From Priesthill to Kresge: A Profile with Becca Moore

Photo from Covenant College

Photo from Covenant College

Over the summer, Covenant students received three email updates from Brad Voyles, informing them of various maintenance projects, tech upgrades, and new hires on campus. One of these new hires is Becca Moore, who joined the Student Development staff this fall. Although she is new to the position of “Coordinator of Student Success,” Moore is no stranger to the Covenant community. She worked in Priesthill last year.

“I was really blessed to get a counseling internship here [at Priesthill],” said Moore. “It was a pretty competitive one, and I was so thankful to get it because it introduced me to Covenant in a really raw and beautiful way.”

By serving at Priesthill, Moore was also able to complete her master’s practicum for Clinical Mental Health Counseling, a degree she pursued at Richmont Graduate University in Chattanooga. As she met and worked with students at Covenant, Moore began meeting with Student Development.

“Counselors collaborate with Student Development in order to discuss how best to care for the students who come to us,” said Moore. “It was through those discussions that I first met Janet [Hulsey], Jon [Wylie], Brad [Voyles], and Sarah [Ocando].”

In order to maintain patient confidentiality, Moore and other Priesthill counselors never shared the names of or any specific details concerning the students who visited them, only the general issues their students were coming in for. The goal of these meetings was to gauge general student needs on campus and discuss how best to address those needs.

“Student Development really cares about helping students in every way that they can,” said Moore. “It’s this really beautiful collaboration because we’re all on the same team when it comes to helping students. We ask questions like ‘How can we care for campus well? How can we care for students well?’”

Through careful collaboration, Moore and Student Development sought to offer the best services they could to the Covenant student body. It was through this collaboration and through her work in Priesthill that Moore grew to know and love the community at Covenant. When Janet Hulsey announced that she would be stepping down, Moore was encouraged to apply for the position, and happily accepted the job offer.

This fall, as she works alongside Graduate Assistant Caroline Reeves in the Center for Student Success, Moore has taken the opportunity to spread the word about the services that the Center provides. Whether it’s speaking at the beginning of a PE class or introducing herself to O-teams, Moore is eager to raise awareness about the help provided in a tucked-away corner of Kresge Library.

“We serve about 14% of campus. That help includes both testing and classroom accommodations, as well as just general academic support. But beyond even that we provide just general support, because student success is not just about the classroom; it’s about your whole person.”

When asked to expound a bit on her interaction with students at Covenant, Moore said, “I feel like a lot of students have this hidden fear that we can’t talk about stuff, that we can’t be honest because we’re supposed to have it all together. My heart is for the student that is stuck in the middle of hard questions because [in the midst of that] it’s really hard to focus in class or to care about what you’re learning about.”

She continued, “One thing I try to tell students is that you don’t have to have it all together because you can’t have it all together. And there’s so much freedom in that. There’s so much beauty in giving yourself grace and giving grace to other people. [Trying to achieve perfection] is just like running yourself into a wall: it doesn’t work.”

As Moore works to encourage students, she has in turn found herself encouraged by her fellow Student Development staff as well as by the students themselves:

“One of the biggest blessings for me about working here at Covenant is being able to look up to my co-workers [Brad Voyles, Nesha Evans, and Jon Wylie] as role models. Watching them encourages me to do a better job here [at Student Success]. I also love observing the resiliency of Covenant students, of getting to be a front-row witness to what God is doing in students’ lives and how he is pursuing them in really hard things. Seeing that, I see how in turn he’s using those things to pursue me.”

For students interested in utilizing the help offered by Moore and the Center for Student Success, Moore encourages visitors to drop by her niche on the second floor of Kresge Library, just to the left of the Writing Center. Be it to study, chat, or grab a snack, students of all grades are welcome.


Around the World in 600 Words

Last week, 50 U.S. Special Forces troops withdrew from key locations on the Turkey-Syrian border by order of President Trump. Since the withdrawal of U.S. troops, Kurdish militia forces in the region have faced an intensive assault from Turkish military forces. Turkish President Erdogan wants to subdue the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), claiming he wants to create a safe zone in northern Syria.


On October 13, the removal of another 1000 U.S. troops from northern Syria was announced by U.S. Defense Secretary Mike Esper. As the U.S. is withdrawing from the region, the Syrian forces of Bashar al-Assad are preparing to step in and aid the SDF against Turkish aggression.


Many civilians are caught in the crossfire, including vulnerable Christian communities.


The president of the Syriac National Council of Syria expressed his fears about the Turkish attacks in an interview with NPR.


“We think this is a message to the Kurds and Christians there to leave, so Turkey can move refugees there,” he said, “We think it’s a form of ethnic cleansing.”

The U.S. response to further Turkish incursions in Syria and the treatment of the Kurds could have major implications for future coalition building efforts in other hostile regions and a possible ISIS resurgence.  

To the east, at least 35 people are dead and 17 wounded as a major typhoon caused massive flooding in Japan. Tens of thousands of rescue workers have been sent to Honshu and Tokyo, the main areas of flooding.

Japanese media reported that on October 13, the number of homes without power was about 200,000.

“I extend my condolences for all those who lost their lives and offer my sympathy to all those impacted by the typhoon,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, “The government will do everything in its power to cooperate with relevant agencies and operators working to restore services as soon as possible.”

On October 11, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abi Ahmad. His efforts at achieving peaceful relations with Eritrea and internal democratic reforms were cited in his commendation.

Prior to Ahmad’s rise to power, fighting on the border of Eritrea and Ethiopia had resulted in the deaths of nearly 80,000 people. Ahmad now seeks a  peaceful resolution to end the conflict.

Ending media censorship, releasing political prisoners, and allowing political dissent are just several of the reforms pursued by Ahmad.

“Today, as the world takes note and celebrates his achievements through bestowing the Nobel Peace Prize,” an official statement from Ahmad’s office read, “We invite all Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopia to continue standing on the side of peace.”

A meeting was held on October 13 to discuss recent upheaval in Ecuador between President Lenin Moreno and several leaders of indigenous Ecuadorian indigenous groups.

Ecuadorian police and protestors have clashed, leaving seven dead and hundreds injured over the past two weeks. The protests revolve around a new attempt by the government to privatize the oil industry.

