Rick
Van Dyken '83
An Expanded Worldview
Rick Van Dyken '83 has come
full circle since beginning his freshman year at Trinity. After graduating,
he took a leap of faith to engage in missionary service before returning
six years ago to become the College's executive associate to the president
for advancement. His time as a student revealed a world that stretched
beyond the boundaries of the Midwest.
"My professors enlightened
me to the needs of a bigger world and showed me that I have a place in
it.That spurred me to think about my impact in God's kingdom and drove
me toward missions work."
When
Van Dyken launched out into that bigger world, Nigeria was the first stop.
He and his wife, Sue, spent six years in the West African country. After
three years in Jos as the business manager for Hillcrest School for children
of missionaries, he served three more as the Nigeria field treasurer for
the Christian Reformed World Missions. He then packed up his family - three
of his four children were born in Nigeria - and moved to Rehoboth, New
Mexico, to work at Rehoboth Christian School, a missions school for Native
American students from the Navajo and Zuni tribes. For eight years, he
held alternate positions in the school's business and administrative departments.
"Taking
that first step into Africa developed a whole new understanding of God's
creation. Then, coming back to the United States and working in New Mexico
was a great opportunity to meet the needs of neglected people. We wanted
to maintain our commitment to edifying people who need help."
He and his family remain
active in missionary service. Van Dyken wants his children to develop their
own enthusiasm for sharing their faith. "We've taken them on a couple of
trips to Mexico in the last two years. We're getting our feet wet with
missions again and making sure they enjoy those kinds of experiences. It
will be good for them."
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