Move-in day is its own kind of adventure. Somewhere between the car doors opening and the last box landing in a dorm room, a new chapter begins.
In September, we asked our alumni, “When you arrived at Faith/Omaha/Denver as a new student, how much did you bring with you? A suitcase? A couple of truckloads?” The answers ranged from a single suitcase to an entire moving van, and nearly every one of them came with a story.
One Suitcase and a Lot of Heart
Plenty of alumni proved you don’t need much to start college. Cheyenne (Koenig/Cottrell) Pernice-Hedrick kept it about as light as possible. “I brought one suitcase and one small tote! Growing up in a small home with eight siblings I did not have much, but, oh my, did my roommate fill the room!”
Willi Slischewski also packed light, though his trip was a lot longer than most. His answer? “A suitcase… from Germany”
Judy Hammel’s list was short but specific: “When I arrived at FBBC, a couple of suitcases and $900.00 in 1989.”
Jared Loucks had a similar approach, with one addition that probably got some use around campus. “When arriving at faith I brought two suitcases, a skateboard, and my life savings…”
Whatever Fit in the Car
For many students, the family car set the limit. If it fit in the trunk, it came along. If it didn’t, it stayed home.
Karen (Crown) Houghton started at Omaha in 1964, and she had some company on the trip. “I was a new student in 1964 in Omaha. I know anything I brought fit in the trunk of our car. It was the second year for my brother, Tim Crown, so I am sure his belongings were included!”
Kathleen (Beck) Muth had help from family too. “My mom and brother helped me move to the dorm with a car trunk load of belongings in the fall of 1981.”
Station wagons made a couple of appearances in the responses. Matt Mickelson relied on a friend to get him to campus: “All of my items fit into the rear window of my friend Derwin’s Toyota Corolla station wagon.”
Logan Lindow split the space with his brother, which meant everything had to be carefully rationed. “My brother and I shared a Mercury Sable Wagon, I probably had 2 suitcases and a box. That’s all we could fit.”
Special Deliveries
Some belongings mattered for reasons beyond everyday life, and a few alumni brought instruments that would play a part in their ministry.
Ruth Eckley started small but saw her stash grow over the first few weeks. “I had one suitcase and a backpack on move-in day. However, my grandparents shipped my viola to me for orchestra auditions. They also brought me a hamper with some clothes and a couple of other boxes worth when they came to visit a few weeks later. I didn’t bring much compared to some of known, but I did bring a fair amount.”
Ida (Hanson) Henderson, a 1953 graduate of Omaha Bible Institute, arrived with very little, and a good chunk of that was spoken for by the dress code. “One small bag of school supplies and one small metal suitcase. The required robe for all lady students took up about half of that suitcase!”
She also brought something that has lasted far longer than her college years. “Also, my small 12-bass accordion used many times in nursing home ministries, etc. That accordion is still being used by a daughter, Dorothy, and her husband, Jonathan Luethy, in their missionary ministry in Japan.”
A Whole Household
On the other end of the scale, Lafe Nelson, Jr. didn’t arrive with a suitcase or a car trunk. He came with everything he owned, and it didn’t show up on time.
“A moving van full of a household. Separation from the USMC. It arrived 3 weeks late. Had to buy a sport jacket to meet the dress code. My suit was in the van. My in-laws left their lawn chairs with us for temporary furniture.”
More Than What’s in the Bags
Whether they packed one small metal suitcase or a full moving van, these alumni all arrived ready to begin something new. The luggage has changed over the decades, but the step of faith it took to show up hasn’t.
Ida Henderson put it best: “To not want something is just as good as having it!”
