Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY220037A
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00:04 I want to spend my life mending broken people.
00:15 I want to spend my life removing pain. 00:26 Lord let my words heal a heart that hurts. 00:36 I want to spend my life mending broken people. 00:47 I want to spend my life mending broken people. 01:06 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:09 I'm you host Yvonne Shelton. 01:10 And I am so excited about our program today 01:13 because we have some guests with us who are going to 01:16 show you a really innovative way to spread the gospel. 01:21 It's really great, and I'm so glad that you've decided 01:24 to share this part of your day with us. 01:27 Before I introduce them, before we start, 01:30 let's go to some music. 01:32 Jayme Stabel is going to be playing for us, 01:35 My Jesus I Love Thee, medley. 04:13 Thank you, Jayme, for that uplifting selection. 04:17 That was a blessing. Thank you. 04:19 So let me introduce you to our guests today. 04:23 At the far end of the table here we have Norbert Restrepo. 04:28 He is the president of Hartland College. 04:31 And then his lively wife, Ivonne. 04:33 My namesake. 04:35 It's going to be weird saying Ivonne. 04:37 My namesake, Yvonne Restrepo. 04:40 And you are the Hartland College Health Outreach Coordinator. 04:44 - Yes. ~ Thank you for being here. 04:46 ~ Jesse Zwiker. 04:48 - Oh, I got it. ~ Right. 04:50 Hartland College Vice President of Marketing and Strategy. 04:54 And then Yafet Tegene. 04:56 - Perfect. ~ Health Ministry major. 05:00 - Yes ma'am. ~ You're a student. 05:01 - Yes ma'am. ~ Nice to have you. 05:03 I'm so happy to have all of you. 05:05 When I looked over the outline for what we were going to 05:10 talk about, I got excited about what you're doing. 05:14 So I want you to tell our audience what you're doing, 05:17 what's going on at Hartland. 05:19 Why should people even wonder about 05:21 what's going on at Hartland? 05:22 We'll start with the president. 05:24 Tell us about Hartland. 05:25 Thank you. It's a great opportunity 05:27 to be part of Hartland. 05:29 We have been serving there now for just over 11 years. 05:34 And what inspired us to accept that call, 05:38 to be part of Hartland, is that education work 05:41 training young people to share the everlasting gospel 05:45 in the market place, is what really inspires us in life. 05:49 That's our life calling. 05:50 And Hartland is a college that is combining, actually, 05:55 solid academics with practical training and soul winning. 05:59 This is something that every single student 06:01 has to experience. 06:03 It's not simply an elective. It's part of the structure. 06:06 Soul winning, practical training, 06:08 and solid academics, 06:10 with a clear mission being missionaries. 06:13 ~ Look at the difference between that and other schools. 06:18 You know, some schools, when I went to college, 06:21 which was a long time ago, they just focused 06:24 on academics, really. 06:26 There were some industries at the college, 06:29 but the primary focus was academics. 06:32 I love the idea of being able to have academics 06:36 and the mission, of course, of evangelism. 06:40 And being able to be an entrepreneur. 06:45 So how did that idea come about? 06:49 The idea of blending those three areas? 06:53 How did that happen? 06:55 You know, it was interesting because... 06:57 And we have some slides on this from the campus at Hartland. 07:03 Hartland is like 700 acres. Beautiful place. 07:09 The mansion, of course, that's on the picture. 07:12 Now is that the administrative building? 07:14 That's the administrative building. 07:16 And it has some of the classrooms as well. 07:21 There's other classrooms as well. 07:23 So students love it for the natural environment. 07:26 But really, Hartland really tries to bring together 07:32 these two worlds. 07:33 You know, we have many projects that are trying to 07:37 do missionary training. 07:39 And we have a slide there. 07:40 We show these two, kind of, dichotomies almost, you know, 07:45 where we have the focus on mission. 07:48 There's a lot of projects that really focus on mission, 07:51 and then there's a lot of projects that focus on 07:54 building a skill or a career, you know, 07:56 and getting professional training. 07:58 And so, what we're trying to do at Hartland 08:00 is really trying to blend these two fully together. 08:03 Because the most powerful missionary in the past, 08:07 you know, we know was Paul, right? 08:12 I mean, besides Jesus, of course. 08:14 - Right, of course. ~ Everybody except Jesus. 08:16 ~ Well, Paul, you know. 08:18 But Paul had that combination of his skill, 08:22 his ability, his learning, you know, his academics, 08:26 his professionalism, and at the same time 08:28 that missionary focus. 08:30 So really trying to combine these two together. 08:35 This is what I think Hartland really is trying to combine 08:40 in these four-year programs, you know, of the different majors. 08:45 And all the different majors are part of that. 08:48 And really, the other big component to making 08:52 the concept really holistic or very impactful, 08:57 I think, is that whole entrepreneurial side. 09:00 You know, this training people not just to be employees. 09:06 You know, because the industrial revolution 09:08 really, you know, created these massive industries. 09:12 And they started coming to the universities and saying, 09:15 "Hey, we want, we just want a bunch of thousands of employees 09:20 that can just be on a, you know, on a..." 09:22 ~ Like a treadmill. 09:24 ~ On a treadmill, you know, just doing their thing 09:26 and not thinking too much. 09:28 But this is not, this is not the biblical model. 09:30 The biblical model is to train thinkers, not reflectors. 09:33 And so, we're really trying to train thinkers. 09:38 And so the entrepreneurship side really brings that together. 09:42 It's like leadership, you know. 09:43 We're training people to think for themselves, 09:45 to be leaders, whether they're going to actually 09:49 be a leader in a project or act like a leader, 09:53 you know, or an owner, 09:55 even if they're not the leader, but they contribute. 