Admissions Team
Axton Bryant
When I was younger, my parents did a great job of keeping me in church, Sunday School, and Vacation Bible Schools. It was through a pastor talking about Jesus Christ and salvation at a VBS service that I heard the gospel clearly for the first time. I gave my life to Christ that summer as a five-year-old, but it wasn’t until I was in middle school that I truly began to live my life for God. My grandma would pick me and my cousin up from school every Wednesday in middle school to take us to our friend’s house. That friend’s dad was a youth pastor, so we would ride with them to youth group each Wednesday. God used my grandma, my friends, and my youth pastor to direct me towards Christ and to living a life that has a true purpose.
Before, my purpose was to make good grades, do well in sports and try to be popular. What I have since learned, is that life is way more than that! God wants to use me and YOU for something much greater! At the Word of Life Bible Institute, God’s word transformed my life and now I can help students have the same experience!
WOLBI is so much different than other schools because of the biblical community. Each classmate, professor, and staff member that you meet is actively seeking to grow in their own walk with the Lord and wants to encourage and push you to do the same!
Drew Deshetsky
Gaby Hackett
Isaac Smith
Kairo Oliveira
Megan Carr
Nekoda White
Brian Tanedo
I grew up in a broken home. My parents were divorced and not living for God and my childhood was full of difficulties. But, when I was 7, both of my biological parents came to know the Lord as their Savior! After that, I was constantly in church and started hearing the Gospel, or the good news. It wasn’t until I was in junior high when my Fellowship of Christian Athletes group at my public school took me to see a play called Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames that I understood I had sin in my life.
I was angry at my parents for divorcing and bitter toward my dad and step-dad for their mistakes. I was lustful and jealous of others. God showed me that night that my sin would keep me from His presence in heaven and that I needed saving from His wrath for sin. I knew that I would be separate from God forever if I died right then! But God, graciously showed me as well that there is hope and I could have salvation that meant my sins were forgiven and my relationship with Him restored if I turned from my sin, put my faith in His Son Jesus Christ, and believed that God raised him from the dead.
I prayed that night to turn from my sin to Christ! It was the best decision I have ever made. After I graduated high school, I started attending a public community college, but through some terrible decisions, God showed me he had a different plan for my life. I attended the Word of Life Bible Institute in 2008-2009 and God radically changed my life! I knew that I had forgiveness, but it wasn’t until I was at the Bible Institute that I realized that I needed, and wanted, to give God my whole life, not just trust Him with my eternal security.
I ended up staying with Word of Life as an intern, I met my wife here and we eventually left to start a family. After serving several years in Admissions at WOLBI, I received a job at Cedarville University in their Admissions Department. A couple of years, and kids later, my wife and I accepted Word of Life’s offer to come back and lead the Admissions Department. I am so blessed to serve at the college that God used to change my life and my mission is to see every Christian find that deeper walk with God and I believe the best place to do that is at the Word of Life Bible Institute!
I think what makes Word of Life different is that the students are immediately putting their faith and learning into action through ministry. Every student is required to be in ministry and you learn very early on that ministry doesn’t mean just preaching. Anything in life that we do can be a ministry and can point people to God. I have been on platform ministries and behind the scenes ministries, and it all brings glory and honor to Him with equal opportunity to show people Jesus.
Kinga Vickery
The Lord allowed me to know Him from a young age. This gave a good foundation of knowing that even when we don’t think or feel that He is near, He is ALWAYS faithful, and my circumstances and current situations are working together to bring me closer to Him. My husband and I have 3 kids and we both serve with Word of Life in Florida. I have a deep calling to serve the International student community because I was one many years ago and feel that I have a special connection to them and can better relate to their needs.
Word of Life is a unique place where the students not only do life & academics together but ministry as well. This is the perfect soil for long-lasting deep friendships and accountability. As Staff we strive to make you feel at home, help you in your daily walk by discipleship and informal gatherings in our homes. We value true heart-change that lasts. Our school year ends after summer ministry, which is (in most cases) summer camp for kids or families on one of our own WOL properties. This allows our students to put into practice what they learned all year. Come join us!
Bobby Brown
I was raised in a Christian home. God was so gracious in allowing me to have two loving parents who taught me God’s word. In addition to that, God graced me with a Church that faithfully preached the word. With that in mind, my family and I were the ones at church any time the doors were open. It was during one of the May Sunday morning kids’ groups that I for the first time heard that I was a sinner. More than that I heard that because of my sin, I would be separated from God. That the punishment for my sin was death and eternity in a very real place called hell. My teachers went on to explain that God loved me despite my sin. That God showed his perfect love for me by sending his son, Jesus Christ to die for my sins and that if we placed our faith in him and believed in who he was and what he did, We could be saved. So, when the opportunity arose, I rose my hand to accept Jesus Christ as my savior. After the class, my teacher and mom sat down with me and explained to me the decision I was making, and I placed my faith and trust in Christ.
Now obviously I still struggle, and it has been a long journey. However, God is so faithful. He is faithful in exposing my sin and providing the strength to walk in righteousness. In addition to the strength, the lord provided he provided amazing teachers and disciple makers, who trained me and taught me what it meant to seek Christ. Men who taught me how to share my faith. They pushed me to teach the word and gave me opportunities to serve. Some of these men were from my church, but many were counselors at the Word of Life Florida youth camp. Every summer I got to go to camp I was poured in to. I was trained and loved. No doubt it is because of the lord and the way he faithfully used these mentors and counselors, that I am the man God has molded me into.
There are two things about Word of Life that make it different than other schools. The first I would say is the top down focus on the word of God. The focus and heartbeat of the School is to teach the word. We want students to know Gods word we want them to love Gods word and that shows in the class structure, the environment, the rules, etc. The other major difference is the opportunities we provide our students to live out their faith. The opportunities they have to get involved with different ministries. To meet missionaries. We provide the opportunities for students to teach the word, raise support, disciple students, lead jobs, teach devotions and counsel at summer camps. Allowing many of our students to build the biblical foundation trained and ready to go and serve.
Kara Strahan
I had the privilege to grow up in a Christian home and came to know the Lord at a young age. After high school, I went on to Clearwater Christian College where the Lord allowed me to grow and develop in my relationship with Him. After college, I came to Word of Life Florida to work for a couple of years before meeting my husband and living in Indiana for several years before the Lord brought our family back to Florida. I now serve as the Recruitment Coordinator for both Bible Institutes and am so thankful for the ministry God has given me here.
Word of Life is a family. I think one thing that sets the Bible Institute apart from other schools is its size, and the ability for staff members and other adults to come alongside and encourage and disciple students in a personal way.
Tyler Critchlow
