSEAS MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL Mission Field:
LAOS
Tony and May were married in 2005. They have been serving in Laos since November of 2007 through Overseas Missionary Fellowship International (OMF). Their focus is “to see living churches located within walking distance of unreached people groups in the Mekong region reaching out in mission to those around them and beyond.”
Tony and May’s stories begin on the other side of the world. Both of their parents immigrated to America as refugees from Southeast Asia. Tony and May met each other on their first day at San Diego Christian College. God had prepared their hearts for missions early on in their spiritual walk. Tony was born in 1982 in Boston, MA, a year after his parents came from Laos as refugees. His family relocated over a dozen times from east to west coast trying to find the best environment for their children. Tony grew up in two cultures, and at a young age began making wrong choices. He found his identity in gangs, which led to drugs and eventually juvenile hall. At 15 he found himself in La Mirada, CA, sitting in a Bible study for the first time with other troubled youth. That’s where he encountered the love of Christ displayed through Rick and Nicky Davis, missionaries with a love for Southeast Asians. They became his surrogate parents, and with several others, moved to San Diego to start a church. Tony was an active participant and observer in the church
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UPCOMING EVENTS
SUMMER CAMPS SDCYOUTH.COM
ALUMNI EVENT: COMING TO LOS ANGELES Alumni Dinner in Los Angeles, CA Check the SDC website for upcoming dates and times.
SDCYOUTH FALL CLASS DAYS Class Days are opportunities for homeschool students to come together once a week to support and supplement their existing homeschool curriculum. Fridays from 12pm to 3pm For more information and to register, visit sdcyouth.com 6
IN THE NEWS HEMMER, GOTTA, AND AQUINO SELECTED IN THE 2014 MLB DRAFT
program,” Bando said. “It is very difficult to recruit at a small Christian college. My promise to every student-athlete who attends SDC, is that if you have Next was Gotta as he was taken in the 26th round and 787th overall by the talent to play professionally and work hard, we commit to “I am ecstatic for Gabe, Cade, and the Tampa Bay Rays. Gotta hit disciple you spiritually, encourage Joey,” head coach Chris Bando said team-high .408 average, and led you academically to graduate and about his players being drafted. “I the team in hits (91), doubles (16), develop you fundamentally for can remember like it was yesterday home runs (11), total bases (154), professional baseball. It is very when I signed them and when I slugging percentage (.691), and signed to start my professional career. steals (43). Gotta ranked second in exciting to see this come to fruition. It will be an even bigger thrill when the NAIA with runs scored per game All three talented players worked extremely hard, had phenomenal they play their first professional game (1.23), fourth in stolen bases, fifth years on the field and they all grew and their legs shake. in runs scored, and seventh in total spiritually in their walk with Christ. hits. All three have what it takes to be “My prayer is that God will use solid Major League players and they And Aquino rounded out the all have worked extremely hard for draftees as he was selected by the them in professional baseball for a this opportunity, and we are all Toronto Blue Jays in the 35th round long time to be salt and light as they excited to follow their careers. It’s all and was the 1,044th overall pick. excel, and they finish their degrees in the off season. All three have been about the players.” Aquino led all starting pitchers in consummate team players and were ERA with a solid 2.94. He also Hemmer was selected in the 24th finished with a 6-3 record and three leaders all year. The goal of leaders is to develop future leaders.” round and 730th overall by the saves. In the 67 innings pitched, Detroit Tigers. Hemmer finished Aquino struck out 50 batters and By: Nick Fortini with a record of 13-4 in 127 innings held the hitters to a .246 batting pitched and a 3.47 ERA. He struck Sports Information Director average. out a team-high 127 batters and held opponents to a .258 batting average. “It confirms our commitment to the Hemmer ranks first in the NAIA in players and the direction of our Gabriel Hemmer, Cade Gotta, and Joey Aquino will continue their baseball careers as the three were chosen in the 2014 MLB Draft Saturday, June 7th.
wins and innings pitched. He also ranks fifth in strikeouts and 16th in innings pitched per game.
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EVENTS SUMMER YOUTH CAMP: WEEK 1
San Diego Christian College hosted their first SDC Youth Summer Camp in June. Two weeks of camp took place, with the third week taking place next week. Several children from Kindergarten to 12th grade, attended classes such as Crazy Science, Cool Chemistry, Young Entrepreneurship, Intro to Art, Intro to Filmmaking, and Lego Engineering. The students had fun learning from SDC professors and students. Mary Hanson, SDC Biology Lab Instructor, helped the studens perform several experiments involving strawberry DNA, creating scents like wintergreen and vanilla, making homemade bath salts, and creating different phases of the water cycle. In our Young Entrepreneur class, students learned how to start their own business. One particular student baked cupcakes at the end of the week to demonstrate her passion to start a cupcake business. Our Intro to Art and Intro to Filmmaking classes brought out the artist in our students. Students explored different types of art, getting their hands involved in paper meche, pastels, paint and more. To sign up for the final week of summer camp, visit sdcyouth.com. SDC Youth will also be offering homeschool class days in the fall of 2014.
