NN May 2023 Page 3

Karrie Meyers – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … On May 4 at 3:30 a.m., the Denver International Airport Southwest ticket counter was flooded with 23 blurry-eyed Mile High Academy (MHA) middle and upper school robotics students and sponsors. The destination was Forest Lake Academy in Orlando, Florida, where the MHA Robotstangs would compete in their respective Adventist Robotics First Tech Challenge and First LEGO League robotics tournaments.

For the upper school team, this was their second year representing MHA at the tournament. Even with several veterans on the team, there were many new members this school year, all bringing valued feedback to the design. And, as with any new build progression, there was a lot of hit and miss until the result came together.

“It was a trial-and-error process,” said Jonas Jaklich, MHA junior. “We would build something, try it out, and, if it failed, either try again or scrap the design.”

Jaklich said the team spent a considerable amount of time on the first robot design only to decide it was time to move on and try a new design. In total, the upper school team built three robots before they were pleased with the result.

The middle school team was invited to compete after winning their regional competition at the First LEGO League middle school tournament held on MHA’s campus in February. The team originally was two separate teams but merged into one and proceeded to build a new robot in two months for the Florida competition.

“The team was super excited for the trip,” said Reuben Kahler, MHA middle school robotics team instructor. “They were so wired on the plane, but immediately got down to business when they arrived.”

After arriving at Forest Lake Academy, the teams spent time reconstructing their robots that had been carefully disassembled for the flight. They also spent time at Cocoa Beach playing in the ocean, relaxing on the sand, and enjoying some bonding time together as a school.

The Robotstangs attended Spring Meadows Seventh-day Adventist Church Sabbath morning, followed by an afternoon hike at Lake Apopka where the teams counted 109 alligators on their walk. But by Saturday evening, they were back in the academy’s gym prepping for competition and making final adjustments to their robots after the vespers program.

The tournament officially kicked off on Sunday. The gym felt electrifying as robotics teams came together from all over the United States. The students spent time talking with other schools, discussing the designs and functionalities the other teams were trying to obtain during the tournament.

“We failed the first round of competition,” said Seth Eno, MHA junior. “With zero points, we really felt the pressure to catch up.”

The upper school robotics team received third place in partners and sixth place individually. The team also won the Motivation award for their volunteer help during the First LEGO League tournament at MHA and for taking their robot to a local library to show people in the community.

“This was an awesome competition,” said Eno. “All the schools were cheering each other on. It’s truly a great experience, and you learn a lot.”

Ridge Tull, MHA upper school robotics instructor said, “Overall, I am very happy with my advanced robotics involvement and perseverance in the tournament and class. This class is not easy, from the design of the robot to the construction, to the coding and autonomous mode, all of this is intense and grueling work. I’m proud of the team’s achievements, hard work and CHERISH attitudes to everyone at the tournament. These kids have shown nothing less than respect, empathy, and compassion to the teams and robotics around them.”

In addition to providing a working robot for competition, the middle school teams also had to develop and present something they would either improve on or create in the energy world. The team selected an improved windmill as their presentation subject. They showed a power point presentation and presented a model of their new windmill, including raising the turbines 70 feet and making the turbine blades green and black to help eliminate bird strikes.

When reflecting on the event, Benjamin Pelley, MHA seventh grader, said, “The robotics tournament was fun. Even though we lost, we had a great time, and we learned things we will use next year.”

The middle school team received competition metals and a commemorative plaque.

“I was so proud of the innovation and thought the team put into their robot and presentation,” said Kahler. “While there is still lots of room to grow, they are in a good position to push themselves and become better robot designers, which includes designing robots that are less reliable on human input.”

After the Sunday competition, the teams enjoyed dinner at Cracker Barrell before heading back to the dorms. Upper school briefly slept before catching their early Monday morning flight back to Denver while the middle school students enjoyed an extra day in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center.

“We are grateful for Adventist Robotics and their hard work putting together such a fantastic tournament for our students,” said Andrew Carpenter, MHA principal. “I am also proud of the hard work and dedication this year’s robotics teams put into their final product. They not only represented us well at tournament but showed a true comradeship during the entire school year.”

Carpenter went on to say, “Through robotics, our students learn valuable mathematical and critical thinking skills that extend beyond their time at MHA. We look forward to continuing to build our robotics program and additional STEAM opportunities for our students.”

