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| Spring 2002 | a publication for alumni, family, and friends |
Gloria Hanson Faith takes us in many directions during the course of our lives. Our faith may lead us to someone or something that we never would have expected. It may be our faith alone that gets us through the difficult times. Whether good times or bad, some of our students at Dakota Wesleyan University are experiencing unique journeys of faith in their lives: Mary DeWaard is a nontraditional student who returned to school after raising her four children. She says God allows her to be herself, the person He created, but at the same time guides and directs her. Blind since his premature birth nearly 21 years ago, James Konechne serves as an inspiration to everyone he encounters. This business administration major says he believes that God makes it possible for all of us to do what He has planned for us. April Larson, a senior human services major, says a mission trip to Haiti with other Wesleyan students changed her life forever. She believes she was called by God to devote her life to helping others. These three students, different in many ways, have followed their faith to Dakota Wesleyan. Their journeys now continue. A gift of faith But that changed when she encountered Gloria Thompson, administrative chair of the nursing department. "My meeting with Gloria proved to be what helped me make the final decision to try the nursing program. When we met, she didn't pressure me to make a decision, but instead prayed with me that I would know God's will in my life and that He would lead me to a decision," DeWaard said. "After that, every obstacle that seemed to be in my way just fell away and it was clear that nursing was right for me." DeWaard and her husband, Jay, have farmed for the past 28 years near Armour. They have four children, Matt, 25, who farms with them, Megan, 22, who will graduate from college this spring, Jennifer, 20, also a college student, and Eric, 17, a junior at Armour High School. "After high school graduation, I attended South Dakota State University for two years and majored in child development. I met Jay there and soon realized when he graduated that I would rather get married and start a family than stick it out at school without him around," DeWaard said. During the time the children were growing up, DeWaard had a few jobs in the medical field and took an EMT course 10 years ago. She says she enjoyed the challenge of ambulance work and found the job rewarding. DeWaard says her parents always valued education and, although her grandparents didn't have much money, both her parents were college graduates. "My dad pushed me to go to college, and even though he died when I was a senior in high school, I still felt I hadn't accomplished all that he knew I was capable of," she said. When DeWaard's children started leaving home, she knew her day of reckoning was in the near future. She didn't want to stay at home and feel sorry for herself, intrude on her children's lives, or come home to an empty house. She prayed that God would direct her. "He answered my prayer so clearly that I couldn't ignore it. He pushed me to go back to school and accomplish something my earthly father wanted me to do many years ago. God knew that I would never be satisfied until I accomplished a college degree and have a meaningful career in a field where I could help others," she said. Diane Sandhoff, an assistant professor of nursing, is DeWaard's adviser and has known her since her freshman year. She says she sensed something special about DeWaard the first time they met. "She has a caring presence about her that you feel and see in her eyes. It's very evident that her faith plays an important role in her life," Sandhoff said. "I know that her decision to begin nursing was another step in her journey of faith. She will make a difference in the lives of her patients by her acceptance of them and her compassion for them as they become well or prepare for death." DeWaard plans to graduate in May and will work in a
hospital for a few years perfecting the skills she has learned. She says the mission field
intrigues her, but her future is yet to be determined. A journey
"I don't really see anything as an obstacle, just a challenge," he said. Konechne uses Braille textbooks or books that have been recorded on tape to complete his reading assignments for classes, and when taking tests, he has someone read him the questions and then tells them what answers to write. For homework assignments he uses a computer equipped with screen-reader software and synthetic speech. Finding classrooms, his dorm room or the cafeteria has not posed any problems for Konechne since coming to Wesleyan. He has a system. "I use landmarks such as dips in the sidewalk and my position in relation to other buildings. I also listen to echoes that my cane makes as I tap it against the ground. By these echoes, I can tell if I'm walking past a building or if a building is in front of me," he said. "Besides the landmarks and echoes, I have many of the routes from building to building memorized because I have walked them so many times." Konechne says it was faith in God and himself that brought him to Dakota Wesleyan. "I believe it was God's leading and that I came here for a reason. I also believe that God makes it possible for each of us to do what He has planned for us, even if we don't know what that is," he said. Konechne credits his friends and professors for helping him
