FL Word of Life Bible Institute Yearbook 2021

CONTENTS

04 06 10 14 18 20 22 24 26 30 32 34 40 44 50

LETTERS

OUR STAFF

CLASS OF 2021

STUDENT COUNCIL

OPENING WEEKEND + MISSIONS CONFERENCE

CAMPUS PREVIEW DAYS + COFFEE HOUSE

CHRISTMAS PARTY

SPRING LUAU

SPRING BANQUET

#WOLSHINE

SOCCER TEAM

PURSUIT CAMP

THE COAST

TESTIMONIES

GOODBYE

Don Lough, Jr.

DEAR STUDENTS,

What an epic and exceptional year at the Word of Life Bible Institute! I commend you for your positive and patient attitude and consistent passion for learning and living out the Scriptures amid a pandemic. My frequent prayer has been that this would be a year of noticeable growth and progress in your relationship with the Lord. God has clearly answered my prayers. As you take bold steps to follow the Lord’s clear leading in your life, remember that our God is “Trustworthy to Victory.” While speaking from Ephesians 6 all year, it has been my heart to convey that we truly are engaged in a spiritual battle. Our old enemy Satan desires nothing more than to render you defeated and discouraged. But never forget that the Lord has given you all the protection you need to stand firm and live in victory. Keep your armor on and trust Him! I look forward with great enthusiasm to all that God will do in and through your life in the days ahead. You have unprecedented opportunities to reach this world with the life-changing Gospel of Christ. This is your moment to step up! Be assured of my ongoing friendship and prayers as you serve Him and hold forth the precious Word of Life wherever He takes you. Know that you are forever part of the Word of Life family… so come back and see us anytime.

Don Lough, Jr. President & CEO and Chancellor Word of Life Fellowship, Inc. Word of Life Bible Institute

Rich Andrews

ClASS OF 2021!

It’s hard to believe that the 2020-2021 Bible Institute year has come to an end. It started in the middle of a pandemic, with a lot of questions, but you made the most of it. My prayer is that 25yrs from now when you look back at your time on campus you’ll remember all that God allowed you to be a part of and be able to smile as you think about your personal spiritual growth, the growth of your classmates, and the life- change that God allowed you to be a part of and see with your own eyes. Almost weekly I was reminded of the words of Paul as he wrote his second letter to the Church in Corinth. “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Lynn and I are praying for you.