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

Sue Nelson – Littleton, Colorado … Around 400 Adventurers, staff, parents, and helpers converged May 7 on the Mile High Academy campus in Littleton, Colorado, for the annual Rocky Mountain Conference Adventurer Fun Day! This year’s theme for the event was Through the Storm.

The day started off with a long parade around the grounds ending in the gymnasium for the opening program. The Adventurers then split into groups to gain patches for their sashes like “Noah’s Ark,” “Sand Art,” “Rainbow Promise,” and “Weather.”

At lunchtime, participants could choose from several food booths and build fellowship with some fun activities such as bouncy houses, an obstacle course, a memory verse table, and club flags contest. Casanova the tortoise, cared for by RMC youth director Brandon Westgate, came to visit for a while. He wasn’t much bothered by all the attention he was receiving—he just wanted to eat the grass!

Another highlight of the day was the Bug Beauty Contest and Race. Each child made a “bug” at their home club meetings and brought them to Fun Day to be judged for the “Best Looking Bug.” Each bug had wheels and bug races were held throughout the day, ending in the finals at the closing ceremonies. There were lots of prizes the first, second, and third place winners could choose from.

The day ended with the clubs with at least 1,000 points for their yearly reports receiving a special trophy.

Brandon Westgate remarked, “The day was very well organized. It was inspiring to witness the passion our Adventurer leaders have for facilitating an impactful event for our youngest club ministry members. The children and the adults all had a fun and engaging day!”

Brent Learned, RMC associate youth director, said “It was wonderful to see so many kids excited to learn, play, and grow in Christ.”

Thank you to the RMC Adventurer ministries team David Graham, Cinthyia Miranda, and Lacinda Hopkins! It truly was a “Fun Day!”

—Sue Nelson is executive coordinator for RMC Club ministries. Photos supplied. Photos of Casanova by Brandon Westgate.

Anton Kapusi – Pueblo, Colorado … Pueblo First Seventh-day Adventist Church is no different from any other Adventist church in the Conference, Union, or Division. It is blessed, however, to have members that want a mature and spiritually intelligent approach to challenges, disputes, and conflicts in their home, workplace, and church relationships.

To nurture this approach, Pueblo First Church hosted Ron Price, MA, a family and marriage coach, speaker, and author for the Family and Relationships Emphasis weekend, May 5-6. The in-person and online participants eagerly followed the worksheets as the presentation unveiled the reality of relationships.

Ron spoke of “the germs that sicken and destroy” relationships in all aspects of life, including the family, work, and church. He gave solutions to the “germs of destruction” at a retreat the following day.

Valuable techniques for conflict management and relationship enhancement were conveyed to the participants through his entertaining presentation of the content. Participants had a good time with the speaker, and frequent bouts of laughter, interruptive questions, and comments bonded participants and speaker in a unique way.

“We should not fear a conflict but use it for maturing and growth,” remarked a participant.

Having the tools to prevent and resolve conflict and knowing how to deal with emotional people and situations is invaluable. Gerry Thomas wrote on page 163 in his book Sacred Marriage: “Conflict provides an avenue for spiritual growth. To resolve conflict, by definition, we must become more engaged, not less.” This attitude and spiritual desire are what our faith community wants to experience and know.

—Anton Kapusi is lead pastor of First Pueblo Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photos by Larry Downing.

Ana Segawa – Loveland, Colorado … Students in Campion Academy’s Spanish classes I and II presented cultural projects to celebrate Spanish-speaking cultures on May 5, Cinco de Mayo.

Joshua Koroma, an international student from Mexico, was the host for the event and dressed up in a traditional Mexican outfit called Charro. Cooking demonstration videos, performances of songs in Spanish, and even artistic reinterpretations were part of the event.

Even though learning how to sing a song in another language can be a challenge, several students took up the challenge and performed songs in Spanish. Olivia Heller, Campion junior, shared, “The process of learning and choosing a song in a different language was a little more challenging than I had expected, but it was really fun to see the cultural differences in music too. I’m not used to singing in another language, but it was definitely a fun project that pushed me out of my comfort zone.”

