I N T E G R A T I N G F A I T H , S E R V I C E , S C H O L A R S H I P

A LASP Case Study 1

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A LASP Case Study: Chitwood 3.0There's nothing like a 30th birthday to make you all introspective. As I hit the big 3-0 last month, the question actually came to mind, "What if my best days are behind me?"

Suddenly a panic of processing hit me and it was LASP all over again. Telos this. Praxis that. Trust the process. Change the world.

Hmmm. That last one hasn't quite happened yet. I was planning on changing the world. My token verse coming out of LASP was Isaiah 61:1-2: "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captivesand release from darkness for the prisoners."

This mandate was empowering. I was anointed and that was that. But in many ways it proved more a burden than a blessing. The scale of the problems I saw in the world was overwhelming, insurmountable, paralyzing. 26,000 kids die

everyday from hunger and preventable disease; 12.3 million people are human trafficking victims; over one billion people live on less than $1 a day. Where was I to start?

As an additional barrier, there were few jobs with "broken heart binder-upper" in the job description (yes, I checked idealist.org). I taught English abroad to kids who couldn't afford it. I explored microfinance in order to help people lift themselves out of poverty. I considered medicine in order to equip myself with a tangible skill and be a direct channel of good. I even tried changing the system "from the inside" while doing trade in China. But these efforts were never enough. The impact was minimal on what I saw as a thoroughly broken world.

I also had a hefty case of what I now affectionately refer to as LASP-guilt. Would LASP approve of this job? Am I living up to that letter I wrote myself at the end of the semester? WWLD? LASP became my gold standard of a purpose-driven life (sorry, Mr. Warren).

A world in need of saving is a terrible burden for one person to bear. My enlightenment weighed heavy on my shoulders. I often wished that I'd

LASP’s mission is to cultivate a Christ-centered community of critical thinking learner-scholars from multiple disciplines, that seeks to expand global awareness and integrate Kingdom values via experiential learning in the Latin American context, challenging students to respectfully engage our host cultures and strive for academic excellence.

A LASP Case Study: Chitwood 3.0Living out, and rediscovering LASP experiences ten years later. Page 1

La Noche TranseúnteCatch one of Elmer’s powerful poems from his book, La Noche Transeúnte. Elmer is a beloved LASP lecturer who’s time growing up in El Salvador gives rise to powerful stories.Page 2

Preguntamos, CaminandoReflections on our current semester.

Page 4

To Dream is a Privilege

A current student shares about her experiences in a banana plantation.Page 5

Alumni UpdatesRead about what LASP alumni are doing, where they are in the world, and who’s getting back together. Page 6

Find us on FacebookStay up to date and connected with LASP by “liking” our page on Facebook. Search “LASP” or click here.

A Biannual Newsletter Fall 2012

”As we drifted between fond memories, processing, and celebration of God's work in us during LASP and beyond, it became evident that LASP had played a catalytic

role in everyone's life.”

2 A LASP Case Study, La Noche Transeúnte

never done LASP. I wished I could go back to the ignorant and carefree person I was before. I used to be really happy.

Ironically, in as much as LASP was a catalyst for my melancholy, it was also a catalyst for my renewal. In 2011 a group of Fall 2003 LASPers gathered in DC for The Ocho: a LASP reunion. Our time together was a quenching of the soul. We were immediately reminiscing about tres leches in el Carmen de Guadelupe and throwing Don Trevs in the ocean in Limón. We also turned quickly to doing what LASP had fostered in us so well: processing within community. What was our post-LASP journey like? How did LASP shape our current existence? What would we have changed about LASP?

As we drifted between fond memories, processing, and celebration of God's work in us during LASP and beyond, it became evident that LASP had played a catalytic role in everyone's life. All of us worked in very different fields: international development, education, medicine, health insurance, and politics. But each of us could trace experiences during LASP that steered us toward those unique vocations.

As we shared it also became evident that many had struggled with the same LASP-guilt that I had suffered from. Some longed for a sense of purpose at work, but job satisfaction seemed elusive. Some struggled with being homeowners or saving for retirement while so many continued to be in need.