09:58 They think for the project, they have those skills 10:01 of being thinkers and contributing much more 10:04 heavily to the project. 10:06 You know, that's really a major part. 10:08 But then really, getting those entrepreneurial skills 10:13 in their experience as a student. 10:16 And actually where we got this from was 10:18 none other than Madison College, right? 10:21 - Okay. - From our history, yeah. 10:25 Tell us a little bit about Madison. 10:27 Why Madison? 10:29 ~ So Madison was, of all of our history, you know, 10:35 Madison really stuck out, came out, you know, 10:38 jumped out at us, actually, looking at how we do 10:42 education, for being the first entrepreneurial college 10:48 like training missional entrepreneurs. 10:50 So they had really two sides. 10:52 They had training missionaries; that was like the basis. 10:54 Everything that they were doing was training missionaries. 10:57 But then their unique thing was they were training what they 11:01 called, self-supporting missionaries. 11:04 So all of them going through their college, 11:08 going through their program, four-year program... 11:11 You know, they had like 400-something students there. 11:15 And all of them had to, they weren't even allowed, 11:19 their parents weren't even allowed to pay the tuition 11:23 or pay the full tuition. 11:24 The students had to learn how to do business on the campus. 11:29 They had like over 27 different businesses run on campus 11:33 by students, and the students learned how to do business. 11:38 ~ They learned a practical trade. 11:40 And with that, they were then able to pay their 11:43 college tuition, and learn how to do business, 11:46 and how to go anywhere, you know, anywhere in the world 11:50 to start a project, whatever it was, you know. 11:53 They had plumbing businesses that they learned. 11:56 They learned carpentry businesses, some students. 11:58 You know, from history we know they started a broom factory. 12:02 You know, whatever. 12:03 But they went out into some dark community 12:06 where there was no presence and they just 12:09 started that little business, started helping people 12:11 in their homes, and with that starting churches 12:14 all over the south of North America 12:18 and then international all over the world. 12:20 So it was very amazing, very impactful. 12:23 And we're like, why is nobody doing this? 12:26 It's like, why? This was 100 years ago. 12:29 You know, like, it's time for us to do something like this 12:33 for the 21st century. 12:35 And how applicable is it right now 12:38 at this point in earth's history. 12:41 Because people need to know how to do different things, 12:46 but we also have to get the gospel out. 12:49 And that is an amazing way to do it. 12:52 ~ And let me just jump in here, you know. 12:54 This gets me very excited. 12:56 But you know, I read a study just recently from one of the 13:00 universities here, they did a study that 13:02 over 63% of young people, millennials and Gen Z'ers, 13:09 you know, want to start their own business. 13:13 ~ 63%! - 63% of our young people. 13:16 You know, and I'm like, 13:18 well are we going to just let them go out and 13:21 start their own business and do some worldly something? 13:25 Or are we going to say, hey, let's use that interest, 13:29 that talent, that skill and integrate it 13:33 into the mission work, you know, that we're trying to 13:35 get done here, you know. 13:36 So I'm like, we really need to harness this, 13:39 especially in the 21st century. 13:41 It's much easier to start a business today 13:43 than it was 20 years ago, 13:46 you know, or pre-internet time, right? 13:48 I mean, to start a business, to start a coaching business, 13:51 you know, like our student here, you know, 13:54 it's so much easier because you can just set up a website 13:57 for free, to set up your website, offer your services. 14:01 You know, it's much easier. 14:03 So we really can integrate this much better and give people 14:07 a deeper purpose for doing, not just doing business 14:11 for the sake of making money, but doing business for the 14:14 sake of reaching people, right? 14:16 I mean, that was really the original purpose from the Bible. 14:19 That was the purpose of business. 14:20 It was to bless people with good products and services 14:24 and ministering to their needs, and at the same time 14:27 gain their confidence and tell them about 14:30 the good news of the gospel, you know. 14:32 ~ It's just like, when I think of the Lord, 14:35 there's so many things I think of, one thing is that 14:38 He accomplishes so much with just one move. 14:41 One move accomplishes many things. 14:45 And that's kind of what this is doing. 14:48 One move, going to this school teaches people 14:51 how to be self-supporting, so to speak, and yet 14:56 get the gospel out. 14:57 This is what we're supposed to do, 14:59 at this point in earth's history especially. 15:01 And so, that's what you're doing. 15:03 I love that. 15:04 Sister Ivonne, tell us what you do at Hartland. 15:07 ~ Yes, I'm the Health Outreach Coordinator, 15:09 and I'm an instructor as well. 15:12 And for me, it's so exciting 15:14 to train the students in the classroom, 15:17 and then having the opportunity to go with them to the field 15:20 where now my work is to empower the students to do it. 15:24 Let me give you practical examples. 15:25 We had the amazing opportunity to share 15:27 one month ago at Indianapolis at Pathways to Health 15:31 where 2500 volunteers in the spirit of, you know, 15:36 self-sacrifice spirit and love could get together 15:40 to minister to more than 4000 people. 15:42 And I had the privilege, it's a win-win situation 15:45 when we serve and use the health as 15:47 the right arm of the three angels' messages. 15:50 So taking my students there, I was not the teacher any more. 15:54 I just have to empower them and help them 15:57 so they can do it and be in the front line 15:59 where now they minister themselves. 16:01 And with my experience, I'm behind them to help them; 16:04 pray with people, counsel people. 16:06 Well, Yafet was one of those students. 16:08 And it's just amazing. 