In order to follow an International Monetary Fund directive for an austerity package, oil subsidies were ended. Moreno wants to scale back on Ecuador’s large national debt and to make the country more financially stable.

Advocating for higher taxes for wealthy people and the maintenance of current oil subsidies, the largely indigenous protestors had demonstrated in Arbolito Park in Quito two days prior to the meeting with Moreno.

“The decisions taken by the president of the republic must be positive for you, must be agreed upon with you,” Moreno said, “These conclusions will, of course, be included in the new decree that will replace the previous one, that improves, that perfects it. Everything must be aimed at stabilizing the country, at stabilizing our severely degraded budget situation.”


Chattanooga Loves Corgis

A corgi walks into a bar. Summer is just beginning and he’s finally off contract, so he decides to celebrate with a drink. The bartender, seeing him waddle in, leans over the bar and looks down at the dog.

“What’ll it be, champ?”

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The corgi wags his little nub tail and says, “I’ll take a glass of the good stuff.”

“Comin’ right up,” replies the bartender.

He makes the dog’s drink and rings up his order.

“That’ll be $5.42, my man.”

The corgi reaches for his wallet and counts his change. Realising he only has $5.25, he looks up at the bartender and says,

“I’m so sorry sir, I’m a little short.”

We all love a good laugh, but in the great city of Chattanooga, corgis are no joke. Chattanooga is home to many fun and exciting events, but none is more heart melting than the St. Elmo Corgi Parade. Yes, you read that right. A Corgi Parade—and it’s exactly what it sounds like. On the first of October, corgis roamed St. Elmo Avenue near the Incline Railway and Plus Coffee, with an official corgi count totaling 63 little dogs, according to the event’s Facebook page.

The first Corgi Parade took place in 1999 as a part of the “September in St. Elmo” festival. Bob Wright was on the festival’s committee that year and started the event. He had 4 corgis at the time. After the festival stopped in 2005, the parade stopped with it, until it was resurrected in 2013 with some help from National Night Out, Community Association of Historic St. Elmo, and Bob Wright himself. Ever since then, the parade continues to live on. Every year on the first Tuesday of October, you can expect to see little corgis sauntering through the St. Elmo streets.

The parade is much more than little dogs walking around. Corgis often show up dressed in costume for the event, and awards are handed out to contestants who qualify for shortest corgi, longest corgi, best corgi face, and more. King and Queen corgis are crowned before the parade begins and then get the honor of leading the crowd of corgis down the street. 

“Lots of businesses and groups had booths set up with food and trinkets to support their business,” said Laura Workman ’20. This was Workman’s first year attending the parade, and she was impressed, calling it a “wonderland of pure joy and sweetness.” 

Workman said that the parade had never been of much interest to her before, but because the parade fell on her birthday, she decided it was the perfect way to celebrate. “There was even a tent with a pen of dogs up for adoption,” said Workman. The parade has it all.

Corgis were originally bred to herd cattle and other farm animals, as their short stature makes them great ankle nippers. But now, they are becoming increasingly popular as pets. According to the American Kennel Club, the little animals ranked 24th in 2008 for America’s Most Popular Breed. In 2018, they rose to 13th, and are predicted to keep climbing. This means that the St. Elmo Corgi Parade will probably only grow in popularity. 

“Chattanooga is good about finding ways to bring its community together,” says Workman, “and corgis parading down the street dressed as lions and princesses and circus ringleaders seem to do the trick.” Workman, along with mentioning that because of the parade she is open to corgi adoption, said that although this was her first parade, she hopes it will not be her last. See you all at the 2020 Corgi Parade on October 6th.


President Trump Withdraws US Forces from Syria

On October 5 President Trump signed to withdraw US Troops from northern Syria in a move that some called permission for the Turkish President to begin the invasion. Days later Turkey launched a ground and air assault against the Syrian militia. Turkish fighter jets bombed Syrian towns, forcing civilians to flee south. Turkish troops crossed the border after roughly six hours of bombing.

The US has allies in both Turkey and in the Kurdish people, which has made Trump’s decision to leave the region even more complicated. Trump tweeted, “We may be in the progress of leaving Syria, but in no way have we abandoned the Kurds, who are special people and wonderful fighters.” 

The Kurds are the fourth largest ethnic group in the Middle East and have been working towards self determination since the end of World War I. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is a group of Kurds who have been fighting for Kurdish autonomy for around three decades. In the mid 1980s, the PKK began a guerilla war against Turkey, citing oppression and persecution. 

That struggle and persecution continues today, and some fear that without the US troops, Turkey will obliterate the Kurds. 

Kurdish militias assisted the Syrian Democratice Forces (SDF) in regaining territory taken by ISIS. With Turkey viewing the PKK as a terrorist group in Syria, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has voiced concern as the Kurds grew in power. 

Erdogan said in a New York Times article that the October 9th operation was intended to “prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border.” 

Many people were opposed to Trump’s decision to step aside for the Turkish invasion. Former US diplomat Aaron David Miller said to an AP reporter, “This clearly had immediate, sequential consequence that very few of the other decisions he [President Trump] has made have had.” 

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said to the New York Times, “I expect the American president to do what is in our national security interest and it is never in our national security interest to abandon an ally.” 

President Trump refuted the claim that he was abandoning the Kurds. He said that the United States has made it clear that Turkey’s invasion is inappropriate. On October 10 he tweeted, “I am trying to end the ENDLESS WARS… I say hit Turkey very hard financially if they don’t play by the rules! I am watching closely.” 

Melissa Dalton, director of the Cooperative Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said, “There is a very high risk of the Islamic State taking advantage of the SDF and the American and other coalition members being focused on the implications of the Turkish efforts.”

Though Trump claimed that he defeated the Islamic State in Syria this year, defense officials continue to worry about the remains of the terrorist group that are here to stay. If Turkey sparks further violence, Syria’s ability to police the prisons containing thousands of ISIS fighters could be significantly damaged. 






