Envision Magazine – Issue #9

N AT ION A L AWA RD -W INNING, CHRIS T I A N COLLEGIATE MAGAZINE / ISSUE 9

B L I N D S I D E D Elia

ANOTHER SHOT AT LIFE

LIVING SINGLE

Fletcher

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE

WHAT EYES LOVE

LEARN MORE AT Web: Andrews.edu/cas Email: cas-info@andrews.edu Phone: 269-471-3411

SO MUCH TO EXPERIENCE! Choose from an extensive list of undergraduate and graduate programs!

Humanities: English, History & Political Science, International Languages & Global Studies, Liberal Arts, Music, Religion & Biblical Languages Social Sciences: Behavioral Sciences, Social Work, Visual Art, Communication & Design STEM: Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Engineering & Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics

COVER PHOTO BY JESSICA FELICIO COVER DESIGN BY BRIANNA KITTLESON PAGE DESIGN BY BETHANY LOPEZ

In Every Issue 05 Editor’s Page 06 In Vision

Follow Up 16 Let’s Talk Guns 25 Little Notes. Big Faith.

32 Fixing Darwin’s Eye Problem

Finance 11 See Clearly Without Breaking the Bank 17 Take it to the App

Health 08 What Eyes Love 19 Mission: Fully Alive

Education 36 Homesickness vs. Schoolsickness 38 Is Your Education True?

Features 12 Another Shot At Life / Esther Smith 21 Blindsided / Ella Fletcher

Lens 26 Remember

42

Relationships 40 Living Single 42 Asunder 45 From Paris, With Love

Devotional 49 Best On Campus Worship Spots 50 Oceans In The Desert

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WRITERS ISSUE 9, 2017 Produced by the Department of Visual Art, Communication and Design at Andrews University

DESIGNERS

MANAGING EDITOR SECTION EDITORS FEATURE EDITOR RELATIONSHIPS EDUCATION DEVOTIONAL DEVOTIONAL HEALTH AND FASHION FINANCE DESIGN EDITOR DESIGNERS

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Daniella Castillo Shannon Kelly Konner Dent Gabrielle Ziegler Thamires de Mattos Ashley Neu Fonda Mwangi Diane Myers Martha Brandt Letitia Bullard Hannah Cheung Taylor Clayburn Merari Gonzalez Megan Jacobs Kylie Kajiura Brianna Kittleson Bethany Lopez Dave Sherwin Veeken Baldeosingh Jessica Condon Ralph Diya Jessica Felicio Kate Filkoski Audrey Jackson Joshua Marsh Heidi Ramirez Christopher Thomas

COPYEDITORS

Ashleigh Burtnett Debbie Michel

MODELS

Sophia Carey Megan Ehrhardt Felix Gillett Antone Huggins Ashton Kennedy Martin Perkins Jr. Gabriel Sergio

ADVERTISING SALES REP

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Felecia Datus

Felecia Datus

EDITOR’S PAGE

What’s your story?

PHOTO JEAN-IRES MICHEL

W

ISSUE #8 AWARDS ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS • Magazine Pacemaker Award SOCIETY OF ADVENTIST COMMUNICATORS • Best Magazine Design Best In Class (Design Category) •

Best Magazine Best In Class (Print Category)

•

Best Feature Writing Best In Class (Student Category)

•

Best Design Project Best In Class (Student Category)

•

Best Feature Writing Honorable Mention (Student Category)

•

Best Photo Honorable Mention (Student Category)

•

Best Design Honorable Mention (Student Category)

hen you think about your life story, can you envision the lives that can be changed if your story was known? Maybe you believe your story is not worth hearing or writing about because you feel that the chapters are too dark, to bland, or too embarrassing to share. Are there pages of your story you wish you could tear out, or lines you could erase because they make you cringe? For a long time I felt that way, sometimes I still do. But recently, the Lord has been showing me how I could use my story to help someone else. Now, despite the not-so-pretty chapters, my story can accomplish more than I could ever envision because God is the Author and Publisher.

Envision Magazine exists, not only because each person has a story that needs to be read, but because those stories have the ability to be used by God to build the faith of a reader. This year’s Envision team, adopted Psalm 102:18 as our guiding text, “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD (NIV).”

The team wrote, photographed, and designed stories that portray the amazing grace of God. The stories you are about to read are compelling because, even as they were being written, lives were impacted. Whether it is Esther telling how she prayed as she lay in the back seat of her car bleeding from a gunshot, or Elia recounting the moment doctors said they found a tumor, the power of God is shown. Envision lives out Psalm 102:18 by publishing stories so that this, and the next, generation of young people will praise the Lord.

Usually when we read something interesting, we want to share it with others. As you flip through, you will notice a new section, #follow up. #Follow Up is sponsored by the Center of Youth Evangelism and we created this segment of the magazine because we want you to think, share, and learn more about topics discussed in the issue. You will also find that there is a list of upcoming events around the conference specially tailored for youth that will be of interest to you. The varying topics under health, finance, education, and relationships are sure to provide you with useful advice that we hope you can apply in your life.

The production of this issue has been a faith building experience. Debbie Michel, our former Editor-In-Chief continued to offer guidance, for which I am extremely grateful. There were times when I felt the task was too big, but God’s grace, her help, and an amazing team has made this issue a reality. Though we can be blindsided in life, God is never taken by surprise. As you read, it is my hope that your eye of faith will be brighter and you will see life through God’s eye. May this issue remind you that you are the apple of His eye and that He watches over you continually.

With grace,

Felecia Datus

ASSOCIATED CHURCH PRESS • Award of Excellence, Student Publications: All Media

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IN VISION

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u .ed ws e r Made in and Berrien l@ w j ting rke a il: m ma e or 283 Continue the conversations—enhance, enrich, 3 471 692 expand, debate, correlate, corroborate—and then : l cal info document your new knowledge. e r mo For

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HEALTH

STORY BY ASHLEY NEU PHOTOS BY JESSICA CONDON DESIGN BY BETHANY LOPEZ

As college students, a majority of our day is spent reading books and straining our eyes. This can be hard for our eyes and may cause eye trouble down the road.

There are several precautions that can be taken to ensure that you are taking care of your sight and that your eyes love you back.

Check Your Eyes

Getting regular eye exams are a key factor in maintaining healthy vision. Eye doctors are able to give you great advice in how to keep your eyes healthy and functioning correctly. There are three main eye care professionals who can help to make sure your eyes are functioning at their best. Ophthalmologists are licensed medical doctors who specialize in eye and vision care. With their extensive training and medical background, they are able to perform surgeries and write prescriptions for medication.

Optometrists are trained to perform eye exams and can diagnose certain eye 8 | ENVISION | ISSUE 9

diseases. Opticians are technicians who fit clients for eyeglasses, frames, contact lenses, and other eye care devices.

Know Common Issues

There are several vision issues that are quite common in most individuals. If not taken care of properly, they can lead to more serious issues. A common one is eye strain. Eye strain is caused when an individual spends a lot of time looking at a certain object for an extensive length of time. It is important to make sure you rest your eyes to not cause an excessive amount of strain.

Too much eye strain can lead to Red Eye. This is easily diagnosed because the white of your eyes will turn red from blood vessels expanding. Another common eye issue is Dry Eyes. This happens when tear glands in your eyes are having a hard time producing quality tears. When this occurs, your eye doctor can prescribe artificial tear drops to help with the dryness

Rest Your Eyes

We tend to strain our eyes by constantly looking at our computer or mobile screens. Give your eyes a break from the constant glare. Read a three or four pages of a book, look outside of your window, or simply close your eyes for a few minutes. Although we hear it a lot, many persons do not practice getting enough sleep. Inadequate sleep can wear out your eyes. These and other simple exercise can provide a break for your eyes.

Protect From The Sun

It is vital to make sure you wear protective eye wear when it is bright outside. Never look directly into the sun.

The bright rays can be very damaging to your eyes and overtime cause you to lose your vision. One way to keep your eyes protected from the sun is to invest in a good pair of sunglasses. Picking out glasses to protect your eyes can be fun.

