Elisabet Kirkland Page 64

Courtney Hass – Denver, Colorado … In 2006, Global Health Initiatives (GHI), an international outreach program supported by the five AdventHealth Denver-based hospitals—Avista, Castle Rock, Littleton, Parker, and Porter—began a partnership with Mugonero Adventist Hospital in Rwanda to extend the healing ministry of Christ. The objective was to advance healthcare capacity there by sending clinical and surgical teams several times a year, providing leadership training and educational opportunities, offering financial support for building projects, and much more.

After several years of project development and sending teams to Rwanda, GHI expanded their services to include one of our most popular programs—the clubfoot sponsorship program.

Thanks to generous donors around the world, GHI is excited to share that they have supported 101 children through the clubfoot sponsorship program! These children are now living life with fewer limitations and hope for a better future.

In Rwanda, some 500 babies are born each year with clubfoot. Geographical and resource constraints prevent many children with clubfoot from getting treatment, condemning them to a life of poverty and disability. Beginning in 2009 with a 13-year-old boy named Emmanuel, the clubfoot sponsorship program invited donors to sponsor a child in need of clubfoot surgery that they would otherwise be unable to afford. The sponsorship is in collaboration with Rilima Hospital, the leading pediatric orthopedic facility in Rwanda. It covers all costs associated with their medical care including surgery, rehabilitation, food, accommodations, check-up appointments, travel expenses for the families, and so much more.

One of the most common questions the GHI team receives when talking about the clubfoot sponsorship program is, “Why are there so many children with clubfoot in Rwanda?” The answer is simple, “There aren’t.” The medical professionals in Rwanda aren’t trained to recognize and address this issue early. Responding to such a need, GHI has also grown to include a training program called, Ponseti Method. This method addresses the need to treat clubfoot early through casting instead of surgery. Since 2012, the collaboration has trained more than 200 healthcare professionals, including physicians, physical therapists, and nurses to perform the serial casting, educate the parents, and follow up to ensure a successful outcome. Each trainee returns to their home district and sets up a clubfoot clinic to promote sustainability of the program.

“The clubfoot sponsorship program is a special extension of our partnerships in Rwanda,” GHI director Greg Hodgson shared. “These children go from living with a horrible stigma tied to their condition, to having their communities and families accept them. This program completely changes the trajectory of their lives and I feel so honored to have played a role in helping these 101 children—not to mention the children impacted by our Ponseti Method training—to have a more hopeful future.”

For the 101 patients already treated, for the staff at Rilima and GHI, for the donors that chose to support this program, and for those that have had the opportunity to travel through Rwanda, visit this facility, and return home to share their stories, the clubfoot sponsorship program is thankful. This program is life changing and we can’t wait to see how many lives we’re able to impact in the coming years!

—Courtney Hass is the Development Officer at Global Health Initiatives, Rocky Mountain Adventist Healthcare Foundation. Photographs supplied.

Marsha Bartulec – Erie, Colorado … A transformation is taking place at Vista Ridge Academy this year under the school’s theme, from little seeds grow mighty trees, which has set the tone for this transformation. After announcing teachers experiencing promotions, career changes, and relocations, the school decided to shift the part-time teaching principal position to a full-time principal position, promoting then vice principal Marsha Bartulec to this new role.

Principal Bartulec quickly went to work with her team and hired three new teachers and two new teacher assistants for the 2022-2023 school year. At the same time, the Rocky Mountain Conference department of education had cast a vision for all schools within the conference to transition to standards-based learning within the next three years, giving VRA a new goal to reach.

Since the end of last summer, the VRA team has been collaborating with the education department and other schools within the Conference, to make a path forward in order to realize the vision set by the department. The VRA team has received professional development in a variety of areas, including standards-based learning (SBL), building a strategic plan, growing a positive staff culture, and implementing the High Reliability Schools (HRS) framework.

During the month of October 2022, Bartulec and lead elementary teacher, Rachel Fetroe, attended an HRS workshop with other educators from the conference in Orlando, Florida, getting up to speed on HRS standards.