Breaking Down Impeachment: What You Need to Know

The United States has only seen presidential impeachment proceedings occur three times (Andrew Johnson in 1868, Richard Nixon in 1974, and Bill Clinton in 1998), two impeachments (Clinton and Johnson), and no removals from office. So in light of the recent impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, what can we expect in the coming future? Here’s what you need to know: 

Initiation of Impeachment: 

Impeachment proceedings may start from any member in the House of Representatives, but are usually initiated by the Speaker of the House. They also may be triggered by non-members, such as when the Judicial Conference might recommend the impeachment of a federal judge. An independent counsel could also recommend impeachment, based on credible evidence. Other ways include a recommendation from the President, by a charge from state legislature or grand jury, or by a petition. (Note: “impeachment” does not solely refer to the US President. There have actually been 19 impeachments of non-presidential legislators and judges.)

Once there is a resolution on the floor for impeachment, it then goes to one of two places. For most of the impeachments that have occurred in American history, the resolution first goes to the House Rules Committee, then if deemed credible, will be forwarded to the House Judiciary Committee. The Judiciary Committee will then investigate whether there are sufficient grounds for impeachment. If it deems there are enough grounds, the Committee is responsible for launching an investigation into the individual in question. It is possible that the Judiciary Committee might delegate this investigation to sub-committee, or a specially designed committee as it did in 1868 when President Johnson was investigated by the House Committee on Reconstruction. 

Inquiry and Investigation:

With the resolution under investigation by the House Judiciary Committee, it’s their job to determine whether the individual in question has committed treason, bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors per Article II Section IV of the Constitution. Should an individual be deemed impeachable on one or multiple counts by a majority vote, the Judiciary Committee will then draft an official resolution of impeachment and present it on the House floor in general session. This committee comprises of 24 Democrats (including the Chair and Vice-Chair) and 17 Republicans, representing the majority that the Democrats currently hold in the Senate. 

House Action: 

Now that the resolution has made its way through the House Judiciary Committee, the House will debate whether there should be a vote or not based on the evidence found by the Judiciary Committee. At the close of debate, even if the House Judiciary Committee doesn’t recommend impeachment, their recommendations are in no way binding and the House can still vote on impeachment. Once the House votes in favor of impeachment, managers are then selected by the Speaker of the House to report the matter to the Senate (historically this has been done by resolution, but in more recent cases it's been done through the Speaker). Managers will then appear before the Senate to announce the decision to impeach the individual. 

The Senate and the Trial: 

It’s important to note that at this point, the individual has been impeached, but has not been removed from office. Being impeached does not mean you are necessarily a criminal, it just means that the House has decided you aren’t fit to rule. It’s the Senate's role to decide whether the impeached individual is a criminal, and should be removed from office. Following the announcement by the House managers, the Senate will adopt a resolution which will announce to the now impeached individual that they are to appear on a set date before the Senate for their trial. On that date the individual may appear in person or be represented by counsel. For all intents and purposes, the trial proceeds like a normal court case with the Senate serving as the jury, and the managers from the House serving as the prosecutors. Once the trial concludes, the Senate will deliberate and discuss the case in a closed-door setting. Once this takes place, a tally vote of “yays” and “nays” for impeachment will occur on the open floor. From here, if the “yays” win out by a ⅔ vote and the Senate proclaims the individual in question criminal, they are then removed from office. 

So now what?

We obviously have a long way to go, and are only in the inquiry stage. While the House Judiciary Committee has not officially been sanctioned to explore evidence that could potentially lead to their recommendation of impeachment, they are reviewing evidence at the moment (as of October 15th). To clarify, this is not the official investigation stage of the process, but only a prior phase. Senators on the committee are investigating the potential for an impeachment, but no official investigation has begun just yet. Should Democrats in the Senate decide there is enough evidence after their inquiry to impeach President Trump, an official investigation will commence, and official impeachment proceedings would be underway. While Democrats have stated they want to move quickly, gaining and analyzing evidence to make a formal recommendation of impeachment will take some time, especially as the President and other Republicans are preventing the committee from subpoenaing certain members of the intelligence community. The Bagpipe’s Hannah Urban wrote an article last issue about how this all started, and we’ll be following how the story progresses.


Ochs Highway Under Construction

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has begun an extensive project for safety improvements on Ochs Highway. Ochs Highway will be closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Sundays-Thursdays. The road closures and construction will be completed on or before November 15, according to Lookout Mountain, GA mayor David Bennett. 

In a letter sent to Lookout Mountain, GA residents on October 1, Bennett detailed the TDOT’s plans for Ochs. This includes repaving the highway, coating certain curves with skid-resistant solution, and replacing the center-line rumble strip with textured bumps that cannot retain water.

The TDOT will also trim back limbs and trees along the road, and may “work with property owners to clean up properties.” Both of these measures will increase drivers’ line of sight on Ochs.

The TDOT is also going to look into the possibility of widening certain curves and adding new signs on Ochs and Scenic Highway that warn drivers about the dangers of the roads. These signs will specifically warn drivers of large vehicles.

According to the Chattanoogan, Ochs was built in the 1930s, decades before large vehicle traffic on the road became regular.

The construction on Ochs comes after two fatal wrecks that have happened on the highway in the past two years, both of which involved trucks. One wreck occurred in 2017, and the other was this year on August 24. Both resulted in the death of a Lookout Mountain resident.

In the October 1 email, Bennett cited a “significant increase” of bicyclists, RVs, and large trucks as a central issue in the safety of Ochs Highway.

In a community meeting in September, residents also expressed concerns about an increase in large tour buses. These and other large vehicles pose a potential safety hazard on Ochs, because some turns along the highway are sharp enough that larger vehicles are forced to cross the center line when turning.

In Bennett’s email, he told residents that he was in contact with Ruby Falls and See Rock City, the two main tourist attractions that bring sightseers to Lookout. He said both companies are fully cooperating with the TDOT’s safety projects.

Bennett urged Covenant students to drive on Ochs with extreme caution over the coming weeks. He said that any time there is fresh asphalt, there is fresh oil that can stay on the road for up to 45 days. Because of this, he said drivers should be careful on Ochs, especially when the road is wet.


Whistleblower Complaint Leads to Talk of Impeachment

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On September 19th, a whistleblower complaint emerged from a member of the intelligence community involving President Trump. A whistleblower is someone from a company or government agency who shares their knowledge of any wrongdoing in the form of fraud, corruption, or illegal activity within an organization. This particular complaint involves a phone call between Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine.