16:10 So really what we want at Hartland is to train the 16:13 student in a professional way and then infuse them 16:17 in the mission field in the practice 16:19 when we go out together. 16:21 So by the time they graduate, they have made connections 16:25 with other ministries, and know that we're not 16:28 going to finish the work by ourself, but we need to partner 16:31 with them, with other institutions. 16:33 Where the students know that it's not about 16:36 them, it's about getting together for one purpose: 16:39 and it's just to touch people's lives 16:41 through the health message. 16:42 At least, this is training that I give. 16:44 And just enjoy the process. 16:47 Because the process is just amazing. 16:48 ~ Yes, so the students went to Indianapolis, 16:52 and they had a chance to implement 16:54 what they've been learning. 16:56 To actually see it in motion and practice. 17:00 ~ Yes, they called us from Pathways to lead 17:04 the massage and relaxation area. 17:07 So we were holding a whole section of the mega clinic. 17:11 There were other volunteers as well. 17:13 But oh, it was just a real-life thing. 17:16 ~ That's great, that's great. 17:18 Yafet, you're a student... 17:19 Oh, did you want to say something? 17:21 Yeah, I was going to say, maybe you can also share 17:22 the whole health coaching aspect and the students setting up 17:27 their own businesses doing that too. 17:32 We were praying for this in the capital for years 17:36 seeing how practical tools we can give the students. 17:39 And now we just have our first promotion of 17:43 life and health coaches at Hartland. 17:45 And what we really want is the students, the first year, 17:49 they can be life and health certified coaches. 17:52 Which coaches is something that is very well known today. 17:55 Getting to the practical fields and to the doctor's office. 17:59 A coach can work in different ways. 18:03 So the student, the first year they are at Hartland, 18:06 can be certified so they can begin their own practice. 18:10 So by the time they graduate, they graduate practically 18:14 having a background of ministry through coaching. 18:17 And we are very excited to give the students that opportunity. 18:20 And we just had two days ago the first graduation 18:23 of coaches at Hartland. 18:24 So that program is certified, it's certifying the students. 18:29 Yes, and we partnered... 18:31 As I mentioned before, I believe in partnerships, 18:34 Because if we don't get together to work in the 18:36 same spirit, we're not going to get in. 18:38 The need out there is huge. 18:40 And we need to work together. 18:41 So we partnered with Adventist Christian Coaching Alliance 18:45 and Beautiful Minds Medical. 18:46 So it's just an amazing, an amazing opportunity. 18:49 ~ Oh, that's great. 18:50 Again, that's being so forward-thinking. 18:54 You know, you're looking at, you're identifying the needs 18:58 and then you're meeting those needs. 19:00 And that's amazing. 19:02 You're a student at Hartland? 19:05 Tell us about your experience. 19:06 My experience has been amazing. 19:08 I feel, like, very privileged to be at this august table 19:11 here with all of these people. 19:12 So I'll just add my little two cents. 19:14 Hartland college has been a very practical training for me. 19:18 I'm someone who doesn't really take theory that hard. 19:22 I can take theory quite well, actually. 19:24 But practically, it's difficult for me personally. 19:27 I found just the way I was brought up, and so forth. 19:30 So coming to Hartland, I had the ability 19:31 to put things into practice. 19:33 So I did learn theory for sure, but for me the most valuable 19:36 part of it was how do I actually implement this into my life. 19:39 And so, one example about the wellness center that we 19:42 had and we currently still have, in 2015 my mother 19:46 unfortunately came down with cancer. 19:48 And of course, I was taking the health ministry program. 19:51 And I said, well, why not take advantage of these principles 19:54 that we have and bring her down to Hartland. 19:56 So she actually ended up coming down with the ten-day plan. 20:00 And she lost all kinds of weight and she had many years 20:03 of a sustained victory in that area of her life, 20:06 you know, weight loss and so forth. 20:08 And so, I'm just so thankful for some of those principles. 20:10 You know, hot fomentations, herbology. 20:13 Some of the classes that we take our herbal pharmacology, 20:16 so I love herbalism. 20:18 I'm actually a registered holistic nutritionist, 20:21 so I have the privilege of helping people in that field. 20:24 Preventative nutrition, 20:26 philosophy of Christian education; 20:28 these are all practical things that I learned. 20:30 And I was able to put it into practice in my own business. 20:33 So I started my own business during Covid, of all times. 20:36 ~ Now what is your business? What are you doing? 20:38 ~ My business is a nutritional consultation business. 20:42 ~ But as I was just consulting with people, 20:44 just helping them with their various needs, 20:46 let's say, someone wanted to lose 20 pounds, 20:48 or someone is going through depression, 20:49 or something like this, I would counsel them 20:51 and help them, minister to them using God's plan. 20:54 You know, godly trust, open-air daily, 20:57 exercise, et cetera, et cetera. 21:00 And I noticed something, that a lot of them were struggling with 21:03 some things that, you know, substances. 21:06 For example, caffeine. 21:07 And so, I couldn't help but want to minister to them 21:11 in a practical way. 21:12 And so, it was generating income for sure, 21:15 but my heart was actually to minister to their needs. 21:17 And so, I ended up coming up with one product, 21:21 Better Than Coffee, then I ended up coming up 21:22 with many other products. 21:24 Now I have several different products. 21:25 - Just out of... ~ That you developed? 21:26 Yeah, that I personally manufactured myself. 21:28 - Wow! - It was not intentional 21:30 to start, you know, this avenue of the business. 21:32 It just blossomed naturally, 21:35 because I was actually trying to meet a need. 21:37 And as people got off of those things, they began to 21:40 think more clearly. 