Blog

Loveland, Colorado… Standing at the sidelines of a Campion Academy soccer game it is easy to notice two things. The first is how well this team knows and enjoys the game, and the second is how different they look from the teams that they play in Northern Colorado. The Campion soccer team is very diverse, with people from all backgrounds and ethnicities such as Latinos, Asian-Americans and international students from places like Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo. With so much diversity comes many languages including English, Portuguese, French, and Spanish.

One would think that with so many different languages there would be a lot of confusion, but that is not the case. “Some of the newer Brazilians don’t really understand English that well, but if you try to explain it, it will be easier (for them) to get it,” Jeremy Matondo, an international student from the Democratic Republic of Congo and a captain on the team, explained.

“There are not many miscommunications. It’s kind of funny, for the people who don’t understand English as well, the people that can speak their language will explain it to them when Mr. O is talking,” Grant Velbis added.

Even their coach, Randy Ottschofski, speaks a different language, naming many of his plays after German words and names including Mueller, kimmich, and angriff, which means attack. Erick Maldonado, a captain on the team said, “He’ll call it out and yell, ‘Go Kimmich, go Kimmich!’”

“Then everybody will go Kimmich, it’s like a chain reaction,” Caleb Wehling added.

All of this diversity on the soccer team has only enriched the game for the players. “It’s cool how all of us, even though we’re from different backgrounds and speak different languages, have been able to work together really well and we’ve had a really good season this year,” Velbis said.

The Campion soccer team just finished their regular season undefeated 9-0 and 1, and it is safe to say that one reason for their success is that they have been able to benefit from everyone’s unique view of the game. The team is heading into their final tournament of the year at Union College this week.

“It’s fun to play with people from a different background. They have different ways to play the game and a different understanding of the game and it’s such a nice thing to do with them, to play with people who are not from where you are from, and it just brings you closer,” Matondo explained, “Sometimes we don’t talk to each other in the dorm, and soccer is a way to get closer to each other and be friends.”

Campion’s international program and soccer team have brought people together at Campion because even if the players are very different, they can still enjoy the beautiful game of soccer.

—Ashley Herber, Student Editor; photos supplied

Worland, Wyoming…It has been said that SonShine Academy is our primary method of evangelism in Worland—and recently that outreach was rewarded greatly, by God’s grace. Through the church school, we have multiple students from the community attending with no ties to our church at all. This outreach is making a difference in the lives of students and extending into the family as well.

Robert Robinson began attending SonShine Academy a couple of years ago. Through his enrollment at the school, Annette Treat (teacher) became acquainted with Pamela Robinson, Robert’s grandmother and legal guardian. Pamela began asking questions about what our church believed. Annette shared here faith with her and also put her in touch with Pastor Steve Nelson. Pastor Steve spoke with Pamela on several occasions and provided her with various study and resource materials as she continued to pray and study.

One day, Pamela called to ask if she and her family could be baptized. They had been studying and believed that the Seventh-day Adventist Church taught the same things God had been teaching them. After all, it was her husband, Harmonson Robinson, Jr., who had initially studied and told Pamela they needed to stop eating pork. The couple had been studying the Bible on their own and in multiple study groups for years. God, through His Word, had already taught them many of the biblical teachings the church holds dear.

As Pastor Steve met with the family to go over the baptismal vows and beliefs of the church, it was surprising how well they all—even the children—knew and understood what they believed and why. After approval by the church board to proceed with the baptisms, a date was set.

October 19, 2019, the Worland Seventh-day Adventist Church welcomed these seven new members into its membership and fellowship. It was a day filled with joy unspeakable as it was the culmination of those many years of Bible study and prayer for Pamela and Harmonson Robinson, their daughter Angela and their grandchildren, Robert, Jeremiah, Angelica and Jacob. Pamela, especially, beamed with gladness as she began this new journey of her life with her family by her side. The entire family was baptized in the warm springs pool in Thermopolis.

—Samantha Nelson; text and photos

Mile High Academy hosted it’s first annual Walk-A-Thon on Friday, October 4. Students raised more than $20,000!

The day started with a special chapel on the Mile High Academy Soccer Field led by Mrs. Rebecca Berg. Students and faculty were encouraged to obtain sponsorships either per lap or a flat donation.  More than 30 volunteers and parents helped with the event. Depending on the number of laps completed around the field, students were treated to popcorn, Mile High Academy swag, and popsicles. Volunteers counted approximately 4,700 laps that were completed by PK – 12^th graders. Students were encouraged to not only see who could get the most sponsorships but also see who completed the most laps.

“To have such an overwhelming response for this first Walk-A-Thon speaks volumes about our Mile High Academy family,” says Jocelyn Aalborg, VP of Finance and Development. “We appreciate all the support given so all students have an opportunity to attend Mile High Academy and receive a Christ-centered education.”

—Karrie Meyers; photos supplied

On Friday, October 11, Mile High Academy participated in one of its favorite events of the year – Service Day. A huge thank you to organizer, Upper School Teacher and Chaplain Rebecca Berg and for Centura Health for sponsoring another special event, where the Mile High Academy students have an opportunity to make a difference in the local community.

This year students received a custom-designed, navy blue Service Day t-shirt, designed by MHA Senior CeCe Manning. Encouraging students to “Keep Calm and Service On,” the shirt design included the world held between two hands. The back of the shirt featured the Centura Health logo and the service-encouraging verse, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms (1 Peter 4:10).”

All groups met in the gym for Chapel, where students were encouraged to go out into the community and to “Keep Calm and Service on.” The groups were then given last minute instruction and divided up to provide service for the following organizations:

UPPER SCHOOL

Porter Place Visit

Students started the day making cards and wrapping flowers. They later went to Porter Place, handing out the gifts and spending time with the residents.

