Student Testimonies
 |
"Houghton was a total package! I chose it for the Christian atmosphere, education program, and the option to student teach overseas. But my first-year mentor was the linguistics professor with a passion for his work and insight into the challenges of Bible translation. I became involved in the World Missions Fellowship, spent a summer with Wycliffe's Discovery Program in Papua, New Guinea, supported by WMFers and other Houghton friends, and also studied abroad in Ecuador. I student-taught in inner-city Buffalo and at Wesleyan Academy in Puerto Rico. I am now completing a masters degree and am under appointment with Wcyliffe to translate the Bible in Mexico." Jen Heise, 1998 Houghton Valedictorian |
|
I did not come to Houghton expecting to go to the mission field after graduation. Actually, I did not have any idea what God was going to do with me at Houghton, but I was excited about the possibilities. It was not a life-long calling to be a missionary that led me to major in Intercultural Studies, but a God-given desire to help people and an interest in other cultures. Through interdisciplinary classes in anthropology, missions, linguistics, language, community development, and cross cultural experiences, God gave me the opportunity to learn from talented faculty who were not only experienced in the academic realm, but also rich in real-life knowledge. They asked me to answer tough questions and expand my worldview, all the while encouraging a Biblical perspective. Somewhere along the way I also caught the missionary vision. Now as I prepare for the intercultural ministry that God has given me in Kenya with Food for the Hungry, I am continually reminded of the gift He gave me in my Houghton education, particularly in my Intercultural Studies major. Strategies of development, the phonetic alphabet, legacies of missionaries past, and the qualities of an effective cross-cultural change-agent are just some examples of knowledge that I have used already. Although I will inevitably come across specific issues and situations that were not addressed in my classes, I believe that through my Intercultural Studies major Houghton appropriately equipped me to face challenges ahead. Laura Chevalier, 2001 Houghton Salutatorian |