21:41 I was able then to give them, I give every one of my 21:44 consultation clients, Ministry of Healing. 21:47 And these are for the most part non-Christian clients. 21:51 These people have, you know, never read the gospels, 21:53 yet they're open to, Ministry of Healing. 21:55 ~ And how do they respond? 21:57 Oh, I mean, you can go on my website and see the testimonies. 21:59 They're amazing. 22:00 These people, they love the fact that 22:04 there's a better way to health without, you know, 22:06 going to such crazy extremes, you know. 22:09 Our message makes sense, it's practical, 22:12 and they are definitely susceptible. 22:14 Every one of them wanted prayer. 22:16 Without exception, every one of them said, 22:18 "Thank you so much for praying for me." 22:20 What I discovered also, a lot of these people 22:22 are just going through emotional turmoil. 22:24 We know that 9 out of 10 diseases starts in the mind. 22:27 And so I actually saw that first hand, and I remember, 22:29 oh wow, okay, this is actually, I'm living this out. 22:32 I see what's happening. 22:33 And I was able to apply those principles 22:34 that I had learned at school as well. 22:36 ~ That is so beautiful. 22:37 So you are an actual graduate 22:39 or are you still a student there? 22:40 ~ I'm soon to be a graduate, but I'm currently finishing 22:43 my degree in Health Ministry there. 22:46 And I was, like Sister Ivonne said, I had the privilege of 22:49 being trained by her. 22:51 She's such a phenomenal trainer. 22:54 And I had the privilege of graduating 22:56 under her class as well. 22:57 And I'm going to use that along in my business, 23:00 in my personal coaching business, 23:02 to help minister and practically reach out 23:05 to the needs of those. 23:06 You know, life and health, what's more important than that? 23:08 ~ Right. - Very, very practical. 23:10 And so I have better ways of how to approach that 23:13 now that I've gone through that training. 23:14 That is so beautiful. 23:16 I mean, this is, you couldn't have a better spokesperson 23:18 than a student. 23:20 ~ In fact, Yafet, you mentioned the herbology class 23:25 that you took at Hartland, herbal pharmacology. 23:27 Were there other classes that you want to mention 23:29 specifically, that helped you develop that mindset 23:32 and set up your business? 23:35 There's so many, I can mention a few. 23:39 Philosophy of Christian Education. 23:42 Believe it or not, you know, that's a class that 23:45 was actually taught by President Restrepo, 23:47 and it was very practical for me because I began to 23:51 see the mindset, that solidified for me the mindset 23:54 of what a true missionary is to be. 23:57 He mentioned earlier already the Waldensians 24:00 and how they would take, you know, different trades, 24:02 and you know, sometimes just slipping in a little 24:05 scripture in their back pocket, or in their handkerchief 24:09 in their coat pocket, and they would minister 24:11 to people spiritually as they began to do, you know, 24:14 practical businesses, whether it be glassware, 24:16 artisanship, or masonry, or what have you. 24:19 So that was something that really helped me to understand, 24:22 you know what, the mindset is, I'm not here to get their money. 24:25 Often times clients come to me and, you know, they say, 24:28 "I don't have the money. Can you still help me?" 24:30 I say, "Of course, I'll be willing to help you." 24:31 It's not about the money. 24:33 It's about being able to reach their heart. 24:35 And that's a part of, you know Christ's method alone. 24:38 You know, once you have their confidence, their trust, 24:40 their faith, it's all synonyms, you're able to then say, 24:43 "Come, follow me." 24:44 And that's the whole goal, the endgame. 24:46 These are all means. 24:47 The business is a means to an end. 24:49 These business firms are to guide us to help them 24:53 to find the Maker of their souls. 24:55 ~ Absolutely. 24:56 That's what's so exciting to me about what you're doing. 24:59 Because you're training people to be able to 25:04 live in the real world, to be able to support themselves, 25:09 but yet, it's all about evangelism. 25:13 The other part is a means to an end, 25:15 which is really interesting. 25:18 So just to piggyback on what he just said, 25:21 you know, this training to become an evangelistic, 25:26 you know, missionary, but being self-supporting 25:29 was the most important thing that Madison did actually 25:33 in our example. 25:35 You know, we have these couple of quotes here 25:37 that I want to share with you. 25:38 And maybe we can just read them together. 25:49 So this was the most important thing that they did, 25:52 was train these people how to become... 25:55 And we wouldn't call it, self-supporting, today. 25:57 That's like a 100-year-old term. 25:59 But we would say, entrepreneurs, you know. 26:02 We train them to be entrepreneurs. 26:03 We train them to be missional entrepreneurs, 26:06 because Madison was focused on mission. 26:08 And the second quote actually really highlights 26:11 that mission part. 26:12 She says... 26:34 So for me, when I read this, I'm like, what! You know? 26:38 We need to train people how to be 26:41 missional entrepreneurs, you know. 26:44 And so, I'm very excited, you know, to see what has already 26:47 really been going on for years at Hartland. 26:50 And I feel like nobody knows about it. 26:53 You know, like, we really need to, like... 26:55 It's like a well-kept secret. 26:56 ~ Exactly, you know. 26:57 ~ It's Adventism's best kept secret, exactly. 27:00 So I really think that we need to get this out there 27:05 because this is how she says the gospel will be 27:09 taken to every nation in a very short period of time. 27:13 Because it's easy, because you're doing business, you know. 27:15 You can set up a business anywhere, right? 27:17 It doesn't matter which country, which place, you know. 27:21 You identify a need, like what he said. 27:23 It's so beautiful. 27:24 Business is about identifying needs in the community 27:27 and then supplying a good solution to solve that need, 27:30 to solve that problem. 27:32 And that is what gains confidence. 27:34 This is Christ's method, you know. 27:36 - Ministering to their needs. ~That's what I was going to say. 27:37 ~ It's gaining their confidence. 