There are several places you can find inexpensive stylish glasses to fit your everyday needs.

If you notice your vision changing or your eyes not functioning like they use, immediately schedule an appointment to meet with an eye doctor.

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FINANCE

WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK STORY BY FONDA MWANGI | PHOTO BY RALPH DIYA | DESIGN BY KYLIE KAJIURA

Buying new eyeglasses

can be a very expensive venture.

However, this necessity does not have to burn a hole in your pocket.

You don’t have to rely on your eye doctor’s office to provide you with a great pair of glasses. There are plenty of places online and local stores that offer fashionable glasses at a reasonable price. Stores like Target, Walmart, and even Costco have glasses at an affordable cost.

Don’t limit your eyewear because of the price.

• Target Optical provides glasses that range from $100 to $250. Brands like Ray-Ban, Armani Exchange, DKNY, Merona, and more are offered at reasonable prices.

• Walmart prices range for $20-$150 and there is variety of sizes, frames, and colors.

• Costco sells reading glasses from $25-$50 and also has custom lenses.

• Warby Parker is rated the best online vendor for unique inexpensive glasses. It offers you a free home try-on program which allows you to model multiple frames in the comfort of your home. They offer free shipping and returns.

Prices start at $95, including frames and prescription lenses.

Do not limit your eyewear because of the price. Check out any of these stores and start rocking your new pair of glasses!

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ANOTHER

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SH

HOT AT LIFE

FEATURE

STORY BY ESTHER SMITH | PHOTO BY JOSHUA MYERS | DESIGN BY HANNAH CHEUNG

I

STILL REMEMBER THE LAST THING MY FATHER SAID TO

my older brother that Friday evening. “Son”, he said, “If you don’t get rid of that gun, someone is going to get hurt.” We didn’t know it but someone getting hurt would happen a lot sooner than any of us were ready for…and it would change our lives forever.

My father, a pastor and my mother, an author and stay-at-home-mom, raised my brother and me in a traditional Adventist home. Life was beautiful in our small Louisiana country town. In 2014, my brother and I were attending college out of state. Christmas break of my junior year, we decided to spend the holidays at home and began the long drive home. After driving for some time, my brother took the wheel from me. Now sitting in the passenger seat, I opened the glove compartment to get something and what I saw stunned me. A .45 caliber pistol. I looked over at my brother in disbelief. I carefully picked it up.

“Why do you have this?” I asked.

“To protect myself.” He looked at me sincerely as if he had a genuine concern.

“To protect yourself from what?! From who?! That makes no sense at all.” I unbuckled myself so that I could turn fully to face him.

“Esther, have you not been watching the news? We can’t even trust the police anymore. We are getting shot in the streets for the simplest things these days. I don’t want that to happen to me”, he said calmly.

“Yes, I’ve seen what’s in the news but that doesn’t justify you going out and buying a weapon! I don’t understand how you thought that that was the right

thing for you to do! You know mom and dad didn’t raise us like that. What do you think they’re going to say, because I am going to tell them,” I said, getting angrier by the second.

“I’ll tell them myself!” He said, now getting frustrated.

“Not before I do, I can promise you that.” I glared at him.

When we arrived at home, I told my parents about the gun and heated discussions ensued. My parents were disappointed with my brother. Twice we put off the discussion for another time. That Saturday, our lives changed.

In the car, after church on Sabbath, the gun came up again. “Hey, man! Look what I got!” my brother said excitedly to our god-brother, Anthony, also sitting in the backseat of my car on the way home. My brother sat directly behind me.

I rolled my eyes to our god-sister (Anthony’s sister), Erica, who was sitting in the passenger seat as I drove.

Erica and I pleaded with the guys to put the weapon away. Finally, they conceded. My brother went to disassemble the gun, and suddenly, it went off.

The sound deafened me. I ignored it because I felt like I had just been hit in my back very hard by a steel bat. During those seconds, although I was not aware of the panic in the car, I knew that I had been shot.

Everything burned and slowly my stomach felt very warm—like it does when drinking tea. Later, I discovered that though my brother managed to remove the bullet clip, he forgot that a bullet remained in the firing chamber. Like many guns today, my brother’s .45 >> ISSUE 9 | ENVISION | 13

I’M GOING TO DIE. I GOING TO DIE RIGHT HERE IN THE BACKSEAT OF MY CAR caliber pistol had a hairline trigger, which meant that the slightest pressure on the trigger could set the gun off. When my brother handled the gun to disengage the bullet clip, a finger brushed the trigger sending a bullet first into the back of the driver’s seat and then directly into my back.

Besides having just being shot, I had another major problem; I had to try not to wreck the car. I looked at my speedometer. I was going about 65 miles an hour.

Right in front of us was a slight turn in the road—one that I have driven many times before but now looked impossible to make. I had to do something.

“What are my chances of making this turn? Should I try to stop the car? Are there cars behind me? Should I even try to stop or just try to drive myself to hospital?”

I started to pull over but I couldn’t seem to put my foot on the brake pedal. The only other option was to let the car slow down on its own. Chaos quickly enveloped the car. There was instantaneous shouting.

“You shot me! You shot me!”

“WHAT?! No, I didn’t!” my brother screamed.

“Yes, you did! In my back!” I said, trying hard not to move.

“Oh my god!” Erica screamed shakily from behind stream of tears.

After surgery, Esther spent some time learning to walk again. On Christmas Eve she went home with her family. Today, she continues to tell the story of how God spared her life.

Photos on this spread courtesty of Esther Smith.

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In the seat behind her, Anthony was yelling. “Oh my god! Bro, you shot Esther!”

Carefully, I placed my hand over the place where the pain was coming from. I looked at my hand covered in blood. I touched my stomach. No exit wound. The bullet was still inside.

“Oh, Lord, help us!” My brother was screaming.

He leapt over me and onto my lap to bring the car to a complete stop. “My god! What have I done?!”

Once the car came to a stop, everyone frantically scrambled out. My brother sat in the middle of our empty country road with his head in his hands. “What have I done?” He repeated over and over. I carefully turned sideways in my seat. “You have to take me to the hospital.”

“We need to call 911!” Anthony screamed, while trying to calm my brother down.

All of a sudden, I could not seem to keep my eyes open. I just wanted to sleep. I started to close my eyes but my brother gripped my head in his hands and shouted, “Esther! You will not die today! Okay?! Please!”

“I need pressure…you have to put pressure…” was all I could manage. The pain was excruciating.

Burning. Unbearable.

He ripped his shirt off, popping buttons in the process. After layering it as much as he could, he tied it tightly around my back.

“We have to get her to the hospital! Hurry up!”

Erica screamed.

“Okay, Esther. I’m going to pick you up.” My brother said while wrapping his arms around my shoulders.

“No…no. You can’t move me… you’re not supposed to mo…”

“Esther, please” he pleaded, almost in tears. “How else are we going to get you to the hospital? Just try to hold on to me.” He laid me in the backseat with Erica.

Everyone strapped themselves in for the desperate drive to the hospital.

‘I’m going to die. I going to die right here in the backseat of my car.’ I began to use my short breaths to plead with God for my life. “Oh God. Please don’t let me die. I’ve only been home for three days. I know you didn’t bring me home safely only to die in a pool of my own blood in the backseat of my car. I know you didn’t…”

I tried to recite the Lord’s Prayer. But I couldn’t remember it all.

“Our father,” gasp.

“Which art in heaven,” gasp.

“Hallowed be thy name.”

Then came the clearest moment of my life. I heard a very calm voice say as clearly as if someone had spoken it next to my ear, “This isn’t for you. This is for him.

You’re going to be okay.”

Instantly, all-consuming peace stilled the frantic thoughts of death. In a matter of seconds, I no longer feared for my life and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that ‘I would be okay’. It’s a feeling words fail to describe.

On the way to the hospital, Erica called my parents.

They arrived shortly after we pulled up. Our hospital was ill-equipped to deal with the intensity of my injuries and they air-lifted me to another hospital hours away. I don’t remember much of the ride due to the medicine they gave me, but I do remember the beautiful sunset.

Purples, pink, blue, and golden yellow seemed to shine more brilliantly than I had ever seen.