A memorandum of the telephone conversation was released on September 25th. It was not the exact same words as used originally. The White House warned that it is not a verbatim account. 

In the call, Trump encouraged Zelensky to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden for corruption. According to the memorandum of the call, Trump said, “There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that, so whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great.” 

Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph Giuliani was involved in persuading Kiev, Ukraine’s capital, to investigate matters that would help Trump politically. Government officials who handle foreign policy connected Trump’s willingness to support Zelensky with Zelensky and his government’s readiness to pursue investigations. 

Trump’s personal lawyer believes that the president has a right to tell another country’s leader to investigate corruption. He said in an interview with the New York Times that this is true particularly if it “bleeds over into” the United States. He added that “If I were president, I would do that.” 

However, in light of the fact that former Vice President Biden is running for president and according to the New York Times, intelligence officials remark they have had issues with Trump politicizing information in the past. 

In an article from the Associated Press, Biden talked about Trump’s attempt to pull the Justice Department into investigating him. Biden called it a “direct attack on the core independence of that department, an independence essential to the rule of law.” 

The law states that whistleblower complaints must be reported to Congress. For Congress to receive a complaint, it has to concern the existence of intelligence activity that violates the law, rules, or otherwise amounts to mismanagement waste, abuse, or a danger to public safety. 

Joseph Macguire, Acting Director of National Intelligence, blocked the complaint from being reported.

Macguire consulted with both the Justice Department and the White House to confirm the complaint being withheld. According to the New York Times, he said his delay in sending the complaint to Congress was about “sorting through possible claims of executive privilege.” 

Adam B. Schiff, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said in a briefing that “once the determination is made, the Director of National Intelligence has a ministerial responsibility to share that with Congress.” 

Congressional Democrats sided with him and brought back their argument that Trump is orchestrating a cover-up of an urgent and legitimate whistleblower complaint that could affect national security. They rallied together and told Macguire that he had until Thursday, September 26th to turn over the whistleblower complaint or he risked retaliation. 

House Democrats initiated a formal impeachment inquiry on September 24th. Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the impeachment inquiry would be on the schedule. House Democrats want to keep it simple and make the point that Trump abused his political power, and that is why they are moving forward with the inquiry. 

Pelosi said in the announcement that “The actions of the Trump presidency revealed the dishonorable fact of the president’s betrayal of his oath to office… The President must be held accountable. No one is above the law.” 

President Trump is only the fourth president to be facing impeachment. His position in the Republican-controlled Senate could have him confident that even if the Democrats vote to impeach, the Senate would not convict him.  

Several Republicans sided with Trump on the whistleblower complaint. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said in the New York Times that “Democrats would be insane to proceed with the impeachment on the basis of the [Ukraine] call.” 

In AP news Republican Senator Chuck Grassley said, “I wouldn’t want to make too quick of a conclusion when you’re reading something that somebody heard somebody else say second or third hand.” 

The whistleblower complaint was released in full by the Intelligence Committee on Thursday, September 26th. It confirmed that Trump pushed Zelensky to investigate Biden, and said that a few days earlier Trump withheld over $391 million in aid money from Ukraine. 

According to the whistleblower complaint, the White House took extraordinary measures to keep the phone call from going to the public. The transcript of the complaint said they moved records of the phone call to a secret computer system to lock them down. They told the whistleblower that this was not the first time under this administration that a presidential transcript was placed into a computer system to protect politically sensitive information. 

In a New York Times article Macguire said, “My responsibility was to get you the whistleblower letter and get the other information released. I have done my duty. Whether to investigate further is on the shoulders of the legislative branch and this committee.”


Tuesday Talks Continue to Gain Interest Among Students

Posters scattered around campus and slides in chapel are advertising the “Tuesday Talks.” But what exactly are they? 

In January of this year, the talks were organized by Stephanie Formenti, Covenant’s Chapel Associate for Discipleship, and Hannah Bloomquist, Andreas RD. They are the result of a number of conversations Formenti and Bloomquist were having with various students.

Formenti said, “[Both of us had been talking to] students about the silence around issues involving sexuality, either from their families or from churches—or they were coming to Covenant and getting introduced to these things for the first time. We just felt that maybe opening that door for conversation would be a worthwhile thing to do.”

The idea originally began as a four-week series of discussions. Formentti and Bloomquist covered topics such as sexual purity, pornography, dating and physical boundaries, and gender roles (specifically, the role of women in the church). 

The study stretched to eight weeks, and by the end of the semester, the Tuesday Talks included both male and female students. 

As Formenti explained, “I think Tuesday Talks evolve[d] the same way they were created: by just listening to the conversations, listening to the needs, listening to the questions of our students. [During one Tuesday Talk], a student had the idea of having guys come [and discuss gender roles with us].” 

As a result of the eager approval from other students, Bloomquist and Formenti agreed to open the group’s doors to men. The following Tuesday, both men and women gathered in Hannah Bloomquist’s apartment to discuss the role of men and women in the church.

Tuesday Talks’ invitation to all students continues this semester as Formenti and Bloomquist begin a series on the “theology of the body.” Alternating between joint and separate talks with men and women, Formenti and Bloomquist lead this semester’s talks with the help of Brett Borland and Stephen Dillon, the resident directors of Founders and Carter, respectively.

The response to Tuesday Talks has been a positive one.

“Students are very affirming here,” said Bloomquist. “Last semester, between 25-60 students came to these conversations and it’s so encouraging to me because their presence shows a desire to grow in Christ and to grow in their ministry, in the way they want to be shaped.”

Formenti has shared a similar experience. “I’ve gotten a general sense that the [Tuesday Talks] conversations were helpful for [students] in friendships or on the hall. I’ve even had women from churches be like, ‘Hey, what’s happening on Tuesdays? I keep hearing about these Tuesday Talks from [students they were mentoring].’ It’s just always nice to know that you’ve hit a nerve and the students have been really encouraging in that way.”

For Cammie Messer ’21, the talks have created a safe place to discuss hard topics in a group setting.

