I would like to start out with a question: Has my journey been easy? The simple answer is a "No". Let me tell you, my path to Messiah has been anything but routine. To be honest, Messiah wasn't in the foreground, but God had a plan and brought a young man with CP(Cerebral Palsy) from three hundred miles away to Messiah University. Do things always work out in a typical way and is everything always smooth? Not even close, but learn how someone like myself was able to overcome various obstacles and achieve something never thought of as possible.
SPEAKING 3:35-4:05
Leaving my family's longtime church home after 27 years was a tumultuous and painful experience, but it brought a number of faith and personal lessons which I needed to learn. Highlights include:
SPEAKING 12:15-12:45
Growing up I always felt different, I just had no idea why. I went through all of middle and high school struggling with these differences, with no idea of why they were the case. My mental health was poor, and the culture I was brought up in made it so I feel like I could only keep it to myself. It took a complete change of scenery when I got to college for me to realize exactly why I was different, and that realization has helped me immensely.
SPEAKING 3:35-4:05
I survived the most challenging time of my life during the fall of 2015. I was 8 months and 1 day pregnant with my first son when my husband was accurately diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer. He passed 8 weeks later, when my son was 23 days old. Learn how I faced the challenges of what life unexpectedly throws at you while slowly welcoming new blessings. I am a very open story teller and encourage my readers to ask any questions, including how they can help others who might be navigating similar situations.
SPEAKING 2:15-2:45; 2:55-3:25
It's the story of a female growing up in the 60s and 70s in a small town in PA and due to an unfortunate accident, her life is propelled in a totally different way that she thought or was expected to go.
SPEAKING 12:15-12:45; 12:55-1:25
The emotions one feels towards an abuser can be complex and intense. What happens when, through genealogical research, one uncovers traumas in the life of the abuser that may explain the cycle of violence. Come hear a story about how genealogy is helping one person find a path towards forgiveness.
SPEAKING 12:15-12:45; 12:55-1:25
18 year old Allison Speck was eager to spread God's love through missions. After being diagnosed with cancer, she held tight to God's promise to never leave her or forsake her.
She fought a physical and spiritual battle and persevered by focusing on hope in Christ and seeking joy in life's precious moments.
Although she went to be with Jesus after a five year battle with cancer, her story demonstrates how one person's faith can inspire many others to find purpose in life. Her life was a life lived beautifully for God's glory.
SPEAKING 12:55-1:25; 1:35-2:05
Semicolons are used to signal where you could have used a period but instead chose to continue the sentence. My father's suicide forced me to make that choice for myself 9 years ago. How do you continue your life when your mind is trying to convince you to end it?
SPEAKING 2:55-3:25; 3:35-4:05
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"If you only had two weeks left to live, what would you do?" This question is sometimes asked as an ice breaker between people who are getting to know each other. For me, it was a conversation that I was asking my mom on the ride home from the hospital after finding out that she had Stage IV pancreatic cancer. She faced death without regret and remained positive, enjoying the opportunity to be with family and friends and say her final goodbyes. In this light-hearted retelling of my mom's last weeks of life, learn how her heart for serving others and being grateful in all situations made profound impact on those around her. SPEAKING 2:55-3:25; 3:35-4:05 |
Nothing could've prepared Miss Nell for what she was going to experience at Four Winds Elementary on the Dakota Reservation. Why were these children so angry and confused? How was she going to connect with them? Their skin color, culture, foods, tradition and language were nothing alike. When art teacher and martial artist, Monte Yellow Bird entered the building, people noticed. He was handsome, intelligent and captivating. He also had a dream of becoming a professional artist and when he asked Miss Nell if she would be his Promotional Director, her answer, changed the trajectory of the rest of her life. Learn how Miss Nell tamed the wild west with the stroke of a brush.
SPEAKING 1:35-2:05; 2:15-2:45
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A child's dreams are suddenly interrupted by bitter fighting in the war-torn country of Bosnia. Learn about my family's survival in Sarajevo, Bosnia, during the biggest siege of the modern city since World War II. It's a story of survival, perseverance, family, love, and faith, ending in the most remarkable journey to Messiah University. SPEAKING 2:55-3:25
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In the fall of 1999, while sitting in the waiting room of a medical facility, I casually picked up a copy of Time Magazine. I was mildly annoyed that my appointment was delayed, and I needed a distraction. When the receptionist finally called my name, I wasn’t there to hear it. I was outside in the parking lot, in my car, having a crisis of faith. In my attempt to simply pass some time, I had stumbled upon a feature story that, for me, brought into question everything I had come to believe. This is the story of how a civil war fought on another continent led me on a journey that ended in the unlikeliest of places, on a stage in the United Nations Building in New York City.
SPEAKING 1:35-2:05; 2:15-2:45
Justin and Nyakiza grew up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They lived in a region that was devastated by war and social unrest. They were always on the run. They finally made it to a refugee camp in Burundi were they spent the next 10 years. During that time they raised their children and this past summer they moved to Harrisburg through the help of Church World Services. They have 6 children who one day hope to attend Messiah. They enjoy going to watch Messiah soccer games. Justin and Nyakiza are learning English and learning to drive. They are part of a Congolese church plant in Midtown Harrisburg with other family members.
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SPEAKING 12:15-12:45; 12:55-1:25
Growing up in poverty and living in a government housing project in Hong Kong, you are a nobody in a materialistic society. In the hot summer months, you didn't go swimming or camping. You worked in the local sweatshops and did piecemeal work assembling silk flowers, beaded necklaces, and 9-volt battery connectors to help your family make ends meet. You were bullied at school and told you were a nobody. Learn how a nobody who grew up in poverty came to embrace being a “Big Nobody.”
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SPEAKING 12:15-12:45
How does one who lived in a home without indoor plumbing and whose family bathed in a creek find his way to a long and satisfying career in higher education? Come hear about my adventurous and volatile childhood in "Wild, Wonderful West Virginia." Learn how "Jesus + Education = Transformation" became the formula that defines my life.
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SPEAKING 1:35-2:05; 2:15-2:45