KARLES BARUSA
“The village I grew up in is very small, maybe five families. We didn’t have any schools, so at 7 years old, I left my village to get an education. I walked with my father and siblings for two weeks through the mountains to get to the school. It was very tiring. Every night we would spend an hour making a hut to sleep in and then continue to walk in the morning. If I had stayed in the village instead of going to school, I might not know much about God because I wouldn’t be able to read. I wouldn’t have the same future, because in the village, daily life is always about basic needs like eating and sleeping. Life is about surviving. I also probably would be married with children by now. When we arrived after our journey to the school, it was very hard for me to say goodbye to my father, so he could go back to the village. The first time I visited my parents after that was in 2014 when I graduated from high school. During that visit, I experienced a miracle. I was out in the forest looking for a type of wood that I could sell, and I got lost for an entire day. There were no people. Only animals. I thought I was going to die, and I was crying in the forest by myself. I prayed and said to God, ‘If I die tonight in this way, it’s okay, but if you have a good purpose for my life and you want to use me in the future, just show me the way.’ After I prayed, something was leading me, kind of like a GPS. I found my way back home.”
AMANDA DEWART
“It was Super Bowl Sunday 2018. I was going to a meeting after the party and I got a call from my sister’s mother-in-law. She had called twice. She never does that. There was definitely a feeling that something horrible had happened. People were gathering for the meeting, but I decided to her call back. She said, ‘It’s your sister. She’s gone.’ She was only 29. I ran to the bathroom and started screaming. It took me a long time before it sank in. If it had happened at any other time than during my time at Corban, I would have felt really alone. When something unexpected and tragic happens, it doesn’t make sense at all, so it’s hard not to question God. I think the worst moment of that day was realizing that the pain I felt was multiplied since each member of my family had lost someone too. My 11-yearold nephew’s mom is gone. My parents lost a child. The last time I saw my sister was when she was in jail. I see God’s timing in it all as I look back. The jail she was in was an hour away from home, and planning visits at the right time was always hit or miss, but one day my mom and I happened to be passing through that area during her visiting hours. My mom actually had a restraining order on my sister at that time and while my mom is usually someone who has trouble forgiving and forgetting, I was really proud that day of the way my mom found the courage to visit my sister. The way they interacted was good. My sister and I held our hands up to the plexiglass, and that was the last time I saw her alive. It was a side of her that I hadn’t seen in years. My favorite memory of her is her singing me to sleep when we were little.”
HANNAH SPEEGLE
“I think it’s so easy for Christians to say ‘I’ve struggled with this thing in the past,’ but I want to say that it’s okay to still be struggling. I still struggle with having a hard heart toward God because I had to move away from my hometown when my dad changed jobs. I lost friends, many class credits and the ability to finish the forensic psychology program that I had me heart set on. I still have a hard heart toward my dad in some ways too. I still have a hard heart toward that educational process that I feel screwed me over. But God is gracious and He is healing my heart. I pray a lot for providence because I don’t really have a plan. For a long time my life plan was so structured, but now since my mom signed me up for Corban and I somehow ended up here, everything has been out of my control. I pray for things like affordable housing and He always provides. I lived in a van this term because I really had no other option. Last year I commuted from Oregon City every day and then to West Linn for work. I was driving about two and a half hours a day. It was physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially exhausting. I knew I would have to figure out a way to live in Salem, but for almost no cost. So I bought a van in pretty good condition and I added hardwood flooring, curtains and a bed. God provided for me in that way by allowing me to go to school without going into debt. It was hard, but I learned a lot from it. Every need that I had while living in my van was met by God.”