 “One of the reasons I love Tuesday Talks is because it’s such a good place for hearing a lot of different ideas from people who all love Jesus,” said Messer. “This semester we’ve been talking about body image, and there have been so many different ideas and opinions on what it means to be healthy and what it means to love food and things like that—but despite all the different opinions, you can assume the goodwill of everyone in the room.”

Messer said that the practical application of these discussions can often be a hard pill to swallow. “Sometimes listening to what Hannah and Stephanie have to say makes me check myself and that can be really hard. At the same time, though, that’s really good because I don’t want to go just to hear things I already know; I want to go and be challenged.”

Students like Messer find that Tuesday Talks aren’t just challenging, but genuinely enjoyable too. Mixed in with the more difficult applications are blessings of fellowship and understanding.

For Messer in particular, “there’s just something really cool about being able to walk into a room where all four buildings are represented, athletes and non-athletes, people who consider themselves conservative or liberal—all of us just discussing what a healthy relationship looks like or how we view body image with the goal of seeking truth.”

“It’s a unique opportunity for inter-generational conversation,” said Formenti. “That doesn’t necessarily happen super easily in the church. When we take the time to sit down with people of different generations and talk about important things through the lens of Scripture—that’s experiencing the Body of Christ in a very unique way.”

For interested students, Tuesday Talks meet weekly from 11:00-11:50 AM in Hannah Bloomquist’s apartment on the first floor of Andreas.


Tech Changes on Campus

This semester, the Covenant College mailroom introduced stapleless staples to campus via the Canon imageRunner printer. These staples are made from the paper itself. 

According to the official Canon YouTube page, “Staple Free Stapling binds the paper together with pressure, which is a great alternative to metal staples.” 

After the paper is bound together, the top corner will have several grooves keeping the pages from falling apart.

Stapleless staples could have a bright future on our college campus. The senior class president, Ian Banks ’20, said, “I am very thankful that our college has decided to place a greater emphasis on ecological responsibilities and chosen to reduce our consumption of staples. The [stapler] holds paper sufficiently and is better for the environment. It is a no-lose situation.”

According to an article by David Cyron and Veronica Spencer posted on Georgia Tech’s website, “Staplers contribute over 2 million kg of CO2 equivalent of Global Warming Pollution. To put this in perspective, the stapler market accounts for over 500 passenger vehicles worth of emissions each year!” 

Other benefits of this new stapler include cutting the costs of refills and broken staplers. Also, the official Canon page notes that these new staples allow for more effortless shredding, as you do not need to remove the staple beforehand, which would be a win for tired work-study students on campus. It also makes the paper easier to stack, a welcome change for the professors who need to print dozens of syllabi.

There are a few problems for the new staplers to overcome. The first is that the printer in the mailroom can only staple five pages together. Standard staplers will still have to be used for extra-large essays. Another issue is that while the paper can hold itself together, the pressure that the printer exerts can weaken the paper itself, increasing its ability to tear. An often-used set of documents attached by a paper staple, such as a syllabus, may begin to tear. In addition, this form of staple is not as easy to remove as the metal staple. To separate pages, you will likely need to tear the paper apart. 

Stapleless staples have existed for several decades but were not practical or efficient until 2009. They were not able to staple many pages together, could not hold, and were not economically feasible. In 2007 the Japanese company Kokuyo decided to change that. Wanting to produce a green alternative to the common staple, Kokuyo dedicated time and money to creating a product that could attach many pages and hold for a long time. According to their website, their efforts eventually resulted in the Harinacs in 2009. 

Since then, stapleless staples have continued to be on the rise. All that is required is the simple touch of a button, and metal is replaced with paper. 


Student Senate Update

ARTICLE: Update from Student Senate

The Bagpipe had the opportunity to sit down and chat with both the oldest and newest members of Student Senate. Erik Peeples ’20 is now Student Body President after serving for two years as Class President and last year as the Student Body Vice President. The other, Liz Daley ’23 from Columbia, SC, is the newly elected Freshman Class President. Both had insights on what Senate has been and what it can be in the future. 

First question to the veteran, Erik: what are some things you’ve seen change on Senate in your four years? 

Peeples: When I got into Senate my freshman year, the executive committee was comprised of a lot of business majors. Senate was going through an ideological battle of should it be run as a business or not. We’ve moved forward from trying to be run as a business and realizing that if there is something we can do for students, we should do it. Like, if we have the money to pay for students to go to events, we should do it. Senate has also gotten more efficient. Last year we created the finance committee which comes up with budget decisions before [Senate meetings], which gets rid of a lot of extra discussion. It’s so much more streamlined, and so much less argumentative. This allows us to focus on bigger and broader topics. 

Is there something you’d like to see changed about Senate this year? 

Peeples: I would like to see Senate more connected to campus and I’d like to see Senate grow.  Functionally, I want Student Senate to be more connected so we’re doing these events called Minute with Senate where we’ll be going to each Resident Hall for about an hour or so where we’ll be meeting with RAs, collaborating with them, sitting down in lobbies of each building to help make ourselves known. 

Structurally, we’re looking to add a position to be a liaison to the Multicultural Program. Last year we felt the need to address the dissonance between Senate and the rest [of the Student Body], and the Multicultural Program is a large and growing institution. In most other schools, this is a program that is usually under senate, so we thought about creating a voting position that would be on Senate as a liaison to represent the diversity on campus. 

What do you [Erik] think Senate should be addressing in this upcoming year? 

Peeples: We need to continue the conversation to make Covenant a more eco-friendly and sustainable place. I think Covenant can do more in regards to that, especially as we’re called to be stewards. My vision for this year is to make Senate more united with the rest of campus. We want to let everyone know that we are there for them, and we support them. We aren’t just some group of students that meet in isolation. [End Quote]

[Note to Reader: Student Senate meets in Carter 109 Tuesdays, 7:30. All meetings are open to the public.] 

Now, from a conversation with our most experienced Senator, to our newest. 

Why did you want to run for Freshman class president? 

Daley: I definitely first thought, “Oh that’s cool” but I’m sure like many others I thought that there’s no way that I have time for this right now. But, it definitely is something that I love, and something I’ve done before. I toggled back and forth and settled on that it would help get me out of my comfort zone. Then it quickly turned to [the thought that] maybe this will be my place in the community to serve. 