As we worshiped and shared together that Sunday morning, I reflected further on my mantra from Isaiah that had commissioned me to change the world. But, for the first time since LASP, I read it with different eyes - no longer in the first person. The Lord wasn't anointing me, he was anointing Isaiah. Rather, I was the poor one in need of good news; I was the one whose heart needed binding; I was the captive who needed set free; I was the prisoner who needed release from darkness.

Release.

Suddenly this weight that I'd felt since my experience at LASP was lifted from my shoulders. No longer was saving the world my responsibility. In fact, I myself still needed rescue.

This epiphany confirmed in me two important truths. First, at the center of my relationship with God is a need for brokenness. As good as I am, as enlightened as I become, I am still in need of rescue - which thankfully He readily does.

Second, only from my own state of brokenness can I engage the broken world that surrounds me. As Henri Nouwen poignantly writes in The Wounded Healer, "[Christ's] appearance in our

midst has made it undeniably clear that changing the human heart and changing human society are not separate tasks, but are as interconnected as the two beams of the cross.” My brokenness is linked to others' brokenness, and others' brokenness is linked to changing the world. Only from that vantage point can I truly understand, love, and serve a broken world.

A mentor once cautioned me, "Be wary the old specter of paternalism - that you have something to give and they all need to receive - which creates a power gap and isolates you from those whom you really want to love." In loving and serving from my own brokenness, I'm able to see past myself, and my efforts once again become about glorifying God rather than the work itself.

I've in turn discovered that brokenness only comes by daily choice to receive God's Spirit, rather than trying by my might and my power. And I've in turn discovered that prayer is the key component to receiving His Spirit. Andrew Murray, a South African pastor in the late 1800s, captured this succinctly: "I feel sure that as long as we look on prayer chiefly as the means of maintaining our own Christian life, we shall not know fully what it is meant to be. But when we learn to regard it as the highest part of the work entrusted to us, the root and strength of all other work, we shall see that there is nothing that we so need to study and practice as the art of praying rightly." Changing the world strikes me as falling in the category of "all other work," and so I learn to press further into the work of prayer.

As I head into my 30s, I turn to a new mandate: "Let your petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers" (Phil.4:6). As prayer finally creates time and space for God to work in my broken life and in the broken world around me, I become fully expectant of His work to change the world and, as I am a part of His work, of my best decade yet. My 20s were great, but I've come to realize that my efforts are but an earthly bean in God's ethereal platter of pinto.

And at my age, it's nice to know your best days aren't just behind you.

Matt Chitwood came to LASP in the fall semester of 2003. He is in his 5th year of living in China, where he is working as a Research Analyst for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Matt recently completed his M.A. in International Economics and China Studies at John Hopkins SAIS in DC. He moonlights as a Chinese TV show host.

VIILa sombra cae sobre nosotros,Sólo está uno y ella.Cada quien con la noche que le toca, Atrás queda la procedencia Y ya no importa -no sé si alguna vez importo-Haber nacido aquí o en otras geografías.

Al final lo que queda es la furia como un animal en reposo,El valor real de todo lo aprendido Y la pupila atenta frente a los rostros Que sonríen y se alejan.

Atrás quedaron los motivos que nos llevaron A sufrir las repercusiones, Y aprendimos a sepultar de una vez por todas Las ciudades que ardieron En los íntimos ramajes del asombro.

De aquí o de allá: ¡Qué más da! Cuando sólo queda una certeza: Soy un habitante con su negra noche a cuestas.Fugitivo de un odio colectivo.

Animal domesticado por la selva del tiempo.Transeúnte de la noche en esta ciudad de ostra,Olvidada en el fondo de un océano.

VIIIYo no quería volver a ser el transeúnte De una ciudad en llamas,Pero hace ya muchos asombros atrásAlguien quedo detenido en este lugar;

Ayer. Hoy.Camino con mi gesto de adultoBajo una lluvia de juguetes explosivos

¡Madre tengo miedo!

¿Por qué todos corren de regreso y Queda quieto el niño que busco?

Me encuentro.

Lo miro. Me ve. Me dice: ¡soy tu infancia¡Le digo. ¡Soy tu muerte!