“In January 2023, the VRA leadership team, which included the early childhood teacher, Sandy Hepp, lead elementary teacher, Rachel Fetroe, and lead middle school teacher, Taryn Clark, attended the High Reliability Schools Summit in San Antonio, Texas. The team caught the excitement at the keynote sessions and were engaged in the many breakout sessions,” Bartulec said.

“Attending the SBL training with Marie Alcock last summer changed everything I thought I knew about teaching. She started me on a different path of thinking,” said Clark.

“When I attended the HRS conference, I learned further steps on how to implement my learning. I’m so thankful for the dedication of the Rocky Mountain Conference to the professional development and continued learning of teachers,” she added.

The importance of teacher-wellness was a theme that permeated the whole event. Sandy Hepp commented, “Within the first ten minutes of attending Tina Boogren’s breakout session, ‘From Surviving to Thriving: Wellness Solutions for Educators,’ I was hooked. I kept thinking, ‘How can we implement this at VRA for our teachers?’”

The team also witnessed the first Adventist school, Northwest Christian School, receiving certification for the High Reliability Schools framework, Level 1. Rachel Fetroe commented, “The HRS framework is organized, structured, and easy to follow. It gives us a path of what to implement, so we can be successful with student learning.”

“When we have healthy teachers, our students will thrive,” Bartulec commented. “The teachers are growing physically, mentally, and spiritually.”

In the current school year, the Vista Ridge Academy team is focusing on the following initiatives:

1. Building spiritual and emotional intelligence for teachers.
2. Casting an administrative vision.
3. Writing the VRA playbook (operational systems).
4. Building a safe, supportive, and collaborative culture.
5. Ensuring effective teaching in every classroom.
6. Designing a guaranteed and viable curriculum.

According to Learning Forward, a learning professional association, teacher wellness has an impact not only on educators as individuals, but also on the overall well-being of the young minds they care for.

James Clear, in his book, Atomic Habits, writes, “If you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done. Improving by 1 percent isn’t particularly notable—sometimes it isn’t even noticeable—but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run. The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding.”

For nearly ten years, Vista Ridge Academy has been making improvements, resulting in an enrollment growth from 56 students to 110, a debt reduction from more than $200,000 to about $100,000, the creation of a positive culture, and team collaboration.

When reflecting on these remarkable results and looking forward, Bartulec believes Vista Ridge Academy is witnessing God’s hand in the growth of our little seeds into mighty trees.

—Marsha Bartulec is the Principal at Vista Ridge Academy, a preschool through eighth grade private school located in Erie, Colorado. Photos provided.

RMCNews – Loveland, Colorado … Campion church associate pastor of worship and evangelism Leandro Bizama, composed a theme song for a Revelation series in the fall of 2022.

“After thinking about the book of Revelation for several months, knowing we were going to be studying it for several weeks in the fall, I sat down to write a song,” Leandro explained.

“It needed to be Bible-based and communicate the most important points of the book—Jesus, His love for His bride (that is us), the urgency of His message (fear the Lord, come and drink, wash your robes) and the promise that soon we will be completely His and swallowed up in His embrace,” he continued.

The song quickly became a favorite for the congregation and one that they wanted to share. Please click here to find the full video, lyrics, and sheet music if you would like to include the song in your praise worship or just want to be blessed by the message. It is available as four-part harmony and as lead melody.

Pastor Leandro said, “I hope that as you sing and hear the song, your heart is inspired to join the Universe in recognizing the supremacy and love of Christ.”

—RMCNews. Photos provided.

Watch full music video below.

MHANews – Highlands Ranch, Denver … The Mile High Academy gym came alive on February 12 for the first annual Adventist Robotics and FIRST Lego League Superpowered Robotics Tournament. Adventist Robotics was founded in 2004 and operates the FIRST robotics tournaments and STEM engagements for Pre-K through twelfth-grade students across the country.

In the weeks leading up to the February 12 tournament, students were encouraged to design, build, and code a LEGO robot with the intent that the robot can navigate through missions and innovative solutions to real-world problems. Teams were given two and a half minutes to complete missions with their robot. There were fifteen missions to choose from, and the teams developed their strategy to see which missions would score the most points. Not only was it a challenge to get the robot to complete the mission, but it was a huge opportunity for the teams to showcase their teamwork.