in the transition to being a college student. He shared a dorm room with Andrew Zoller his
first year on campus and again this year. "We have some awesome professors here at Wesleyan and all of them have been more than willing to help. Accounting is one of my harder classes and I would especially like to thank Ralph Roth for all the time he has spent with me. Melissa Gibson has also helped me a great deal in computer class," he said. Roth, an assistant professor of business administration and economics, says Konechne is one of the most dedicated students he's had in the classroom and predicts Konechne will go far in life. "James is a very hard working young man. If he doesn't understand some aspect that is being studied, he'll ask for help. He is a very exact person and he and accounting go together. If I want some answer from him he'll give me just the right one, most of the time to the exact letter. It's fun working with him and I know he'll go a long way in life." Konechne is involved in several campus groups, including the newly formed College Republicans. He is the secretary for the business club, Phi Beta Lambda, and is active in the Habitat for Humanity and Bible studies at the Northridge Baptist Church in Mitchell. During chapel services on campus he helps set up and take down equipment. The summer following his freshman year at Wesleyan, Konechne went to Alabama on a mission trip to paint and repair homes with other DWU students. "I painted one board at a time," he explains.
"When my brush needed paint, I could feel it and would dip it in the paint. I'm not
sure how good of a job I did, but I really enjoyed the work." Change the world "My parents are foster parents and currently we have three little boys at our house. We've always had someone extra at our house, whether it was foster kids or an exchange student," she said. "I think having these experiences has helped me to be open-minded and hospitable as a second nature." For years, even as far back as when she was in middle school, Larson has wanted to be a social worker. She says that being a part of a foster family allowed her to understand that children have a need to be part of a loving home. She felt that by becoming a social worker she would be helping these children find the love they needed. That was until she and other Wesleyan students went to Haiti on a mission trip two summers ago. It was a trip that would forever change her life. "During my time in Haiti and the time afterwards, I realized that I couldn't do that job anymore. I couldn't sit behind a desk and be restrained by legal issues, paperwork and red tape," she said. "I had to do something more. I believe that I was called to the foreign mission field. "Someone once told me that where your joy bubbles up love to serve the world, that is your place. It's my prayer that God allows me to be a vessel of his love to others and that is my joy. I want to be able to use the gifts that He has blessed me with to help others that are hurting, in need or oppressed." When it came time for Larson to complete a professional semester, she asked her adviser and professor, Pam Nielson-Boline, if it was possible to do the internship anywhere in the world. She checked with the United Methodist Church for ideas. She was told about some programs in the United States and then about opportunities in other countries. Larson had some background in Spanish and decided to pursue an internship in Bolivia. After sending a few e-mail messages, she was on her way. "In Bolivia I helped with the after-school tutoring program and worked in the Montessori school. I even spent some time in the kitchen cooking with some dear ladies. I got to make adobe and learn the native Tinku dance," she said. "While I was there I had the amazing opportunity of living with a family in the campo. It was great to be able to see what day-to-day life in another culture is like. I do wish I would have paid more attention in my Spanish classes." Nielson-Boline says Larson will be a shining role model in
the human services field and that her energy, faith and "delightful sense of
humor" are evident in her enthusiasm for new ventures. Larson plans to graduate in May and recently applied for a three-year mission work program. She learned only recently that the program was suspended until 2004. But that hasn't stopped her from looking. "My mom always said, 'you can't change the world, but you can make the corner you live in a better place,'" Larson said. "Her statement was an inspiration to me for many years, but now I think she was being conservative. I want to change the world." Dakota Wesleyan University |
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Mary DeWaard says that her first visit to the Dakota Wesleyan campus
was a real eye opener. Having attended South Dakota State University for two years right
out of high school, she was unfamiliar with the Christian college atmosphere and somewhat
reluctant.
Born three months premature to Mike and Estelle Konechne of White Lake, he was
placed on a high level of oxygen, causing his retinas to detach. Konechne says he can't
recall how much his parents told him he weighed at birth, but he does remember his mother
saying that she could hold him in one hand.