Rich Andrews Vice President of Florida Ministries

Bible Institute Staff

Rich Andrews

Lynn Andrews

Gavyn Andrews

Axton Bryant

Justin Crow

Sarah Dever

Kyle Gray

Dan Fahning

Beth Hirzel

Fran Ingersoll

Stephanie Magana

Ginny Newton

Joel Osborn

Shelby Osborne

Corey Powell

Braydon Rasberry

Vicky Steinberger

Kara Strahan

Mark Strout

Kinga Vickery

Not Pictured: Bobby Brown Blu Chacon Rick Warken

Ethan Warren Riley Winter

Ben Young

Study

Class of 2021

Sandy Adcox Jillian Allred

Yeeun An Lauren Annand Kayla Armstrong

Quimey Ayala Andrew Beaty Isabel Bertho Andrew Beverly Kimberly Bone

Abigail Boyko Matthew Bunts Sabrina Byrnes Javier Calvo Juliana Calvo

Samantha Catlin Kiersten Cecil

Kylee Christie

Leah Crowley Liane Daut

Madeleine Davis Jorlen Diaz

Nadene Edwards Alexus Edwards Hunter Emmerson

Kristen Ferris

Sarah Fesmire Fredy Figueroa Jose Ganawah Victoria Garris

Matthew GerlackNathaniel Goad Johnny Goodwin

Molly Graham

Amy Gray

Abigail Green Susan Grooms

Kylah Hall

Alex Hammond David Henriquez

Henry Herring Sienna Hocutt

James Jeffers

Noah Kerley Bethany Kittridge

James Koch Joel Koehler

Selicia Lacher

Oscar Lopez

Kaitlyn Marks

Sabrina Marshall Isaak Mayhew Aliana Mays Abigail McCloskey

Kate McKenzie

Liz Meyers

Skyler Meyers Joseph Morales Nancy Navarrete Jodi Orange

Julia Osborn Felix Ostman Jeannie Pan Dilan Parenzan Otto Pause

Skyla Pehl

Anastasia Pemberton

Karley Piazza

Joshua Pickett Maleah Polzin

Ryanna Powell

Ethan Rehn Jacob Santiago

Kiala Saunders Megan Schilling

Zach Scott

Cameron Scott- Harvey

Isaac Smith Jordan Smith Jorgia Snook

Mary Steele Maddy Sterner

Morgan Stiles

Noah Stiles Samantha Suta Trujillo

Emma Tennant

Christian Webb Nekoda White Breana Walders

Not Pictured: Noah Eister

Student Council

Dear classmates, in the midst of everyone telling us to think about what we are going to be – let’s stop and remember where we have been. Let’s not forget what God has done in us, lest we miss what He wants to do through us. It has been a joy to grow with all of you this year. I’m excited above all else to see how the lessons learned here will be used by God for His glory. Joel Koehler

Joel Koehler President

Morgan Stiles Vice President

Skyler Meyers Chaplain

Jodi Orange Treasurer

Maddie Davis Secretary

Life Life

Opening Weekend & Missions Conference

Campus Preview Days & Coffee House

Christmas Party

Spring Luau

Spring Banquet

Ministry

#WOLSHINE

When I found out that I was going to have to record and share my testimony, I was very anxious at first. I grew up in a Mormon household and I feared causing strife and tension between my family and me. As I was recording, I had all this overwhelming anxiety, but knowing that this video could potentially speak through to even just one person about Christ in a way they’ve never experienced was all the drive I needed to let my fear subside, and eventually post my video. A little over a month went by and my mother reached out to me. I was very worried, but through my #WOLSHINE testimony video, I was able to explain to her who Christ truly is and what it means to be saved by grace through faith. My mother, despite her fear of rejection from the Mormon Church, accepted Christ into her heart that night and is now actively seeking Him through His Word daily. I thank God and give Him all the glory for using me in a way that I could have never accomplished without relying on His strength and endurance. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 -Nekoda White

Soccer Team

Pursuit Camp

We watched God move in amazing ways at Pursuit Camp! The heart of unity that came from our students as they surrounded the box of names was such a blessing. It was incredible to watch all of you gather there and pray for people who this side of eternity you would never know, but your hearts bled for. Thank you for the ways that you gave over and above in your work areas to reach lives. I don’t believe that we will ever fully understand all that God used us to do at Pursuit Camp. I believe that there will be people in eternity who will come up and hug us because we are a part of their story. Let us continue to pray even though the names have been painted over, that lives are reached and changed for eternity through that Pursuit Camp season that we were privileged to be part of. -Kyle Gray

Camp Wingman

The Coast: The Code

There is no way that any of us could have imagined all that God was going to do this summer, but as you look back on these pictures and relive the memories, I hope you can recount His amazing faithfulness and goodness to us. They definitely weren’t all easy days, and they definitely weren’t all fun moments. But they were good. His good hand richly blessed lives, and through that - families and communities. We saw God do something that we have been praying for and dreaming of. Thank you for your hard work, and for being a part of that dream. Thank you for your sleepless nights, for your energy spent in God- honoring conversations, for your tireless efforts. Most of all, thank you for loving the Lord and loving these campers. I believe with all my heart that eternity’s halls will ring with the stories of what you did and how you gave this summer as we sought to see every life reached and changed for eternity. -Kyle Gray

Testimonies

God is so good. This became my mantra within the first couple weeks of the school year, but little did I know how much this short phrase would come to mean to me. I learned that my definition of good does not always align with God’s definition of good. God’s goodness is not based solely on what He’s done, but also on who He is. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Whatever happens in my life is a good purpose ordained by God, even when I don’t understand it. When life is going well, God is good; when life is not going well, God is good. God is completely and eternally good in every situation. I grew up in a home where my parents pointed me to the Lord every day. When I became a Jesus follower at a young age, I was convicted by the Holy Spirit to live out the mission of Christ. I didn’t take this seriously because I didn’t know how. My family was always at church and involved in ministry. I would go to church every Sunday, and I even served on ministry teams. However, I felt as though I was going through the motions and my whole heart wasn’t in the right place. I held onto bitterness and selfish desires, and I didn’t let go of my pride. When I came to WOLBI though, Jesus changed my heart toward His name and His church. I desire to live out the mission of Jesus Christ; to make disciples of all nations.