“To get through robotics, you need to learn from your mistakes, use teamwork, and stay positive” said Natalie, HMS Richards student.

The day started at 7:30 a.m. with check-in, coaches’ meetings, and time for each team to prepare for the competition. The teams went before a panel of three judges to introduce their robot and present [solutions] on a problem that they were tasked to solve in relation to energy production and storage.

“My favorite part [of the tournament] was presenting the innovation project to the judges,” said Josh, an MHA seventh grader.

Sponsored by the Mid-America Union Conference, Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC), and Mile High Academy (MHA), four teams from Brighton Adventist Academy, HMS Richards, and Mile High Academy participated, with the hope of winning the Champions Award and an invitation to the Adventist Robotics championship in Orlando, Florida, later this year.

Awards were given in five categories. The awards and recipients are as follows:

• Core Values Award: MHA Team A
• Innovation Project Award: HMS Richards
• Robot Performance Award: MHA Team A
• Robot Design Award: Brighton
• Champions Award and Invitation to Adventist Robotics Competition: MHA Team B

Even though Brighton didn’t receive the Champions Award, seventh-grader Fidel reflected, “I was excited for the event. It was definitely a learning experience for next time and what we will improve upon the second time around. It was a great experience for everyone, and the teams helped each other now and then. We were proud of our accomplishments.”

Mel Wade, director of Adventist Robotics and technology coordinator for the Florida Conference, worked directly with MHA in the months leading up to the tournament and attended the event too. His role at Adventist Robotics is invaluable as he shares his knowledge and oversees robotics tournaments across the United States. He commented on the first MHA-hosted tournament, “I think it was a very successful first tournament. Lots of nerves with the kids but I think having the morning to work out the kinks really helped. I know the presentations were hard as, [for] a lot of them, this was their first time doing a formal public speaking presentation, but they all did great.”

“I was so impressed by the collaboration and spirit of each team,” said Diane Harris, RMC director of education. “The staff and volunteers that came out to support their schools speaks to the beauty of the Rocky Mountain Conference. A special thank you to Mr. Wade and his dedication to making robotics tournaments happen in our Adventist schools.”

Harris went on to say, “We are excited to host the tournament again next year and continue to watch this tournament grow for years to come.”

To view the robotics tournament, visit www.milehighacademy.org/msrobotics. For more information about Adventist Robotics, www.adventistrobotics.net.

—MHANews. Photos submitted.

Samantha Nelson – Cody, Wyoming … Do your pizza parties have a purpose? The Cody Cowboys Pathfinder Club held a pizza and card-making party with a purpose on Saturday night, February 11. Hardy Tyson, club director, created and baked homemade pizzas that everyone thoroughly relished, and the fellowship enjoyed by club youth, parents, and church members who attended was truly priceless.

Anita Holdren, assistant club director, organized the card-making activities during which club youth made several Valentine’s Day cards for patients at the local hospice center and to share with church and community members. Club member Eric Holdren, Jr. said, “I had a fun time making Valentine’s Day cards for church members and hospice patients. I hope we make more cards for other occasions in the future and can reach out to more people in the community.”

While the kids were having fun making their creations, some adults played games. The laughter and joy displayed throughout the evening among both youth and adults was contagious and abundant. “It was fun, and it was helpful to others because they will get a Valentine’s Day card. It helped me because, after a very stressful week, I got to relax, be with fun people, and have a good time,” said our newest club member, Kailyn Jones.

This pizza party with the higher purpose of bringing love and joy to those in need was a remarkably successful event!

—Samantha Nelson is from Cody Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wyoming. Photos by Samantha Nelson.

Samantha Nelson – Cody Wyoming … In the summer of 2022, Pastor Steve and Samantha Nelson took two Pathfinder Teen Leadership Training (TLT) students on the trip of a lifetime—touring Adventist Heritage sites, attending the CALLED Convention, and much more. While that was all exciting and educational, there was something else meaningful that developed in the process—the Pondering Pathfinder Podcast!