Y en las tinieblas de mis ojos Ambos nos echamos a llorar.

La Noche TranseúnteElmer H. Rodriguez Campos is a poet, painter, and a beloved LASP lecturer. In his charlas, Elmer shares about his experiences growing up in a trash dump in El Salvador and the perspectives that they have given him. The following poem comes from his book, La Noche Transeúnte.

C U R R E N T P E R S P E C T I V E S

Current Perspectives 3

Current PerspectivesTake a look at what is happening at LASP this semester.

Costa Rica vs Mexico

In September, Costa Rica kicked off qualification rounds for the World Cup with a game against Mexico in San José. Students headed to the game during one of their first weekends in San José to experience a passionate aspect of life in Costa Rica!

Organic Matters

Students visited an organic farm that is cared for by a man named Roderick and his family. Roderick grows some of the best coffee, bananas, papaya, and vegetables that you've ever tasted. His passion for quality and healthy food inspires both our students and other farmers who live around him. Roderick let Joey take a whiff of some of the soil that he's been cultivating on the farm for about 15 years. He was especially excited about the dead tree roots that were decomposing here helping him cultivate richer soil to grow his crops- especially his incredible coffee.

Parque Nacional Cahuita

During a trip to the Caribbean side of the country, students spent a day at Cahuita National Park, which is marked by it’s coral-based white sand. They ate pineapple, papaya and watermelon, caribbean style empanadas and enjoyed playing soccer on the beach.

15 September

Students presented various national symbols of Costa Rica at their language school in honor of Costa Rican Independence day. These girls presented the Guaria Morada, the national flower. Other symbols included “La Carreta” (the colorful oxcarts that were used to transport coffee), the flag, shield, and national hymn. Most students spent Independence Day with their host families at parades and experiencing the lighting of “faroles” (lanterns).

Kékölldí Iguana Reserve

Marianne takes a closer look at one of the iguanas that are raised by the Bri Bri indigenous group. Students visited the community to gain a deeper understanding of cultural diversity in Costa Rica. These iguanas are a rich symbol of culture for Bir Bri who began to raise them and then release them into the wild after noticing that they were disappearing from the primary forest in which they live.

If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else we must see our neighbors. With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say like artists, we must see not just their faces but the life behind and within their faces. Here it is love that is the frame we see them in. -Frederick Buchner, from Whistling in the Dark

C U R R E N T P E R S P E C T I V E S

4 Current Perspectives

Preguntando, Caminamos. Asking, we walk.

I came across this phrase in a book and was immediately taken by it. It was wedged in a part that described the way of life of a group of people in southern Mexico who are seeking to redefine and recreate their society into one of deep community and discover common spaces. What a beautiful approach to life.

As I reflect on this semester of LASP so far, I can’t think of a way to describe it better than the attempt of students to embody this phrase.

As they’ve settled into two home stays, both in San José and in Nicaragua, they’ve sought and discovered the value in the knowledge and life experience of other people completely unknown to them before. They’ve asked questions of their host moms, and walked alongside their dads to milk cows and learn about the land.

Students have walked to their Spanish classes, spending time getting to know each other and

discussing the charlas (lectures) that they have heard that week instead of zipping away in taxis to shorten the time. They have been discussing drug policies of Latin American countries and of their own, they have been talking about environmental sustainability and food sovereignty asking questions of, learning from, and finding common spaces in the experiences of their fellow students from all over the U.S.

Questions have been asked of Doña Dora María Téllez about her time as a commander in the Nicaraguan Sandinista revolution, what motivated her to respond to her government with a hunger strike, and in the midst of all that, what it meant to be a woman- instead of simply assuming they knew.

Students have continued to walk forward, seeking answers to questions that have arisen within their own lives, and faith sometimes as well, instead of allowing complexities to paralyze them or retreating from the pursuit of answers in fear.

They are examining the complexities that they encounter thoughtfully, taking time to re-examine them as they encounter new situations- refusing to take them at face value.

As students complete Faith and Practice Seminar and head out all over Costa Rica for their internships during these next weeks, I have no doubt that they will continue to take this spirit with them. They will come back with stories about the questions they have asked, the answers that they have found, and the paths they have walked down.

