2008 Woodie Awards
Married professors call NGU "Home"
Issue date: 11/2/05 Section: News
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Staff Writer
He grew up in Bonn, Germany. She was raised in Fallbrook, Calif. They met at a camp in Wisconsin and fell in love.
David Karlson, an outdoor leadership professor, met his wife Melinda Karlson, a physical education professor, at Honeyrock Camp, an educational department through Wheaton College in Three Lakes, Wisc.
David moved to the states in 1992 for college and received his B.A. in Business Administration from Ambassador University in Texas. He then went on to receive his M.A. in Educational Ministries at Wheaton College in Illinois, which is where he found out about Honeyrock Camp.
"I grew up going to camps so I've always loved the outdoors," said David. "Halfway through my junior year I worked at Ambassador as part of the canoeing staff and that's when I realized I didn't want to spend life in the business world. After I graduated I found out about Honeyrock Camp and did a 12-month practicum to work there. The main focus was spiritual information on using outdoor ministries."
Melinda earned her B.A. in Physical Education at Point Loma Nazarene University in California. She then moved on to earn her M.A. in Educational Ministries at Wheaton College.
"I decided to come to NGU because I wanted the chance to interact with college students," said Melinda. "I wanted to work at a college level and bridge the gap between the spiritual and academic classes. I want to contribute as much as I can to make a connection between the two."
Melinda came to faith at Camp Forest Home in 4th grade. "At the end of the week the gospel was shared and I accepted Christ, every year since my relationship with Him had become more serious," said Melinda.
"I grew up in a Christian home so faith was always a part of my life," said David. "Between my junior and senior year of college I was baptized, it was an outward sign that I'm committed to Christ."
Ken Kalisch, a professor at Wheaton College, helped influence them both in their relationship with Christ. "Ken Kalisch helped me get in the outdoors field and showed me the greatness of God during difficult times," said David.
"He influenced me in developing a passion to use the outdoors as a ministry opportunity," said Melinda. "College is a time of character development and is when spiritual growth can occur. I'm excited to see Christ work through me on this campus."