We arrived at the Trauma Center and the doctors quickly examined my injuries. Took me for x-rays and wheeled me to the operating room for what, my mother told me later, turned out to be the first of two surgeries. I remember a big white room filled with two dozen people working to save my life. No one spoke to me. They looked at my injuries but continued to speak among themselves and this made me panic. One of the nurses then held my hand and I felt ok. Surgery began soon after.

I woke up feeling drowsy and an over-powering lemon scent hit me – morphine. A nurse sat nearby and I asked her what day it was. Since the incident occurred after church Saturday afternoon, I thought it was Saturday night. She told me that it was Wednesday. I had lost four days.

I soon learned the extent of my injuries included an entry wound 2 ½ inches from my spine, a collapsed lung, bruised ribs, and a partially destroyed liver. A chest tube snaked down into my lung and a stomach

tube filtered blood from my abdomen. These were in addition to other tubes being used to help save my life.

Over the next week, I learnt to walk again, first with a walker then on my own. As I regained the strength of my lungs, the tubes were removed and I was able to draw a full breath.

I left the hospital on Christmas Eve and spent five weeks recovering. Six weeks after the accident, I returned to school for the Spring Semester. I took a full load of classes and received some of the highest marks I had ever gotten.

That Christmas break was the hardest for my family but we made it. Needless to say, my brother won’t ever touch a gun again. A few years later, he still has a hard time talking about what happened, but our relationship is stronger than it has been since we were children.

On December 13, 2014, Jesus became more than just my Lord—He became my personal Savior. Because the old proverb is true, “He may not come when you want Him, but He’s always right on time.” Now, every breath I take is a gift because I was given another shot at life.

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FINANCE

© MAXIM_KAZMIN - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

STORY BY FONDA MWANGI | DESIGN BY KYLIE KAJIURA

Odds are, no student wants to sit down and plan out a budget. Money comes and goes. More often than not, you find it leaving before it gets a chance to settle down in your pocket. Although most college students do not have a steady salary, it is still valuable to find ways to effectively use what we do have. Budgeting is a term that holds connotation of limitation and not being able to have freedom. However, budgeting can be a liberating process that actually benefits your life. So, how can you find the time to plan out your own budget? There are apps that will do all the work for you and come up with an easy and effective way for you to spend your dollars.

Daily Budget Daily Budget App is a free iOS app (Apple). It functions like it sounds and lets you know how much money you can spend in a day. As one of the more basic apps, Daily Budget App keeps everything simple.

Here is what you need to do: • Create a free account. However, there are some in app purchases that you can buy • Figure out your budget • Daily Budget creates a daily allowance for each day • If you do not use all of your daily budget, it carries over to the next day and you have a little more money to spend

Psychology Graduate Student, Eliana Iller, tried out the Daily Budget App. “The app has helped me become conscious on what I am spending,” says Eliana. She did share how it was difficult at first to get used to because the app does create a daily budget as opposed to monthly. If she spent $20 on gas in one day, the app would say she over

spent because it calculates that she spent only $4 on gas a day. However, one does not buy gas every day. Daily Budget does require you to enter your transactions and Eliana shares, “The app felt more tedious then helpful.” Overall, Eliana says, “I am not really a fan of the app, but I think I will continue to budget with a different app.

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Mint Mint is one of the most popular budgeting applications that originated as a web-based personal financial management service 10 years ago.

Here is how it works; • Create a free account • Link financial accounts. Add bank accounts, cards, and bills • Mint automatically pulls all your financial information into one place You are able to see your transactions and track your spending • Mint breaks up your spending into categories (gas, clothing, food, etc.) and you can choose a target amount of how much you want to spend in certain areas • An alert system warns you when spending exceeds in one or more areas Adeli Wickham, a senior Political Science Major at Andrews University, started using Mint after a friend recommended it to her. Being a full time student with three jobs, Adeli says, “It makes it easier for me to know that maybe I can spend a little bit more money here and not as much there.” Before Mint, Adeli used most of her time writing out her budget but now everything is done for her. “I would recommend it. I think it is the responsible thing to do,” says Adeli. She raves that she enjoys the simplicity and efficiency the app offers her.

Hannah Mbungu, a senior Nutrition & Dietetics Major, is a brand new user of Mint. Hannah says, “I downloaded the app and it was very user friendly and I liked it.” She claims that she had to do a bit of adjusting to the budget, but after that it was running smoothly.

“I have not spent that much money since I got the app because I know that I am being tracked,” Hannah admits. She discovered what she was spending the money on while using Mint. “Food is my biggest spending category and I have started saying no to myself because it is not in my budget,” she confessed. Overall, Hannah really enjoys that Mint helps keep her accountable.

EveryDollar EveryDollar, found on Apple, Android, and the web, is a free financial app created by Dave Ramsey. The application is based on the envelope method of budgeting. The envelope method involves assigning an amount of money to an area such as food and only using the money in the envelope. Not only does EveryDollar assist you in creating a monthly budget, but it follows Dave Ramsey’s baby steps to budgeting.

Here is how you can use the app; • Create a free account • Enter your transactions manually (unless you upgrade to a premium account) • Assign your money to the planned fields in the eight categories provided: Giving, Savings, Housing, Transportation, Food, Lifestyle, Insurance & Tax, and Debt • You can also create your own categories • Each time you spend, enter the amount spent and the deduction is made automatically Clavour Tucker, pursuing a dual Masters degree in Divinity and Communication, ventured out to try EveryDollar for a month. He shares that is not the best as far as user interfaces are concerned. However, it gives the option of budgeting according to major categories. A couple

of times, Clavour found himself outside his budget. “I did exceed on the expenditure side and the app did allow me to rearrange my finances to accommodate,” recalls Clavour. He shares there were new features that he would find each week and says, “I am learning to like the app more and more.”

This is your brief guide to budgeting apps. You can enjoy your college experience while developing smart spending habits. Now with the experiences of Adeli, Hannah, Clavour, and Eliana, you can try out one of these apps for yourself. Check them out in your App and Play stores on your smart devices.

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HEALTH

STORY BY DOMINIQUE WAKEFIELD AND PAVEL TOMENKO, UNIVERSITY HEALTH AND WELLNESS | PHOTOS BY JOSHUA MYERS | DESIGN BY HANNAH CHEUNG

WHY EXERCISE ONLY ONE LEG WHEN PREPARING FOR A MARATHON? IT SEEMS SILLY, DOESN’T IT?

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ith the summer months headed straight for us, you may want to consider becoming more serious about your health. But guarding your health goes beyond watching your waistline. Your spiritual, mental, and emotional health are all important aspects to consider. Neglecting one area is like exercising one leg in order to prepare for a marathon.

University Health and Wellness at Andrews University recently launched a new initiative to make AU the healthiest campus in the world. The ‘Mission: Fully Alive’ pledge gives you the opportunity to take personal responsibility for your health and promotes a holistic approach to wellbeing.

By taking the pledge, here are a few things you will be committing to. >>

regularly

Take time each day to enhance my spiritual wellbeing

Drink more w ater and less sugary drinks

Spend time

r meals Eat regula the day t u o h g throu

in nature

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Sleep 7–

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and 3 Eat 2 servings of fruits s per day servings of vegetable

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Take time to con with frien nect meaningfull y ds and fa mily

You have one body, so take care of it by pledging to become fully alive! Have you taken the pledge to be healthier? If you would like more information, check out www.andrews.edu/wellness/ fullyalive/ to start a new way of healthy living.

Every faculty with which the Creator has endowed us should be cultivated to the highest degree of perfection, that we may be able to do the greatest amount of good of which we are capable.

Hence that time is spent to good account which is used in the establishment and preservation of physical and mental health.

We cannot afford to dwarf or cripple any function of body or mind. As surely as we do this, we must suffer the consequences.