McCall Adams is the current LASP Intern. She was at LASP Fall 2010 and is a recent graduate of Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma where she majored in International Studies. This photo was

taken in one of her favorite places in Costa Rica, the valley of San Gerardo de Dota.

Preguntando, Caminamos

C U R R E N T P E R S P E C T I V E S

Current Perspectives 5

We all held our Nikon’s in hand as we unloaded from the bus and moved along the edge of an assembly line full of fresh, green bananas. Those working in the fast-moving, tedious, and humid environment glanced up from their concentrated state, every so often, to lock eyes with the curious North Americans. There was either no time for a friendly exchange in order to sufficiently meet the quota, or they would rather ignore the privileged gringos for reason best not articulated.

The province of Limon, known both for drugs and exports, was where this particular finca is located. Many of the workers live on the plantation in housing provided, child education and pesticide inhalation included, contingent on job maintenance. Their employment is dispensable, their labor is menial, yet their output is valuable. They produce the fresh, yellow fruits that will be pleasantly and cheaply consumed in either San Jose or Los Estados Unidos. Those enjoying the bananas, will likely not

stop to think about the care of the matas, the discretion of the verdes, or the mass amounts of fruit processed only in one hour. Most will never visualize the shanty homes that litter the rutted dirt road which winds throughout the methodical system of banana trees. They will never witness

the contradiction between the new life of a mata de banano which grows from its grandfather tree, with the backdrop of its true makers, whose lives revolve around those who will one day enjoy its product.

Never in my life, had I realized that to dream is a privilege. Even more, food on the table, a shelter for protection, access to impeccable health care and comprehensive education, was not even considered a right; it was an expectation. As was to dream of greatness. Menial work without

intellectual stimulation was too horrible to consider. Yet, the workers of this production plant spend 12 hours each day within the cycle of banano production, perfectly analogous to the perpetuation of their own existence.

The Realization: there are people who cannot be anything that they want to be.

The Question: How do I participate in a world (i.e. international business) in which the very matrix of the unchangeable reality, is exactly what obstructs the human right to dream?

Jamie Stacy, author of this article is a current student. She is from Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, New York,

planning to graduate with a cross-disciplinary degree in Communications, International Business, and Spanish. Jamie dreams of being a U.S.

Ambassador and is addicted to soccer and Salsa.

To Dream is a PrivilegeRealizations and questions that grew from a banana plant.

“We all held our Nikon’s in hand as we... moved along the assembly

line full of fresh, green bananas...”

A L U M N I R E L A T I O N S

6 Alumni Relations

Alumni Updates

Check out what is going on with fellow alumni from your time at LASP.

Sue Mast (‘86FA) Serving as a missionary with HCJB Global in Quito, Ecuador teaching English as a Second Language.

Jay Hart (‘86FA) Working as an associate pastor and social worker with youth, families, and developmentally disabled. Married, 3 sons.

Leslie (Frey) Miller (‘87FA) Married, homeschooling 2 sons, Caleb and David. Family enjoys traveling, baseball and camping.

Brenda (Nickel) Kellam (‘91FA) Living in Roanoke, VA with husband and 2 children. Working alongside church and family with Nepali refugees; recently hosted a high school exchange student from Guatemala.

Elizabeth (Childs) Drury (‘92SP) Raising 4 sons; Finishing PhD in Intercultural Education at Biola Univ. and teaching Cultural Contexts of Ministry at Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan Univ.

Tara (Byler) Weathers (‘93FA) Living with husband Mark who is a pastor and 3 sons in Concord, NC.

Erika Dekker (‘93FA) Chaplain in a long-term care and brain injury rehab facility in Grand Rapids, MI; Married to husband, Tim, with children Lucas and Ella (9, twins) and Caleb (5).

Dru Simmons (‘93SP) Working in International Education as Associate Director of Institutional Relations at the College of Global Studies at Arcadia University.

