I want to thank you for the winter 2018 edition of Spark. In so many ways “A Birth, A Vocation, A Journey” mirrored my own experience several years ago. Though without the benefit of prenatal diagnosis, my husband and I also “mourned the loss of the vision of the child we had expected.” Against prevailing professional advice, we brought this new baby home to join his three siblings. And when well-meaning friends would refer to him as our “special” child, my husband was quick to respond by saying that, with the addition of Sherman to our family, we now had “four special children!”
Fast forward to the present: Sherman is now employed as a food service worker at Calvin College. He has been a proud member of the staff there for more than 20 years and is daily experiencing the gift of inclusiveness. Thank you for highlighting past progress (and needed advancement) in the areas of research, awareness, opportunity, and legality regarding disability issues. This is God’s work!
— Dottie Vanden Bosch Wiersma ’56
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Thank you so much for your recent article “A Birth, A Vocation, A Journey”! It was indeed a blessing to read how others are walking out their faith by including people living with disabilities in “college life” and loving on the special folks God includes in our circles past our Calvin years.
God led me to Calvin and Woodlawn Christian Reformed Church in the mid-1980s to pursue my calling as a special education teacher. Professor (Tom) Hoeksema announced in one of my first lectures that Woodlawn was seeking a volunteer for the Friendship Program (a ministry that supports faith formation and congregational inclusion for individuals with intellectual disability). I knew not a soul at Woodlawn, but with Dr. Hoeksema’s information in hand, I walked there the following Sunday morning, and someone kindly introduced me to Timothy Bolt and his parents. That was the beginning of a beautiful two-year journey. Tim made me feel like I belonged! Teaching him and him teaching me was indeed a pleasure! Thank you, Tim!
Calvin College was indeed used by my Father to prepare me for the remote First Nation school, special education students, and Sunday school classes I have had the privilege and honor to teach since meeting Tim. My family and I extend our heartfelt appreciation for all of you whom God used as a blessing during my Calvin years.
— Adriana Vander Werff ’87
Prince George, British Columbia
I wish your excellent article on Tim Bolt (“A ‘Calvin College guy,’” winter 2018) had included some of his great lines. For example, he was once asked what kind of work he did. He said, “I work at Calvin.” Someone asked, “Are you a professor?” With slight annoyance, Tim said, “No, I said I work at Calvin.”
— Wayne Joosse ’63
Grand Rapids, Michigan