— ELLEN WHITE

FEATURE

BLIND

S I DED STORY BY DANIELA CASTILLO | PHOTO BY JÉSSICA LUÍS FELÍCIO | DESIGN BY BRIANNA KITTLESON

Two years ago, Elia Fletcher’s life went blurry. Elia recalls the tragic event with such clarity. Having worn glasses for the majority of her life, she never thought much about not having 20/20 vision. “I didn’t think my vision was that bad, until one evening I was working the drive thru at McDonald’s. It wasn’t busy at all, which gave me more time to notice that the vision in my left eye was deteriorating.” She was not sure what was wrong. Her left eye could only capture beams of bright light, which only made Elia feel more in the dark. She was about to be blindsided by something that would, ironically, help her to see life more clearly. >>

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Growing up, Elia Fletcher filled her time with books, pots and pans, and thinking; all activities which, for the most part, she partook in alone. Her favorite pastime involved soaking in the serenity that came during every car ride home from school. As the leaves of the Silver Maple trees took her breath away, Elia kept wishing for the ride to last just a little longer. The daydreamer noticed almost everything, but never said much.

“I’ve always been the observer, never the one being observed, until I finally made an effort in establishing relationships that I knew I would want to keep for a long time.”

During her teenage years, Elia enjoyed reaching high scores playing video games, shopping and, most importantly,

22 | ENVISION | ISSUE 9

laughing uncontrollably; activities she enjoyed with her closest friends. “The way we shopped was different from most people,” Elia laughs as she becomes nostalgic. “We definitely did more looking than buying.” Elia felt as if she belonged, that even though she may not have been the most fun, the loudest, or the most appealing to everyone else, her personality and dry humor was just enough. She had a spontaneous group of friends, a loving family, and a God who had her best interest at heart.

Spring semester had just begun, and Elia was excited to see what her last semester of high school had in store for her. But her normality suddenly changed when her view of her surroundings dimmed. “I know my

body more than anyone else, and I knew that there wasn’t just something in my eye keeping me from seeing the letters on my phone,” Elia claims. As concerned as any parent might have been, Quinton Fletcher wasted no time in taking his daughter to the Walmart eye specialist nearby, but they could not seem to figure out what sporadically caused her lack of vision. The anxiety of the unknown tiptoed into Elia’s head as medical professionals struggled to find answers.

After three visits to the optometrist and an MRI, Huntsville Hospital finally found the problem. A neurologist sat Elia and her father down in a conference room, explaining what was happening.

“As much as doctors have to conceal their

I KNEW GOD WAS THERE FOR ME, BUT I DIDN’T REALLY FEEL HIM THERE. emotions, I could tell by the look on his face that I was facing bad news,” Elia remembers. The news entailed a tumor that had latched onto Elia’s optic nerve, which was stealing the vision from her left eye. Huntsville Hospital cautiously debated the steps to take next, and then referred Elia to the Saint Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital of Huntsville to get more information about the tumor and where to get further treatment.

Elia recalls the moment she was told she would lose her vision, “I broke down in tears, and I cried and cried and cried until there were no more left.” What was once confusion immediately turned into heartbreak. After a more extensive look at Elia’s eye, specialists at Saint Jude’s told the Fletchers that if they did not act fast,

the tumor could potentially spread to her right eye causing her to become permanently blind in both eyes. They scheduled a date within the next few months to have Elia’s tumor removed from her left eye.

“I knew God was there for me, but I didn’t really feel Him there. I had so many questions, and I was left waiting sometimes impatiently for the answers.”

Elia felt as if she could eventually come to terms with losing half of her vision, but she was not happy about God’s timing. She expected to graduate within the next few months, and imagined spending her final moments at school making memories with her friends, not spending time in hospitals, let alone losing her vision. The doctors scheduled the surgery to take place on April 24, 2015.

Quinton was not only her father but also a pastor, and he felt moved by God to bring the congregation together to anoint his daughter. They traveled to Tennessee where the majority of the Fletchers resided. The Fletchers believed in family and the power of prayer. Surrounded by all the ones who loved and supported her, the pastor of the Hillcrest Seventh Day Adventist Church prayed, and Elia felt a sigh of relief as the oil swept across her forehead.

The day of the surgery arrived. Sweat dripped down her face, and Elia could not stop quivering her lip. The disposable hospital gown was not the white gown she ever imagined wearing as a kid. Terror embedded her mind as she thought about the surgeon’s blade shaving her hair. >>

ISSUE 9 | ENVISION | 23

But soon, as nervous as she was, peace soon came over her. “Sometimes it feels like I can still hear the same words my mother spoke to me that morning,” Elia reminisces. “You’re strong. Your hair will grow back.” Elia was nowhere near prepared for this surgery, but a quick prayer, pleading for God’s mercy and strength, before the anesthesia kicked in was just what Elia needed all along.

After eight hours, Elia woke up.

“Waking up wasn’t the hardest part, nor was looking in the mirror,” Elia claims.

The hardest part for Elia was taking the bandage off and realizing that although her left eye was still intact, she could no longer see out of it. The doctors found no cause of the tumor.

Elia felt emotionally numb for some time after the surgery. She found many difficulties as she was forced to get used to having only one working eye. Fear prevented her from getting her driver’s license and reading a book felt like

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learning a new language. “Readjusting was difficult, but getting to know myself again was hardest.” Deciding between wanting people to know and keeping her story a secret troubled Elia. “It’s not so bad when someone doesn’t notice your flaws, but it started to feel lonely when I was the only one noticing,” Elia recalls. It took months for Elia to crawl back into the skin she once felt so comfortable in.

As the days passed, Elia graduated and as that summer closed, a new chapter awaited at Andrews University in Berrien Springs. Elia realized that it is okay to question God’s timing, and it is also okay to never get an answer. God gives and He takes away, but one thing became more and more true to Elia as she began her healing process: “We may never know why God does the things He does, but we must always remember that He’s doing it with a purpose.” Elia Fletcher may have lost half of her vision, but she holds God’s vision of her life.

READJUSTING WAS DIFFICULT, BUT GETTING TO KNOW MYSELF AGAIN WAS HARDEST

#FOLLOWUP

STORY BY FONDA MWANGI | DESIGN BY KATE FILKOSKI

Almost 40 years ago, art fry accidentally invented sticky notes with a colleague. Today, sticky notes are helping one millennial to live out her faith and she is encouraging others to build their faith using the colorful sticky squares.

In January 2016, Nia Darville, a Junior Speech Pathology major at Andrews University, decided her new year’s resolution would be to reignite her faith that had become stagnant. “I started reading my Bible every day and as I would read, I would fill out a sticky note,” she recalls.

At the time, she stored the sticky notes in a journal.

Eventually she created a faith wall in her room full of scriptures written on sticky notes.

The faith building experience became less personal when she began posting pictures of her sticky notes on Snapchat every day. “I was actually really surprised”, expressed Nia as she describes the attention generated by the sticky notes on Snapchat. She often received messages from people saying, “I really needed that verse” or “these are sometimes the only pieces of the Bible I read every day”. With that in mind, Nia felt responsible to have her daily devotion and share it with others on social media.

Not only was her faith growing, but others were being inspired and blessed. This led her to create the website Sticky Note Faith. Nia shares, “I did not want other people to depend on me to get to know God. I wanted to empower them to get to know God for themselves using the method that worked for me.” Although the notes are small, her faith is big and growing.

YOU CAN FIND STIC KY N OTE F STIC AITH KYNO AT T EFAIT ALSO H.OR ON IN G, ST AG AND RAM SNAP CHAT @STI CKYN OTEF AITH .

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LENS

Landmarks and monuments serve to remind future generations of individuals and events that made a significant impact.

Sculptures around Andrews University also tell a story.

STORY BY DANIELA CASTILLO | PHOTO BY HEIDI RAMIREZ | DESIGN BY TAYLOR CLAYBURN

Corten Steel Sculpture

In 1966, as a gift from the graduating class of 1967, Timothy Malone designed the Corten Steel Sculpture and finished it in spring of the following year. It was the first piece of modern art on the campus. Malone placed the sculpture between Administration Building and Nethery Hall, but soon controversy erupted over the piece. Persons thought that it was a waste of space and money and some students went as far as to deface it with paint. The monument played a major role in the building of the Science Complex in the late 60s. The architectural team contacted to build the complex agreed to the task only after seeing the sculpture. The sculpture reminds us of Andrews’ three-fold approach toward education—body, mind, spirit, or Corpus, Mens, Spiritus—which has been an institutional objective since the University’s founding in 1874.

