Anne Span: A Briercrest student in West Africa
Program: B.A. in Christian Studies 2010
Anne Span and her husband are missionaries with Christian Reformed World Missions. They live in Guinea, West Africa . Anne does administrative work for the mission, hosts colleagues when they come to the city from the villages where they work, and does some informal counseling (called “debriefing”) with missionaries and friends who have experienced trauma. “I feel honoured to be a part of God’s healing for his people,” she says.
She wanted to further her theological education by earning a bachelor’s degree, but her location and work made it impossible to attend a Bible college or seminary. She became a distance learning student at Briercrest College and Seminary in 2003 because of Briercrest’s reputation, accreditation, and flexibility.
Seven years later, Anne is almost ready to graduate. She begins classes and does schoolwork as her schedule allows her to, and the distance learning staff members are available to answer questions, help her keep track of assignment deadlines, and even mail her textbooks to her. She thoroughly enjoys getting on-the-job training that she uses right away in her work in Guinea.