In Their Own Words
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010A professor, an alumnus, and a student share about the interconnectedness of the Multnomah family.
Dr. Roger Trautmann, Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministries
On April 21, 2010, Linda Wood, a graduate of Multnomah Biblical Seminary, shared with students in my Orientation to Institutional Ministries class, a chaplaincy track course. She described her call and preparation for police chaplaincy. God has given her sensitivity to this ministry through her experiences as a wife and mother of police officers. In this line of work officers face many challenges, not only in their personal lives but also in their public role. A chaplain gives assistance in the care of officers and their family as well as service to the public through emergency response, death notifications, domestic issues and the like. Linda explained the practical training that she receives to support her work as well as the prayer support and personal resources that bless her in this ministry role. She provided “street” wisdom for the students in my class as well as stories of opportunities she has been given to demonstrate and declare the good news of God’s love and grace because of her front-line ministry. The class was greatly enriched by Linda’s presentation.
Rev. Linda Wood, M.A. Pastoral Studies, ‘00
Greetings fellow Alumni! Recently I received the annual call from a college student requesting a donation to the school. What a special blessing! I always enjoy taking a few minutes to talk to the student, ask how he/she is doing, and answer their questions. Of course, the students always ask how they can pray for me, my family and ministry. This time the student (Katie Wendel) and I made a special connection and we agree that it was definitely a God thing. We found out that we share an interest in horses and since I was going to be at the school to talk to Dr. Trautmann’s class, Katie and I decided to meet. What a joy to spend time with this young woman! When my husband and I found out that she was from out of state we decided to ‘adopt’ her while she is in school. It hit me that this young woman could not afford to fly home for the holidays except Christmas. We can always add one more to our table to join our family and I would hope if it was my child, someone would do that for them. God blessed Katie and I. We connected almost immediately, and I know she will fit into our family. I would like to encourage others to think about adding this type of blessing to your lives. God bless each of you.
Katie Wendel, Student Phone-A-Thon Caller
Educational Ministries major with Women’s Ministry emphasis
Hometown: Farmington, Utah
Favorite Class: Gender and Ministry with Bonnie Kopp
Plans after Multnomah: Masters in Counseling program
As a student caller at Multnomah, we call Multnomah alumni once a semester to keep them updated on campus life and talk with them about their lives. I called Linda Wood and started talking with her when her husband came home. She asked me to hold on for one moment and proceeded to have a quick conversation with her husband about his physical therapy. I heard Linda ask her husband what the physical therapist said about riding. Being a horse person myself, I asked her what kind of riding she was speaking about. We proceeded to discuss her time at Multnomah and her husband’s love for horses. She offered to have me out to their house to ride after they purchased another horse. She mentioned that she was coming to the seminary to speak in a class and that it would be a great opportunity to meet so I could get to know her and see pictures of her babies (both horses and grandchildren). I feel so privileged to have an opportunity to establish a relationship with such an awesome woman of God. In our short meeting, I got to talk with Linda and discuss where I am going as a student at Multnomah. Linda was so encouraging and I am looking forward to getting to know her better.