Scott (‘93SP) and Dawn (‘93SP) Smithson Married, have two children, and are living in Watsonville, CA. Dawn works as a Civil Engineer and Scott teaches Biology at Monte Vista Christian School part time while serving as Board President for Camp SEA Lab, organizes outreach trips for Faith Community Church and coordinates The Big Green Day each spring.

Andrew Herod (‘94FA) Living with his wife, Jessica in Orange County, CA and enjoying their 18 month old son Moses. Working as the Director of Family Services for Para Los Niños, a non-profit in LA supporting children and partnering with families in low-income neighborhoods.

Tammy (Vellines) Johnson (‘95FA) Married to Nate and had their third child, Gracie, in June. Big brothers Tyler (5) and Caleb (3) adore her, and their household is officially loud and crazy! Living in Dallas, TX.

Janeen (Cadwell) Gutierrez (‘95FA) Married to husband Jose and has 2 children, Tali (5) and Alex (3). Serving as SIM missionaries in Loja, Ecuador mentoring and discipling. Loja is quite unreached, unlike the rest of Ecuador, with only 1% of the population being evangelical Christians.

Shannon Lashley-Richardson (‘95SP) Married, working on completing adoption of third child from China.

Diedra Acre Bowman (‘95SP) Will graduate with a Masters in Public Health in Epidemiology in May.

Kate Burke (‘95SP) In second year of masters in Social Enterprise at American University’s School of International Service and is applying her learning in her new role as Associate Director for the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health with the American Psychiatric Foundation.

Johanna (Webster) Buck (‘95SP) Lives in Medford, OR with husband Morgan and 2 daughters Annalise Elena (5) and Grace Charlotte (3).

Dara (Fisk) Ekanger (‘96FA) Living, homeschooling 3 children, and editing in South Dakota.

Mark Hamilton (‘97FA) Living in the DC area with wife Amy and 2 kids, Ian (4) and Elena (2). Recently completed PhD in International Relations at American University’s School of International Service.

Sarah (Roberts) Wetzel (‘97FA) Moved to Maple Valley, WA in August with 4 children. Homeschooling and settling into their new home.

Kristen (Sommer) Main (‘98FA) Living in Phoenix, AZ, married and has 2 children Elise (7) and Conner (4). Working for Liberty Mutual Insurance as the Customer Service Manager.

Amanda (Olson) Cox (‘98SP) Living in Denver, CO with husband Jeremy and daughter Ariam (adopted from Ethiopia). They are working to complete the adoption of their second child, Alexio from Haiti. Works as policy advisor for international child protection organization, EveryChild.

Rebecca Schreuder (‘98FA) Husband and two children just moved from Chiapas, Mexico to Pella, Iowa where husband is teaching in a Spanish Immersion classroom at a Christian school.

Emily (Hilderman) Merchant (‘99SP) Working with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Oaxaca, Mexico where she teaches science and her husband teaches PE to missionary kids. They have 2 sons, Caleb (2) and Ryan (1).

Lisa (Lockwood) Hewitt (‘00FA) Married to Scott with twins Noah and Lillian (3) and newborn Naomi Claire.

Dominic Brown (‘00FA) Daughter Reagan Joy was born in April, joining brother Lincoln (4) and sister Madison (2).

Haunnah (Klug) Sorensen (‘00FA) Married to Kris and recently welcomed their first child into the family.

Doralyn (Stratton) Rush (‘00SP) Living in western New York with husband Brandon and children Zaavan (5) and Chrislyn (3). Stay at home mom, loving old house, small town and church community.

Joe Foust (‘01FA) Married to Leigh, son George (1)

Mark Deming (‘02FA) Studying International Relations at the University of Chicago. Focusing on authoritarian regimes and populism in the Andes as well as the politics of wealth redistribution.

Sara (Simmons) Foote (‘02FA) Married to Isaac; welcomed first child, son, Ryker Isaiah, Dec. 14, ’11.

Leah Book-Satterlee (‘02FA) Married to Kevin and together are missionaries with Latin America Mission in Mexico City, Mexico. They have 2 children, Owen Rhys (newborn) and Eliana (3).

Jessica (Bohn) Rojas (‘02FA) Serving with husband Wilmar (Condega, Nicaragua) as missionaries with the Church of the Nazarene in Argentina. 2 sons, Israel (5) and Caleb (3).

