From her birthplace in Liberia to her childhood home in The Gambia to Georgia to Minnesota to Olivet Nazarene University, Brenda Brown has experienced countless blessings.
“God delivered my family, physically unharmed, from the Liberian civil war in 1996,” she says. “We were alive, but we had to walk away from everything we owned.”
Even when her family was living in The Gambia, a 90 percent Muslim country in Africa, they held worship services and Bible studies in their home. They also shared the gospel in nearby villages and towns — returning even after authorities had chased them away.
Wanting to nurture the seeds of faith that her parents had planted in her life, Brenda was seeking higher education with a consistent, pervasive focus on Christ. That’s what she found the first time she visited Olivet.
As a transfer student at Olivet, Brenda also found an outstanding nursing program with a Christian purpose. She is learning the importance of compassion in providing patient-centered care for body, mind and soul. After losing her father to diabetes, she is even more convinced about the need for compassion in caregiving.
“Olivet has taught me that nursing is about talking to a patient about God, holding a hand, saying a prayer,” she says. “Nursing is not about financial gain. It’s about the care and compassion that nurses share with our patients. Caring for my father during his illness and now volunteering at a home for the elderly have convinced me that I am called to be a nurse.”
During her time at Olivet, living away from her family has been a challenge. Nursing students and professors are there for her, supporting and encouraging her every step of the way. She especially appreciates the strategies for success and dealing with stress that Professor Mary Nehls has shared with her.
“There are a lot of ups and downs as a nursing student,” Brenda says. “Professor Nehls is always willing to sit and listen to me, and pray with me. At Olivet, I’m learning how to be part of a caring, Christian community.”
One of Brenda’s ongoing challenges is financing her education. At times, she has wondered how her bills will get paid. But God’s faithfulness continues to see her through. “Receiving scholarships from Olivet has encouraged me in my education,” she says. “With the help of generous donors, I am able to focus more on my grades and less on financial issues.”
Looking forward to her graduation from Olivet’s nursing program with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree in May 2018, Brenda says: “I know I’ll want to come back and visit this community. Olivet will always be a part of me, and I’ll always be a part of Olivet.”
To learn more about Olivet’s Department of Nursing, contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@olivet.edu or 800-648-1463.
Story originally published in Olivet’s 2017 Annual Report.
