January 13, 1999
Australian finds new life at Wayland
___PLAINVIEW--A Wayland Baptist University senior soon will return "down under" as a different person.
___The change in Australian Michelle Haage isn't just because of the academic education she received at Wayland. It's also because of a spiritual change that occurred under the Baptistuniversity's influence.
Michelle Haage
___In six months Haage will receive her bachelor's degree and return to Sydney, Australia. But she is not the same person as when she arrived on Wayland's campus four years ago, she said.
___Haage came to Wayland as a member of the university's track team, although she was uncertain about the wisdom of attending a Baptist school. In fact, she said, she didn't really know what a Baptist school was.
___Friends in Australia joked with her that attending a Baptist university in Texas was probably like going to a nunnery. She never had heard much about religion of any kind, so this was a big struggle for her.
___Through the prayers and support of friends at Wayland, however, Michelle became a Christian earlier this year.
___Returning home as a Christian will be "a big challenge," she said.
___For now, she's drawing strength from her Wayland friends, who really are more like family than just friends, she said.
___From these friends, she already has learned what it means to be a Christian. "It started out by the difference in lifestyle and outlook they had," she said, "and it grew from there."
___After numerous conversations with Christian classmates, she became involved in the campus department of Plainview's First Baptist Church. Then she publicly announced her decision for Christ in late November, after friends led her through the process of making a profession of faith in a dorm room earlier in the week.
___Haage is thankful for the spiritual and academic lessons she's learned at Wayland. After graduation Haage hopes to find a position in the area of sports and recreation in Sydney.Frontpage / Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!