Jonathan Seiver (‘02FA) Living in Harrisburg, PA working with a ministry serving low-income Hispanics through food, encouragement, and prayer.

Matthew (‘02SP) and Laura (Wenger) (‘04FA) Carmany Married, first child, son, Josiah Glenn born in June.

David (‘02SP) and Sarah (Grosselink) (‘02SP) Hille Welcomed their new son Henry William in March. He joins big sister Adele Marie (3).

John Johnson (‘02SP) Son, Filip (1).

Rachel (Bervig) Keeter (‘02SP) Welcomed third child in September.

Christie Zimmerman (‘03FA) Completing MBA in Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise at Colorado State Univ.. Looking for a job in the sustainable/organic/natural foods and agriculture market focused on production from Latin America.

Caleb Howard (‘03FA) Married for 5 years to his wife, Sarah, and has 2 daughters, Ava Grace (2) and Bethany Lael (4mo.). Teaching Spanish in an elementary school in NJ.

Abby (DeLong) Irvine (‘03FA) Living in Gualmaca, Honduras with husband Jared, and 2 children Trevi (4) and Josh (2) volunteering at Orphanage Emmanuel until June.

Matt Chitwood (‘03FA) Is in his 5th year of living in China; working as a Research Analyst for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; recently completed M.A. in International Economics and China Studies at John Hopkins SAIS in DC. He moonlights as a Chinese TV show host.

Douglas Parton (‘03FA) Adopted son Bonsa “Bo” Douglas Parton (Ethiopia) in September; completed Masters of Science in Organizational

Development from Eastern Michigan Univ.

Tobias Roberts (‘03FA) Working for the past 3 years with the Mennonite Central Committee in the Mayan Highlands of Guatemala supporting indigenous organizations in their struggle against mega hydraulic and mining projects on their ancestral territories.

Josh Byeman (‘03FA) Married in July; teaching high school social studies in Seattle.

A L U M N I R E L A T I O N S

Alumni Relations 7

Rachel (Stilling) Martens (‘03FA) Living in Panama City, Panama with two sons, Elias and Tobias; Working with a community center in neighborhood Curundu where they started a school. Rachel teaches art and takes care of the boys.

Sarah (Dooley) Sotelo (‘03FA) Married to Karlos; working with non-profit organizations; on assisting board of Amirah, a safe house for human trafficking survivors in the Boston area; expecting a baby girl on Christmas Day.

Amber (Freeman) Berliner (‘03SP) Full-time mother of 2 girls; finished MBA.

Bekah (Miller) Peiffer (‘03SP) Married to Keith and just had first child, daughter Katriel Flynn in May; living in Baltimore, MD.

Josiah Murphy Deeter (‘03SP) Expanded small family garden into a community garden this summer with husband Adam; anyone can come and exchange work, tools or supplies for organic vegetables, fruit, flowers and herbs (www.facebook.com/eurekagardens)

Kendall (Yoder) Yake (‘04FA) Welcomed second child, son Harley Joseph into the world in September. He joins his brother, Ryan.

Courtney Phelps (‘04FA) Moving to France for 3 months to study French after completing 1.5 years of work in Afghanistan and emergency work in the Philippines; hoping to continue with Catholic Relief Services in francophone Africa.

Sarah (Harbert) Laptiste (‘04FA) Married Vaughn in September; teaching EL in Indianapolis, IN.

Sarah (Buxton) Sanchez (‘04SP) Married; welcomed second son, Oliver into family in September.

Yuri Semenyuk (‘04SP) Married Lyuda Prysyszhnyuk last year; serving with Kings Castle (Castillo del Rey) in El Salvador.

Micah Hatch (‘04SP) Completing residency in anesthesiology at the Univ. of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, TN.

Kenilee (Jahr) Hill (‘04SP) Working as a family nurse practitioner at a Federally Qualified Health Center, Family Health/La Clinica in rural

Wisconsin. Clinic provides health care to the under served in Wisconsin including many Spanish-speaking patients. Married Todd Hill in 2010; Welcomed twins Ella and Caleb into family in July.