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DALLAS ALUMNI AND FRIENDS REGIONAL EVENT 6.21.2014
Left to Right Back Row: Dr. Paul Ague (SDC President), James Hunt, Leighton King, Chas Morse, Patti Morse, Dr. Jon Morris, Andrew Siefers, Ann Banta, David Banta, Chuck Kelley, Vinny DeLuca, Robert Jensen (VP for Advancement and Administration). Left to Right Second Row: Bobby Herrell, Lillie Hunt, Susan Herrell, Lynette King, Dalta Morris, Kim Kelley. Left to Right Front Row: Madelaine Carroll, Chris Carroll and their four boys.
This month, the Alumni team, lead by Robert Jensen, VP for Advancement and Administration, with Dr. Paul Ague, President of SDC, traveled to Dallas, TX to share the vision of SDC and to update alumni on the recent changes and location of SDC. The event was intimate and enjoyable as alumni from different years and programs were able to come together, get to know each other, and share in the excitement of where the institution is headed.
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MISSIONAL LIVING these are of little value without taking the first steps. Living missionally or Great Commissionally is possible, but you have to take the first step. 1. Practice being friendly and approachable. Often, we are hurrying through life and fail to recognize potential opportunities to connect with people. We also live in a highly individualistic society, one in which we keep to ourselves, but we can Ben (‘14) and Grace (‘13) (Crawford) Ross make a huge difference in someone’s day by being sincerely friendly and MISSIONAL LIVING OR open. It may seem like small talk to MISSION IMPOSSIBLE? begin with, but relationships start By: Grace Ross (‘13) small. 2. Practice being prayerful. “Your mission - be a light and We often pray for our unsaved loved share the Gospel. This message will ones or friends, but do we pray as self-destruct in 4-3-2...” Boom! It regularly asking for opportunities seems simple on paper, but awfully to share the Gospel? It will do some intimidating in real life. Are you a crazy things to your social life! All walking, talking grace story? If you of a sudden, God sends a long lost have been saved, then you can be! friend or even complete strangers into your life who have I understand the premise of needs, problems, dreams, ambitions, Missional Living: adopting the and situations, like all of us do, and lifestyle and/or outlook of an you become the person they want to overseas missionary here in the US talk to! in order to reach the lost with the 3. Practice being brave. Gospel. However, having grown I hate saving this for last, because if up as a missionary kid, I know that you haven’t read this far in the many missionaries are just as article, you are missing the entire nervous about evangelism as most point. Be brave and share the of us statesiders. So, how do you Gospel! Being friendly and take the next step after your pastor’s approachable or even prayerful are Great Commission sermon or The good, but if we don’t gather courage Way of the Master seminar? and share about the love of Jesus, we Missional living isn’t just about have forgotten the mission. adopting a “professional missionary outlook.” It’s about practice! I recently overheard a believer say, “Not all Christians should Granted, gaining some evangelize. If they aren’t properly cultural awareness or having a trained, they can do more harm than “global missions” perspective is good.” My heart sank. I know what worthwhile. And there are many he is talking about, this idea that if resources available on this, but even you share the Gospel you have to 10
understand Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic and be able to do a complete exegesis of John chapter 3, while quoting at least four theologians verbatim. But have we forgotten - when Jesus was talking to Nicodemus, he wasn’t going for the religious or pharisaical approach. He was just talking, and he used the opportunity to share about himself. If you have experienced the love and forgiveness of Jesus, just share about Him! After moving into the house my husband and I live in now, I took homemade soup over to the neighbors a few times. The elderly couple were in their eighties and really appreciated the gesture. Then, Lou, the wife, passed away, rather suddenly. We went over to see if Don needed help. Don lost his son to cancer only a few weeks later. Several months and a stroke later, Don still calls my husband and me to ask for favors or simply to have someone to talk to. My husband and I prayed for opportunities to share the Gospel with our neighbors. God gave us Don. Granted, I can’t say it has been easy. Like anyone else, I’m selfish and don’t really want to spend my Saturday digging through boxes in the garage to help Don find his dentures, but the Lord showed us that these were ministry opportunities. My husband and I have seen Don’s heart soften, and we have had countless opportunities to witness to him! (Please join us in praying for his salvation). It all started with prayer and a Tupperware of homemade soup. Missional lifestyle? I don’t know. Right now, I’m just asking God for the courage to be a good neighbor.