27:39 And then once we've done that, like the Waldensians, 27:42 you know, then we can bid them to follow Jesus, you know. 27:46 ~ Exactly, that's what I was going to say. 27:47 That's how Jesus did what He did. 27:50 He met the needs. He met people where they were. 27:53 And that's what you're doing. 27:55 And that's just amazing. 27:57 Now, of course, the academic side of me 27:59 wants to know how does that line up with accreditation though? 28:03 How are you able to be accredited when you're 28:07 doing things differently from the norm? 28:10 So one of the things with accreditation is that 28:13 you have to actually demonstrate that what you're saying 28:17 that you're going to do, actually is happening. 28:20 In other words, the learning outcomes, 28:23 the learning objectives, that these are being reached 28:26 by your students. 28:27 So they hold you accountable to that. 28:30 Therefore, you don't want to over-promise. 28:33 And every student has their strengths, 28:35 has their unique set of skills. 28:39 And we have to match those set of skills with the 28:43 needs out there, and also with the infrastructure 28:45 we have on campus that can help them 28:48 achieve and develop further. 28:49 So I'll give you one concrete example. 28:52 We currently have a student, and he's a pastoral 28:55 evangelism major student. 28:57 A theology student. 28:59 But in his work education, which is part of our curriculum, 29:04 currently, they have twelve hours per week 29:08 of required work education. 29:09 They can put some more hours, but these are the ones 29:12 that are required right now. 29:13 And his workstation is the auto shop, which by the way 29:17 is one of the classes of the core curriculum that 29:19 every single student at Hartland has to take. 29:22 ~ The what shop? 29:23 ~ The auto shop. - Oh the auto. 29:25 ~ So there's a basic auto mechanics class so that, 29:27 you know, they know the basic things, even the ladies. 29:29 If they get, you know, their car is not starting 29:32 or they have to change a tire; those basic things, 29:35 they learn them. 29:36 But this young man, he has skills in that area, 29:38 and he wants to develop them further. 29:41 So what he is proposing now is that he wants to use our 29:46 auto shop, he wants to also service the institutions 29:49 vehicles, but at the same time, part of that work education time 29:53 he can use it to refurbish certain vehicles 29:57 that there's a need for out there in the market, 29:59 and then sell them. 30:01 Basically to have a dealership that he runs 30:04 on our campus and online. 30:06 He advertises it. 30:07 And he has experience doing this. 30:08 So this is his project that he's going to start this fall. 30:12 Because even though his parents can pay for his tuition, 30:15 he wants to take up the challenge of being able to 30:18 pay his way through college now. 30:22 And then when he finishes school, he already has that 30:24 spirit, that entrepreneurial spirit that he is not having to 30:28 wait to be an employee. 30:30 He can now generate funds, he can serve the Lord 30:32 in many capacities. 30:34 ~ That's great. 30:35 So with the state, with the accreditation, 30:39 with the state, does the state recognize Hartland 30:43 as an accredited institution? 30:45 How does that work? 30:46 ~ So currently we're in the transition process. 30:48 Okay. 30:50 We have, Hartland, has operated for many years 30:53 under an exemption as a religious school 30:56 to not be certified by the state. 30:59 And that worked great for Hartland for many years. 31:01 But as we draw now in the 21st century, 31:04 there are certain careers and there are certain skills 31:07 that require licensing. 31:10 So, therefore, this is something that we are updating so that 31:13 our students don't have that challenge. 31:15 And having said that, I also want to add that 31:18 with the entrepreneurial aspect, the accreditation is something 31:22 that is supportive but doesn't become something that is 31:26 so, how could I say, like demanding. 31:32 And the reason is that if you can set up your own business, 31:35 you can be successful wherever you go. 31:38 You're not dependent on certification to be an employee. 31:42 Now we're doing this so that it becomes a win-win. 31:44 You're not dependent on accreditation, 31:46 nonetheless, we're going to offer it to you as well. 31:49 Right, right. I think that's good. 31:51 ~ And really, part of it is, you know, to your question on the 31:55 accreditation is that the accrediting body 31:57 doesn't really tell you this is what you have to do, 32:01 but rather, they are asking, 32:03 "What are you saying you're doing?" 32:05 And then they just hold us accountable 32:07 for what we are saying that we're doing. 32:10 So we say we're going to train our students 32:13 for entrepreneurship, then they're going to come and check 32:18 whether we're really training them in 32:19 entrepreneurship or not, you know. 32:21 So that's kind of, it's just a quality control 32:24 body that nobody can fumble around and say 32:28 they're doing something when they're not 32:29 doing anything, et cetera. 32:30 So that's kind of part of what accreditation really 32:35 kind of helps with. 32:36 So they're not against actually training missionaries, you know. 32:40 They're saying if you're going to train missionaries, 32:42 then let's see what your graduates are 32:44 doing afterwards, you know. 32:45 So it becomes an accountability partner, in a way. 32:49 But we really like that. 32:52 It's not really, the focus of entrepreneurship 32:55 it kind of, you know, de-emphasizes the need for 33:00 accreditation, in a sense. 33:03 You know, not that it's not important, 33:05 We need it, it's kind of a basic, you know, thing. 33:07 But really, like for instance our media students, you know. 33:11 Our media majors, from day one, they learn to set up 33:17 their own website. 33:18 And every skill that they learn in media, whether it's 33:20 photography, or graphic design, or creating, you know, videos, 33:25 documentaries, whatever, they offer these services 33:28 in their own business, you know, their own website. 