Have you had any student government experience prior to being elected Freshman Class president? 

Daley: Yes, but not technically. I was homeschooled and I didn’t really have a great way to do [Student Government]. I did participate in and work for an organization called TeenPact. As a student I ran for governor and won one year. This past summer I ran for a national position as senator. I didn’t win, but it was still a fun experience. I think that’s when I fell in love with politics. So I think that’s kind of how I saw this position coming in, but I didn’t realize how much power and influence the Senate here actually has.

Do you have any plans for the Freshman class you’d like to share? 

Daley: I definitely want to make sure I listen well to the Freshmen class and hear what they want before I commit to anything significant. I’ve heard a lot of [conversation about] continuing to improve gluten-free and dairy-free options. There also isn’t a lot of vegetarian options. For right now, I’m trying to figure out the best way to talk to my class, outside of the people I’m surrounded by. That’s sort of what I ran on, was that I love the community here, and that cliche should continue. [End Quote]

As Peeples begins to pass the torch to underclassmen like Daley, the Bagpipe will continue to follow along with Student Senate, keeping the Student Body up to date with changes the Senate may make. 


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Controversial 'Covenant Confessions' Instagram Page Erased

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“The solution, end the page. Simple, uncomplicated.” -@cov_confessions

This month, @cov_confessions, the Instagram page that once boasted an estimated 276 followers—most of whom were Covenant students—erased all posts, leaving students with conflicting reactions. The account, which posted “confessions” written and submitted by anonymous students, gained popularity and ignited controversy for its often questionable, negative content.

The account was founded on anonymity of all parties. For this reason, the four account administrators would not provide their names, as they take responsibility for creating the platform. It gave students the opportunity to say what normally is secret or forbidden, and the creators were curious to see its results. 

After running for a time, the page was cleared by the administrators themselves to resolve an ongoing conversation that resulted from circling rumors and complaints about the direction of the page’s content by students and administration. Not only did rumors spread around campus, but complaints were expressed via direct message and anonymous submission as well.

While the page may have had negative impacts, several students praised it for its humor and authenticity. “I’ve had several students say they enjoy the page because it’s comedic, they just see it as entertainment. Beyond that, it may provide the campus with a sense of humility, that not everyone here is perfect,” an owner wrote.

As far as the administrators of the page are aware, no disciplinary actions resulted from their posts. However, certain posts did lead to “some heated discussions,” they said. “Ultimately, we decided that the page was not conducive to a positive community environment on campus, and decided to shut it down.” 

When asked for solutions, @cov_confessions suggested healthier ways to discuss these topics. One idea was the establishment of a transparent forum where students were not only challenged to confess, but encouraged to seek resolutions. Another suggestion was a student-led panel that read anonymous submissions and invited campus community members to discuss solutions.

According to Jonathan Wylie, Associate Dean of Students, Covenant College does not monitor any social media.

“One of our biggest sins as a community is gossip and using words that tear one another down.” Wylie said. He went on to differentiate between the Christian’s calling to both private or public confession, depending on the context.

Wylie explained his disinclination to squelch these sorts of conversations, as the discussion of sins allows them to be brought to light and turned from, to which we are called. “Maybe the Lord is going to use this as something that’s calling us into action.”

While Wylie, who never followed the account, believes the administrators desired to glorify God, he asked the question, “How do we love one another well? 

Olivia Mineo ’22, who did follow the account, provided some additional insight from a student’s perspective. Originally, the page claimed to publish all the stories the Bagpipe could not. “It started off really innocent,” she said, explaining that submissions would be about secret crushes and other topics just as serious. The administrators would also include their reactions within the posts’ captions.

“After a while, more and more people started to get bold, and started to confess more inappropriate stuff,” Mineo said. She found it humorous, adding that Covenant students would oftentimes not imagine such activities occurring on campus.

According to Mineo, @cov_confessions posted Instagram stories revealing followers’ requests to remove the page and complaints of it being offensive. She pointed out that the moderators weren’t the ones making “confessions,” only sharing them. While it may not be right to share certain posts, she feels contributors should take responsibility for any offensive content that was shared.

“I just thought it was funny. I liked seeing it, and it was interesting to see how each confession got worse and worse.” Mineo explained that she didn’t feel the administrators were trying to get anyone in trouble, but were simply exposing students to campus activity.  

Lastly, Mineo commented on the difficulty of healthy confessions while at Covenant, which she partly attributed to the Standards of Conduct. While in no way was she advocating their curtail, she expressed her sentiment that the more rules are enforced, the more they are broken.

“If you're upset, just unfollow and report it.”

Julia Smith ’21 followed @cov_confessions simply to be informed of its content. Smith is not trying to condemn the writers of the confessions, but rather the moderators’ decisions to publish them. “I’m not gonna hate on you or judge you for doing whatever your little confession was, whether it be stealing a loaf of bread from the great hall, or getting high in Mills. But I think the page was encouraging submissions of these confessions in a way that was more like glorifying and celebrating these little dirty acts…”

“There seems to be no signs of repentance from anyone,” said Smith, referencing people’s laughing in the comments, which trivialized unethical behavior.

Some confessions tore down certain groups and people indirectly, and several posts were also about pornography and masturbation, she said. “A confession like that should be a sign […] A lot of these confessions were cries for help, and we’re just kind of celebrating them.” If our brother or sister is struggling with porn or any other issue, we’re called to come alongside and build them up.

“It wasn’t a supportive community, or a community running towards Christ,” Smith said. Instead, it seemed to scream that students weren’t all “good” people, and failed to challenge one another in good ways. @Cov_confessions could have run in two different ways, Smith suggested. It may have published only light-hearted content, or acted as a resource for troubled students. Certain issues are not easily resolved through social media, as one’s struggles must be brought to light before he or she can receive help.  

While Smith acknowledges her own fallenness, she feels people are not convicted if they submit confessions anonymously.

“It’s more saddening than anything, I think—the whole page. Because it just shows a lot of immaturity.” The page gave the impression that more students partake in wrong activity than is the case.


