During the 2018 Baccalaureate service at Olivet Nazarene University, two graduating seniors shared testimonies and memories. Following is an excerpt from each student’s presentation.
Jonathan Hentschel, Class of 2018, holds bachelor’s degrees in sport management and Spanish. He is from Midland, Michigan.
“I originally came on my campus visit to Olivet to play baseball. Even before I met with the coaches and did my workout, I already knew Olivet was the place God wanted me to be. The community was and still is so special. The way people care about you here and invest in you is something I had never experienced.”
“Dr. Johana Barrero, my Spanish professor at Olivet, convinced me to follow God’s call on my own life and to major in Spanish. This choice has taken me on an incredible journey. Following graduation, I will be doing sports ministry in the Dominican Republic.”
“Playing baseball for four years at Olivet taught me the value of discipline and time management. I also learned that true greatness does not lie in your performance on the field, but rather in the relationships you make with your teammates and the way you serve them, day in and day out. During my freshman year on our team’s spring break trip, I was baptized into Christ.”
“I ask that we all remember three very important things: Be thankful for the ways in which God has provided for us, and for the experiences that He has allowed each of us to be a part of over the past four years. Praise God for always being with us, through the good moments, but also through the bad ones. Make decisions out of faith rather than fear.”
Danielle Maranion, Class of 2018, holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology. She is from South Elgin, Illinois.
“Looking back at these four years, I cannot speak of anything other than the great God I have come to know so intimately. In my experiences, God consistently has shown me that His ways are higher than mine.”
“In my sophomore year at Olivet, God decided to shake things up by calling me to lead student mission trips to an orphanage in Honduras. At El Jardin de Amor Y Esperanza, we served and lived with some of the most at-risk children in the community. This experience has opened my eyes to the very real brokenness that occurs to some of the people I love the most. I encountered the faces of abuse, neglect, poverty — none of which have an easy answer. It brought humanity to a pain I can’t fully comprehend.”
“I truly think one of the most dangerous things we can do is fail to remember God and what He has done. When we choose to live in remembrance of how He has guided us, disciplined us and loved us, we will remember to step forward expectant of that same constant faithfulness — regardless of change that’s coming. It’s this remembrance of the past that projects us into the future.”
To learn more about student life at Olivet, contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@olivet.edu or 800-648-1463.
Published: 5/9/2018