33:32 ~ And so, they learn how to do these things. 33:34 And in media, I mean, especially like, you know, thinking about 33:37 the 21st century, 100 years ago they were not teaching 33:40 these kinds of skills at Madison, you know. 33:43 But they were, I mean, if you read it, they were actually 33:46 teaching like typewriting and so forth. 33:48 We would translate this into the 21 century 33:50 as software development, media stuff, right. 33:53 But really, like, looking at updating it, you know, 33:57 and how we can be most relevant for this time. 34:00 But at the same time, especially in media, 34:04 you know people are not as concerned about your 34:07 degree in the end as to what your portfolio is 34:11 of what you have done in the past. 34:13 So if, like, our media department is a media 34:19 agency, you know, offering services where students can 34:23 actually do real-life projects on helping other ministries, 34:27 helping other businesses, Adventist businesses, 34:30 you know, to do their websites, to do whatever, 34:35 then they get real-life experience, 34:36 they can put it into their portfolio. 34:38 And then after four years of that, you know, they have 34:42 way more experience than if they go to some, you know, 34:46 theoretical program where at the end of that 34:49 you're saying, "Yeah, I studied media." 34:51 It's like, "So what have you done?" 34:53 You know, like, "Uh..." 34:55 ~ So they have actually stuff that they can share 34:59 what they've been doing for four years, 35:00 and generate income to leave college debt free, you know. 35:05 - That's really part of it. ~ That is really great. 35:07 ~ That's really great. 35:09 ~ There is another aspect that I also want to mention. 35:12 We have a program called, The Lord Send Me, program. 35:16 It's kind of a grant program that we offer to our students 35:19 who feel called to set up a ministry. 35:22 And just last year we had a student who graduated. 35:26 He went back to his home country in Nigeria. 35:29 He was an MT student, he was sponsored through 35:31 a missionary training fund scholarship that we have. 35:34 The commitment is that they go back to their home country 35:38 and do ministry in lieu of that scholarship that they received. 35:43 So he went back. 35:45 One of the classes he took while at Hartland 35:46 was a class that used to be called, 35:48 Principles of Self-Supporting Work. 35:50 Now we have updated that title and we have expanded it. 35:55 We have Mission and Entrepreneurship, 35:57 we have Ministry and Leadership, and so forth. 35:59 We have three classes there that they take the first year, 36:02 the second year, and their junior year. 36:04 And during those classes they have to develop a project. 36:08 A missional entrepreneurship project or some type of 36:13 ministry and business that they would like to apply. 36:17 Some of them say, "Well, I'm not thinking 36:19 of setting up a business." 36:20 Well, how could you help a local church? 36:23 How do you see yourself helping a local 36:25 church with your talents? 36:26 Then do that as your project. 36:28 And they have to develop a business plan. 36:30 So he developed a business plan for an advent family mission. 36:34 He went back, he already started his non-profit, 36:37 and it's running. 36:39 His wife is a seamstress and they're actually doing that, 36:42 because in their country that's something that 36:45 is a need and generates funds. 36:47 And through the Lord Send Me, program we have already 36:50 provided for him $12,000 to start a lifestyle center 36:53 in Nigeria. 36:54 Wow, what a blessing. 36:57 What a blessing. That's amazing. 37:00 And so, he took what he learned at your school 37:04 and is applying it in his country, 37:07 and winning souls for the Lord at the same time. 37:11 ~ Definitely. And we continue to mentor and provide support, 37:14 because the idea is to multiply these centers of influence 37:18 to share the gospel. 37:19 ~ That is beautiful. 37:20 How did you decide to do this? 37:22 How did you personally, how did you decide that you 37:25 wanted to be the president of Hartland? 37:30 I know they chose you, but I mean, why Hartland? 37:33 Why did you chose Hartland? 37:35 Back in 1994, I had the opportunity to 37:38 volunteer at Hartland. 37:39 My wife as well. 37:41 At that time we were still not married. 37:43 We were engaged. 37:44 And when I saw the college, I saw what was being done, 37:49 it ignited a vision of doing the same in South America. 37:54 So we went back, and in the year 1996 37:59 we were donated a piece of property in Colombia 38:01 and we started a school project from scratch. 38:04 The Lord blessed. It grew. 38:05 We had 85 students, we had two vegetarian restaurants, 38:08 a lifestyle center, we had a farm, 38:11 a printing press operation. 38:13 And when we were at our heyday, then we received a phone call 38:19 from Hartland's nominating committee 38:21 if our name could be added to the list. 38:26 And we prayed about it, but we saw that if this is 38:29 God's leading, this will offer us an opportunity 38:32 to take an educational institution that has a 38:37 wider sphere of influence that is in America, 38:39 a land where a lot of people can come, 38:41 where more opportunities are available, 38:44 and really establish a modern version of Madison. 38:48 What we are now calling Madison 2.0. 38:52 So that's where Madison 2.0 comes in. 38:57 Very good, very good. 38:59 And how would you say being there, all of you, how would 39:04 say that being at Hartland has impacted 39:06 you personally, spiritually? 39:09 Well, I'll start with that. 39:11 It has made, it has impacted me spiritually 39:14 in a great way because of constant dependence on God. 39:18 Because coming from 15 years of ministry in South America, 39:23 basically, I had no connections in the United States. 39:26 We had no connections. 39:27 We were coming to a different organization 39:30 from one where we were the founding presidents 39:33 to one where it was already running 39:35 and it's a different organizational culture. 39:37 We were also coming to a ministry that had a certain 39:41 focus, and we wanted to build on their past, 39:43 but then move beyond to face the current challenges 39:46 and open further doors of opportunity for our graduates. 