Liz Meyers

Sienna Hocutt

I’ve had the great privilege of serving as a vocalist on the Overflow Band this year, and our first big ministry event was Pursuit Camp. There was one night where I was weighed down by a million different burdens— insecurity, stress, relationships, etc.— and it had begun to affect my voice. I could barely sing at all. I was sitting backstage and was so overwhelmed by my own issues that I forgot to turn to Christ and tried to handle it all on my own. Then, I had a dear friend come up to me and bluntly remind me that I am trying to hold onto the chains that Christ had died to free me from. I crumbled under the mixed feelings of immense conviction and prayed for forgiveness. Then I asked that He perform for me, to let every lyric and note be straight from and for Him, not myself. I walked onto the stage and truly worshipped for what felt like the first time. The song itself is still a blur, but it is that small piece of this year that I knew the Lord took care of me, and even in my weakness used me to minister to a room full of campers. Since then, that has been my prayer: that the Lord not only use me in my weakness, but do it all for me, so that everything I do always leads to His glory..

Morgan Stiles

The Lord has worked on my heart so much this year and taught me a lot, one of them being His faithfulness towards me. God has been so faithful even in times that I didn’t see it. I can hold onto hope knowing that even when I’m faithless, God is still faithful. When I doubt, God never changes His mind about me or loves me any different. I can have faith in a faithful and loving God who will never let me down.

KarleyAnn Piazza

The year that I have spent at the Bible Institute has taught me many things, but one thing that I always found myself coming back to was love. Not a cheesy fake love that the world views through a romantic lens, but a real, genuine love that is shown not only in words but actions. The effects of this love should inspire others to live in the same way. It should cause unbelievers to question what’s different about us. A popular question asked is, ‘what would Jesus do’? The response to this is: He would love first. We cannot control the actions of others, but we can control our response, This response should be love. As humans we will struggle and fail at this daily but because of who Christ is and His love for us, we are forgiven. Throughout my year at Word of Life, I didn’t even realize how much I had grown. In fact, I am continually challenged by the staff and the students to pursue a deeper faith and a closer relationship with God. Despite the struggles with adapting and the pains of spiritual growth, I have learned to be joyful when my faith is tested, because it has proven to make me trust God more. I remember a time where knowing who God is and believing things about Him didn’t change my life. But trusting Him with my future has opened so many opportunities for me to see that God is trustworthy. And I am convinced that being a disciple of Jesus is the best way for me to live my life. Thanks for an amazing year, WOLBI!!

Sam Catlin

Josie Ganawah

This year I had the amazing opportunity to attend Word of Life Bible Institute. I have learned so much about leading with humility. This started while I waited to learn if I had earned an RA position. Instead of RA, I was offered a position in leadership on the student council. The team I served with was always encouraging and became like a family to me. We planned campus days and class events. We also had weekly meetings where we would talk and pray for one another and our class. Since I was also on the worship band this year, I was given the special privilege to be both seen and unseen. Through this, I discovered that working in a more unseen role can be a humbling and rewarding experience. One verse that has encouraged me throughout this year and continues to be a life verse is I Timothy 4:12 “ Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.” This year God really grew me in so many ways. I think the biggest way He has grown me is in understanding that my relationship with Him is more important than my relationship with others. God did create us to have fellowship with other people but ultimately we were created to have fellowship with Him. I’ve found that if my relationship with Christ is my most important relationship, then every other relationship kind of just falls into place. God has been so good this year bringing me some amazing friends and through those friendships we are able to push each other towards Christ.

Maddi Davis

Jacob Santiago

Goodbye

Dear friends,

it’s been said that “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” That certainly reflects how you’ve conducted yourselves! You’ve persevered through one of the most challenging years in the history of the Bible Institute: health screenings, quarantines, travel restrictions, streamed classes, schedule changes, temps, pods, masks, and hand sanitizer! Your perseverance through it all has been remarkable, but it’s not over. You’ll need to show this same dedication and commitment as you press on for Christ in an age when it’s becoming harder than ever before! The only way forward will be to relentlessly keep your eyes on the Lord and to walk in His strength. I pray that Ephesians 3:14-21 will be your experience: “For this reason, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…” You know the rest! May God do far beyond what you could ask or think as you stick close to Jesus Christ and follow His lead. Believe Him, it will be worth it!

-Mark Strout

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