by Daniel McBride
Rebecca Allup-Carlen is an alumna of Manna U (Formerly Grace College of Divinity) as well as a staff member who works with Manna U Latin America. We asked her some questions about what she learned at Manna University as a student and about the work she does as a staff member and instructor for courses offered in Spanish to students in Latin America and Spanish-speakers in the United States. She spoke about how as a dental hygienist she has the opportunity to show people the love of God in a context where they normally are uncomfortable.
Rebecca shared, “I learned at Manna U that you don’t have to be serving in missions or inside a church, but that I can bring the Kingdom of God to my workplace.”
Then Rebecca elaborated on how Manna U Latin America came to exist, what she has seen, and the work she gets to affect, “It started in 2016 when Dr. Crowther started an institute in Colombia to train pastors,” but eventually, graduates of the institute wanted to progress further. They wanted to be part of Manna University, so work began in the Autumn of 2022, and in Spring of 2023, Manna U offered its first courses entirely in Spanish.
“The students’ tenacity impresses me,” Rebecca expounded, “as they have to overcome a lot, but if they are looking to get gold out of the courses, they are going to be challenged.” Most of all, Rebecca described how grateful she feels to be part of bringing the classes that have changed her life to other Spanish-speakers and how grateful she is at how people have supported the cause. “Most of our students come on scholarships which are made possible by generous donors to Manna U. All of our students are leaders in their churches and communities. They are using what they learn from us to train up other leaders around them.”
For more on what’s going on at Manna University, check out our full-length Spring 2024 Newsletter.