39:50 So this was a major challenge. 39:52 And often I was saying, "Lord, I know this is what 39:55 we have to do, but why me? 39:57 Why us?" 39:58 And it would bring us to our knees to pray, 40:00 "God, we need to see that cloud during the day 40:04 and that pillar of fire during the night." 40:06 And if we see that, then we can continue moving forward. 40:09 And He had led. 40:11 And He has brought together an amazing team of people 40:14 like Jesse, and we could mention many others 40:17 who are now part of our team. 40:18 It's a miracle to have these people who are professionals, 40:22 who are experts in their fields, who have experience, 40:24 and who also have a passion for soul winning. 40:27 Yes. And you have to have both. 40:30 You have to have both. 40:31 It can't be where this is just a job. 40:36 But this is a calling. 40:37 ~ It is a calling. - You are called to do this. 40:41 What about you, sister Ivonne? 40:42 ~ Well, for me, it has been a spiritual 40:46 challenge from the Lord. 40:48 And I personally believe that there is a master plan. 40:51 And the master plan is in the Bible and spirit of prophecy. 40:55 And what has been my joy is to see other people with 40:58 the same vision wanting to put into practice 41:00 what is already done. 41:02 We don't need to make it. It's there. 41:04 Applies today? Absolutely. 41:06 Because the principles of God apply 41:07 from Genesis to Revelation. 41:09 So it's exciting and a spiritual growth process 41:13 where we can see God in His Word and just us being obedient. 41:17 That's not the easy part. 41:19 It requires faith to follow the master plan 41:22 and ask Him for wisdom, because it's not human 41:25 to apply divine principles. 41:28 It has to be in His wisdom. 41:29 So this is exciting, Yvonne. 41:31 ~ Oh, that's so good. That's so good. 41:33 What about you, Jesse? 41:35 So, you know, I started, I grew up in Switzerland. 41:38 I'm from Switzerland. 41:41 But when I was 19, I was called to start 41:45 a ministry in Honduras called, Vida. 41:48 And I was a kid, you know. 41:51 And my co-founder from Honduras, José, 41:55 he was even younger than I was, you know. 41:57 So we were trying to help each other and figure out 42:00 how to avoid as many mistakes as we possibly could. 42:04 But we made, you know, more than enough. 42:08 But that experience was really an amazing experience for me 42:11 because I was young, I had no idea what I was 42:15 getting myself into. 42:16 Suddenly I was, like, trying to figure out how to 42:18 fund 20 missionaries, you know, and how to fundraise, 42:22 and how to generate income, actually. 42:25 It was there that I learned the importance of business 42:30 in sustainability of ministry. 42:33 And actually the ability to reach more people. 42:35 The more scalable our businesses are, 42:38 the customers we have, the more customers, 42:40 the more people you can reach, you know. 42:42 So this is what I really, really realized there. 42:46 And that then, you know, launched me into starting, 42:49 getting more into business. 42:50 We started a translation company, you know, Cross Lingo, 42:54 for Christian translations. 42:55 We did a lot of translations for, like, Amazing Facts, 42:58 and Adventist Review, and these companies. 43:01 And also other Christian, Wycliffe Bible Society, 43:04 and so forth, you know. 43:05 And then we got into, like, a software company, 43:08 and other companies, you know. 43:09 And then I got excited about business. 43:11 And I started doing this, like, trying to integrate 43:14 missional entrepreneurship, mission and entrepreneurship 43:17 together, not for the sake of making money, 43:20 but really for the sake of reaching more people. 43:22 And so, but I felt like somewhat of a loner, you know. 43:29 Just doing it myself. 43:31 And we started a community called, Hyve, 43:33 Hyve International, where we gather Adventist 43:38 missional entrepreneurs into this business directory. 43:42 We gather other people and educate other businesses 43:46 or business people, entrepreneurs, 43:48 on how to do ministry. 43:49 But still feeling like, you know, alone. 43:52 You know, like feeling like I'm just doing this 43:55 and now I'm getting more people involved. 43:58 And that was good. 43:59 But when I met Norbert, and he was sharing 44:03 his vision about Hartland and what he wants to do here, 44:07 and I'm like, this is exactly down my alley, you know. 44:11 This is exactly what I've been thinking and praying about 44:14 for the last 15 years, you know. 44:16 And now he's like, "It's nice for you to just do it yourself, 44:21 but let's train other people to do it systematically. 44:25 And Hartland is the place to do it." 44:27 And so I'm like, you know... 44:30 ~ How long ago was that? 44:31 How can I say no, you know? How can I say no to that? 44:34 - How long ago was that? - That was about a year ago. 44:39 Okay. 44:40 Alright, well you're obviously really passionate about it. 44:43 No, but that's what it takes. 44:45 If you all were just sitting there saying, 44:48 "Yeah, Hartland is a good school." 44:51 You know, I mean, no one would get excited. 44:54 But it's exciting. 44:55 What you're doing, to me is really exciting. 44:58 Because, again, you are getting the gospel out 45:01 and teaching people how... 45:03 You're giving them a way to be self-sustaining. 45:06 self-supporting, and yet getting that gospel out. 45:09 What about you, Yafet? 45:11 You know, it's a hard question, but I'll answer it by saying 45:14 that in a life and health coach class, we were asked, 45:17 if there was one thing that you could change 45:20 in this world that you could do that you had control to do, 45:23 what would it be? 45:24 And my answer is, to help people to understand themselves. 45:30 Yeah, self-knowledge. 45:31 That's the greatest knowledge that we can have. 45:34 And for me personally, I know that's what I've gleaned 45:37 at Hartland College. 45:39 I'm going to be leaving a completely different person 45:42 than what I came as because of a result of, 45:46 as a result of who I realized I needed to become like 45:51 and who I actually was. 45:52 And I'm so thankful. 