MISSIONS VISION TEAM XXII - PASSPORT TO FRANCE
TRISH GUINN (‘14)
How receptive were the people of France in hearing the Gospel message? In general, the people of France are not very receptive to anything that has to do with Jesus - only 1.8% of France is Christian. However, God used VISION’s street performances to draw a curious crowd, and the pastors who talked to the audience while we performed were able to give about 50-60 gospel booklets to interested people! What was one of your favorite memories on the trip? My favorite memory was watching the faces of the crowds after we performed the “Everything” skit! Up until “Everything”, you could see that people were interested in the performance and enjoying it; some even got a little emotional. When we got to that drama though, you could instantly see that their hearts were touched by it immensely. The best part was the moment when you could tell from some people’s faces that they recognized themselves in the main character, and wanted to have the same kind of ending as she did (being rescued and redeemed).
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THAILAND AND LAOS DANIELLE SMITH (‘11) As an alumnus, being back in Thailand for a second time with the SDC team (and back in the same village no less!) was an amazing experience. I was encouraged to see the progress made over the last two years in the development of the Ma Oh Jo school area. When I was there in 2012 with the SDC team, we spent many hours using hoes and pickaxes to clear the area where the first student hostel would be built. Now in 2014, the first hostel is finished and there are 30 kids who live there with the hut parents! The 2014 Thailand Team had the privilege to help finish the second student hostel, working alongside ITDP staff and villagers. It is incredible to see what several short term missions teams have been able to come together with ITDP to accomplish by having the same vision: to reach the people in the Hill Tribes of Northern Thailand for Christ through sustainable community development projects.
SAM PORGES (‘14) One of my favorite memories was watching a missionary share the Gospel with a man who had never heard it before. Although none of us could understand what he was saying, we could practically hear the wheels turning in the man’s head as he began to understand the person of God and the work of Christ. For the first time in my life, I watched as the Gospel spread to the ends of the earth, just like Christ in Acts 1:8 said it would! It was amazing to see the stronghold of animism broken down as the light of the Gospel brought life, freedom, and hope.
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KEVIN BRANDT (‘15) To have the opportunity to go to a closed country like Laos for the purpose of sharing the Gospel was awesome. I was reminded and reassured that The Lord is not at all limited in His work. Despite not being welcomed by the government at all, the five of us were still able to go in and ride motorbikes through the intense jungle. After pushing through the craziest monsoon rain I could ever imagine, dealing with mountain mud trails that were anything but reliable, forcing our bikes to cross rivers, and tent camping in the middle of it all, we had the opportunity to go into the remotest of villages and pray that those people would be freed from the bondage of sin and death. It was in those villages that I saw the power of God at work. The hopelessness that was so apparent in their eyes from their beliefs founded in animism and spirit worship broke my heart, but despite all this, we had the chance to see one man delivered from his hopelessness as one of the workers shared the Gospel! From this trip I was able to see, experience, and better understand what darkness without God is like and what spiritual warfare really is. What really stuck out to me, was that despite all the constant struggles we faced from persecution to busted bikes, from unrideable conditions to heavy spiritual attack, the power of God is still at work through the few believers who are willing to risk everything for the sake of sharing the Good News. Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but, against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.”
BEN ROSS (‘14) I was blessed to see first-hand what life is like for the Lao and Thai people. It was a blessing to meet many new believers and see God do great work. This trip has made me more passionate for missionary work and I am so excited for the future! While we were in Lao we prayed in the villages for the people there that God might reveal Himself to them. We rode almost all the way to the Vietnam border on little 100cc scooters in search of new villages to reach. The journey was difficult, but so very worth it. I met a woman who was possessed for 10 years, but now she knows the Lord and her daughter came to the Lord as well and is now married to one of the missionaries in the area. I was able to worship with the underground Church there, which was a great honor and privilege. In Thailand, my group built an 11,000 liter water tank for the local school. We also built a youth hostel as children from many villages far away come to stay while in school. We even helped with an agricultural project so that they can grow coffee more efficiently in order to support their families. In addition, we were able to go to church with the villagers and sing songs with each other in languages that we did not understand, but we knew where sung in worship to God! 13
NIGERIA
From left to right: Karrine, Jack, Abigail, Robert, Lauren, and Josh.