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Hazen’s Concrete Wall

Nestled by trees in a roundabout near the circle near Pioneer Memorial Church, many persons have never noticed Hazen’s Concrete Wall, designed by Andrews University Faculty member Wayne Hazen in 1985. Hazen used 36 tons of concrete and marble aggregate to construct the piece which forms a cross and a circle.

Hazen’s purpose in creating the sculpture was to convey God’s love and how powerful it is. It was designed specifically to be bent at right angles to signify stability and completion. This “secluded” wall in a peaceful atmosphere reminds all of us about God’s sacrifice and his sustaining grace.

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THESE STONES ARE TO BE A MEMORIAL TO THE

J.N. Andrews Sculpture

Perhaps the most recognized sculpture on campus, the J.N. Andrews monument was designed by Alan Collins in 1993 and installed in front of the Pioneer Memorial Church in spring of 1998. It features Seventh-day Adventist Missionary John Nevins Andrews and two children Charles and Mary. He inspired the change of university’s name from Emmanuel Missionary College to Andrews University in 1960. The purpose of this statue was to celebrate and remind us of the life of J.N. Andrews, while acknowledging his legacy of leadership.

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PEOPLE OF ISRAEL FOREVER. JOSHUA 4:7

Regeneration

In 1971, Alan Collins began designing a sculpture that would depict the work of the Christian scientist. Four years later, a 60-ton sculpture was unveiled in front of Science Complex.

The looping ribbon symbolizes the joining and division of molecules, whereas the twisted DNA molecule is a medieval symbol of Jesus. To resemble the course of life, the ribbon never touches itself. The four, horizontal extensions represent earth, air, water and fire, which claim Jesus’ second coming and ought to remind us His imminent return.

ISSUE 9 | ENVISION | 29

NAD PATHFINDER CAMPOREES JULY 26-29, 2017

MID-AMERICA UNION CAMPOREE CUSTER, SOUTH DAKOTA MORE INFO: EMAIL HUBERT CISNEROS OR CALL (402) 484-3009

YOUTH CONGRESSES 2017 AUGUST 1-5, 2017

PAN-EUROPEAN YOUTH CONGRESS VALENCIA, SPAIN MORE INFO / REGISTER: aycongress.org

FAITH & SCIENCE CONFERENCE JULY 6-14, 2017 MORE INFO fscsda.org/icbs/

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LOCAL EVENTS

INTERNATIONAL PATHFINDER CAMPOREES AUGUST 8-12, 2017

NORTHERN ASIA-PACIFIC DIVISION TAIWAN

ILLINOIS Camp Akita July 9-16 Teen Camp I July 16-23 Teen Camp II

INDIANA CONFERENCE Timber Ridge Camp June 8-11 Bike Indiana Kilometer Excursion July 16-23 Teen Camp

LAKE REGION CONFERENCE June 16-18 LRC Pathfinder Camporee June 25 LRC Bible Bowl Championship Round

HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD FOR YOUTH. CHOOSE AN EVENT AND INVITE A FRIEND TO JOIN YOU!

July 9-16 Teen Camp July 16-23 Teen Camp

MICHIGAN Camp Au Sable July 2-9 Teen Camp August 26-28 Pathfinder Workshop

WISCONSIN July 16-23 Teen Camp

ISSUE 9 | ENVISION | 31

#FOLLOWUP

Fixing Darwin’s

Eye

Problem

STORY BY FELECIA DATUS | PHOTO BY JESSICA FELICO | DESIGN BY MERARI GONZALEZ

In

2009, researchers reported on a study conducted to determine whether college students accepted evolution as their academic level increased.

They concluded and recommended the following: “Comparisons showed that overall acceptance of evolution among [student] biologists increased gradually from the freshman to the senior year, due to exposure to upper-division courses with evolutionary content.

College curricular/pedagogical reform should fortify evolution literacy at all education levels, particularly among non-biologists.”

While the debate over the acceptance of evolution or Intelligent Design ensues, on numerous occasions theologians have erroneously used the following quote to promote the idea

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that Charles Darwin, the father of the Theory of Evolution, relinquished his ideas about evolution and natural selection: “To suppose that the eye, with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest possible degree.”

If one stops there, it is plausible to assume that Darwin did, in fact, consider the idea of natural selection too “absurd” to believe. But, it is important to read further in the text to accurately determine what Darwin intended to convey.

“Yet reason tells me that if numerous gradations from a perfect and complex eye to one

WHAT GOD SAYS

While Darwin can attempt to explain how our eyes have formed and the various grades that exist throughout the animal kingdom, God has much to say about the Eye;

very imperfect and simple, each grade being useful to its possessor, can be shown to exist; if further, the eye does vary ever so slightly, and the variations be inherited, which is certainly the case; and if any variation or modification in the organ be ever useful to an animal under changing conditions of life, then the difficulty of believing that a perfect and complex eye could be formed by natural selection, though insuperable by our imagination, can hardly be considered real. How a nerve comes to be sensitive to light, hardly concerns us more than how life itself first originated; but I may remark that several facts make

me suspect that any sensitive nerve may be rendered sensitive to light, and likewise to those coarser vibrations of the air which produce sound.”

The fact of the matter is that Darwin did not repudiate his original ideas. Instead, after expressing that the notion of the eye’s development through natural selection was “absurd in the highest degree,”he went on to explain why he thought that believing such an idea was not as illogical as one might think. Many have made the grave mistake of using the words of the men to defend their faith instead of using God’s Word as their foundation. >>

1.

He created the eye Proverbs 20:12 ESV The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.

2.

Our ability to see clearly, physically and spiritually, affects how we live our lives Matthew 6:22 ESV The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,

3.

The most beautiful thing we have ever seen cannot compare to what God has in store for us in Heaven Corinthians 2:9 NKJV But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

4.

Christ is the only one who can restore our ability to see clearly Mark 8:25 ESV Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

FOR THE STUDY

There are many theories that attempt to explain how our world and how life came to be but we already have the answers: •

Genesis 1:26 - Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness”

•

Nehemiah 9:6 - “You alone are the LORD You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them You give life to all of them

•

Revelation 4:11 - “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

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WANT TO KNOW MORE

Read more about God’s power to create by studying the following passages with your friends; • Genesis 1 • Psalm 10 • Job 38,39,40, &41

MORE INFO

Was our world really created by an All-Powerful God? Is there room for evolution in Adventist school? How can the Darwin “eye” problem be fixed?

What are your peers saying about creation and evolution? Watch videos and read more about this topic, by visiting the following sites; •

•

What the church believes about Creation: https://www.adventist.org/ en/beliefs/humanity/creation/

“

The best way for young people to stand against what the world promotes about the origin of life is for them to be absorbed in the Word of God daily, especially during college years.

Evolutionists are successfully finding ways to sway college students to adopt evolution.

They know that to “fix” the problem among those who do not believe, they must immerse students in evolution-laden literature early in their education. Thus far, they have been effective, but this is not a new method.

The best way for young people to stand against what the world promotes about the origin of life is for them to be

Seventh-day Adventists and Evolution: https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1942/06 seventh-day-adventists-and-evolution

absorbed in the Word of God daily, especially during their college years. It is interesting to note that the body part Satan targeted when seducing Eve was the eye, though in the figurative sense.

“

Share your Thoughts!

Visit the envision magazine Facebook page and share what you think about God’s ability to create and sustain our world.

SHARE GOOD NEWS

ADVENTIST FRONTIER MISSIONS afmonline.org | 800.937.4236

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Be a missionary.

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EDUCATION

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H

Homesickn STORY BY THAMIRES RIBEIRO DE MATTOS DESIGN BY MEGAN JACOBS

ave you ever felt homesick during your time away at school? According to The Nightline Association, one third of college students felt homesick, anxious or depressed during school time. Carlon Nyack, a student in the Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University originally from the Caribbean, says he feels sadness during his time away from home, “Especially as I reminisce that I could be walking on sand instead of snow.”

