emile it was a rather 0 mon occurrence for Harding students to find the person they would marry during their college years, not all first meetings took place on campus. For George and Donna St r achan, dorm parents of Kendall women's dorm, their first meeting happened in George's home country of Scotland. Since then they've made Harding their home and ministry . Donna had heard the name George Strachan around cam pus, but did not ac – tually get to meet him until she went on a summer campaign to Scotland right after her sophomore year. As luck would have it, Donna stayed with George's brother and sister- in - law, which was the beginning of the two meeting each other. During the summers, George was a commercial f isherman in Scotland and would be out to sea most of the time, except the day that he went to help the church with the Harding caInpaign, It was that day that he and Donna were pai red together to spread the word of the new church. "My friends yelled out to put us together," Donna said . "It was so embarrass– ing. " After forIning an initial co n nection that day, George had to go back out to sea and the only contact between them was p o stcards here and there. When school started again, George called Donna's suitemate. "H e had taken my suitemate to a wedding that summer so I thought tha t he had to like her," Donna said . "It made me sad, but then about two m inutes later 1 got a call from him . H e was just getting my number from my suitemate." They were engaged three Inonths later a n d Inar r ied in Scotland on July 16 . 'When they graduated fro m H arding, they were out for two years before God brought them back as the Kendall dorm parents . H arding had a big iInpact on George and Donna during their tiIne as students and now they were in a position to be a blessing to others in the same environ– ment. "We both want to Inake a d ifference in the lives of the studen ts in ou r dorm and show them God's love," George said. T he first few years as dorm parents were not always easy, however, especially 156 leadership Strachan with three kids of their own to parent. "It was hard when the kids were babies; having to be up all night and having to stay up unt il curfew," Donna said . "Now it's so rewarding because our kids love the girls and these girls genuinely love the kids. You have to view the job as a ministry or you get burned out. 1t took a few years for God t o change my heart. It took almost moving and my son Connor almost dying ." In 2009, ll - Inonth old C o nnor unexpectedly fellliInp and unconscious dur – ing Thanksgivin g break. He was ai r lifted to Arkansas Children's Hospital, where h is conditioned worsened . He went in to a coma with little or no brain activity. Through this incredibly difficult tiIne, people caIne from all over to pray over Connor and support George and Donna . "Through many p rayers and petitions to God he saved our son," George said. "T his experience b r ought my wife and [me] into a deeper relationship with Cod than we ever had before." 1t was two weeks after C onno r became sick that the doctors finally identified the cause . H e had ingested muscle relaxants from an unknown source . "We didn't try to investigate it much because it didn't Inatter," Donna said. "God showed us a miracle." After seeing God's hand at work , the St rachans were convinced that their place was still at Hard ing. "'When we first started we said we wo uld move out in two years," Do nna said. "We said that for about six years. We know God will tell us when we're supposed to leave." In all that the Strachans did during their time at H arding, whether together as dorIn parents or in other In inistries they were a part of, such as George's involve– ment with the jail ministry in Searcy, they did so with a sense of God's work and power in and through their lives . "} want to get the best out o f people and give them hope and a purpose through Jesus Christ," Geo rge said. Penelope Cronk andEmily Hauptli
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