By Amanda Blake
“Lord, please, save my boat,” Edson prayed aloud, lifting his hands into the frosty air. “Save Your boat!”
That desperate plea is part of a creative story I wrote for a religion class during my first year at Southern Adventist University. Now, three years later, I am working on a project with Message magazine, a product of Edson White’s perilous journey to the South on his steamboat, The Morning Star, in an effort to minister to the formerly enslaved black population. For those who may not know, White was the son of Ellen White, a beloved Seventh-day Adventist pioneer who co-founded what is now the most diverse religion in the United States.
My name is Amanda Blake. Nice to meet you!
And what am I doing these days? I’m still at Southern, and I’m still writing. I am passionate about acting as a pen for those who can’t quite find the words themselves and telling stories that spur people to action. That’s why I’m pursuing a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
When I envision my dream career, I imagine writing for National Geographic. I love travel, photography and producing stories that highlight the harsh and beautiful facets of the human experience. That’s a large part of why I’m excited to explore the topic of child development, the true beginning of each individual’s human experience, when God becomes the Potter and we the clay.
I grew up in a Seventh-day Adventist household with two wonderful, involved parents who loved God. Those qualities never changed. But, as I approached double digits, my home fell apart. Separation, divorce and remarriage are tough on children; that is irrefutable and unavoidable.
However, through this project, I hope to gain and share insight on how the falling apart of a marriage is not interlocked with the falling apart of a child’s self worth or their relationships with their parents or God.
The waters rise, but Jesus, the Morning Star, remains.