Niki (Disch) Stevens (‘05FA) Welcomed first child into family, Bryn. Working for John Deere as an accountant; living in Davenport, Iowa.

Daniel Fuller (‘05FA) Living in Indianapolis working at the Youth Mentoring Coordinator at Shepherd Community Center, an organization laboring to empower their literal neighbors to break the cycle of poverty.

Ryan Beuthin (‘05FA) Managing a locally/ethically sources resturaunt and cafe in downtown Flint, MI and co-managing it’s greenhouse and urban farm; joined a church that is beginning a racial reconciliation process; installing a passive solar heating system on home.

Laura (Mann) Kilpatrick (‘05SP) Completed Masters in Counseling, now working as an elementary school counselor in North Carolina; had first child, Eli Joel in September.

Krystal (Finseth) Van Ee (‘05SP) Welcomed Kaatje Marie in family in April, who joined brother Micah (2); living in Oskaloosa, IA

Nicki (Parks) Neal (‘05SP) Resides with husband Marion in Chicago where she teaches private guitar and the two play music in local venues.

Brittany (Harty) Webb (‘05SP) Married to Luke; welcomed their son, Callum Emmaus into the world in August; working as a nurse practitioner.

Sarah Wineland (‘05SP) Living in DC, working as a management consultant and is currently on assignment at the US Dept of Agriculture. She is leading a small group and playing for the worship band for her church, The District Church. She just moved into a house in Columbia Heights and has an extra sofabed, so she’d be delighted to host anyone if they need a place to crash in DC.

Kathleen Winslow (‘06FA) Graduated in May with an M.A. Applied Linguistics from Biola Univ.; teaching 6th-8th grade at a small Christian school teaching all subjects, but she particularly enjoys Spanish.

Marvelyn McFarlane (‘06FA) Recently returned from living and working in South Korea for 2 years at Paju English Village where she wrote, directed, and performed ESL children’s musicals. Currently living in NYC, pursuing a career in acting.

Alonna Donovan (‘06SP) Graduated from Libscomb Univ. in December 2010; Currently in grad school at Univ. of Cincinnati studying Mental Health Counseling.

Steven Miller (‘07FA) Living in Aspen, CO; working for Aspen Country Day School; married Ashley in August of 2011 in Washington.

Rachel (Lynch) Moore (‘07SP) Working towards Masters of Architecture at Rice Univ.; has been married for 4 years and is living Connecticut. Recently travelled to Japan, Hawaii and Guam.

Amy (Lamport) Grubbs (‘07SP) Working on Masters at Indiana Univ.-Pardue Univ. of Indianapolis in teaching Spanish; celebrating 5th wedding anniversary in January.

Laura (Maye) Frey (‘08FA) Teaching High School Spanish in Montpelier, OH; leading a student trip to Europe in July 2013.

Nicole Hansen (‘08FA) Getting married in December to a Nicaraguan man that she met while finishing her 3rd year of Peace Corps service in Nicaragua. Completing service in August 2013.

Craig Miller (‘08FA) Recently married to Anna; working as the Residential Program Manager for HoneyRock, the Northwoods camp and campus of Wheaton College. Him and his wife are currently splitting their time between Wheaton, IL and Three Lakes, WI.

Chelsie (Bencsik) Varga (‘08SP) Expecting first child the day after Christmas.

Bethany Adkins (‘08SP) Working as a High School Spanish teacher in Dallas, TX; marrying Jonathan Jones on December 15. Plans to move out of the country next summer to begin doctorate programs.

Erin (Fitzgerald) Cox (‘09FA) Completed a year of service in AmeriCorps at the Regional Food Bank of

!Diez Mío!: A Fall 2003 ReunionIt has indeed been ten years and we want to get together to share stories, to meet spouses/hijos, and of course to process! Plans are in the works for Summer 2013, but we need to gauge interest and determine donde/cuando is best to hold such a pura vida event! Please connect with us via our reunion page and check out the best feel-good sentimental LASP video ever thanks to Caleb!