Food Bank of the Rockies

Another group of students organized and packed meals for the Food Bank of the Rockies distribution. The team organized more than 345 boxes, 10,350lbs of food and 8,626 meals.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Meals on Wheels

Students went to two different King Soopers locations, asking for food donations. Once they collected their goods, they went to Meals on Wheels to help unpack and sort.

Zuma Rescue Ranch

Zuma Rescue Ranch is a new location this year. An equine education center, students helped clean stalls and learned general care for several rescue horses as well as other farm animals.

Sweet Dreams in a Bag

Middle School  plus 5^th Grade

Students worked together to organize bedding packages. These packages will later be distributed to children in the Foster Care system.

LOWER SCHOOL

Project Angel Heart

Preschool – 4^th Grade:

The Lower School students remained on campus and decorated bags for Project Angel Heart, an organization that prepares and delivers medically tailored meals to people living with life-threatening illnesses. They also wrote cards for our local church pastors.

“When we go out of our way to serve others, we are practicing the very thing Jesus did every day for us. In a way, it brings us closer to the heart of Jesus and who He really is,” said Berg. “When we take time out of our school calendar to make service a priority, we are demonstrating the love that Jesus gives us outward to our community, something we as staff and teachers hope will become a lifelong desire for our students.”

—Karrie Meyers; photos supplied

There is no end to creativity in the Rocky Mountain Conference youth department. Kiefer Dooley, RMC director of youth ministry, introduced their new initiative, an eNewsletter Youth Nuggets. A quick scan of the first edition of Youth Nuggets provides a glimpse into a mosaic of the leadership team’s interest in informing church members about initiatives, providing news about youth activities, upcoming events for club ministries and programs, as well as issues which are a part of youth ministry.

“Thank you for signing up to receive communication from the youth department about the various young-people-related projects, goings on, and happenings within the Rocky Mountain Conference,” he commented.

Frequency of the newsletter was also announced. Kiefer said that at least one issue of Youth Nuggets will be sent out to subscribers per quarter, and no more than one per month. No more, no less, Kiefer states.

“We’re looking forward to sharing the things that we’re doing, the ways that you can be involved, and how we can impact our communities in the lives of young people together. Now, get reading!” Kiefer announced.

The subscription block is at the very bottom of every one of our web pages at rmcyouth.org. For instance, it can be found at the bottom of the following Web  pages: rmcyouth.org and rmcyouth.org/camp and rmcyouth.org/greater-summit and rmcyouth.org/calendar.

—RMCNews; selfies supplied

A training weekend, October 11-13, organized in Denver by the Rocky Mountain Conference Women’s Ministry Department, kicked off with “Give God Your Empty,” by Dr. Heather Thompson Day. Some 50 women from around the RMC attended a program packed weekend.

Congregations in RMC “are blessed to have a godly and talented team including a licensed counselor, the former General Conference director of women’s ministries, a development director who has orchestrated multiple events and raised millions of dollars, a former paramedic who now inspects ambulances, a nurse, an analyst, teachers, and more,“ said DeeAnn Bragaw, RMC women’s ministry director.

On Sabbath the Rocky Mountain Adventist women leadership team provided practical workshops designed to empower women of all ages with tools to grow in their leadership in the local church and beyond. Various workshop such as “Called to Lead a Team,” “Called to Counsel a Friend,” “Called to Speak,” “Called to Lead a Group Bible Study,” “Called to Plan an Event,” and more, were presented.

“This gifted group of women poured into, and prayed over, all the women in attendance,” said DeeAnn.

In addition to training presentations, women brought items to fill a bassinet for Jude’s Bassinet, (see: www.judesbassinet.com), a ministry to help new moms in need. “A lot of pink filled the room as we also took time to focus briefly on breast cancer awareness month,” DeeAnn added. She is inviting interested women to a Dr. Shaunna Siler Nketop’s upcoming breast cancer seminar, October 19, at 2 p.m. at Denver South church.

Women who attended the entire weekend event received level 2 certification of the General Conference Women’s Ministries Leadership Training. Many women expressed interest in another training early next year, and expressed much appreciation for the weekend.

—DeeAnn Bragaw; text and photos

In the second Lay Pastoral Training, October 11-13, thirty-three local church activists gathered in Grand Junction for what will be known as the Grand Junction cohort. The participating group came mainly from the Western Slope. What was significant about this training was that roughly a half of participants were women.

The content was similar to the Denver cohort, as reported in NewsNuggets. “They are very excited, encouraged, and motivated to enter or get more involved in this wonderful work,” said Nate Skaife, pastor of Grand Junction Church, and main lecturer.

Comments about the training express what the weekend provided. Rick Pitt from the Wind River Fellowship congregation said that the event helped him “more clearly how important it is to take responsibility to serve and participate.”

“I am so grateful for this experience to grow in my knowledge of Scripture and to learn to bring others to know Jesus,” commented Jan Watson from Grand Junction. Similarly,

Marti Hartnell also from Grand Junction said that the training “is full of important tools to use.”

For Don Kaner from Alamosa, the training event was “generally, a good experience,” but “we tried to put too much material into the weekend – hence too few personal interactions and not enough prayer.”

The subjects for the next training events will be the topic of the state of the dead belief and biblical preaching, as well as Bible study for depth in the January 31-February 2, 2020 in Denver, and February 7-9, 2020 in Grand Junction

—Rajmund Dabrowski with Nate Skaife; photos by Ron Carrick and Mickey Mallory