Researchers Lauren Dundes and Shushama Rajapaksa conducted a study to find out how students, especially those who traveled abroad for school, coped with feeling home sick. They discovered that having a number of good friends and an effective social network helped students manage anxiety or depression when away from home. If you feel home sick, remember these two essential tips: maintain healthy social networks and always have something to do. What helps Carlon to combat homesickness is “hanging out with friends and also just connecting with home…and reminding myself that it won’t be forever.”

However, if you have ever experienced the opposite of homesickness – “schoolsickness” – you know how bad it can be. Although it is not a popular term, you are probably experiencing “schoolsickness” when you have been home for more than a week and you begin to miss your friends and some of the activities on campus.

Even though the circumstances are very different, the solution remains the same: do not be alone and keep yourself occupied!

Having returned home for the break, Becka Sauls, pursuing her Masters in Social Work, missed the structure of the academic setting and being around peers who were like-minded. She goes on to explain, “I missed the freedom that come with being away from home.” To cope with this, Sauls visited the library. “The smell of books seemed to calm me.” Whenever he began to miss school, Christian Smith, a religion major, coped with prayer and conversations with friends.

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V

Sch

ness

VS

1.

Here are some things to do when you are missing home or school:

Connect with friends. Do not isolate yourself. A support system all ows you to look at life from the perspective of others and also opens your eyes to the needs of others.

2.

Get active. Dedicate your time and energy to an activity that is worthwhile and that can be a blessing to others. Helping someone else will bring joy to you.

3.

Talk to God. Jesus left His home in Heaven to come to earth. If there is anyone who understands how you feel when you are missing home, it would be Jesus.

hoolsickness

ISSUE 9 | ENVISION | 37

EDUCATION

STORY BY: FELECIA DATUS, KONNER DENT, ASHLEY NEU ILLUSTRATION & DESIGN BY: MERARI GONZALEZ

Our ideas of education take too narrow and too low a range. There is need of a broader scope, a higher aim. True education means more than the pursual of a certain course of study. It means more than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to do with the whole being, and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the service in this world and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come.

E

– E.G. White

very Adventist institution claims to provide “true education” – a term coined by Ellen White.

However, while there is focus is on mental, spiritual and physical development, the variety found across different Adventist schools communicates that there are different ways to apply true education. So what is “True Education”? Is it more student freedom?

Is it mandated exercise and worship services? Is it diversity in opinion and lifestyle, or unity in one goal?

Ronald Semil, a student at the Theological Seminary at Andrews University sees true educations as, “better education in which the object is to

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know God (through theoretical and practical means) and have His character reproduced in them.” Mario Williams, past student president at Northern Caribbean University in Jamaica says that there were elements of true education at his former institution. He enjoyed the emphasis on spiritual and physical values. He describes how the campus geographic setting itself promoted physical development and that leadership growth was encouraged through various student organizations.

Ellen White says that True Education “strengthens the character, so that truth and uprightness are not sacrificed to selfish desire or worldly ambition.” True Education is not for the sake of a teacher’s beliefs or simply a marketable strategy. It is for the best of the student while in school and when the student leaves.

True Education does not only result in a well-paying job. If education prepares a student to be useful in this life as well as in heaven, if it promotes character development and increases usefulness to society, if it helps to mature the mental, physical, and spiritual faculties, then true education has begun to take place. The scope of such an education cannot be measured or defined, but it irrefutably has Christ as the Teacher and Christ as the Lesson.

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RELATIONSHIPS

STORY BY SHANNON KELLY PHOTO BY VEEKEN BALDEOSINGH DESIGN BY MARTHA BRANDT

“So, are you dating anyone yet?”

This question becomes inevitable, especially when you reach your adult years and are still single while many of your childhood friends are getting engaged and married. Much of society seems to have an expectation that when you grow up, you get married. The notion is that if you stay single, you cannot have a happy, fulfilling life. Being single is too often seen as a failure – a perception that is entirely false. Whether you are single and waiting for “the one”, or if you are choosing to remain unmarried, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Dating and marriage are absolutely beautiful, and if that is your desire, you should absolutely go for it. But what must also be understood is that being single is not a bad thing. Some adults weighed in on why it’s OK to be single. Here are the top reasons.

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LIVING SINGLE OR MARRIED BUILD ON JESUS CHRIST

SINGLENESS IS REALITY

Being single, whether by choice or by chance, is not an awful, strange or unfulfilling way to live. Pastor Dwight Nelson, Lead Pastor of Pioneer Memorial Church, explained that God created humans to be relational beings, but “the post-Eden reality is that not all marry.” “While God has an ideal, He lives with the real,” Pastor Nelson said. “And the real is, we don’t all get married. The real is, we don’t all want to get married. The real is, we don’t have to get married. The real is that, professionally and personally, a person can live a very fruitful life and never marry.”

MARRIAGE MAY NOT FIT EVERYONE’S LIFESTYLE

30-year-old freelance photographer/ filmmaker and graduate of Southern Adventist University, Tanya Musgrave, is a single woman with a lively career that keeps her traveling around the country constantly. As a result, she is never in one place for long. “Where I am in my life right now, I would never be home,” she said. “I’m kind of flitting from one place to another… I don’t even know if somebody would want to be in a relationship with somebody who is barely there.” She is completely open to being in a relationship should someone come along who could keep up with her. The thought of marriage someday appeals to her. However, she recognizes that she is not ready to settle down yet, and until she is, she is fulfilled by the work that she loves and the friendships she makes.

SINGLENESS CAN BE A UNIQUE GIFT FROM GOD.

Some people actually choose not to marry and are content that way. Pastor Nelson referred to the Apostle Paul – himself a single man - as an example. In 1 Corinthians 7:7, Paul says, “I wish that all of you were as I am [unmarried]. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.” Not only does Paul actually advocate the single lifestyle, but in the last half of the verse, he implies that singleness can be a spiritual gift. “Paul’s little insertion there… indicates that singleness can be a gift from God, fruitfully exercised for the building up of God’s kingdom,” Pastor Nelson says.

MORE FREE TIME

You have time to focus on who you want to be while you’re single. “I don’t feel like I’m the person I want to give to someone,” 23-year-old student, Bohdana Gayle, said. Gayle explained that if she wants to be in a relationship, she needs to give it “110 [percent],” but before she can do that, she feels that there are certain parts of her life that she needs to work on. “If I want to receive the best, I feel like I need to be able to give the best…And I’m just not there.” She would rather wait until she feels personally prepared for a relationship than dive into one and hurt her significant other in the end.

This does not mean you have to have yourself all figured out, but learning more about what you want in life is a good way to prepare for any future.

ARE YOU READY TO BE SELFLESS?

Before entering a relationship, you have to ask yourself: Are you ready to be selfless? When you are married or in a relationship with someone, you consult your partner about almost every decision you make. Decisions about where to go to school, where to work, where to live, what to do in your spare time… you are no longer just looking out for yourself. Relationships involve compromise, and if compromise cannot happen, a healthy relationship cannot flourish.

DEVELOPING YOUR WITH CHRIST

You are able to focus on developing your relationship with Christ above all. Human relationships may come and go, but a relationship with Jesus is eternal.

He craves a personal relationship with you more than anything. Let Jesus help you clean out your proverbial “junk drawer” that is the human heart. Ask Him to reveal any hidden sins and areas of your life that you need to work on, then work on those with Him. Build on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Christian couples will say that a firm foundation in Jesus is key to having a lasting marriage, but this foundation is not crucial in marriage only.

“This is not just a foundation if you get married,” Pastor Nelson said. “This is a foundation if you’re living.”

ISSUE 9 | ENVISION | 41

RELATIONSHIPS

D

STORY BY SHANNON KELLY PHOTO BY VEEKEN BALDEOSINGH DESIGN BY MEGAN JACOBS

ivorce. It is a topic that many Christians shy away from, or only speak about in whispers. The label of being “divorced” is shrouded in suggestions of shame and failure. Divorce in the Seventh-day Adventist Church is often treated as a taboo. Even though it happens, few know how to respond. Some individuals who have experienced divorce shared the struggles they faced. Dr. Bradly Hinman, Assistant Professor at Andrews University in the Department of Graduate Psychology and Counseling and a private practice counselor specializing in marriage and family therapy, responds to three struggles that many divorcees face.