A L U M N I R E L A T I O N S

8 Alumni Relations

Oklahoma where she coordinated a new Hispanic Initiative and community outreach efforts; started Master of Public Policy at George Washington Univ. in DC with a concentration in social policy and immigration.

Shelby Creager (‘09FA) Completed a year of AmeriCorps service promoting college access in Cleveland, OH; moved to Springfield, OH to begin working in Financial Aid at Wittenberg Univ.

Chris Negrete (‘09SP) Graduated in May with a Nursing degree and is working at City of Hope (an oncology hospital); married in June; living in Orange, California

McCall Adams (‘10FA) Current LASP Intern.

Keith Groen (‘10FA) Completing Bachelor of Education program this year; completing one of his three-week placements in Honduras where he will be teaching in a Christian bilingual school.

Laura Starr (‘10FA) Teaching 1st and 2nd grade Spanish at Bayview Elementary in Waconia, MN.

Caleb Solt (‘10FA) Serving in a church in Columbia, working with the youth group and teaching drum lessons.

Robert Audia (‘10FA) Will complete Masters in Sports Management from West Virginia Univ. in December; working as Assistant Sports Information Director at Misericordia Univ. in Dallas, PA.

Laura Erickson (‘10FA) Working as an insurance assistant property and casualty underwriter; living in Blue Earth, MN

Linnea Ness (‘10SP) Excited, blessed and challenged by the opportunity to return to Costa Rica this summer for CLADE V.

Cary Hayes (‘10SP) Teaching Middle School Spanish at Northwest, an inner-city school in Kansas City; loves sharing her LASP stories with students.

Haylee Hancock (‘11FA) Finishing last semester at Oklahoma Christian Univ.; wants to teach English in Peru.

Emily Conner (‘11FA) Recently returned from backpacking Europe for 4 months; currently heading up an ESL department in Redlands, California and working towards certifications in teaching Pilates and to be a Health and Wellness Consultant.

Jennifer Beck (‘11FA) Joined Teach for America and is teaching a Kindergarten Spanish Immersion class in Kansas City.

Morgan Thomas (‘11FA) Completing MBA from Anderson Univ.

Jessica Huston (‘11FA) Returned to Costa Rica twice since leaving LASP. She’s currently living in Olive Hill, KY preparing paperwork to obtain the fiancé visa for her Costa Rican fiancé, Allen, whom she met during her internship.

Victoria Litardo (‘11FA) Will graduate in May and is looking to pursue non-profit work in a cross cultural context.

Jamie Grubert (‘11FA) Will be graduating in May from Southern Nazarene Univ., is involved in the

Spanish ministries at her church and teaching English.

Sarah Markwardt (‘11SP) Serving in AmeriCorps with Pittsburgh Urban Leadership Service Experience partnering with a girl’s home in Kenya. She does public speaking training, and fundraising for the organization.

Allison Harp (‘11SP) Graduated from Howard Payne Univ. in May and is working as a freelance photographer and designer.

Charissa Pedro (‘11SP) Teaching Kindergarten at a Spanish immersion School in Spring Lake Park, MN; loves the amount of Spanish that she gets to speak with students and colleagues.

Emily Dawson (‘11SP) Started Masters program at Fuller Theological Seminary this Fall in Intercultural Studies.

Courtney Watts (‘11SP) Started Graduate School for Masters of Accountancy.

Emily Myers (‘11SP) Starts a 3-month research internship with the Center for Global Justice in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in January; will be doing communications and marketing for the center. Applying for graduate programs in Intercultural Communications for next Fall.

Mary Ellen (Mel) Milford (‘12SP) is in a 6-month internship working on a pasture-based poultry farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.

Emily Norwood (‘12SP) Working on publishing a poetry anthology and participating in the Spanish Residential Community at Regent.

LASP StaffAnthony Chamberlain — DirectorTrevor Poag — Assistant DirectorLaura Poag — FacultyJavier Arguedas — FacultyMcCall Adams — Program InternBelky Hernandez — Assistant

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Congratulations Jessica!

Jessica Sanchez usually holds down the fort at LASP with host families and all sorts of other important matters, but this semester she is off on maternity leave, welcoming her son, Mateo into the world along with her husband Ivan!