Being An Influence

My college experience was fantastic. I had the opportunity to attend a Church of Christ school for my Associate Degree (York College); a Catholic University for my Bachelor Degree (Newman University); and a Lutheran University for my Master’s Degree (Concordia University). My post-Master’s work has been primarily at State Universities in Kansas. What I enjoyed most about my experiences is the relationships I built with people.

The discussions that I had with professors and students about my beliefs and the Bible were ones that I will never forget. I also became more aware of the differences of people and the importance that their religion has on their way of life.

I will never forget Debbie telling her boss, when she worked at Newman University in the business office, that he had something dirty on his forehead. It was Ash Wednesday. Her boss just simply said, “Debbie you’ve got a lot to learn about the Catholic religion”. What a learning experience it was. It was one that helped Debbie and I to grow even stronger in our faith as we reached out to a community of believers, but of a different religious belief. Still today many of those good people are still our close friends.

You never know what type of influence you can have and where it might be. For Debbie and me, our mission field was a 2,000 student Catholic University in the heart of Wichita.

Where is yours?