ABBY LEY (‘14) This past summer, I had the pleasure of serving on a team with 5 other individuals in Ibadan, Nigeria. On May 19th, the six of us ( Jack, Robert, Josh, Lauren, Karrine, and I) all set off on an adventure God had most certainly called us to individually. During the month long trip, our largest ministry was reaching out to the local children. Vacation Bible Schools on Saturdays and Fridays introduced over one hundred of these children to Christ, many of which came from Muslim families. The team also visited local schools and donated soccer balls with Scripture written all over them. Through this ministry, we were able to bring the Gospel to over 1,000 children. Praise God! My biggest struggle during the trip was not doing as much of the projects that we had expected to do. This struggle taught me to rest in the Lord, be renewed in my relationship with Him, and to put aside my own pride in order to follow HIS plan. In the end, God was lifted up and glorified in ways none of us expected.
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MEMORIES
THROWBACK THURSDAY Remembering the many mission trips SDC students have traveled.
Thailand 2007
2002
Above: Thailand Below: Vision 2001 in Brazil
Vision 1996-1997 Thailand 2008
MYSTERY ALUM? Guess who and win a basket of SDC apparel and gifts.
(First person to send in their answer wins!) Email: advancementoffice@sdcc.edu with your answer. 15
CLASS NOTES Volunteers from the Dielli’s church youth group who did outreach in the city through a family festival.
Melodie Dielli with her children, Samuel and Sarah, and husband, Erion Dielli
ERION AND MELODIE (‘05) (MCDONALD) DIELLI We are the Dielli family. We live and serve in the city of Pogradec, Albania where we are currently planting a church. Pogradec is 90% Muslim and although many of them are nominal, there is a growing group of radical Muslims.
Our current focus is on reaching children and youth, because they are more eager to hear about Christ. Our hope and prayer is that the parents of the new believers will see how their children’s lives are changed and that they become curious to hear about what Jesus did for them. This summer we are working hard to reach new people and tell them about Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. We will be reaching out through English camps, VBS, Family Festivals, Jr. High Camp and many other ways. Please pray for the hearts of the people in our city to be softened to hear the Gospel.
Please send your class notes and picture to advancementoffice@sdcc.edu. 16
Biem People
BRANDON (‘01) AND RACHEL (‘01) (KEESE) BUSER When we graduated from college, we knew that God wanted us to be involved in taking His name to those that had never heard. Five years later (2006) and with 2 kids in tow, we landed in Papua New Guinea. Having grown up there myself, I thought I’d be prepared, but life as a punk kid versus life as a dad/husband are vastly different, but God was gracious and good.
Brandon and Rachel Buser with their children.
In 2008, God showed us the Biem People; a language group of roughly 3,000 islanders, spread across 4 volcanoes off the north coast of Papua New Guinea. Later that year, we, along with 2 other families, committed to go and live among them in order to learn their language and give them “God’s Talk” in their own tongue. For the next 6 years we’d board a small skiff on the mainland and cross 80 miles of open-ocean to reach our home among this people. In 2012, after years of language and cultural study, we began to teach them the Gospel in their own language. Beginning in Genesis and continuing on through the cross, we taught 5 days a week for 3 months. As we came to the final lessons about Christ’s work on the cross, eyes were opened and dead hearts were made alive…it was the day that His church was born among the Biem People. From that day forward, our job has been that of spiritual parents. After lives of hopelessness, the Biem people are now filled with an insatiable desire to know more about their God. For us it means more translation of the scriptures into their language, more teaching on the truths in His Word, and more discipling and training of future leaders of the Biem Church.
Biem
As they grow towards maturity in Christ we know the time for our leaving them nears as well. But as we look back on the years already spent among them, we’re humbled to have been able to play a part in seeing this Biem ‘nation’ reached with the Gospel. What a privilege it has been, and what a tremendous responsibility He has given to us all...to proclaim Him among all peoples! “I can’t stop thinking about this talk. It’s what I think of when I first get up. Yesterday, I woke and that’s what I started talking with my wife about. We went to the garden and were there all day talking about this talk of the Road Man. Then all of sudden it’s night and we have to stop. But in the morning, we start all over again. It’s always on my mind.” -Raimon (After hearing the Gospel for the first time in his language.)
Newlyweds. JUNE WEDDINGS
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1 4 3. Adam (‘06) and Carly (Cluka) Moore 4. Andrew (‘14) and Allison (‘13) (Rowe) Robles.
1. Tobin and Rachael (‘05-’07) (Davies) Dalton. 2. Mike (‘14) and Krista (Hall) Alvarez. 18
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Christian leaders to impact the world for Christ.”
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