International Column - Around the World in 600 words

A report indicating that ISIS has begun reconsolidating its power was released by the Department of Defense in August. The report, looking at U.S. efforts of stabilization in Iraq and Syria, implies that President Trump’s declaration of victory over ISIS in December 2018 was premature.

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It states that while ISIS has lost much of the territory it once held, it still has established cells with the ability to train ISIS fighters. ISIS is also allegedly “reestablishing financial networks in both countries.”

This global unrest expands beyond the Middle East to China, where videos circulating online show Hong Kong police beating up civilians on a local metro. Pro-democracy activists have been staging protests against the Chinese government in Hong Kong.

A law giving the Chinese government the power to remove Hong Kong residents for trial on mainland China in June spurred the original protests. 

They continue to march against the socialist structure of the Chinese government and for the expansion of democracy.

Joshua Wong, leader of the pro-democracy group Demosisto, hopes to enlist help against the Chinese government from nearby Taiwan.

In a meeting with reporters, Wong pushed back against the narrative that China’s power over Hong Kong will increase and that it would soon hold Taiwan as well.

“Hong Kong can be like Taiwan,” he said, “A place for freedom and democracy.”

Democracy has also been a controversial topic in Britain as new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, hopes to ensure that Britain leaves the European Union, per the results of the Brexit election in 2016.

“The referendum results must be respected,” Johnson tweeted on August 30, “We will leave the EU on 31st October.”

He faces opposition from many members of parliament, and on September 3 the BBC reported that “Tory rebels and opposition MPs have defeated the government in the first stage of their attempt to pass a law designed to prevent a no-deal Brexit.”

Johnson has lost two bids for a snap or general election. This election could have given him enough votes to complete the Brexit process if more Conservatives were elected.

Over the months of June, July, and August, over 150 Eritrean Christians have been detained in underground tunnels by Eritrea’s government. 

According to the International Catholic News, these Christians, in order to accommodate more prisoners, are forced to expand the tunnels by digging. The imprisoned Christians come from the Faith Mission of Christ Church in Keren. 

Christian hospitals have also been targeted recently by the Eritrean government. On July 8, the latest of twenty-one Catholic-run hospitals and clinics was shut down.

Daniela Kravetz, a reporter on Human Rights in Eritrea criticized the government for its actions. 

“The seizure of these health facilities will negatively impact the right to health of the affected population,” she said, “In particular those in remote rural areas.”

Refusing to renounce Christianity at the behest of the government, six former Eritrean governmental workers also await their fate.

Uncertainty dominates international headlines. Will there be an ISIS resurgence? Will the Hong Kong protests be resolved peacefully or violently? Will Brexit procede or be blocked? Will Eritrea yield to international pressure and release the imprisoned Christians? The answers to these questions will have major ramifications for the international political and economic climate.


In Memoriam: Reflecting on the Life of Dr. Kevin Eames

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On the evening of September 11th, Covenant students and faculty gathered in the chapel to celebrate the life of Dr. Kevin Eames, the late chair of the Psychology Department at Covenant. Welcomed by a soft hymn medley played by Dr. Finch, they sat in quiet reflection as Chaplain Lowe took the stage.

“A memorial is oftentimes something to help preserve remembrance,” Lowe said, “but our memorial tonight is not about capturing life, but instead about celebrating life. For the next hour or so we will slow down and be reminded of God’s love, which Kevin lived out in our midst, and the reality that death has been conquered by Jesus, whom Kevin humbly clung to.”

Hannah Bloomquist, Resident Director of Andreas Residence Hall, was first to speak. For her, Eames faithfully modeled the Christian life at Covenant, both as a professor and a friend.

“Kevin Eames was never afraid of a hard question,” Bloomquist said. “He wasn’t scared that a difficult or uncomfortable question would undo his theology. But rather, his theology and his firm trust in the Lord and God, the Creator of the universe, would hold in the midst of the most difficult question. In his absence, we do grieve, but we also celebrate the work that he did. Because of his absence, we here at Covenant are challenged even more to stand in the gap.”

Echoing these words, Dr. Mike Rulon, Katie Kelley, and Dr. Jeff Hall also shared their reflections and anecdotes on Dr. Eames. They reiterated the Christian love he displayed towards others and the firm faith he held in God despite hardship. 

“I was profoundly and deeply influenced by Kevin’s teaching, but more importantly by his friendship,” remarked Katie Kelley, a Covenant alumna and former student of Dr. Eames. “Not only was Dr. Eames a delight to know, to study under, and to work with, but he expressed delight in all areas of his life. His joy was a rebellious joy, one that knew darkness and suffering and refused to let it win. Through this vulnerability, he invited me into that rebellious joy, to defiantly declare in the face of grief, ‘Where, O death, is your sting?’”

After a clip from Dr. Eames’s commencement speech, the service concluded with an excerpt from Handel’s Messiah, which Dr. Eames specifically requested before he died. The words from this selection echoed the promises found in 1 Corinthians 15, read earlier in the service by Dr. Jay Green: “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

Though it has been several months since he passed on, the Covenant community continues to be blessed by the life and work of Dr. Kevin Eames. In his wake lie memories of his laughter and friendship, his joy and vulnerability, and his faith and love for Christ. To use the words of Dr. Mike Rulon, a friend and former colleague of Dr. Eames, “Kevin will be surely missed—really, really missed.”


Chaos Across the Pond - Brexit and Boris

Currently, the United Kingdom (UK) hurtles towards separation from the European Union (EU).  Back in 2016, the former Prime Minister of the UK, David Cameron, called for a national vote. The people of the UK elected to exit the EU, beginning Brexit. 

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The following three years have seen a tremendous amount of upheaval in Parliament. Cameron supported a “Remain” position and resigned immediately following the election. 

His replacement, Theresa May, had the task of guiding the UK to a calm and frictionless separation. In January of 2019, May’s first withdrawal agreement was defeated, as were her second and third plans in March. 

At the end of March, shortly before the UK was due to leave the EU, both the EU and the UK agreed to extend the leave date until October 31, 2019. In May of this year, Theresa May put forward a fourth and final plan. She resigned after its defeat. 