45:55 It's a humbling experience, for sure. 45:57 But it's actually one that I would never want to go without. 46:01 Because it helped me to realize my great need of Christ 46:05 and the beautiful future that God has for me, 46:08 and for every individual. 46:10 Hartland is just a platform for people 46:12 to recognize who God has called them to be, 46:15 and then to give them that nudge into the future 46:17 that God has for them. 46:19 And I'm very privileged to be able to do that. 46:21 ~ That is beautiful. That is beautiful. 46:23 You have a couple of stories about some students, right? 46:27 ~ Definitely. And I want to kind of bring in here 46:30 a very personal story for us. 46:32 It's also connected with Jesse. 46:35 I'm a PK, a pastor's kid. 46:37 I'm a third generation Seventh-day Adventist 46:40 coming from Colombia South America. 46:42 And one of the challenges you have as a parent as well 46:46 is, how can we give this enthusiasm 46:50 to the next generation to be involved in ministry, 46:54 while at the same time being relevant to what they 46:56 feel is their calling in life. 46:59 And I praise the Lord that our eldest daughter, 47:02 as she went through Hartland College she studied media, 47:05 but when she took the class of self-supporting work, 47:09 as we called it back then, Ministry in Leadership, 47:11 Missional Entrepreneurship, she decided to develop 47:15 a project of how to start a vegetarian restaurant. 47:19 And not only did she develop a business plan, 47:22 but shortly after she graduated, after following her mom's 47:26 and dad's counsel, she worked at a restaurant for 47:28 8 months and then she started her own restaurant 47:31 just 50 minutes away from Hartland and Fredericksburg. 47:35 This was a big, you know, endeavor. 47:40 I tried to encourage, discourage her. 47:42 See, you know that combination. 47:45 Because I knew what that implied. 47:48 But she went forward. 47:49 She was struggling with this, Covid hit, 47:52 it was a big challenge. 47:53 But at that time I reached out to Jesse. 47:58 And Jesse was working with Hyve International, 48:00 this ministry that he started and was mentioning 48:03 with a group of colleagues that were experts in business. 48:06 And they were willing to coach our daughter. 48:09 So she built on the knowledge she received at Hartland 48:12 with business coaching from Hyve. 48:14 And now the Lord has lead her to develop a product 48:20 for which there is a special niche, empanadas, 48:23 and she's doing that in Colorado. 48:26 Her husband works at Eden Valley. 48:27 And it's just amazing to see the whole development. 48:30 But as we saw the result and how God blessed 48:33 and is opening doors for her to do ministry 48:36 and business together, we thought, we need to give this 48:39 opportunity to many other young people. 48:42 And God has given me some talents, but he has given 48:45 Jesse and others great talents, and that's how, 48:48 that was another avenue to bring us together. 48:50 And I'm so thankful to Jesse that he was willing to, 48:52 well let's use this as a platform to bless many other 48:55 young people who have a passion to do something. 48:58 We're going to enable them to do this, and for the Lord. 49:01 ~ Oh, that's beautiful. 49:02 And I'd like for us to put your daughter's picture 49:05 back up there just for a second. 49:06 Is she at the restaurant right there? 49:08 Is that the restaurant? 49:10 So that picture was at the restaurant 49:12 when the project started. 49:15 And now she has, that project migrated 49:19 to an empanada business that sells frozen products 49:24 that are precooked in five different flavors. 49:27 And it's a booming project now in Colorado. 49:32 ~ Wow, I hope you brought us some here today. 49:36 ~ Next time, next time we'll bring you some. 49:38 And we'll bring her as well with us. 49:39 We'll bring her and the empanadas. 49:41 That will be great. That will be great. 49:42 So as we close now, our time is almost up, 49:46 which is amazing, just give us a closing thought, 49:50 each of you, about Hartland and about what the Lord 49:53 would have, in about 30 seconds because we're out of time. 49:57 ~ Sure. 49:59 - Actually 10 seconds. ~ Okay. 50:00 ~ So our vision is to be able to help young people 50:04 graduate debt free without having to depend 50:08 on things that will hold them back from being successful. 50:12 To obtain an education that is holistic, 50:14 that combines all the academics, accredited, 50:17 with practical training, and soul-winning. 50:20 And to be able to accomplish this while being at school, 50:23 that is our vision. 50:25 A lot of students want to go to school, 50:26 but they don't know how to pay their way through it 50:28 unless they have these big hefty loans. 50:31 That is our project and this is what we're offering 50:33 at Hartland college. 50:35 And with the purpose that with all the skills that they learn 50:38 they will always be combined with mission 50:40 to share the everlasting gospel. 50:42 ~ That's great. 50:43 Sister Ivonne. 50:44 Well, we just really want to claim the Seventh-day Adventist 50:52 educational message. 50:55 We have an identity and we want to follow that. 50:58 And we need the prayers, the support, because 51:02 we believe that it's possible. 51:04 ~ Yes. 51:06 Brother Jesse. 51:07 Well, I would tell any young people, if you want to 51:09 start a business, but not just for money sake, 51:13 but actually for mission sake, 51:15 you know, then this is the best education. 51:18 You know, I'm looking forward to sending my kid 51:21 to Hartland, you know. 51:24 And he's only 5 years old and a 2-year-old. 51:27 But once they grow up, you know, this is... 51:29 I'm very excited about it. 51:31 I think many people will be blessed. 51:35 We want our kids to really fall in love with the message, 51:39 fall in love with mission work, 51:41 and still, be relevant in society. 51:45 I'm going to come back to you, Yafet. 51:46 I know that you want to know how to reach Hartland. 51:50 Take a look. 51:53 If you would like to contact or know more about 51:55 Hartland College, you can do so in the following ways. |
Revised 2022-09-28