Isabella Alberto, a student from the Dominican Republic, presented the Bachata, a dance that originated in the Dominican Republic, with another student, Dwayne Rey. Alberto remarked, “Before my part, I was super anxious, but it turned out well. I thank Dwayne for being patient with me while we practiced and the effort he put into understanding what the steps were. I had a lot of fun practicing.”

Alberto further commented, “You don’t always get the opportunity to represent your country, your culture, so that was quite nice.”

For the ones that chose to make a how-to cooking video, they picked a recipe, recorded themselves cooking, and narrated the process in Spanish. After the presentations, the audience had the opportunity to sample the dishes the students had prepared.

Sujamis Colmenares Frank, a Campion junior and part of the audience, shared, “I thought it was all very nice because, as a Mexican, the fact that they brought some of my culture to the school made me feel very special. And the food I saw people making and sampled made me remember my mom’s cooking.”

A reception took place in the Hankins Hall Tower that had been decorated by the students using papel picado strings they had made. While students sampled the food, they could also admire the artistic creations on display to further enjoy the experience this fiesta offered.

—Ana Segawa, Campion Student News Team. Photos supplied.

Rajmund Dabrowski – Littleton, Colorado … Four and a half years ago, Nathaniel Gamble became an associate pastor at Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church. On Sabbath, May 6, dozens of church members came to support him and witness his ordination to the Gospel ministry at the very church he attended when he was younger. They were also joined by members from churches he served or is currently serving.

“Having attended the Littleton Church as a youngster, it was great to see him being ordained in the church of his youth. Some even remembered him from those early days. It just reaffirms how important it is for all of our churches to take good care of our youth. You just never know where they will end up someday,” commented Mickey Mallory, the Rocky Mountain Conference ministerial director.

Following the service, Nathaniel said, “I was very surprised by the large turnout of people who came to my ordination, and it was a pleasant surprise.” He added that “it was incredibly special to me to see all the support I received from Aspen Park, Fort Lupton, Denver West, Lakewood Fellowship, Golden, Littleton, Mile High Academy, and the Conference office. That support and encouragement was probably the best gift of the whole service.”

The service was led by RMC leaders. Leading the ordination prayer was Mic Thurber, RMC president, and ministry affirmation was presented by RMC Secretary Doug Inglish. As with similar services, theirs was a reminder that an ordination service is not so much the bestowal of a pastoral calling by Conference leadership as much as it is the recognition by the people of God of a call to pastoral ministry that He has already given a person.

“It was wonderful to celebrate that call with so many church members, past and present,” Nathaniel, whose name means “Gift of God,” later commented.

In his life sketch, Nathaniel, a Colorado native, recalls God’s call and leading, but also his wrestling with faith and doubt for several years. “God deepened my faith in the deity and resurrection of Jesus. Since being called to the pastorate, God has shaped my ministry through two callings: to always preach the gospel and to always take religious liberty seriously by highlighting God’s character to advocate for the poor and voiceless,” he stated.

Nathaniel’s mother insisted he and his sister attend Adventist schools. “It was Adventist education that introduced me to the denomination and Jesus,” he added. Pastor Nathaniel’s mother, Debra Gamble, and grandmother, Betty Carol, attended his ordination.

Pastor Nathaniel is well-known for his scholarship in Biblical Theology. He received his Master of Arts in theology at Denver Seminary and is completing his PhD at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “God deepened my faith in the messiahship and faithfulness of Jesus, by teaching me lessons of obedience, trust, and listening to the Holy Spirit,” he shared.

“Preach the Word is the greatest honor,” said Pastor Dan McGrath from Metropolitan Seventh-day Adventist Church in Detroit. Friendship between Nathaniel and Dan goes back to the time they met in Grand Rapids. Dan still remembers the themes and titles of several sermons Nathaniel preached at his church.

Mickey Mallory commented Nathaniel’s “insights into Scripture which have helped many to bond with Christ.”

“Pastor Nathaniel’s ordination was a testimony to the power of God. It demonstrates how, when a person is willing to follow God’s calling on their life, God can work wonders through them,” he added.

In an Ordination Response, the newly ordained pastor shared one of his favorite mission stories about two young men from the early 1700s attending a Moravian church service in Germany. David Nitschman and John Leonard Dober were listening to their pastor about a slave master in the West Indies who owned his own island and operated a massive plantation. He treated his slaves brutally, not allowing any preacher or missionary, any religious writing, or any worship service on his island. His slaves would live and die without ever hearing the gospel or that Jesus loved them.