Identity

“I was not going to be one of those guys who gets divorced,” 36-year-old John Weiss said, reflecting on the year 2012 when he lost almost everything. “That wasn’t even a remote possibility in my mind.” Weiss lost many things upon his

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divorce – his house, his dogs, a they can,” Dr. Hinman responds. that you are a child of God. lot of his money – but he feels “After the divorce was finalized, “Divorce is a serious matter for that the biggest thing he lost many Christians, and I feel it I spent maybe a year or two, was his identity. “My label of would be natural for someone or a few years, just me and husband, caretaker, provider… who has devoted their life to God,” John recounts. “God and now getting this new label service to the church would started building a new life of “divorced” … it just seemed feel a sense of loss while going for me, and tearing down the like it was too much.” through a divorce.” He goes on old frameworks and the bad “It is normal to feel a loss to describe how this loss of the assumptions and helping me of identity during divorce,” ideal life could be seen as a step reexamine stuff from the past Dr. Hinman says. “Beginning backward, a loss, a failure, or that needed to be dealt with.” at engagement the natural a blemish on the worthiness John explains that since his course of many (but not all) of the individual. Dr. Hinman divorce, God has been building couples is for the individual gives advice on what a person a new life, a new identity for to become less, and the can do when experiencing him, grounded in Christ. Today couple to become more shame or doubting whether he serves as a producer at Your prevalent. I believe that he or she can be used by God; Story Hour. is what the Bible meant “Talk to talk to a counselor, surwhen it said “the two shall Can God Still round yourself with supportive become one.” He explains that Use Me Now? people, and talk to other people when a relationships ends, an “I was so upset and broken and who have successfully dealt with individual suffers loss of identity in pain,” a 35-year-old Theology significant feelings of shame.” because of the sacrifices made professor at Andrews University Satan loves to deceive and for the relationship to work. In a says, recounting the story of her discourage us, trying to make relationship, individual identity divorce. “I really thought I was us feel that we messed up too becomes less as the relationship going to lose everything.” She much for God to love and identity becomes greater. When feared she would be let go from use us for His work. Howevpeople lose their relationship, her job. “Who wants a divorced er, the Bible is replete with through divorce for example, woman teaching theology?” she individuals who were sinful the person can feel as though asked, laughing at the irony. She human disasters, and God still they have lost a part of their also thought she would lose used them in mighty ways. King David, Abraham, and Moses all identity. Hinman explicates her church ministry duties. She failed in terrible ways but God had been doing Pathfinders that feelings such as confusion, used them mightily. No one and youth work for quite some anger, and grief are common. is ever too tainted for God to time. “I thought… I’d never be “Individuals who are transform into His servant. happy again,” she said simply. “I suffering from a divorce should Although the first year after would look at my finger and remember who they were her divorce was tough, Rahel miss my wedding ring… I felt before the relationship started,” like I wanted to hide my hands.” says that God has turned this Hinman says. “They should into one of the greatest witShe wrestled desperately with surround themselves with nessing opportunities of her shame and self-confidence. people who are supportive and Despite these struggles and life. “I did not lose my job or do things they enjoy. Write a fears, her worst fear was not for my ministries! I have been in list, keep it in your phone, pull counseling and groups for years it out and pick one when things herself; it was that her divorce had somehow damaged God’s and God has used that, along get overwhelming.” reputation, simultaneously with many other wonderful Individual identity is an impeople and experiences, to bring damaging her ability to work portant thing to have; knowing me great healing and joy. In fact, for Him. “What good can God who you are as a person matGod has turned what I thought do through me now?” she ters. But if an individual’s would destroy me, into somewondered. “I’m tainted. I’m identity is not found dishonorable to His name.” thing powerful!” She shares in God first, an “People who invest their life her story publicly, showing the identity crisis working for God feel called to healing power of God’s love is inevitable. and grace. “He has given me joy >> arrange their life as perfectly as Remember

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beyond imagining with His presence and care.” She continues to lead her church’s pathfinder club and youth group while serving as assistant professor of Biblical Hebrew.

An Uncertain Future

37-year-old Andrews University student and United States Air Force veteran, Amy Manjarres, was married for five years before her divorce. In July of 2014, while stationed in Turkey, the Air Force notified Amy that she would be one of many to be discharged. It was a devastating blow. Not only was her marriage falling apart; now her career was too. Soon, Manjarres found herself unemployed and newly divorced. Her whole future, so set in stone not long ago, was uncertain. She felt like a complete failure, longing for something in life that would make her feel worth her existence. “The fact that I became one more statistic was… devastating,” Manjarres said.

“In this case, both her career and her marriage were supposed to last for a very, very long time,” Dr. Hinman explains. “When things are supposed to last for a long time and they don’t, we go through a period of mourning, anxiety, and

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As to how she is now coping powerlessness.” with the uncertainties about her A good job future, Amy says, “It causes anxiety; and a thriving however, I’m working on being more relationship dependent and trusting of God. I are factors try to internalize Bible examples of that give God’s faithfulness to man, and I am us a sense of also trying to take courage from close accomplishment. friends’ personal experiences with If these things trusting our Father.” Today, Amy are taken against is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in our will, it makes us question how Psychology and she hopes to use her much of any of our life is within our control. Hinman says, “Divorce can be new profession to serve Christ.

How should individuals in the devastating, but in my opinion should Church respond when one of their not necessarily be viewed as a failure.

What people in this position generally brothers or sisters in Christ is going through a divorce? need from other people is a listening “Be supportive, loving, and acear, understanding, and compassion. cepting,” Dr. Hinman says plainly. “I Many times, it helps people to feel know that sounds simple, but these better just to be able to express qualities are vastly underused today.” themselves and talk about the awful He explains that many persons are turn their life has taken.” In addition uncomfortable around topics such to this, he counsels that helping a as divorce or death, but instead of person plan for what to do next can reacting in judgment or condemnahelp with attaining a sense of control tion, we should ask what we can do and getting back on his or her feet. for the person. “We should not offer It is human nature to want control advice unless they ask,” He cautions. over our every circumstance, to want “Unsolicited advice can come across as a concrete plan for our lives. But judgment or condemnation.” things do not always work out that Our Heavenly Father reminds way. Even in the face of an uncertain us in Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass future, God promised us that no matthrough the waters, I will be with ter how hopeless the future seems, He you; and when you pass through the has good plans in store. We can truly rivers, they will not sweep over you. claim the promise given in the familWhen you walk through the fire, iar text, Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know you will not be burned; the flames the plans I have for you,’ declares the will not set you ablaze.”

Lord. ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (NIV)

RELATIONSHIPS



PARIS 

Love

STORY BY FELECIA DATUS | PHOTO BY HEIDI RAMIREZ

P

DESIGN BY LETITIA BULLARD

aris, the city of Love…literally. Lovemine Jacques, also called Love, was born and raised in Paris, France. She enjoyed the diversity and food of her city. Her parents migrated from Haiti and raised her and her two siblings in an Adventist home where love was present, but affection withheld.

Although Love’s parents did not express their feelings very much, she never doubted their love for each other and for their children. “Intimacy between my parents was not evident,” Love says, “but it was not an issue for me. My father was a provider and he loved us.”

In August 2008, Love left France to attend Oakwood University, leaving behind a relationship that contributed to a loss of focus on God. “I needed to reset and rediscover values through God’s eyes,” Love recounts. “After that, God and I went to another level of intimacy. We were going on a journey.” She arrived at Oakwood with the idea that from the onset, if someone showed interest, she would involve God. “I would pray, ‘God, I have an interest. You know his heart better than I ever could.’” Love made a list and kept journals about her experiences and walk with God. “I had to know what I wanted because I didn’t want to settle. I didn’t want to like someone just because he showed interest. I didn’t want to waste time.” >>

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Joshua Brantley arrived at Oakwood from Compton, California believing that God had called him to ministry. He experienced life without a father-figure and grew up admired the generosity and work ethics his mother possessed. He knew that he wanted to get married, but wanted God to govern that process. “Oakwood was like the land of milk and honey,” he joked. “I knew I had to pray that God lead me. I didn’t want to be distracted and I didn’t want to play games. I prayed that God would send me a wife. I made a list of all the things and I prayed about this list.”