This led to a series of elections within the Conservative party, which still holds a majority in Parliament. After a gauntlet of votes, on July 23rd, Boris Johnson was elected as the new Prime Minister. He has long campaigned for a “hard” Brexit. He wants the UK to leave quickly and decisively with as little involvement with Europe as possible. 

After his election Boris immediately reinforced his plans for a definitive leave date of October 31. This conviction is not shared by his entire party. Many of the other Members of Parliament (MPs) including Johnson’s own Conservatives are anxious about the prospects of a no-deal Brexit. A no-deal Brexit would mean that there would be no signed agreements between the EU and the UK. This would leave all trade and immigration between the UK and continent to be regulated by international trade law. 

The economic ramifications of a no-deal Brexit will be significant but cannot be clearly anticipated. However, for many in the UK, the more pressing issue is that of the Irish border. Following the Troubles, or the Northern Ireland conflict from the 1960s to 1990s, the UK and the Republic of Ireland (a member of the EU) signed the Belfast Agreement. This kept Northern Ireland a part of the UK, but with strong links to the Republic of Ireland. 

Many in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the UK as a whole are strongly opposed to any hard border being set up between the Irelands out of fear of the possibility of reigniting the Troubles once again.

This brings us to where we are today. At the beginning of September, Johnson made good on his threats to call Parliament into recess, officially called “proroguing” Parliament, for the rest of September and much of October, all but guaranteeing that October 31st will be the no-deal Brexit. While many in Parliament are opposed to a no-deal Brexit, no agreement has been signed. 


Angel of Death: American Missionary Sued Over Deaths of Ugandan Children

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In 2009, 19-year-old American Renee Bach moved to Uganda to found Serving His Children, a faith-based nonprofit organization. Bach, who has no medical training or college degree, was sued earlier this year in the High Court of Uganda by the parents of two children who allegedly died in her care. She is also accused of causing the deaths of 105 Ugandan children by misrepresenting herself as a medical professional and denying her patients access to the local hospital system. 

Her case calls into question the system of international medical charity and the role of Westerners in the medical systems of African countries.

Although Bach was formally sued in January of 2019, her case did not gain international media attention until this summer. In July, multiple news organizations including NPR, ABC, and The Root began reporting accounts by former patients and employees which paint a disturbing picture of Bach’s clinic in Jinja. 

According to sources, she administered blood transfusions, oversaw sensitive feeding regimens for severely malnourished patients, inserted IV catheters, diagnosed conditions like tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria, and regularly wore a white coat and stethoscope.

In 2011, Bach wrote on the Serving His Children blog about a 9-month-old baby named Patricia. Writing in the first person, she recounted that “I hooked the baby up to oxygen and got to work… As I took her temperature, started an IV, checked her blood sugar, tested for malaria, and looked at her HB [hemoglobin] count… I was attempting to diagnose the many problems that could potentially be at hand… After doing a search for blood around Jinja town, we found her type and it was a match! We started the transfusion…” 

However, there were major complications which Bach glossed over in the blog post. 

According to Jackie Kramlich, an American nurse who was volunteering at Serving His Children at the time, Bach called her into the room a few minutes later as the infant began wheezing. The wrong blood type had been administered. Bach told Kramlich that she wasn’t sure if it was an allergic reaction, because her Google search said that allergic reactions often came with a rash. Kramlich convinced Bach to take the baby to a local hospital, where the child recovered. Kramlich resigned from Serving His Children several months later, citing ethical concerns. 

Bach’s story was brought to light by several Ugandan advocacy organizations. These include the Women’s Probono Initiative, a legal organization sponsoring the court case against her, and No White Saviors, a controversial online campaign against prideful “white saviorism” in missionary and charity work in African countries. 

The court case against Bach alleges that, of the approximately 900 children with severe malnutrition who were treated at Serving His Children, 105 died at the clinic. 

According to accusations by No White Saviors, many more children may have died within a few days of leaving the clinic, as the clinic kept no official death records and frequently discharged extremely ill patients.

Bach denies that she ever represented herself as a doctor or medical professional, and she says that the accounts from former staff accusing her of misconduct come from individuals with whom she had personal disagreements. 

She left Uganda in 2015, amid growing questions from local health officials and “threats” from local people. Serving His Children agreed to partner with the Health Ministry of Uganda in further activities treating medically fragile patients. 

Bach has retained U.S. legal counsel from David Gibbs III of the National Center for Life and Liberty, who has referred to the social media advocacy campaign against her as “reputational terrorism.” Bach does not plan to return to Uganda to respond to the lawsuit in court. Serving His Children points out that their reported case fatality rate for severe malnutrition is in line with the rates at other health centers.

The Bagpipe spoke with Henry Hooks, a Covenant sophomore who spent his summer shadowing Dr. Timothy Ssemakula, a Ugandan physician working in a rural area outside Kampala. Reflecting on the Bach case, Hooks encouraged nuance between the prideful attitudes of some charity workers and the real medical needs that many people still have. 

On the one hand, Hooks noted that, “As an American, it's easy to get in the mindset of, ‘I have all these resources. So anything that I do is going to be helpful no matter if it saves lives.’ …It’s just so prideful and ridiculous because there are doctors there, there are lots of resources for people to get real medical help… It was just really frustrating and bothered me a lot that she was assuming a role of, ‘I can do this, and it's not really that bad if anything happens, because they're gonna die anyway.’” 

On the other hand, Hooks emphasized that real medical needs exist, and can be met: “[Bach] could have done a lot in the way of providing resources for people to get to a medical clinic. Like, if she wanted to run a nutrition center that's just feeding people, not doing any medical work, fantastic. That's such a good way for her to connect with people and be invested in their lives. And if somebody comes who's medically malnourished, then she could say, ‘Okay, we have couriers that can take you to the hospital in central Jinja, and they're going to take care of you there.’”

According to advocacy groups like No White Saviors, the Bach case shows a weakness in the attitudes and objectives of independent Western missionaries providing “aid” in African nations. 

Reflecting on how to navigate this conversation, Hooks said, “Go with an attitude of, ‘I'm entering somebody else's country and all I want to do is learn from them and try to understand their culture better.’ Not trying to be a savior and feel good about myself. Because Christ went in humility, and we should go in humility.”