Cedar Jeffers, a Pathfinder, initially out of boredom on the 17-day-long drive began reporting the “news” about driving conditions, traffic, etc. She then “interviewed” her brother Dean with the souvenir baseball bat she’d received at the Louisville Slugger Museum in Kentucky as her microphone. Dean, being the gracious big brother that he is, obliged and answered her questions.

As the miles passed day after day, with support and guidance from the Nelsons, the Pondering Pathfinder Podcast was born with Cedar Jeffers as your host. Being naturally timid, it took some convincing to get Cedar to come up with questions and keep practicing her opening and closing remarks, but it finally became more comfortable for her.

It’s been nearly a year since that humble beginning that has now become a reality. Cedar says, “I have always wanted to try podcasting; it always looked so fun to do.” Pastor Steve set Cedar up with the recording equipment she needed, and she had her first practice run on the equipment with a fellow Pathfinder, Katarina Black, as a guest on February 11. The Pondering Pathfinder Podcast will host guests—other young people and teens—who will share their responses to the important life questions Cedar will be asking. “I am looking forward to interviewing anyone who is willing,” she said.

The hope is that these podcasts will encourage other young people to speak out about what difficulties they face, what’s important to them, and will help listeners find answers for their questions about life events that impact them. As Katarina comments, “I like getting to be heard and it’s just a cool program to participate in.” We hope this will be a way to reach other youth in our local schools and community evangelistically and to help them come to know Jesus as the Solution to all their needs and trials.

Cedar is looking for sponsors to help promote this podcast on Facebook and the local Christian radio station. Those who are interested in sponsoring can contact Samantha Nelson at [email protected].    

—Samantha Nelson is from Cody Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wyoming. Photos by Samantha Nelson.

RMCNews – Glacier View Ranch, Ward, Colorado … “I certainly had great expectations and excitement for the 2023 Ministerial Retreat,” commented Anton Kapusi, pastor from Pueblo First Adventist Church. “Our Ministerial director and the Administration consistently deliver what is necessary to the pastors and ministry leaders in the conference territory,” he added.

Though participating ministers struggled with severe weather conditions in Colorado and Wyoming, the pastoral group of some 60 came to the retreat to be “blessed and inspired by the speakers God lined up for us. They led us in deep study and personal reflection that can impact the way we lead our congregations,” remarked Godfrey Miranda, who recently became the senior pastor at Littleton Adventist Church.He added that there’s something special about being part of this RMC ministerial team “but that sense of team can be lost sight of as we serve in our individual settings. The retreat allowed for meaningful reconnection and strengthening each other to keep pressing on in our ministry,” Miranda shared.

This year’s ministerial retreat, January 29-February 1, gave pastors, their spouses, and several hospital chaplains the opportunity to learn how to grow through loss, said Mickey Mallory, RMC ministerial director and organizer of the retreat.

The meeting’s theme was “Growing Through Loss.” Mallory explained that one of the hardest things pastors have to deal with is loss, whether it be personal or professional. Invited to address the issues of grief were Steve and Karen Nicola from Grief Education Resources in Auburn, California.

“I was wondering what to expect. Grief counseling is not a subject I would have expected at a ministerial retreat. However, the choice was well in order. The personal touch, the deep presentations, and the professional biblical and psychological approach to grief were well appreciated,” said Kapusi.

Presentations on the book of Galatians by Dr. Carl Cosaert, Dean of the School of Theology and professor of Biblical Studies at Walla Walla University, Walla Walla, Washington, “were really refreshing. They helped us to appreciate even more the Good News of the faithfulness of Jesus when it comes to the plan of salvation,” commented Mallory.

For Pastor Kapusi, the meetings with Dr. Cosaert were the most unadulterated biblical presentations on the Gospel. His exegetical, linguistic, and theological insight into the book of Galatians was, at times, devolving. Indeed, his humility, paired with his willingness to share and converse directly with all willing pastors, individuals, or pastors in a group setting, was an additional level of comfort provided to all of us.”

Cosaert commended the RMC organizers for including the chaplains in a pastoral retreat. Several chaplains joined the group and found time for fellowship, good humor, and lots of laughter, according to Johnnathan Ward, Director of Mission Integration for Avista Adventist Hospital. Referring to all presentations, “the retreat was excellent!” he said.