The most important part about that list however, was that he requested of God that the qualities he was looking for in a potential spouse would first be found in him.

It was simple courtesy that brought Love and Joshua together at the Oakwood library that school-year. As Joshua walked past the library, he saw a young woman with her arms full of books. He leaped into action to open the door. Joshua recounted that no butterflies fluttered in his stomach and no special feelings occurred. He opened the door for her, exchanged pleasantries and the brief encounter ended. Sometime later, they talked for the first time at the cafeteria and from then on they talked regularly. “I began to pray for him,” Love remembers. “It wasn’t because I wanted him, but I genuinely prayed for him because I sensed he was struggling.” Joshua confirms that during that time a struggle indeed had been ensuing in his heart over whether he or God would “call the shots” in his life.

The school-year whizzed by and summer break 2009 took Love back to Paris, while Joshua traveled to New York. He used the time to search his soul and limit his interactions with others so his focus on God could be steadier. Meanwhile, Love attempted to keep in touch. “I was

ILLU STRA reaching out, TION

BY V ECTE but he wasn’t really EZY responding,” she remarks.

The fall semester came swiftly and Joshua noticed that he had not seen Love around when school started. “I messaged her and asked, ‘hey, aren’t you coming back?’” But her response was a simple request for him to pray for her. Love, in the meantime, began to give up the notion that Joshua had an interest in her until they ran into each other at church on September 5, 2009. “I saw her for the second first time,” Joshua tells with a smile. “This time, I really saw her and I was smitten.”

“We said, ‘hey’, but didn’t say much after that,” Love remembers.

After chatting for a while in the lobby of the Oakwood church with Joshua’s roommate, Love returned to the main sanctuary only to discover that Joshua followed her in. “My heart was beating and I started to get hot,” Love laughs as she muses. “I also noticed that his hands were shaking and he was nervous.”

They sat together during the service and that fall semester encounter bloomed into a deeper friendship which evolved over the next two years.

Love ruminates as to what helped her to know that God’s hand had been scripting her love story with Joshua. “There was everything I was looking for in a relationship; his support, his presence, and he was a gentleman, not just to me, but overall. He’s emotionally connected and I saw this as an answer to my prayer.” Joshua too, who had been trusting God with every aspect of his life, believed that his Heavenly Father would continue to guide his heart to make the right decisions. “When it came to this decision, I asked God. I had the conviction. When He is ordering the steps, it’s rare that a sign is needed.

I continued to pray for His will at each stage of the relationship. Everything that God needed to

“This time, I really saw her and I was smitten”

mine

ove o©L Phot

tley Bran

reveal, He revealed.”

As for how she knew that they were making the right decision, Love says, “It progressed so naturally and when you know, you know! I didn’t pray for the rain to stop. I was walking with God and I knew. Because I had peace with God, I had peace with the relationship.”

On July 22, 2011, Joshua asked Love to marry him. “It was a rainy day and I was super nervous. I knew she would say, ‘yes’ but the thought of rejection was still in the back of my mind,” Joshua said. After a dinner-boat tour and a romantic walk, the musicians Joshua employed appeared playing guitars and singing a beautiful ballad. At this point, Love became nervous with excitement. Joshua lowered himself to one knee and the rest is history. Although it started as a rainy day filled with uncertainty, it ended with a beautiful sunset and a promise.

A year later, on May 20, they married in Paris. Seven years after their first encounter at the Oakwood library, through various experiences, Joshua and Love’s story continue to be written by the Lord. “I can see God deeply involved,” Joshua attests.

“Our commitment is to Him first.”

Today, Joshua is completing his studies at the Theological Seminary at Andrews University earning a Master of Divinity and Masters in Communications. Love is pursuing a dual Master degree in Community International Development and Ministry to Youth and Young Adults, also at Andrews in Berrien Springs. On March 21, 2017, Love and Joshua welcomed their first child Jesaiah Rose-Lee Brantley. With hopeful expectation, they trust that God will continue to write their love story.

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DEVOTIONAL

STORY BY GABRIELLE ZIEGLER DESIGN BY TAYLOR CLAYBURN ILLUSTRATIONS BY JACE MCKINNEY

Red Rose Chapel

This beautiful room is located on the lower level of Buller Hall. Red Rose Chapel is not only inside and has windows all around capitulating the view, but has a small intimate feel. This would be an ideal place to have a group devotion.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

White Picket Bench

HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO SPEND TIME ALONE WITH GOD ON CAMPUS BUT YOU WERE NOT SURE OF WHERE TO GO? HERE ARE THE BEST SPOTS ON CAMPUS TO HAVE MUCH NEEDED QUIET TIME.

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This bench is on the pathway of the sidewalk between Harrigan Hall and Hamel Hall. This is another peaceful place especially if you want to have private devotions because it is located in an area with low traffic on campus.

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14

St. Joseph River at Beaver Point

St. Joseph River is located on the road to the Pathfinder hill and towards the dairy.

There’s a beautiful scenery and allows you space to really reflect and observe nature.

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

Jeremiah 29:12

Garden of Grace

Find the Garden of Grace on the front left side of Pioneer Memorial Church. The garden is not only connected to a church, but has benches and a waterfall to help create the serene feeling.

The Swing

The swing is found between Buller Hall and Harrigan Hall. It is a beautiful hidden gem especially in the spring and summer nestled by lush shrubs and beautiful flowers.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Ephesians 4:7

Cast all you anxiety on him because he cares for you.

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D

eserts are strange. What is the meaning of sand if the sea is nowhere to be found? Turns out that Moses was about to find out that one can discover an ocean of possibilities in the desert.

As a boy, Moses was saved from the waters. As prince in Egypt, the most powerful nation of his time, he was reared near the shores of the Nile, surrounded by prosperity; food in abundance, the best education, countless servants at his disposal. Still, the prince did not feel complete. He did not truly know who he was despite his Egyptian and Hebrew citizenship. He was well-educated, handsome, young, rich, and noble, but God knew he needed character development.

His biological mother and caregiver to the age of twelve, Jochebed, taught him the power of a God who, with just a word, made everything happen in a perfect way. This God was different from the Egyptian idols. He had high moral standards, but very loving. He was a liberating God. However, his chosen people were slaves of Pharaoh. The situation was paradoxical. Moses decided to interfere. He killed an Egyptian soldier who threatened one of his fellow Hebrews. Terrified by the possibility of retaliation from Pharaoh, his lost courage and the prince, drawn from the waters, escaped to the desert.

Moses, the prince once surrounded by water, was now looking for a source to relieve his thirst amid the arid climate. Who would not be desperate? A desert makes anyone feel lost, useless, and weak. When all seemed hopeless, Moses found water. Around a well, women who herded sheep were being intimidated by scowling men. The prince resumed courage and freed them. His reward? Water, a wife, and contact with the God of Israel.

Contrary to common belief, the desert was the greatest blessing in Moses' life. It was there that he could cultivate patience – a virtue he lacked.

There, he learned more about the Creator. It was also in the desert that he had a real encounter with Him. Moses went forty years without wealth, nobility or diplomas, but only in the desert was God able to shape the prince of an oppressive nation so that he could become a liberator.

We often have the feeling that we are going through a desert in our lives. We cannot find an oasis or a way out. But remember: do not give up! Today's trial is just one step for you to become more like Jesus. He wants to mold you carefully in order to create in you a wise and pure heart. If forty years are going to be necessary, don’t worry because God is in control. Just trust, because He is the Water of Life!

Oceans Desert in the

STORY BY THAMIRES RIBEIRO DE MATTOS | DESIGN BY LETITIA BULLARD

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ILLUSTRATION BY VECTEEZY

D

DEVOTIONAL

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