Building on a Foundation: Lindsey Nelson—October 2017
October 13, 2017
For life. For ministry. That is why Faith Baptist Bible College trains men and women. Many times students use the foundational ministry training they received at Faith to pursue other vocations and careers. Students like Lindsey Nelson, who is currently pursuing a doctorate degree at the Hawai’i School of Professional Psychology in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Lindsey Nelson (Witt, ’06) had planned to enlist in the military after she completed high school, but her parents encouraged her to attend some college before enlisting. She decided to attend Faith and quickly grew to enjoy her time there. She described attending Faith as “simply obeying God in following the wisdom of my parents.” While at Faith, she participated in ministry teams, chorale, basketball, soccer, and she served as a resident advisor. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies.
After graduating, Lindsey pursued the military, and she enlisted in the Army. She was deployed to Baghdad seven months later where she served as a medic for a combat support unit. When she returned from Baghdad, she was offered a job as a behavioral health tech in Johnston, Iowa.
“When I took the job, I was exposed to numerous soldiers who were returning in many ways different,” Lindsey explained, “and it raised my concern about how I might help. The psychologist whose authority I was working under saw that I had some skill at this job and recommended that I look into a master’s degree. I received my master’s from Walden University.”
Lindsey said her life is “a far stretch from how I imagined it would turn out.” She is married to Mark, a childhood friend who she had lost contact with when her family moved when she was seven. Lindsey and Mark reconnected in a church small group more than 20 years later after she returned from deployment. They now live in Waianae, Hawaii, and Lindsey works with mentally ill patients at a state facility.
“I think that my training at Faith laid a foundation of excellence for me to attend post-graduate training elsewhere. As I have come into contact with individuals and families that have legitimate concerns about psychological concerns and how it corresponds to biblical truth, a resounding observation that has stood out for me throughout my career is that we need more lay persons with biblical foundational training in the field, not less.”
When asked how the Alumni Association can be praying for Lindsey, she asked for more opportunities to share the gospel. “Finding ways to share my faith within the legal constraints of a public setting are always a challenge. There are ways! Continue to pray for seeds sown.”