Commenting on the retreat, Micheal Goetz, senior pastor at Campion Adventist Church, said, “pastoral ministry is a spiritual, emotional, and mental commitment to be the faithful under-shepherds of Jesus. So, it seemed very fitting to invest and be challenged in growth in all three of these areas. The study of theology in the book of Galatians and practical study in grieving and dealing with loss brought a meaningful and holistic time of continued education and personal growth.”

—RMCNews. Photos by Rajmund Dabrowski.

Karrie Meyers – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … Recently, Mile High Academy (MHA) and the Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church community shared the sad news of Maxine Gerst’s passing. For decades, Gerst and her family have been familiar faces in the Denver community, including at MHA where she taught for 47 years. Gerst’s own children graduated from MHA–Danielle Gerst See (1999) and Jonathan Gerst (2002).

Gerst’s passion for Adventist education and learning shone in her kindergarten classroom. Her classroom was described as lively and exciting. Rarely will you find an MHA alumnus that didn’t have her as a kindergarten teacher and most had parents, aunts and uncles that attended her class too. In addition to her exceptional curriculum standards, she looked for ways to make learning fun and enjoyable. From field trips to Miller Farms and the Botanic Gardens to watching seeds grow and other unique classroom projects, she found ways to share God with her students.

Former MHA student, Austin DeBard, reflected, “You forget a lot of people as you move through life, but she is one of those special people I’ll never forget. I remember her helping me with homework and when I didn’t understand something. She would bring me to her desk, stop what she was doing and sit next to me working to help me understand it. Even as I grew up, still going to MHA, I’d see her all the time, and she was the kindest heart around. I’m very sad to see her go, and [in addition to] all the fun things she used to do for us, how kind of a person she was made a big impact on who I am today. She will be deeply missed.”

Another fond memory for many is the famous Mrs. Gerst corn dogs, which were sold during the school’s annual Fall Festival. In the weeks leading up to the event, she and many volunteers would carefully prepare hundreds of Big Franks and Linketts to be sold as the kindergarten fundraiser. She would mix her secret batter and fry each one on her own. Families could purchase them at the Fall Festival, many buying in bulk to freeze and enjoy later.

“I can honestly say I don’t remember seeing her during the Fall Festival event because she would always be behind the scenes in the kitchen making and frying the corn dogs so they were just right,” said Mindy Philpott, MHA alumna and current faculty. “My girls only ask for Mrs. Gerst’s corn dogs. We can’t call them by any other name.”

Gerst retired from teaching in 2017. A recent tally showed she taught more than 875 students during her time at MHA. And even in retirement, she was still a familiar face on campus helping the teachers with testing, tutoring, and substitute teaching. The COVID pandemic didn’t stop her. Masked and ready to go, she was the first to call and volunteer to cover for a sick teacher.

Former MHA teacher and Gerst colleague, Lisa Venteicher, said, “Such a beautiful person–she radiated Jesus! And oh, how she loved the kids! I loved my time working with her. She was always so cheerful and positive, and I looked up to her as an example of a life of service in teaching. She was so fun too, so young at heart! She is somebody who touched many more lives than she will ever know until we all get to heaven. She will be greatly missed.”

In addition to her dedicated work at MHA, Gerst was very active in the Littleton church community. For years, she taught in the kindergarten Sabbath School classroom and helped with various church events and activities.

On the morning of Friday, January 27, she passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. In the weeks leading up to her passing, the community visited her to say hello, reflect on memories, and listen to her contagious giggle. In true Mrs. Gerst style, she refused medication that would make her groggy as being with her former students, friends, and family was more important to her than her own health.

The memorial service is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., Monday, February 13, at the Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church, where she and her husband, Dan, were married more than 46 years ago. Refreshments–including her famous corn dogs—will be served after the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be given to the Mile High Academy worthy student fund or Adventist World Radio

The memorial service will be available at www.milehighacademy.org/mrsgerst.

—Karrie Meyers is the marketing and development staff at Mile High Academy. Photos provided.