Dawn Snellenberger interviewed Class of 2016 alumna Abby Clark. Abby is currently a junior majoring in business at Cairn University, which is a Christian college located near Philadelphia, PA.

Not many college students can say they experienced a summer like Abby Clark did this past summer! While other students were busy with summer jobs, Abby was busy serving in Kenya, Africa. She had the unique privilege of traveling there and working with three different children’s homes connected to a ministry called Chariots for Hope. Unlike a regular missions trip, this opportunity allowed Abby to provide practical business help to these overseas children's homes, while sharing the love of Christ with the children she encountered. As a business major at Cairn University, this internship combined her love of foreign missions with a chance to use her expanding business knowledge in analyzing profits, losses, and areas for growth of different generating-income projects used at the children’s homes. In this way she was able to put her faith into action and bless the people she encountered there.

While Abby reflected fondly on her experience, she admits that when she first learned about the opportunity, she didn’t feel like it made much sense to her. However, after thinking and praying about it, she felt the undeniable tug of God on her heart. For her, this experience was the culmination of a desire God had placed within her back when she attended Urbana Missions Conference during high school. At that time, surrounded by 15,000 other students, Abby found herself praying specifically for oppressed people groups in Kenya. It was then that she felt God calling her to minister to people in Kenya. It wasn’t until she began telling me about her summer experiences that she was reminded of God’s call several years before!

As Abby reflected on her time spent at CCS, she recognized it as a wonderful opportunity to grow in her faith. She felt it was a good environment to learn from her teachers as they walked out their lives of faith before her. Now that she is in college, she is challenged to walk out her faith in even greater ways than before. Obeying God by stepping out and serving Him in Kenya is one way she is doing just that. We rejoice in what God is doing in Abby’s life and delight to see how God will continue to use her to make a difference in this world for His Kingdom. Keep up the great work, Abby!

Are you an alumnus or know someone who would be willing to be interviewed? Please contact Dawn Snellenberger at dsnellenberger@contactccs.org to share your story with her.

Dawn Snellenberger interviewed Class of 2012 alumnus Joshua Lojzim. Josh is currently pursuing his Master's Degree in Science and Religion at the Divinity School at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and plans to complete the program in August.

Josh started attending Cornerstone in Grade 8 after The King’s School in Bolton closed. He was initially nervous, because both of the schools were sports rivals at that time, but he felt the transition went quite smoothly. In fact, he felt like he was part of the Cornerstone family right from the start. He said, “It was a beautiful picture of unification of the kingdom of God.” What a wonderful compliment!

When asked about his most memorable moments at CCS, he fondly recalls the relationships he built with both the faculty and his peers. These have been important in his life, and they still influence him to this day. The spiritual foundation upon which he was able to build his life, because of the people and environment, has been invaluable to him since graduating high school, and he is thankful for that.

Josh believes his Cornerstone education prepared him well spiritually and academically for the challenges he faced in college. Academically, CCS helped build the habits and practices he needed to succeed. Spiritually, CCS gave him the foundation he needed to both sustain and build his faith when trials arose. College was certainly not easy, but Josh said, “I was absolutely better prepared than many of my friends who had gone to public schools or other private schools.”

Cornerstone also prepared Josh by providing leadership opportunities. When he was at CCS, he was part of a “Covenant Group” and led a Bible study group with middle school boys while he was in high school. This helped him in college when he served as an RA (Resident Assistant) for two years. He believes the leadership opportunities he was given at CCS helped him prepare for this role of guiding a floor of freshmen and upperclassmen (young men) in college.

After graduating from Eastern Nazarene College (ENC) in Quincy, MA, with a Bachelorof Science Degree in Physics (minors in Math and Religion), he married his high school sweetheart, Kristie (McLain), who is also a CCS graduate. Josh stayed on at ENC for a fifth year and worked as a lab manager at ENC where he led lab sessions, dealt with equipment and building upgrades, and served in a leadership capacity for the summer research program. During this time, his advisor and boss helped him discern the Lord’s next steps for him.