Nathaniel continued the story, that connected him with the meaning of being a missionary for Jesus. David and John decided to challenge the situation and boarded a boat to the West Indies. As they walked onto the vessel, their families started to cry because they knew they would never see the two young men again. And, as the ship cast off and the gap grew larger and larger between the vessel and those standing on the dock, one of the young men shot his fist into the air and called across the gulf, “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of his suffering!”

Concluding, Nathaniel raised his hand and repeated as his ministerial motto, “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of his suffering!”

—Rajmund Dabrowski is editor of NewsNuggets. Photos by Rajmund Dabrowski.

Karrie Meyers – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … In Martin Luther’s words, “Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.”

Mile High Academy offers its students a variety of electives each year, but music continues to shine as a favorite for students. This year was no exception as more than 95 middle and upper school students participated in choir and band, not including the lower school grades. This high level of participation allows MHA to continue its music ministry with churches in the Denver metro area.

“We are grateful for our strong relationship with our local churches,” said Andrew Carpenter, MHA principal. “We have 14 churches supporting MHA, either through their children attending MHA, financial support, volunteering on campus, or teaching. It’s important to our school to share our talents with our churches who continuously provide support for our students.”

This year MHA’s music groups attended the Colorado Indonesian, Littleton, Pecos, Denver South, Newday, LifeSource Adventist Fellowship, Denver West, and Franktown Seventh-day Adventist churches. Not only did the choir and orchestras perform, but the students also lead in special music presentations, hosted student panels, offered student testimonials, told the children’s stories, and Carpenter was the guest speaker for the day.

“We were so blessed to have the middle school provide us a sermon in song, and we always enjoy having Andrew preach,” said Eleanor Kuhn, Denver West church member and MHA school board member. “We are happy to be a part of such an awesome school!”

Events such as these require extra practice time for the students. Under the eye of MHA music teacher Ismael Castillo, the students not only worked during class time, but they often had extra practice hours after school. Several students in this year’s band had never held an instrument before, and it’s never easy to blend unique voices to perform in a choir. But the students worked hard, with the support of their parents, and enjoyed being able to share their musical talents with the churches during MHA Sabbaths.

MHA parent and Littleton Adventist Church member Ami Warner said, “It was great to see my kids perform in choir at churches other than our home church. I could tell that the churches were so proud and happy to host us. It gave us a sense of connection with these other Denver area churches that we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. I would love to see more music students involved next year, like elementary and the middle school band and orchestra.”

With only a few school weeks left, there are no scheduled MHA Sabbaths on the remainder of this school year’s calendar. However, MHA administration is already in talks with area churches to begin planning for next school year.

“We are looking forward to continuing the tradition of performing at our churches,” said Carpenter. “The warm church welcomes and connections our students make at events like these make a lasting impression in their lives. We’re excited to continue to build our music department as we move forward with letting our students’ lights shine through the gift of music ministry.”

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

Ardis Stenbakken – Loveland, Colorado … How would you like to have met the first woman to drive from New York City to San Francisco in the early 1900s? She changed her own tires and served as her own mechanic. Or you could have met Dr. Florence Sabin who pioneered her way in medical science and made a major difference to Coloradans’ health. You could have met a lady portraying a young girl from San Francisco who wanted to be a fireman and made a difference for firemen; and Mother Jones, a significant voice for the coal miners and child workers and for whom the Mother Jones Magazine is named.

If so, you missed your chance at the Legendary Ladies performance. Well, at least you could have met someone pretending she was this significant woman at Campion Adventist Church on April 23. The performers portrayed these women in their stories, gestures, and clothing.

About 70 men and women came to enjoy this program. So many attendees stayed to visit with the performers and to tell them how much they enjoyed it. There was time for fellowship and for a delightfully catered continental breakfast.

Campion Adventist Church women’s ministries is striving to have programs and activities to appeal to all ages and curiosities and to help you grow spiritually and in your interests. Watch for upcoming events and invite your friends and neighbors.

—Ardis Stenbakken is the Campion Adventist Church communication director and is involved with Women’s and Family Ministries. Photos by Ardis Stenbakken and Kathy Aitken.