While researching graduate schools, he stumbled upon a graduate program in Edinburgh, Scotland, which combined science and religion. It was not his plan to study in the United Kingdom; however, he took a leap of faith, applied and was accepted into the program. He was then awarded a scholarship from the University of Edinburgh to cover the tuition for his Master’s program, and after prayer and consideration, he and Kristie believed God was leading them to proceed in that direction.

Once his program is completed, Josh plans to pursue further education in electrical engineering, but he says it has been a great experience, both personally and academically, to study abroad. Josh maintains the Lord is always consistent and faithful, even when he is being surprised by what God is doing.

If you are a CCS graduate and would be willing to share how God used Cornerstone to prepare you for your current vocation or ministry, I would love to interview you. Simply send an email to Dawn Snellenberger at dsnellenberger@contactccs.org.

Dawn Snellenberger interviewed Class of 1998 alumna Jillian (Labbe) Moskites. Jill and her husband, Joshua, are the parents of 6 children (4 of whom are current CCS students) and co-owners of The Whey Station, a gourmet grilled cheese truck.

In addition to being the mother of 6 children and co-owner (with her husband) of The Whey Station, Jill also recently competed on "Chopped," Food Network's food preparation competition in which four contestants are required to use a set of strange and interesting ingredients to prepare something unique and delicious. Much to the delight (though of no surprise) to all of us, she won the competition! I appreciated the opportunity to find out what the Lord has been doing in Jill's life since graduating from Cornerstone almost 20 years ago!

Jill began attending Cornerstone in 2nd grade after her father accepted Christ. He had been diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and was given only 6 months to live. Miraculously, God healed him, and he vowed to serve God for the rest of his life. As a result, halfway through Jill’s 3rd grade year, her family left the area to become missionaries to Central America. However, there were some challenges along the way to fulfilling that call. The ship was not ready to sail initially, so they spent time in Seattle and homeschooled while they waited.

Then her parents needed to leave Jillian and her sister, Robin, with their grandparents for about 6 months while they packed the ship for their journey.

Eventually, they set off and served the countries of Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala by providing medical supplies and serving in the orphanages. Jill recalled stories of town orphans visiting their ship and feeling a sense of peace despite the civil war that was happening in El Salvador at the time.

After their time in missions, Jill and her family returned to Connecticut, and she returned to CCS in the 6th grade. For 7th grade she homeschooled again and worked on a farm. She once again returned to CCS in the 8th grade and remained until she graduated in 1998. Jill reflects that her teachers had hearts for God. She also felt like like CCS was a safe environment and appreciated being “sheltered” from some of what the world offers.

After graduation, Jill attended Johnson & Wales University, a culinary school in Providence, RI. What wonderful preparation for owning a food truck and competing on “Chopped!” She finished her program and worked at various jobs, both in and out of the food industry. In 2002 she met her husband, Josh, while working in Rhode Island, and they married in 2006. They now have 6 children under the age of 10!

Jill initially dreamed of opening a restaurant, but when that fell through, she and Josh decided to purchase a food truck, which has become a successful venture for them. Through the business, they are able to not only support their family, but they are also able to serve in various fundraisers and ministry opportunities. One such opportunity is at the upcoming CCS Auction on Saturday, April 28!

Jill and Josh have chosen Christian education for their family because they desire to instill godly values in their children so that they become productive adults who walk out their faith. They appreciate the small class sizes and the character development they see taking place in the lives of their children. Jill has seen her oldest son, Oliver, journaling and doing his Bible reading, which delights her as she sees him taking ownership for his faith. What a delight to have a second generation of students coming to Cornerstone!

If you are a CCS graduate and would like to share how God used Cornerstone to prepare you for your current vocation or ministry, I would love to interview you. Simply send an email to Dawn Snellenberger at dsnellenberger@contactccs.org.